TGIF: Weekly Meme Fun

This week's Musings Monday post is about assigned reading . . .

How did you react to assigned reading when you were in school/university/college/etc? How do you think on these books now? What book were you 'forced' to read when you where in school that you've since reread and loved?

I was one of those rare students who lived for assigned reading lists. More often than not, I dived into whatever book was assigned with enthusiasm, finishing it way ahead of time. There were exceptions. William Shakespeare being one. And I never did make it all the way through Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (although that is one I would like to try again someday).

I do not often reread books. I have bookshelves full of unread books (and boxes, bags and stacks as well), and I am more likely to turn to them when considering what to read next. Jane Eyre, however, and Pride and Prejudice are two that I did manage to reread. Both I had read initially because they were assigned reading for classes. I loved Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre from the first moment I opened its pages. I loved it even more the second time around. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was a slightly different story. I did not care for it the first go around, but I now consider it one of my all time favorite books--it was that second reading that changed my mind.

There are plenty of assigned reading selections I would love to return to someday. I think with each reading, our impressions and thoughts are subject to change each time. Hopefully we come away feeling more satisfied than before, but I imagine that isn't always the case.

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I have a bit of catching up to do with this week's Mailbox Monday. To catch up, I thought I would list the books that have made their way into my house so far this month.


For Review*:
The Brightest Moon of the Century by Christopher Meeks
Strangers in the Land of Egypt by Stephen March
Starfinder: A Skylords Novel by John Marco
The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jeffrey Hantover
Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom

Just Because:
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby

*I have made it a rule not to accept just any book offered to me for review. Sometimes a book is offered or comes along that I just cannot resist. I make a point to research a little about the book being offered and the author before agreeing to review that book. I would rather spend my time reading books I want to read, after all.

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A little Teaser from what I've been reading lately:

There, in the middle of the broad, bright high-road - there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven - stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments; her face bent in grave inquiry on mine, her hand pointing to the dark cloud over London, as I faced her. I was far too seriously startled by the suddenness with which this extraordinary apparition stood before me, in the dead of night and in that lonely place, to ask what she wanted. [pg 24, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins]

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If you’re anything like me, there are songs that you love because of their lyrics; writers you admire because their songs have depth, meaning, or just a sheer playfulness that has nothing to do with the tunes.

So, today’s question?

• What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love?
• Why?
• And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them?

Music is as much a part of my life as the written word. I love the sound of a guitar serenading me to sleep or a strong beat that gets my toe tapping. The poetry of lyrics can bring me to tears or have me laughing out loud. There is power in a song. It can be invigorating, sooth away my pain, or calm my nerves. The songs that work the best for me are the ones that have the entire package: great music and great lyrics.

Not to mention that I love to sing. I may not be very good at singing, but I can carry a tune. I was entertaining my friend yesterday with that old geography song I learned way back when. You know the one (and I am sure you can guess why I like it):

I LOVE GEOGRAPHY (Wilson)

Maine is an island in Asia, France is a river in Spain,
Coconuts grow on a mountain of snow,
Deserts are covered with rain;
China is bordered by Norway, Texas is south of Peru,
Persia's a sea, and Vermont is a tree,
I adore knowledge, don't you?

I love ge-og-ra-phy, og-ra-phy, og-ra-phy
I love ge-og-ra-phy, with rapture the pages I turn.
I love ge-og-ra-phy, og-ra-phy, og-ra-phy
I love ge-og-ra-phy, because it's so easy to learn.

Crocodiles come from Chicago, rivers flow backward up-hill
Grass is quite rare, the equator is square,
Utah is east of Brazil.
Kansas is full of volcanoes, Switzerland's right on the coast.
Knowledge, you see, simply fascinates me,
I love ge-og-ra-phy most.

Naming a favorite song is like trying to name just one favorite book or author. There are so many I love, all for very different reasons. And the same goes for song writers. There is no one name that stands out above the others.

Often times my mood dictates what type of music or song speaks to me at any given moment. If I am feeling particularly down, I may listen to sad love songs or perhaps something more playful to try and cheer myself up. When I am having an especially bad day, songs like Rodney Atkin's If You're Going Through Hell (written by Sam Tate, Annie Tate & Dave Berg), Up! by Shania Twain (& Robert Lange), Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway (written by Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate & Matthew Gerrard), or Bitch by Meredith Brooks (& Shelly Peiken) have a way of perking me up. I also go through phases. I am sure my husband is glad that my country music phase has faded into the background to make way for a more alternative adult/rock one. Regardless, I enjoy a wide variety of music--much like my rather eclectic taste in books.

Just a very small few of the songs whose lyrics and music never fail to pull me in:

Whiskey Lullaby performed by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss, written by Bill Anderson and Jon Randall
Fast Car performed and written by Tracy Chapman
Bring Me to Life performed by Evanescence, written by Ben Moody, Amy Lee, David Hodges
Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) performed by Rodney Atkins, written by Matthew Scannell
Desert Rose performed by Sting, written by Sting and Kipper
Dark Lady performed by Cher, written by Johnny Durrell (this is just a fun dark song)

I could go on and on, but you want to do something else today besides read my blog post, I bet.

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1. Enough with the work for this week. Let's get on with the weekend.

2. My job sometimes causes me to be conflicted.

3. I've been craving cheesecake lately.

4. The kitten's attempts to play with the dog make me laugh.

5. I wish I could go to the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto next week. It's actually not the biggest anymore, but it's a eye catching name, isn't it? Unfortunately, I have to work next week, and so I will be stuck in Southern California instead. At least it's warm here.

6. Where exactly I put the two new tubes of face cleanser has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet evening with my husband and animals; tomorrow and Sunday my plans include entertaining the in-laws.

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Thank you to all who provided feedback regarding the new look here at Musings of a Bookish Kitty. I was in the mood for a change and thought I would give this template a try.

I realized just last night that my blog roll is missing. I could kick myself for not making sure it was there before I got rid of the old template. I am slowly going to be rebuilding that up, so please be patient with me. Obviously today there is no blog roll, and so you won't find your name there, but if you are a frequent visitor and want to be listed on my blog roll, please let me know. You can either e-mail me directly or leave a comment here.