I’ve been tagged by oona to carry on this little book “meme.” Now, the stickler in me questions whether this is technically a meme, but since it’s to do with books, I’m game! Here are the directions:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.
The book nearest me is The Transcendence of the Ego by Jean Paul Satre, which doesn’t even have 123 pages… So, I must go with the book second nearest me which is The Concord Quartet by Samuel Schreiner Jr. — a work of non-fiction about four figures from the American intellectual renaissance of the 1830s: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Bronson Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I’d read it a while ago, but pulled it from my shelf recently because I wanted to write a song in commemoration of these literary/philosophical figures of yesteryear. Yes, I’m fully aware of how geeky this sounds. Anyhow, here are the sentences from page 123:
Although it was not to Emerson’s taste, Hawthorne’s writing revealed him to be a keen observer, but his personal convictions about the events and characters that he rendered so vividly into fiction remained a mystery, as they did in social conversation. The man was almost pathologically shy. With their interest in children and their own brood to amuse, the Emersons staged outdoor entertainment for children of the neighborhood in good weather.
Sorry it wasn’t something jucier.
THE INCURABLE HOMEBODY 
okay, so, emerson and hawthorn knew each other? had block parties and barbeques? i had no idea. i mean, of course it makes sense, i just never thought of them in that way. which is kind of daft. i think this meme– if it is a meme– is fascinating!
oh yes, they were neighbors! the sentence after the three i posted gives an account of how Hawthorne attended one of Emerson’s garden parties but was so socially awkward that he hid behind a tree. 🙂
i LOVE it! i think i may have to try it. and i never would have known it existed.
This is the other Wang Ka Wai film I mentioned today:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Days_of_Being_Wild/70012909?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=1617977456_0_0
Since i’m here, let me join the game. 🙂
The book near me is ‘What is Japanese architecture’. On Page 123, illustrations take up some space, and there are only two sentences left on the page after the 5th:
“But there appears to be no such door in this sketch. (next paragraph) Records show that the program of No shown to the emperor began at ten o’clock in the morning with the traditional Okina and Sambaso pieces, followed by nine more plays, including the god play Naniwa and the warrior play Tamura, then ending at about six o’clock in the evening with a performance of Shojo, a standard finale piece, danced by the head of the Kanze school of actors, the school descended from Kannami and Zeami.”
The book nearest to me — A Man, A Can, A Microwave — also doesn’t have 123 pages. So I will go to page 6 (1+2+3). Here are sentences five, six, and seven:
Move the peppers onto the plateand pour the water out of the dish. Put the onion, garlic, chopped pepper, and oil in the dish and stir until the veggies are good and greasy. Nuke for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft.
It’s the recipe “Beefy Bell Peppers.”
Have a great weekend!
thanks for “meme”-ing, hui and deirde! hui — i’ll check out that movie. dierdre, now you’ve put me in the mood for some stuffed bell peppers! you know, before becoming a vegetarian, this was one of my all time fave comfort foods. so now that you’ve reminded me of how much i love this dish, i’m gonna have to find some sort of meatless equivalent. a microwave probably won’t come into play, though, when i make it. hehe. 🙂