Shan's Revised Book Meme

I saw this on Shan's blog this morning and knew I had to do this as well. She took a booke meme someone gave her and tweaked it a bit. If you would like to play, find a book to fit each of these categories, turn to page 123, and post the fifth through eighth sentences.

Nearest Book of Any Description - Dungeons and Dragons Spell Compendium

The target of the inferno takes 6d6 points of fire damage unless it makes a Fortitude save. In each round thereafter, the fire deals 1d6 fewer points of damage (minimum 1d6) until the spell ends or the subject manages to extinguish the flames. Thus, the fire deals 5d6 points of damage in the second round, 4d6 points in the third round, and so forth. Flammable, nonmagical items carried by the target automatically fail their saves to resist this damage.

Ookay... I get the math. Beyond that, not so much.

Nearest Grownup Book - My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

He almost looked somber as the song ended.

"Of course," Elvis continued, "you've had plenty of dates, you're a popular guy, but when you don't find that special gal, there's only one place you can go..."

He sang "Heartbreak Hotel."

The small band was inspired; it was as though he had a full orchestra backing him instead of just a few players and a lot of amps.

That sets the scene pretty well in four sentences, don't you think? The short story in this case is P.N. Elrod's "All Shook Up."

Nearest Book Belonging to ME: S. M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time

"They showed me pictures of grain, of bread, of cattle. They want these things, and they will give rich gifts for them."

"Ahhh," Daurthunnicar sighed.

He looked at the ax, at the wonderful sword, at the shining jewelry.

This is one of the occasions where I wish I could have chosen the previous page - it would have explained the scene much better. Nevertheless, read all of S. M. Stirling's books - especially the Nantucket series and the Emberverse series (they are connected) and you will not regret it.

Nearest Book I'm Actually READING: Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded August 27, 1883

...The water of the sea rose and inundated the land, the country to the east
of the mountain Batuwara, to the mountain Raja Basa, was inundated by the sea;
the inhabitants to the northern part of the Sunda country to the mountain Raja
Basa were drowned and swept away with all their property...

What does it mean? To which mountain - since Kapi is not a name known today - does the passage refer? And when did whatever happened take place? Geologists, more familiar with gazing at fossils or down microscopes, have pored over this one paragraph of elegant Javanese prose and gone over it with a fine-tooth comb.

Another awkward moment since my fifth sentence caught me mid-reference to something else. A fascinating book - Andrew's parents remember their grandparents talking about the cold weather in the years following Krakatoa's eruption.

Book that is Nearest to my Heart: Little Women

Each had made such preparation for the fete as seemed necessary and proper. Meg had an extra row of curlpapers across her forehead, Jo had copiously anointed her afflicted face with cold cream, Beth had taken Joanna to bed with her to atone for the approaching separation, and Amy had capped the climax by putting a clothespin on her nose to uplift the offending feature. It was one of the kind artists use to hold the paper on their drawing boards, therefore quite appropriate and effective for the purpose to whoch it was now put. This funny spectacle appeared to amuse the sun, for he burst out with such radiance that Jo woke up and roused all her sisters by a hearty laugh at Amy's ornament.

Truly, one of my favourite books ever. I could read it over and over, and if the June Allyson version is on TV, you better not be in my way.

************************************************

And to accompany your daily Lucky shot, a better picture of Raisin's new blanket. I hadn't intended the cat to be in there, but he insisted.



Yeah... I need to take down those Christmas cards...