Task 1:  Make two “prophesies” you think will come to fruition in 2019 in your personal or reading life.

 

I'm moving back to my home-town in 10 days, so everything is a bit up in the air, but:

1- I'll start a vegetable garden

2- I'll sell a lot of stuff (crossing my fingers)

 

Task 2: The Five Pillars of Islam include almsgiving and the pilgrimage to Mekka. Tell us: Have you ever donated books or rescued them from (horror of horrors) being trashed? Alternatively: Is there a book-related place that is a place of pilgrimage to you?

 

Beyond practically every public library and book-store I've ever encountered, right?

- Buenos Aires annual International Book Fair: we used to travel 300miles just for a day at it with mom.

- The Ateneo Grand Splendid. As in, people all over the world actually come and see it (lord, I used to live some 10 blocks from it, and passed it almost every-day, and still entered at least twice a month just to bask in the lovely). I mean. look at it:

 

Task 3: Prophets are messengers. Tell us: Which book characters are your favorite messengers (no matter whether humans, angels, (demi)gods, etc.)?

 

Gandalf (I did mention before that I was a hardcore Tolkien fan before, right?). Hedwig! (yeah, childhood companion book series ftw). Cassiopea from Ende's Momo.

 

Task 4: Muhammad was a merchant before becoming a religious leader. List 5 books on your shelves in which a key character makes / undergoes a radical career change.

 

- Mary Malone from His Dark Materials saga. From nun to quantum phisics doctor... Yeap, that one is the one that stayed top of my head. Will have to think on others.

- Erik, from soldier to ghost writer (heh) and the eponymous Phantom of the Opera

- Richard Mayhew from Neverwhere, from desk-jockey to... uhm... BAMF unemployed street dweller? It's one of those things that really only make sense in context (like most of this list, lol)

- Jean Valjean, from bread-thief to convict, to trader, to mayor, to fugitive, to gardener, to idly wealthy/fugitive... between the upheavals of the world and those of his soul, the poor guy saw some drastic career changes.

- I was thinking about every career woman in The Handmaid's Tale. And almost every character from Darkfever's 3rd book on. And those in The Host... and likely any going through an apocalyptic story, really... But I'll go with Chantal from L'Impure, by Guy des Cars, who goes from unapologetic whore to nun because it feels like a cop out.

 

Book:  If you can find a copy, read Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.  Or read any book about a leader of a movement, nation, religion or large group, OR read a book with a green cover OR with a half moon on the cover.