Bookish Activity: Thumbing Through Thoreau

Thumbing Through Thoreau is a compilation of quotes put together by Kenny Luck and then illustrated by Jay Luke and Ren Adams. It is beautiful. Not for the images, which were wonderfully done, or the words, which are brilliant, but for its ability to make readers think. This was my first experience reading a book of quotations - at least cover-to-cover - and I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much is that I was reading an unbound review copy; put simply, I was reading a print out of the book.  So I felt no guilt whatsoever about putting pen to page and annotating.

My annotations are not intellectual, well thought-out, or particularly well written; they are just the phrase or question that popped into my head while reading a quotation. Some examples:

Thoreau: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
My note: Pink Floyd

Thoreau: If it were not for death and funerals, I think the institution of the church would stand no longer.
My  note: a definite possibility, except that humans seem to need greater meaning...perhaps we wouldn't without death.

Thoreau: Be not simply good; be good for something.
My note: The point where so many fall short.

Thoreau: It is only a reflecting mind that sees reflections.
My note: Why did Donnie Darko just pop into my head?

Thoreau: We are one virtue, one truth, one beauty.
My note: Sounds like a Black Eyed Peas song.

Thoreau: Love and lust are as far asunder as a flower-garden is from a brothel.
My note: YA lit would do well to learn this.

Thoreau: ...not till we are lost do we begin to realize where we are..
My note: sad but true; I found my vocation when I realized I had absolutely no idea what job to get and decided to teach part-time until I found one


About half-way through the book I had an idea: Wouldn't it be neat to pass this "book" along to others, let them annotate in it as well, and then get the book back? So that's what I'm going to do if any of you are interested.

Your task would be to read the book, adding in annotations where you'd like, and then pass the book on to someone else (who will be assigned). Once all interested parties have received the book and added their doodles, I'd like the book back, and I will put up a post with images of the annotated pages. With media mail offering pretty cheap shipping, I'm hoping a bunch of you will sign up!

Tweet this! Blog about this! Do whatever you'd like and let me know you promoted this event, and I'll enter you into a drawing for a free book from this list!