The Truncated Book Meme
Jan. 29th, 2011 06:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatI ganked this from assorted people and deleted the questions that just didn't interest me.
1. Favorite childhood book?
I'm not sure I have just one favourite childhood book. I was read to then an avid reader as a child, so I have a long and varied list to choose from.
Here's the list of candidates:
*Robin Hood ( a Disney picture book based on the Cartoon - which I drew pictures from, slept with, and fell in love with - I loved it more than the movie)
*Little House on the Prairie Books by Laura Ingells Wilder - read to me, mostly
* Stuart Little by EB White
* The Witches of Worm by Zelphia Keatley Snyder (about a young girl's relationship with what appears to be a creepy and incredibly ugly cat named Worm)
* A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline Engle
* Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key
*Harriet the Spy
* The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson
* The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
* Swallows and Amazons
* A Bridge to Teribetha
* Are you there God? It's Me Margret by Judy Bloom
*The Outsiders by SE Hinton
As you can see - I had a fondness for science fiction and fantasy tales.
2. What are you reading right now?
Working on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
3. Do you have an e-reader?
Yes. Got a Kindle for Xmas last year - best Xmas gift ever - like getting 1000 books at once or access to them. I adore it. To understand why - you have to know the following bits about me: 1) getting deliveries where I live or work is close to impossible at the moment, 2) I'm allergic to library books (literally - the mold and dust), also libraries (mold and dust) - wasn't case when I was younger - these allergies got worse as I got older, also I tend to keep them too long - because I don't read as fast as I used to, because read so many other things at the same time, also the library near me sucks beans, (used to use the library all the time, just within the last 10 years, not so much) 3) I like reading fanfic but not on computer screen and can't print it off. 4)I like books that are hard to find and often just available through Amazon - lots of sci-fi and genre. 5) I'm hard on books and tend to read while in transit. 6) I like to jump from one book to another - can't two at once. And 7) live in a small apartment with no room for more books.
4. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I've been know to do both. Depends on my mood.
5. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Quite a bit. I read more internet related stuff, including a lot of fanfic (when I discovered fanfic existed in 2001 - I went a bit nuts). So that has cut back on the general book reading. I also rarely read romance novels - actually not at all - since I can find better written romances online for free.
Why bother paying for them? Mystery and thriller or airplane book reading has diminished as well due in part to the internet. While my interest and reading of science-fiction and fantasy novels has increased - because I get so many recs online, and there are so many sci-fi and fantasy writers blogging. LJ is mostly the sci-fantasy writers/reader/watcher community. I'm guessing if you aren't into that stuff - you may feel a bit out of sorts?
6. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Well, as it's only January, I'll include the books I read last year in this. Hmm...looking at my list, I'd have to say it's A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, which felt very cliche and boilerplate in several places. If we include comic books? Issue 40 of Buffy Comics, and issues 34-39 of the same. Definitely my least favorite. (If you want to know why? Read my issue 40 review - not going to rehash it all over again. ;-))
7. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
I have a few favourite books from my 2010 reading list:
* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - was a revelation. I honestly didn't think I'd like it when I first saw the series mentioned in the entertainment mags - it was so hyped, which of course turned me off initially. But so many people on my flist were raving about it, that I eventually got curious and decided to give it a shot. And I tore through the series, three books in all, in less than 14 days.
A rarity for me. Usually it takes me that long to finish a book nowadays. Could not put it down.
And it haunts me even now. Unlike so many books I've read this past year, I still remember this one.
It's not fading quickly in the ether.
*Changes by Jim Butcher - which was a risky book by the writer. He wrote a rather noirish take on a private dick Wizard out to save the daughter that he didn't know he even had. Filled with twists and turns - all that are amazingly enough character dictated and satisfying, the story ends with a shocker. Every fan wanted the sequel. Enough, that I'm guessing his short story novel, which contains a novella follow up featuring Sgt. Murphy's, Harry's best pal and current romantic love interest, take on the scene - sold very very well. Combined the novella and Changes - were memorable.
* Storm of Swords - by George RR Martin, incredibly long book - took two-three months to finish it.
Detailed and intricate. A literary fantasy novel worthy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, with a multitude of characters, and points of views. Possibly the most character dictated novel that I've read in a while. Filled with all sorts of moral ambiguity, there are no good guys or bad guys truly here - just lots of gray. And each character defies stereotype. And the detail - oh the detail, makes one think of Tolkien.
8. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not a lot at the moment, but that's mainly because of work - I read a lot of highly technical and procedural material for a living, so in my free time - if I'm not enjoying a book - I give up on it rather quick. And I tend to read a lot of lighter material in my free time than I did when I was unemployed or in jobs that required less reading. In other words - I couldn't read Proust right now, it would put me to sleep...my brain gets eaten by work. But that said? I have rather eclectic tastes, I read and have read pretty much everything and in every genre.
9. What is your reading comfort zone?
I'm not sure I have a comfort zone as such, as I enjoy reading lots of different genres and I'm moody, so it switches and changes like the wind. Lately - I appear to be on a sci-fantasy kick, particularly like stories with kick-ass women or sarcastic, morally ambiguous, yet vulnerable men.
When I get depressed or in a funk, I tend to go to the fantasy (urban mostly, although will do the other) and science fiction genre blending novels.
10. Can you read on the bus?
No, I get motion sickness. Only can read on trains, and occasionally planes. But mostly trains and subways. It's why I love trains and subways. So easy to read on.
11. Favorite place to read?
Armchair or bed.
12. What is your policy on book lending?
Don't really have one. And it depends on the book. If I love the book and want to re-read it at some point - only to family. If I don't - anyone. I've swapped and gotten rid of books.
13. Do you ever dog-ear books?
I'm hard on books. I love them to death. Which is why I love my Kindle. I use bookmarks, but sometimes I lose the bookmark or can't find one, so the page gets bent. I'm better than I used to be in this sense. And if I don't own the book - very careful (that is if doesn't belong to my mother and she wants it back).
14. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Depends on the book. Seriously, I don't treat my books like they are crystal. They are books, dang-it! There are numerous copies. They are meant to be loved hard!! But yes, some books I try to avoid doing this with - it's only the books that I'm either studying or have quotes or statements that make me pause and must be highlighted. Never with library books. (As an aside, one of the wonderful things about the Kindle - is yes, you can do this with a Kindle, highlight, clip portions, make notes. I haven't as of yet - but you can do it.)
15. Not even with text books?
Of course. I highlighted and wrote in the margins of my law school textbooks - used pencil so I could erase. Most people do. Again - they are books, hello. (IF you are a librarian reading this - please note I haven't checked out a library book in ten years, so you needn't worry. I figure if I own the book - I can love it to death. It's unlikely I'll sell it or lend it, maybe give it away. )
16. What is your favorite language to read in?
English, as it's the only language I'm fluent in. I know a little bit of French, but only on a very basic level.
17. What makes you love a book?
Mostly the characters - they have to interest me on some level. Pull at me. Fall inside my mind.
Capture my emotions and my intellect. Intrigue me. If I fall in love with characters - I'll most likely fall in love with the book. If I don't? I won't. Other things matter too - good writing and good plotting are crucial to creating intriguing characters that capture the mind and heart and stay with you long after you've finished reading.
18. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If it really intrigues me on some level - either intellectual or emotional. Something about it - makes me want to discuss it, share it. It can be a theme or a character, never sure. And I may do it while reading or long after I read it.
19. Favorite genre?
At the moment? Sci-fantasy apparently, really like in fact love sci-fantasy-mystery blend. Or sci-fantasy-romance-mystery - that's amazing. I love genre blends. Two for the price of one.
Actually prefer blends to pure genre.
20. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-fiction and biography. Wait is that a genre or a category? Okay genre - historical, non-fiction and biography
21. Favorite biography?
Biography or Memoir? Wishful Thinking by Carrie Fisher or Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama may be my favorite Biography, not sure either fit the category though. Maybe Che by John Anderson - which I didn't finish but came close.
23. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Too many, unfortunately. And want to know something? They rarely help anyone but the rich bastard who writes the things.
24. Favorite cookbook?
Oddly enough - the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, most useful one I've seen, comes complete with meat cooking and vegetable cooking times and guide. Easy, useful, simple and to the point.
Although the Southern Living Farmer's Market Cookbook - my sisinlaw gave my mother for Xmas was amazing. I lusted after that cookbook. Serious lust.
25. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Hard one. Haven't read any as of yet this year. Maybe "Mockingjay" last year might qualify.
26. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I tend to generally ignore hype and make up my own mind. But...I'd say it almost stopped me from reading The Hunger Games. And it almost stopped me from trying The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - which my mother has convinced me to try. (I've learned to ignore trends and what the media says and just do what I want.)
27. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Rarely read critical reviews of books any more. So...there's that. But it depends on the critic and the book, I suppose. Same with movies and everything else - often the critic's review tells you more about the critic than it actually tells you about the book - or so I've found.
28. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
Necessary part of the process. Since I'm a critical thinker - I feel they are necessary and can often help. As a writer they help me figure out what not to do in my own writing, as a reader they help me figure out what I like and what I don't, as well as what other's like and don't. There's pluses and minuses to reviews. Admittedly I'm sensitive to criticism like all writers tend to be, but ...well, here's the thing - the negative review often makes the positive ones you receive mean more. You feel you earned it.
29. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
French. (Although I'm starting to wish I could read and speak Spainish - since I love the Spainish writers. Another language would be Japanese ...but I suck at languages unfortunately. In my family - you either got the facility for language or the facility for analytical thinking. Guess which I got.)
30. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
This is a hilarious question. Okay, I've read most of the intimidating books already - Ulysess by Joyce, Sound and The Fury by Faulkner, Proust...George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. I'd say the most intimidating is that footnote heave 1000 word monstrosity that everyone on my flist seems to adore by Suzanne Clark that sits unread on my bookshelf, making me wish I got it in paperbook and not in hardback. Because it's impossible for me to lug around, I tried - it weighs 20 pounds.
31. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
See above. Also The Foundation series by Isacc Asmiov - which are numerous and Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace - another monstrosity sitting on my bookshelf. I keep thinking I'll get the new translation.
Oh and the Brothers Karamov and Crime and Punishment, for some reason long-ass Russian historical novels scare me. I look at them, and think, okay some day - when my brain feels less overwhelmed.
32. Favorite Poet?
Used to be Plath, but I think I've moved on to Parker - she was wittier.
(Yes, have a thing for depressed women poets apparently.)
33. Favorite fictional character?
It changes a lot and I can't limit it to one, sorry. Here's a list of candidates:
Harry Dresden - Dresden Files
Lymond from The Chronicles of Lymond
Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
Scout and Atticus (who reminds me of my Dad, and whose relationship oddly reminds me of the same, even though I have a mother and didn't live in the South and he wasn't an attorney) from To Kill A Mockingbird
Robin Hood
Sherlock Holmes
Sir Jaime Lannister, Ayra Stark, Tyrion Lannister, and Lady Breinne from Song of Ice and Fire
Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, and Gandalf from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
34. Favorite fictional villain?
Hard. Maybe...no, drawing a blank. Possibly Gentleman Jonny in The Dresden Files? OR Mab in the Dresden Files? Or Trenton the elf in Rachel Morgan series or Al the Demon in the Rachel Morgan series. Also like Cerise Lannister in Song of Ice and Fire. The trick with a villain is to make them likable on some level - so you love to hate them.
35. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Whatever's uploaded on to my Kindle.
36. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I can go a while without reading a book, but that usually just means I'm reading something else such as fanfic or too much LJ.
37. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
American Pyscho by Bret Easton Ellis. (You do not want to know why. I'll just state that book contains the squickiest and most horrifically offensive misogynistic rape sequence(s) on record and in graphic detail. But hey, the movie based on it was fun.) It's the only book that I wanted to burn.
38. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Not a lot. :) When I'm immersed in a good a book I live and breathe it.
True story - as a child, I was immersed in a book while watching my brother's baseball game, which my parents kept dragging me too whether I wanted to go or not. So I'm sitting smack dab in the middle of the bleachers reading this book during the Little League Playoffs, when everyone suddenly screams out - pop fly, and jumps off the bleachers. Except me, nose deeply in the book, and guess where that ball lands? You guessed it. Smack dab on my head. It knocks me clean off the bleachers and unconscious for a minute or two. Next thing I know, there's a group of people surrounding me and my parents are rushing me to the emergency room - while my poor brother had to go home with someone else. This ability has come in handy in noisy work environments - let me tell you.
39. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Candidates:
To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory Peck is Atticus Finch to me. (He also looks quite a bit like my Dad in that film.)
Lord of the Rings
The A&E, Colin Firth - Pride and Prejudice 6 hour mini-series
40. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Too many to count. But I'll go with The Golden Compass - based on Philip K. Pullman's book of the same name. If it was better - we could have gotten a whole series, dang it. Also Dune - no one seems to get how to do this well.
41. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
100 dollars. Might have been more. I'm from a family that has a tendency to go nuts in book stores.
Another reason why the Kindle is wonderful for me.
42. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
All the time. I've been known to read whole books in bookstores. In college, I used to go to the bookstore and read all the Stephen King novels.
Usually - what I'll do is read the first chapter, skim a few chapters in the middle, and read the end.
Although not always. If it's a thriller or mystery - I don't read the end. Only if it is literary or
something where there's not a bit surprise. If the end is pat and I can figure out the whole plot from reading it? I won't bother with the book. If the first chapter doesn't pull me in, or
most likely in the skim, the dialogue and writing don't work for me - I won't buy it.
My Aunt used to read the end of every book. The Kindle is great for me - because I can't read the endings any more, but I can read the first 20-30 pages to see if it intrigues me. Which can work against books like The Girl With The Dragoon Tattoo - which require more patience to get into them.
I skimmed and read Twilight in the bookstore. It was so horribly written, I was bewildered that it got published. Also skimmed Nancy Holder novels - equally badly written.
43. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
If it's badly written. I'm bored. There's nothing interesting coming up. It pisses me off. I hate a character. I want to throw it against the wall.
44. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Keep trying and failing miserably. It requires too much work. Also I have more books than space, so while I'll organize them once every two years or so, I buy new books - so they tend to get shoved wherever there is space.
45. Name a book that made you angry.
American Psycho. Atonement. and House of Sand and Fog. For different reasons. I wanted to kill the characters in Atonement and House of Sand and Fog. I wanted to kill the writer of American Psycho.
46. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
47. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Atonement (I forget the writer's name) and House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubuis Jr.. (It is notable that I found the movie adaptations of all these books more digestible than the books.)
48. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Erotic fanfic - notably by nautibitz, although I've found others.
1. Favorite childhood book?
I'm not sure I have just one favourite childhood book. I was read to then an avid reader as a child, so I have a long and varied list to choose from.
Here's the list of candidates:
*Robin Hood ( a Disney picture book based on the Cartoon - which I drew pictures from, slept with, and fell in love with - I loved it more than the movie)
*Little House on the Prairie Books by Laura Ingells Wilder - read to me, mostly
* Stuart Little by EB White
* The Witches of Worm by Zelphia Keatley Snyder (about a young girl's relationship with what appears to be a creepy and incredibly ugly cat named Worm)
* A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline Engle
* Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key
*Harriet the Spy
* The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson
* The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
* Swallows and Amazons
* A Bridge to Teribetha
* Are you there God? It's Me Margret by Judy Bloom
*The Outsiders by SE Hinton
As you can see - I had a fondness for science fiction and fantasy tales.
2. What are you reading right now?
Working on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
3. Do you have an e-reader?
Yes. Got a Kindle for Xmas last year - best Xmas gift ever - like getting 1000 books at once or access to them. I adore it. To understand why - you have to know the following bits about me: 1) getting deliveries where I live or work is close to impossible at the moment, 2) I'm allergic to library books (literally - the mold and dust), also libraries (mold and dust) - wasn't case when I was younger - these allergies got worse as I got older, also I tend to keep them too long - because I don't read as fast as I used to, because read so many other things at the same time, also the library near me sucks beans, (used to use the library all the time, just within the last 10 years, not so much) 3) I like reading fanfic but not on computer screen and can't print it off. 4)I like books that are hard to find and often just available through Amazon - lots of sci-fi and genre. 5) I'm hard on books and tend to read while in transit. 6) I like to jump from one book to another - can't two at once. And 7) live in a small apartment with no room for more books.
4. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I've been know to do both. Depends on my mood.
5. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Quite a bit. I read more internet related stuff, including a lot of fanfic (when I discovered fanfic existed in 2001 - I went a bit nuts). So that has cut back on the general book reading. I also rarely read romance novels - actually not at all - since I can find better written romances online for free.
Why bother paying for them? Mystery and thriller or airplane book reading has diminished as well due in part to the internet. While my interest and reading of science-fiction and fantasy novels has increased - because I get so many recs online, and there are so many sci-fi and fantasy writers blogging. LJ is mostly the sci-fantasy writers/reader/watcher community. I'm guessing if you aren't into that stuff - you may feel a bit out of sorts?
6. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Well, as it's only January, I'll include the books I read last year in this. Hmm...looking at my list, I'd have to say it's A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, which felt very cliche and boilerplate in several places. If we include comic books? Issue 40 of Buffy Comics, and issues 34-39 of the same. Definitely my least favorite. (If you want to know why? Read my issue 40 review - not going to rehash it all over again. ;-))
7. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
I have a few favourite books from my 2010 reading list:
* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - was a revelation. I honestly didn't think I'd like it when I first saw the series mentioned in the entertainment mags - it was so hyped, which of course turned me off initially. But so many people on my flist were raving about it, that I eventually got curious and decided to give it a shot. And I tore through the series, three books in all, in less than 14 days.
A rarity for me. Usually it takes me that long to finish a book nowadays. Could not put it down.
And it haunts me even now. Unlike so many books I've read this past year, I still remember this one.
It's not fading quickly in the ether.
*Changes by Jim Butcher - which was a risky book by the writer. He wrote a rather noirish take on a private dick Wizard out to save the daughter that he didn't know he even had. Filled with twists and turns - all that are amazingly enough character dictated and satisfying, the story ends with a shocker. Every fan wanted the sequel. Enough, that I'm guessing his short story novel, which contains a novella follow up featuring Sgt. Murphy's, Harry's best pal and current romantic love interest, take on the scene - sold very very well. Combined the novella and Changes - were memorable.
* Storm of Swords - by George RR Martin, incredibly long book - took two-three months to finish it.
Detailed and intricate. A literary fantasy novel worthy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, with a multitude of characters, and points of views. Possibly the most character dictated novel that I've read in a while. Filled with all sorts of moral ambiguity, there are no good guys or bad guys truly here - just lots of gray. And each character defies stereotype. And the detail - oh the detail, makes one think of Tolkien.
8. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not a lot at the moment, but that's mainly because of work - I read a lot of highly technical and procedural material for a living, so in my free time - if I'm not enjoying a book - I give up on it rather quick. And I tend to read a lot of lighter material in my free time than I did when I was unemployed or in jobs that required less reading. In other words - I couldn't read Proust right now, it would put me to sleep...my brain gets eaten by work. But that said? I have rather eclectic tastes, I read and have read pretty much everything and in every genre.
9. What is your reading comfort zone?
I'm not sure I have a comfort zone as such, as I enjoy reading lots of different genres and I'm moody, so it switches and changes like the wind. Lately - I appear to be on a sci-fantasy kick, particularly like stories with kick-ass women or sarcastic, morally ambiguous, yet vulnerable men.
When I get depressed or in a funk, I tend to go to the fantasy (urban mostly, although will do the other) and science fiction genre blending novels.
10. Can you read on the bus?
No, I get motion sickness. Only can read on trains, and occasionally planes. But mostly trains and subways. It's why I love trains and subways. So easy to read on.
11. Favorite place to read?
Armchair or bed.
12. What is your policy on book lending?
Don't really have one. And it depends on the book. If I love the book and want to re-read it at some point - only to family. If I don't - anyone. I've swapped and gotten rid of books.
13. Do you ever dog-ear books?
I'm hard on books. I love them to death. Which is why I love my Kindle. I use bookmarks, but sometimes I lose the bookmark or can't find one, so the page gets bent. I'm better than I used to be in this sense. And if I don't own the book - very careful (that is if doesn't belong to my mother and she wants it back).
14. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Depends on the book. Seriously, I don't treat my books like they are crystal. They are books, dang-it! There are numerous copies. They are meant to be loved hard!! But yes, some books I try to avoid doing this with - it's only the books that I'm either studying or have quotes or statements that make me pause and must be highlighted. Never with library books. (As an aside, one of the wonderful things about the Kindle - is yes, you can do this with a Kindle, highlight, clip portions, make notes. I haven't as of yet - but you can do it.)
15. Not even with text books?
Of course. I highlighted and wrote in the margins of my law school textbooks - used pencil so I could erase. Most people do. Again - they are books, hello. (IF you are a librarian reading this - please note I haven't checked out a library book in ten years, so you needn't worry. I figure if I own the book - I can love it to death. It's unlikely I'll sell it or lend it, maybe give it away. )
16. What is your favorite language to read in?
English, as it's the only language I'm fluent in. I know a little bit of French, but only on a very basic level.
