Saturday, February 5, 2011

Mosaic Monday: Old Books



"A book reads the better which is our own, and has been so long known to us, that we know the topography of its blots, and dog's ears, and can trace the dirt in it to having read it at tea with buttered muffins. "
~Charles Lamb, Last Essays of Elia, 1833

Do you have a favorite book, battered and dog-eared, that you read again and again, for the sheer joy of it? You know the sort I mean -- the one where you slip gently into the story as if visiting with old friends. Just the act of opening such a book can sweep us away to another world.

There is a line from one of my favorite movies -- You've Got Mail -- where the main character wonders whether her quiet life has been a timid one: "So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?"

As someone who has also led a "quiet life," I'm not sure if I'm the right person to answer that question. I quite like my quiet life. But I am an enthusiastic visitor to other places and times through my favorite books. And it seems to me that a really good book can lead us to discover our own inner landscapes as well.

So don't forget to tell me in the comments, what is your favorite book -- the one that you read over and over again, the one that takes you to new places?

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.
That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline

And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.







52 comments:

  1. Beautiful mosaics, Mary. I do have a favorite book, one all tattered and worn, one that I return to and will sweep me away with Words ♥ His Words :)

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  2. Lovely mosaic, Mary! Your old books remind me of my mother, she loved to read and had the tattered old books she would read over and over. Nice memory.

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  3. I love old books and so many of the authors that I read over and over again are ones who are long gone. Your mosaics are wonderful Mary. My favorite old books are by Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald and the best Old book of all time that speaks to everything we need today is the Bible!

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  4. Hi Mary, Love the mosaic. Books are my friends, I am always reading, sometimes I have 4 books on the go at the same time. I have read a 'Knight in Shining Armor' 10 times before the book fell apart. It was written by Jude Deveraux and is a fantasy story. Have a great week.

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  5. Mary, your pictures are just fabulous. Love the mosaic. Hugs, Marty

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  6. I really do not have a book that I reread. I am eager to go on to new places and meet new people in new books. I however, love the smell of old books. They have a history. I like that. V

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  7. Old books have such noble character and the beautiful tulip just adds to the depth of the picture. All are just wonderful! Cathy

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  8. Hi Mary, this is my first time joining in. Your photos are so pretty. Like A Garden of Threads commented, "Knight in Shining Armor" is also my absolute favorite book. I've lost count of how many times I've read it and I still cry at the end every single time.

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  9. Thankyou again for another beautiful mosaic Monday and the opportunity to contribute. Books are a huge part of my life as you will see when you look on my shelves. For me I love autobiographys - to delve into the lives of others. A couple of my favourites are Karen Blixen's (Isak Dinesen) Out of Africa, and Shadows on the Grass, and the Provence series by Peter Mayle. Also photographic essays, especially "Humanity".

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  10. I absolutely LOVE old books...yours are beautiful and you took such great photos! I love Thirteen Moon by Charles Fraizer...could read it again after I finish the last page! It's a powerful book and takes you to another time and place! ♥

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  11. Mary, thanks so much for letting me know the link wasn't working. I think I have it corrected now!

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  12. I revisit E.B. White and his essays over and over again. He had such a way with a phrase. Wonderfully cozy looking all your stacked books!

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  13. I love the old book photos. The only one I read over and over is the Bible but I've never managed to read the whole book. I guess it's the only one that I can say that about.
    thanks for hosting us.

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  14. I love your old books and they have covers on them..I have read Gone with the Wind over and over again ~ it takes me away like a nice long hot bath ~ relaxing ;-)

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  15. Hello Mary
    A great subject for your mosaic this week. I too love old books, can't say I have a favourite though.
    Judith

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  16. I have been a reader since a tiny child - my home overflows with books - both mine and my husband's.

    Carolina Mountains

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  17. I love the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Reminds me of childhood and a simpler time.
    And the Little Bear Series.
    Lovely photos - so serene!

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  18. I love your mosaic, just beautiful! And so is your post, I really need to get back into reading. I can't pick a favorite though!

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  19. I love this post and I love You've Got Mail too! I love her little bookstore, The Shop Around the Corner. I couldn't be without books, they are scattered throughout my house on shelves, coffee table, end tables and by my bedside. I don't have an old favourite like yours but I do have a copy of Black Beauty from childhood that I treasure because my grandparents gave it to me.

    I am joining you with Mosaic Monday, see my link above. http://shirley-agardenerslife.com

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  20. You can never have too many books or book marks!!! My favorite book is War and Peace, but it is not one I read over and over (just 4 times)!!!

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  21. I love your thoughts on old books. I've always thought of doing a post on old books - maybe I will take some pictures right now. Thanks for the inspiration, Mary.

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  22. Hi Mary!
    Wonderful mosaics. I love the feel they evoke in me. A sense of calm, serene and peaceful!

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  23. Dear Mary,

    Your photos evoke such a mellow and relaxed feeling. A pleasure to view!

    I always have a book I am currently reading but I do not read as much as some I know. My Bible is the only Book I read over and over.

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  24. Love your pictures and your quotes. Books are one of my favorites things. Thanks for honoring them in such a beautiful way.

