mysteriousaliways

1) Total number of books owned:
Umm, about a thousand or so? Last time I counted (well, guesstimated) we had around 2000 in the house. About 500 of those belonged to the girls, and Alan has quite a few, but not as many as I do. And I've acquired a lot since then. (I have a weakness for Oxfam's second-hand books department ...)

2) The last book I bought:
'The Anatomy of Movement' - I thought if I was teaching bellydance I should find out a bit more about the muscles and bone structure and how they interact.

3) The last book I read:
'Friday's Child' Georgette Heyer.
Georgette Heyer is my comfort read. Well-written, incredibly well-researched, satisfying stories. I'm not one for romantic fiction, but I love her stuff.
I'm currently in the middle of 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson. The man is so readable - he succeeds in making science not only readable but interesting.
And 'The Tribal Bible'. And 'Serpent of the Nile'. And a few others that I pick up now and again, depending on my mood.

4) Five books that mean a lot to me:

a) 'The Lord of the Rings', J.R.R. Tolkien.
My mum and I went to help my cousin and her husband pack up when they were moving house - I must have been in my early to mid teens at the time. My cousin handed me a very battered paperback copy of LOTR and said I could have it.
I absolutely loved it - became completely involved in it, and it's been my joint favourite ever since: along with ...

b) 'Pride and Prejudice' Jane Austen.
I love Austen's writing - her style is so clear and economical, the characters so well-observed. Such a dry sense of humour.

c) 'The Jerusalem Bible'.
I haven't been reading it as often as I used to *beats down Catholic guilt*, but it's been an important part of my life.

d) 'Men at Arms' Terry Pratchett
My favourite Pratchett. In which we first encounter Vimes. If you haven't read any Pratchett, go and get one right now. It shouldn't be too difficult, you have around thirty to choose from! I can't be bothered to check how many, exactly, but he is remarkably prolific, something which makes me very happy :D

e)All those books and I can't decide on a fifth!

I haven't been reading nearly enough recently - been spending too much time online.

And tag five people I want to see do this survey...