17. What makes you love a book?
Mostly the characters - they have to interest me on some level. Pull at me. Fall inside my mind.
Capture my emotions and my intellect. Intrigue me. If I fall in love with characters - I'll most likely fall in love with the book. If I don't? I won't. Other things matter too - good writing and good plotting are crucial to creating intriguing characters that capture the mind and heart and stay with you long after you've finished reading.
18. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If it really intrigues me on some level - either intellectual or emotional. Something about it - makes me want to discuss it, share it. It can be a theme or a character, never sure. And I may do it while reading or long after I read it.
19. Favorite genre?
At the moment? Sci-fantasy apparently, really like in fact love sci-fantasy-mystery blend. Or sci-fantasy-romance-mystery - that's amazing. I love genre blends. Two for the price of one.
Actually prefer blends to pure genre.
20. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-fiction and biography. Wait is that a genre or a category? Okay genre - historical, non-fiction and biography
21. Favorite biography?
Biography or Memoir? Wishful Thinking by Carrie Fisher or Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama may be my favorite Biography, not sure either fit the category though. Maybe Che by John Anderson - which I didn't finish but came close.
23. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Too many, unfortunately. And want to know something? They rarely help anyone but the rich bastard who writes the things.
24. Favorite cookbook?
Oddly enough - the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, most useful one I've seen, comes complete with meat cooking and vegetable cooking times and guide. Easy, useful, simple and to the point.
Although the Southern Living Farmer's Market Cookbook - my sisinlaw gave my mother for Xmas was amazing. I lusted after that cookbook. Serious lust.
25. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Hard one. Haven't read any as of yet this year. Maybe "Mockingjay" last year might qualify.
26. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I tend to generally ignore hype and make up my own mind. But...I'd say it almost stopped me from reading The Hunger Games. And it almost stopped me from trying The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - which my mother has convinced me to try. (I've learned to ignore trends and what the media says and just do what I want.)
27. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Rarely read critical reviews of books any more. So...there's that. But it depends on the critic and the book, I suppose. Same with movies and everything else - often the critic's review tells you more about the critic than it actually tells you about the book - or so I've found.
28. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
Necessary part of the process. Since I'm a critical thinker - I feel they are necessary and can often help. As a writer they help me figure out what not to do in my own writing, as a reader they help me figure out what I like and what I don't, as well as what other's like and don't. There's pluses and minuses to reviews. Admittedly I'm sensitive to criticism like all writers tend to be, but ...well, here's the thing - the negative review often makes the positive ones you receive mean more. You feel you earned it.
29. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
French. (Although I'm starting to wish I could read and speak Spainish - since I love the Spainish writers. Another language would be Japanese ...but I suck at languages unfortunately. In my family - you either got the facility for language or the facility for analytical thinking. Guess which I got.)
30. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
This is a hilarious question. Okay, I've read most of the intimidating books already - Ulysess by Joyce, Sound and The Fury by Faulkner, Proust...George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. I'd say the most intimidating is that footnote heave 1000 word monstrosity that everyone on my flist seems to adore by Suzanne Clark that sits unread on my bookshelf, making me wish I got it in paperbook and not in hardback. Because it's impossible for me to lug around, I tried - it weighs 20 pounds.
31. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
See above. Also The Foundation series by Isacc Asmiov - which are numerous and Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace - another monstrosity sitting on my bookshelf. I keep thinking I'll get the new translation.
Oh and the Brothers Karamov and Crime and Punishment, for some reason long-ass Russian historical novels scare me. I look at them, and think, okay some day - when my brain feels less overwhelmed.
32. Favorite Poet?
Used to be Plath, but I think I've moved on to Parker - she was wittier.
(Yes, have a thing for depressed women poets apparently.)
33. Favorite fictional character?
It changes a lot and I can't limit it to one, sorry. Here's a list of candidates:
Harry Dresden - Dresden Files
Lymond from The Chronicles of Lymond
Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
Scout and Atticus (who reminds me of my Dad, and whose relationship oddly reminds me of the same, even though I have a mother and didn't live in the South and he wasn't an attorney) from To Kill A Mockingbird
Robin Hood
Sherlock Holmes
Sir Jaime Lannister, Ayra Stark, Tyrion Lannister, and Lady Breinne from Song of Ice and Fire
Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, and Gandalf from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
34. Favorite fictional villain?
Hard. Maybe...no, drawing a blank. Possibly Gentleman Jonny in The Dresden Files? OR Mab in the Dresden Files? Or Trenton the elf in Rachel Morgan series or Al the Demon in the Rachel Morgan series. Also like Cerise Lannister in Song of Ice and Fire. The trick with a villain is to make them likable on some level - so you love to hate them.
35. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Whatever's uploaded on to my Kindle.
36. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I can go a while without reading a book, but that usually just means I'm reading something else such as fanfic or too much LJ.
37. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
American Pyscho by Bret Easton Ellis. (You do not want to know why. I'll just state that book contains the squickiest and most horrifically offensive misogynistic rape sequence(s) on record and in graphic detail. But hey, the movie based on it was fun.) It's the only book that I wanted to burn.
38. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Not a lot. :) When I'm immersed in a good a book I live and breathe it.
True story - as a child, I was immersed in a book while watching my brother's baseball game, which my parents kept dragging me too whether I wanted to go or not. So I'm sitting smack dab in the middle of the bleachers reading this book during the Little League Playoffs, when everyone suddenly screams out - pop fly, and jumps off the bleachers. Except me, nose deeply in the book, and guess where that ball lands? You guessed it. Smack dab on my head. It knocks me clean off the bleachers and unconscious for a minute or two. Next thing I know, there's a group of people surrounding me and my parents are rushing me to the emergency room - while my poor brother had to go home with someone else. This ability has come in handy in noisy work environments - let me tell you.
39. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Candidates:
To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory Peck is Atticus Finch to me. (He also looks quite a bit like my Dad in that film.)
Lord of the Rings
The A&E, Colin Firth - Pride and Prejudice 6 hour mini-series
40. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Too many to count. But I'll go with The Golden Compass - based on Philip K. Pullman's book of the same name. If it was better - we could have gotten a whole series, dang it. Also Dune - no one seems to get how to do this well.
41. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
100 dollars. Might have been more. I'm from a family that has a tendency to go nuts in book stores.
Another reason why the Kindle is wonderful for me.
42. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
All the time. I've been known to read whole books in bookstores. In college, I used to go to the bookstore and read all the Stephen King novels.
Usually - what I'll do is read the first chapter, skim a few chapters in the middle, and read the end.
Although not always. If it's a thriller or mystery - I don't read the end. Only if it is literary or
something where there's not a bit surprise. If the end is pat and I can figure out the whole plot from reading it? I won't bother with the book. If the first chapter doesn't pull me in, or
most likely in the skim, the dialogue and writing don't work for me - I won't buy it.
My Aunt used to read the end of every book. The Kindle is great for me - because I can't read the endings any more, but I can read the first 20-30 pages to see if it intrigues me. Which can work against books like The Girl With The Dragoon Tattoo - which require more patience to get into them.
I skimmed and read Twilight in the bookstore. It was so horribly written, I was bewildered that it got published. Also skimmed Nancy Holder novels - equally badly written.
43. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
If it's badly written. I'm bored. There's nothing interesting coming up. It pisses me off. I hate a character. I want to throw it against the wall.
44. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Keep trying and failing miserably. It requires too much work. Also I have more books than space, so while I'll organize them once every two years or so, I buy new books - so they tend to get shoved wherever there is space.
45. Name a book that made you angry.
American Psycho. Atonement. and House of Sand and Fog. For different reasons. I wanted to kill the characters in Atonement and House of Sand and Fog. I wanted to kill the writer of American Psycho.
46. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
47. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Atonement (I forget the writer's name) and House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubuis Jr.. (It is notable that I found the movie adaptations of all these books more digestible than the books.)
48. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Erotic fanfic - notably by nautibitz, although I've found others.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-01-30 06:56 pm (UTC)Once upon a time, sci-fi, fantasy, horror were genres I liked. Now not so much, I don't really know why.
I could rec you two I found great (not that it's a garantee for you of course) : The K by Dino Buzzati, a book of short novels, Les animaux dénaturés by Vercors (there must be a translation).It's a philosophic tale under the guise of fantasy about what it means to be human. It's very agreable to read. Vercors was a resistant during 2nd WW.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-30 08:10 pm (UTC)My taste tends to be fairly eclectic. See the list of book reviews in one of the links I did earlier in the month - for a better and more complete picture.