Peggy Teel is a violinist, potter, poet, blogger, and author of God and Grandma, Know Alabama, and Pottery Lessons .

Friday: Books are a central part of my life because…
Peggy Teel: I love words! The more cleverly they're used, the more I love them.
Friday: The best opening line in a book I've read so far is...
Peggy Teel: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities.
Friday: A book that made me envy the author's ability to write...
Peggy Teel: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay - a page-turner with a powerful message, which calls for brilliant writing.
Friday: A character from a book that is so like me...
Peggy Teel: Would have to be Niki Edgar from Bloodhound by Denise Hays - that's me!
Friday: The five top books on my shelf...
Peggy Teel: There are so many good books, it's hard to choose. My list: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg, The Living by Annie Dillard, and Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott.