Cynbad, Li'l J, & Abracadabra say YO.

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My new goal

I just ran across this today and it gave me a new goal. I'm going to read every book on the list before Julianne graduates. I've read most of the Bible many times and all of the ones on the bottom list. I have War & Peace somewhere.

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03.17.2009 3:23 pm

10 books people lie about reading

By: Jane Henderson

Post-Dispatch Book Editor

A survey in Britain says “1984″ by George Orwell is the book most people claim to have read - but haven’t. In other words, they lie. Perhaps not so surprising is the No. 4 book in the survey - the Bible.

A friend saw the list on Twitter and forwarded it. I confess, there are a lot of titles of which I’ve read parts - but not all. I have read ”1984″ though. But even if I hadn’t - would I lie about it? Would you? I was surprised earlier this year when my daughter’s high school English teacher surveyed parents to see whether they’d read “The Catcher in the Rye.” I apparently was one of only four parents who’d read it. And I DID read it - but would I confess to an English teacher if I hadn’t? (I guess a lot of parents did, but I would have been embarrassed.)

I’m not surprised, however, that people lie about reading the Bible. I suspect more people say they’ve read the whole thing than have.

Anyway, here are the top 10 books a British survey says readers lie about:

1. 1984 by George Orwell (42%)
2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (31%)
3. Ulysses by James Joyce (25%)
4. The Bible (24%)
5. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (16%)
6. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (15%)
7. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (14%)
8. In Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust (9%)
9. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama (6%)
10. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (6%)

Interesting that the only American title is the one by President Obama. In America, I bet there are other books people might say they’ve read but hadn’t. My guesses:

1. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain

2. Something by Hemingway, perhaps: “For Whom the Bell Tolls”

3. “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

4. “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville

5 “The Catcher in the Rye,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” ? - Do you have more titles to add? Have you lied about reading a book you haven’t?

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Article printed from Book Blog: http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/book-blog

URL to article: http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/book-blog/uncategorized/2009/03/10-books-people-lie-about-reading/

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Bark if you're Irish!

Okay, so Abby is German and Tibetan. She's still celebrating! Her shirt might almost fit if she was groomed. It's too warm for it anyway. It's a GORGEOUS day!!! It's 72 degrees and very, very sunny! Julianne is at Dog Town with her friends for the parade. If she touches the green beer I'll skin her!

These are my sister's dogs in their St. Patty's shirts. I think she beats 'em to get them to pose!

Spring is springing!

It has been gorgeous for the last few days. Abby is loving it because she's getting a nice, looooong walk every day! I like bare feet and short sleeves. I'm disappointed, though, because they've been promising severe thunderstorms all day and there hasn't been one single little thunderclap. The electricity has flickered a few times because it's very windy so the computers keep rebooting. That's only a little irritating because I have new music that I'm trying to hear. I hope everyone is having as gorgeous a day as we are!!!

Pissy Monday!

I just feel like grumbling. I'm cutting out coffee after today. I don't need coffee really. I just like it. I'm not someone who can't function without. I cut soda out a year ago and the water at my office tasted funny so I started drinking too much coffee then. I don't think coffee itself is particularly bad for you but I know that the crap that I put in it is not good with the corn syrup and hydrogenated crap. I really wish I liked it black. I've made a commitment to a healthier diet and so the coffee crap has to go. After today I will make a pot of tea in the morning. I like it better anyway. Coffee's just easier. I have a whole shelf in the pantry crammed with every kind of tea imaginable. Time to drink it. So, anyway, I made a pot of coffee this morning to use up the last of the yummy crap that I don't want to eat anymore but I forgot to close the lid of the pot so the coffee is almost clear. I dumped it back in and closed the lid and turned the pot back on. It won't work! It's on--the light is on--but it won't do anything. I've plugged it into different outlets and it still won't work. I should use my adorable new red percolator--which makes hotter and stronger coffee anyway--but instead I decided to have a smoothie. I got out my trusty smoothie maker and filled it with frozen fruit, a chopped apple, green tea, & yogurt and turned it on. It won't work, either! But it's on and makes a noise. Now I'm mad! I tried different outlets. No go. Is something wrong with the first outlet that ruined my things? Maybe I'll switch the smoothie stuff to the Magic Bullet and try another outlet first. If that doesn't work I'm going back to bed!