page 23

via Topher Tune's Times

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

My father trusted Paul, he said Paul could build anything and fix anything.

Margaret Atwood's Surfacing was lying next to the PC.
Just as well really, because a few inches away was Enid Blyton's Happy Story Book.

Go and tell your father what you mean to do

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Comments: page 23

The head and body of a man carved from mammoth ivory were found in a burial site at Brno, Czechoslovakia.
Posted by Nora at April 14, 2004 12:55 PM

Which Blyton is that, Nora?
Posted by boynton at April 14, 2004 01:18 PM

"A new series of marks should begin on each page; therefore all references have to be verified when the type is made up in pages."

— "Words Into Type" (3d ed.)
Posted by Colin at April 14, 2004 09:58 PM

Interesting.
I just followed the meme back to where it stopped (or started?) to find another Margaret Atwood.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sternel/
Along the way there are some good bookish diversions.
I wondered if there had been any purpose in it.
The string of random 23/5's could gather strength as they accumulate, but will probably disapear off the screen/loop soon
Posted by boynton at April 15, 2004 11:53 AM

"Sam would wait until the car had passed, then five minutes more, until the unsuspecting motorist was well and truly bogged!" A Record Low by Ivor Bumbers
Posted by phlip at April 15, 2004 12:01 PM

a motoring theme, if not from the beloved book.

Not surpsisingly, the Melways IS often the closest book to hand, and I could have stretched it by calling Map 23 page 23 (in the absence of page numbering) where the 5th sentence would be
"Map Symbols see page 20"
Posted by boynton at April 15, 2004 03:08 PM


Fair point. I did actually grab the Melways to check this out at the time, but it genuinely was not the closest book to me at the time (no cheating!). The Melways I have here (ed 25) does have page numbers for all that stuff at the front prior to getting to the maps. BUT - it stops at 22 and then begins doing map numbers. The book that DID happen to be the closest at hand at the time is a history of Lake Eildon - but 23/5 happened to show up a motoring story.
Posted by phlip at April 16, 2004 03:13 PM