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  25. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series. I have read the first 3 at least twice and the others once. I think there is a total of 6 or 7. I started reading them because my grandson was and I fell in love with them. A beautiful post.
    QMM

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  26. What gorgeous, gorgeous pictures. I love it so much. Beautiful!

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  27. Old books and flowers! It's like you photographed my mind. :)
    I taught English for a while right out of college so I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn six years in a row so it definitely feels like an old friend now.
    But as to a just for fun book - that's tough!
    I'm staying with a friend so I asked her to answer your question as well and she said Jane Eyre and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books are ones she rereads all the time.
    I'm going to add some of these that have been left in the comments to my "must read" list.

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  28. Love your photos! Do I have a favorite ? Need to think about that.
    Thanks for hosting again this week. You are appreciated.
    Have a great week.
    Glenda

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  29. Beautiful photos! I especially love the last shot. As much as I appreciate beautiful old books, I always seem to go for the new ones!

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  30. I am such a book lover. I have old books all over the house that I use for decorating and I have a few books from my childhood that I treasure.

    Great post!

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  31. I love olden books....they always give substance to a room, I think.
    Beautiful photos...

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  32. Such a beautiful mosaic! Funny, in Germany we call the dog-eared "donkey-eared".
    You all have a nice day and enjoy the mosaic-
    Best wishes,
    Markus

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  33. Favorite Book: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

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  34. Wonderful post, both visually and emotionally. I'm a slow reader and rarely re-read books, so my "favorite" shifts from year to year as I encounter new stories and fall headlong into them. A few favorites from recent years include Cutting for Stone, What is the What, Botany of Desire (this one I will read again soon), Life of Pi, most books by Louise Erdrich, Grapes of Wrath, and Out of Africa -- actually not from recent years but I think I need to re-read this. Thanks for the inspiration, as always!

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  35. I'm sure you've inspired many of us to post on favorite books.
    One that I enjoy over and over again is Coming Home, by Rosamund Pilcher.

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  36. Beautiful mosaic, Mary! I absolutely love old books- the way they smell and feel is so tactile and evocative. I treasure an old copy of David Copperfield which was my grandfather's and I've read it over and over.

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  37. Beautiful mosaics, Mary!
    Nice week.

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  38. Such exquisite beauty in your mosaics today. An old book not only has a story inside, but also carries much history as to who all loved it, read it, dusted it, etc. I have read Little Women many times and am about to send my childhood copy off to my four little nieces. Thanks again for hosting!

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  39. Another stunning mosaic Mary. I love the texture and composition of your photos.
    Sue.

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  40. Good quote to go with your book pictures, or the other way round - whichever way your mind was working... Among my favourites that I return to are C.S. Lewis Narnia series. I have the seven of them in an English pocket edition kept together in a "box". They're so worn out that they're almost falling apart now. (So good thing there is that box to hold them together.)

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  41. Books are one of my favorite things and I simply could not live without them...we are surrounded by them...literally here at the Love Shack. I don't really re-read a book once of I've read it...unless it's a cookbook ;) But my favorite all time book was when I was a child, Island of the Blue Dolphines...it was the first book that I read about a strong woman who survive and thrive regardless of her circumstances...and now I find myself drawn to those kind of stories. Happy Mosaic Monday, fondly, Roberta

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  42. I'm an old book lover, too, and love the way you photographed yours today with the tattered edges and worn bindings. And don't you love they way they smell? I do! Thanks for hosting this fun party. I look forward to it every week.
    ~ Lynn at Cottage and Creek

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  43. Your pictures have an amazing dreamlike quality that is such a treat. Just joined the party:-)

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  44. Wonderful mosaic. Favourite books? One tale I can read over and over again is C.S.Lewis series about Narnia.

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  45. Thanks for hosting ... I can't think of much that I love more than yellow roses ... and worn leather-bound books! I cannot imagine readinga book withough pages to turn!

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  46. Mary, one of my favorite old books is "The Virginian". In the scheme of things it is not that old, but it is a good one. I'm also quite partial to most of Jane Austin's novels. My husband has quite the collection of 100-150 yr old veterinary and medical books. They are interesting to look at and quite ornate.
    Very lovely photos, Mary.

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  47. I know that line and feel it myself. My own favorite, dog-eared book, which I'm afraid to touch any more because it surely will disintegrate, is my grandmother's copy of "Gone With the Wind." I am so tempted to get it rebound, so I can once again touch those lovely, yellowed pages.

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  48. I didn't know about this until you came to my blog. Sorry. I love to read and have read everything out about my cousin. I hope some of your visitors have too.

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  49. Oh, Mary! What a wonderful post! =]

    Hmm, it's kind of funny but, I can't think of a book, at the moment. Jane Austen is always a challenge to how I live (don't want to end up being one of the comic characters) but my "coming of age" books were Louisa May Alcott books - especially, "Eight Cousins!" It formed a lot of who I am.

    P.S. I just watched "You've Got Mail!" and that very same line stuck out to me. =]

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  50. Your photos and mosaics are fantastic, Mary...Christine

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I love to hear what you have to say!