3 Days, 3 Quotes: Day 1

Thank you once again to the wonderful  QuirkyVictorian for tagging me in this challenge – you always rescue me just when I think I’ve run out of things to write about! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you’re not following Chloe’s blog, you’re missing out.

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post a quote for three consecutive days
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day.

Let’s get right to it!

Image source: FalconsFlyer

For my first quote it was only fitting to choose something from my favourite book. However, it wasn’t always my favourite. When I was eight, my town’s library hosted a “dinosaur dig” in an effort to encourage more young people to read. A giant sandpit was constructed in the local schoolyard, and was set upon by hordes of grubby children, clutching plastic trowels and shovels, greedily digging with the hope of uncovering a dinosaur fossil. The idea was simple:

 

1. shove all other children out of your way, and trample them slightly if necessary while sprinting to sandpit. This helps to reduce your competition.
2. channel inner paleontologist and begin excavation
3. discover fossil
4. snatch fossil from child whose hand you discovered it in and swiftly depart sandpit
5. present fossil to library staff
6. exchange fossil for free book
7. run and hide behind refreshment table so the child you stole the fossil from can’t claim your prize

Simple as pie! What a lovely, interactive way to encourage the children to read more, right?

Wrong.

It turned out most of the children (myself included) were far more interested in keeping the tacky plastic fossils than the book prize. Tantrums were thrown across the schoolyard as parents tried to prise the fossils from unremitting fists. Though I considered myself far too mature for such theatrics, I was quietly enraged that I had to surrender my hard-earned fossil, and even more enraged when the librarian handed me The Phantom Tollbooth in return. Who were these creepy looking wizard dudes on the front cover? Why were they all staring at the sticky-outy-ears guy in the ridiculously tiny car? And what the flaming flibbertigibbet was a “tollbooth”?!?! I couldn’t believe the librarian actually thought this was a fair exchange for my precious fossil. I was so furious at how the day turned out that I banished the book beneath my bed, and didn’t actually read it until a year later.

The Phantom Tollbooth is now my favourite book of all time. Yes, it’s technically for children, and yes, I’ll be 23 in less than three weeks, but just deal with it. I’m not going to tell you what it’s about because I want you to read it, but I’ll give you a brief summary. A young boy named Milo is bored and aimless all the time, and never knows what to do with himself. Cue magical tollbooth arriving in the mail, which he drives through and finds himself in a new land with such wonderful locations as the Island of Conclusions, the Doldrums, the Sea of Knowledge, and the Forest of Sight. The princesses Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason were banished long ago, so with a few trusty companions picked up along the way, Milo goes on an adventure to restore Rhyme and Reason to the kingdom. If you love puns and wordplay you will love this book.That’s all I’m telling you for now! Go read it!

And now, 549 words later: the actual quote:

Today I nominate:

1. RespectableMarriedWoman
2. Naz-tastic
3. Jazz Lily

Of course, there is no obligation to participate, just if you fancy it! I enjoy these tags because they are a lovely way to connect with other bloggers but I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. If you do participate, I’d love if you could let me know so I can see your quotes!

All my love and thanks for reading,