knowledge

I love to learn.  I blame this on my parents.  I am so thankful that they choose to homeschool me and let me learn things for myself.  One things I found out in college is that most people don't care about school, they are just there because they have to be.  I feel like I want to know about everything and how it works and why it works and what makes it work and who made it work and why did someone discover it and what were they doing that made them think that this would work... etc.  Recently (the past 2 or 3 years), I have found biographies really fascinating (I consider this a huge sign that I am REALLY old. Really Faith, non-fiction is your favorite type of books?!? I feel like disowning myself sometimes. Who else my age is checking out old non fiction books and reading about how to make your own motor, chairs, model boats, telescope, bobsled, speedboat, slide, etc?). 

While Jared is working on schoolwork,  I have taken to wandering around the SU library and finding old books that no one has checked out for 15 - 20 years.  There are some really treasures buried in the shelves upstairs in the library.  Speaking of the SU library, I am really looking forward to seeing the new SU library when they finish building it.

I also assign particle blame to Aunt Suzanne and this book she had around her house when I was growing up. Every family should have this book around their house for their children to look through! Will someone please, buy this for me as a baby shower present someday? I think that would be one of the coolest baby shower gifts I could receive.  Actually, I might just have to start buying this for all my friends who are having kids.  I used to be (and still am) amazing by this book.  Also, to Cathedral and Castle, which were part of our history curriculum (and I just bought the other day), and all his other books.  

Other awesome books:
* Reader's Digest Treasury for Young Readers (I stole this from my Mom - sorry, Mom. It used to be her book when she was young. My Mom's copy is green, not read as the amazon link shows and the little circle pictures of people are in a straight line across the front. I still read through it every couple months). 
* Biographies on famous inventors -read read read them!!  Be inspired.
* Amateur Craftman's Cyclopedia (published by Popular Science magazine in 1937).  This may be one of the greatest books I have ever seen.  And if someone would buy it for my birthday, I would be one of the happiest people in the entire world... but until then, I am keeping the SU copy out until they force me to give it back.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book.  Along with the Way Things Work, I want my kids to be able to look through a book like this and be inspired.  I have not wanted a book so badly in a long time.  This book needs to be owned by me and live in my house. 

For all their glossy, shiny, multiple pictures, I find the newer books can't hold a candle to the flame of my imagination the way that books published for my parents or grandparents generation can.  The simple sketches and descriptions that they give are so much greater than multiple diagrams.  Plus, I find these older books do a better job of explaining things.   
Speaking of books, in the Library of Congress directory, I find that almost all my favorite books are in the T section.  It includes, crafts, handiwork, photography, engineering, efficiency studies (cheaper by the dozen is found in this section), and home economics (hello, cookbooks, canning guides, gardening books, and quilting books).  How can there be any section that is greater than this? Cookbooks, crafts, and engineering, the best things in life. I will give Q, the science section a little credit, but T is by far, the superior category of books in the Library of Congress system.  Needless to say, I spend most of my time walking up and down the T rows at the library.

Do you have any favorite books that inspire or inspired you?  And what is your favorite section in the Library of Congress directory?