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Words Underlined

vernacular n. [vernaculus, native] 1. the natuve language or dialect of a country or place 2. the common, everyday language of a people 3. the jargon of a profession or trade

I read voraciously and have a growing tendency to whip out a pencil and underline any quote that I find particularly inspiring. While my college roommates' desk shelves were covered in photographs and sentimental knick-knacks, mine were stuffed with my favorite books. From them I gained both entertainment and wisdom, company and philosophy -- little wonder it is that the best phrases crept into my mind and tongue, where they made themselves known when appropriate. My poetry is some of the outpouring of my soul, my pictures are visual clues as to my quirky hobbies and pastimes, my horses are one of my passions, my sketches are the product of countless hours of imagined drawing, and my quotes are my vernacular -- my common speech.

John Steinbeck wrote in The Pastures of Heaven, that "...life is so unreal. I think that we seriously doubt that we exist and go about trying to prove that we do." In a feeble attempt to escape the unreality of life, in this website I provide proof that I lived and breathed and thought and underlined books. Yes, it took half of forever to compile and edit into HTML; and yes, I am well aware that 99% of the public (not to mention my own friends, who have a far greater likelihood of looking at this site) are significantly less bookish than I and therefore would be significantly less inclined to read more than a few lines of this page. I did it for myself more than anyone, though with the hope that some unknown "kindred spirit" might take interest in it and enjoy these lines as much as I do.


C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis, The Horse and his Boy

C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet

C.S. Lewis, Perelandra

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

J.R.R.Tolkien, The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

E.M. Forster, A Room with a View

E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread

Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy

Gene Stratton Porter, A Girl of the Limberlost

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Thornton Wilder, The Woman of Andros

Thornton Wilder, Our Town

Thornton Wilder, The Alcestiad

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus

Henry Vaughan, "The World"

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "The Lady of Shalott"

Emily Dickinson, "God Made a Little Gentian"

John Milton, various poems



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This page last updated at 7:51 p.m., September 30, 2002