TGIF is a feature hosted by Ginger over at GReads! Ginger asks a fun question every week and bloggers post their answers. TGIF is a great way to learn about some of your favorite bloggers, and have fun posting too!
This week's question is...
Most Valuable Book: From your personal collection of books, which ones hold the most value to you - is it signed by the author? or maybe it's your favorite story of all time?
1. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray- I met Libba Bray last October at an evening event during the Texas Book Festival. I was still sort of shaking from meeting Sarah Dessen, but Willa, Erin, and I saw Libba Bray and sprinted walked swiftly towards her. And so we said hi, you know- the usual, and then Willa launched into this story about spilling water on Beauty Queens, leaving it on the car to dry, and then driving away forgetting it was there, and having it fall off the roof of the car... (you can ask Willa if you want to know the full story) And after the story was done I gave Libba Bray my copy of Beauty Queens to sign, and she took up the first few title pages and blank pages (whatever you call those things) giving me advice about not putting books on top of cars. Additionally, Beauty Queens is just such a fun book, so that's another reason why it's my MVB. ;)
2. Next Stop Grand Central by Maira Kalman- Maira Kalman is probably my favorite illustrator. Her drawings are always just so quirky and unique! And I've been reading her books since as long as I can remember. This one, Next Stop Grand Central, I love for so many reasons. The first, being that the pages are just filled with color and personality and there's so much to look at. Maira Kalman explains everyone and exactly what they're doing at Grand Central Station. Most picture books about a train station would probably be along the lines of "there goes the train- chug, chug, chug," but this one is so different. Even now, as I'm much older, I can appreciate the immense amount of detail and whimsy that Maira Kalman puts into every page. The drawings, the words- it's just incredible. The second reason I love this book so much, is the physical condition of the book. My mom's friend lives in New York, and she gave this book to my sister and I when we were babies. And I love the little note she wrote us in the front of the book. Years later I looked back at the note and just thought what a quaint, sweet little note. You can also tell that this book is very well- loved. Mysterious marker smudges adorn the pages, and there are places where the pages are bent and even torn. I just love this one.
From just a glance at my bookshelf, my MVB would have to be my boxed set of C. S. Lewis' space trilogy. It's a 1975 printing {they were published in 1965, so it's not a first-edition or anything}, and the books are falling apart, but just having something that was printed close to the time it came out just makes me happy. Besides, the colors are so retro! :)
ReplyDeleteMeredith, we didn't walk swiftly to see Libba Bray, we jaunted...
ReplyDelete-Erin
My Aunt gave my sister and I Next Stop Grand Central Station when we were toddlers! I still have it too, and it is most certainly a special one. MVBs are the kind of books that make you happy just thinking about them. :)
ReplyDeleteI loved your story about meeting Libba Bray. She's certainly one of the authors who I've felt very fortunate to meet as well, and I love her personality!
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