I stole this from another blog. I thought it was interesting, so I thought I would give it a whirl.

1. How many books do you own?

I own several hundred books. I have everything to old decorating books from the 1940's to historical texts and from Jackie Collins to David Sedaris. Books, much like my music collection, are all over the place. I don't read just one genre. I read a whole lot of anything that catches my interest.

2. Last book read?

The last book that I finished reading was "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin. A coworker loaned it to me. I'm currently reading during my breaks at work "Soap Suds" by Finola Hughes (she totally trashes Susan Lucci...a must read for every daytime drama fan). At home I'm reading "Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong" by James W. Loewen. In the bathroom, I'm reading "Uncle John's 16th Bathroom Reader" by the Bathroom Reader's Institute (no lie).

I'm always reading something. Usually I read trash at work, something serious at home, and some general trivia when I'm in the loo.

3. Last book purchased?

I know I bought a bunch of gay novels when I went to the discount bookstore, but I can't remember their titles. They are in a rubbermaid tote in the closet ready for the next round of reading. Oh, I also bought "Star Quality" by Joan Collins (television's Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Dexter Rowan) for a trashy work read.

4. Name five books that mean a lot to you.

"Tales of the City" by Armistead Maupin. There are no greater books for any person to read to learn about life, death, and love than the six books in the "Tales" series. I've written about these books before, and I will continue to push these books to anyone who knows how to read. They are that good. I can pick up any one of the books, flip to a page, and instantly be sucked into their world. Sometimes I don't want to leave...

"Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susann. I read about Ms. Susann in "Jane and Michael Stern's Encyclopedia of Popular Culture" when I was like 22 or so and I was intrigued with her. I bought a nasty old worn paperback copy of the book and devoured it. I know people just like the characters in the book. I've bought this book for several friends who all enjoyed it. For a decades after it was originally published, "Valley" was the bestselling book of the 20th Century. It even outsold "The Bible" for years and years. When the publishing industry reclassified book sales, it became the bestselling 'fiction' book, and therefore "The Bible" was THE bestselling book of all time. Schmucks.

"The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams. When I was a small child, I had a stuffed animal that I took everywhere with me. Everywhere. He went to school with me and to relative's homes for dinner, and on family vacations. He was my best friend in the world and I wished and wished and wished that he could be real. When I was like 8 or 9, I found the book in the library and read it over and over. I used to pray that my dog, like the rabbit, would become real. This was the first book that I ever connected that someone, somewhere in the outside world was sharing my same feelings. I have a hardback copy of the book on my bookshelves sitting next to my stuffed animal.

"Passages of Pride: Lesbian and Gay Youth Come of Age" by Kurt Chandler. This was the first actual gay book that I bought when I was coming out. Some of the coming out stories are filled with nothing but love, other people who came out lost everything in their lives. Chandler's book has a very straight forward look at coming out. He frankly tells the reader that you can get beat by your family, they may hug you and tell you they love you. Be prepared for everything and anything. Some of the best advice from a book that I ever received. The book was hard to read, but it made my coming out so much easier on my psyche.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. This piece of classic literature has every emotion within its pages...innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and indifference. I truly believe that this book had more to do with the Civil Rights movement than any amout of rhetoric that was thrown about. In a very simple and clear-cut manner the book states that the prejudiced actions of the characters are wrong, even if they are believed by the majority and by those in power. Because the story is told from the point of view of a child, it is able to present situations without adding an explicit opinion of those events. This book finally turned the lightbulb on for millions of people who were living in the dark for so very long.