Book Meme

I see that I've been tagged by Charlie at Another Think with a book meme, the kind of thing I can't resist. So, when I should be looking through cruise photos, instead I've grabbed a book and looked inside.

First, the rules:

• Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
• Open the book to page 123.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post the next three sentences.
• Tag five people.

Now, for my book. The nearest book is A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God, but it only has 119 pages. Right under that is Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, which I started with great joy back in November and continue with great joy at most mealtimes. I try not to read when I'm driving...

On page 123 is one of my favorite 3-line passages from the book. Unfortunately, they are complete sentences 3, 4, and 5. So, in order to not cheat, I'll give them here first, and then I'll fulfill the requirements of the meme with sentences 6, 7, and 8. Both sets of sentences are from the chapter, "Einstein's Universe."

When the poet Paul Valéry once asked Einstein if he kept a notebook to record his ideas, Einstein looked at him with mild but genuine surprise. "Oh, that's not necessary," he replied. "It's so seldom I have one."

I love it! But those aren't the right sentences. Here are the ones that follow:

I need hardly point out that when he did get one it tended to be good. Einstein's next idea was one of the greatest that anyone has ever had--indeed, the very greatest, according to Boorse, Motz, and Weaver in their thoughtful history of atomic science. "As the creation of a single mind," they write, "it is undoubtedly the highest intellectual achievement of humanity," which is of course as good as a compliment can get.

You'll have to read the book to find out which idea that was, as well as which idea preceded it.

Now for tagging, though I must thank Charlie for not tagging my top choices before I got the chance.

Jan at The View from Her
Malott at Malott's Blog
Bryan Alexander at Right Thinking
Bekah at Bekah's Bits
Janice at You Heard it Here...