A Bookish Meme

One of the blogs I read, Bookgirl’s Nightstand, had a meme about all things literary. I haven’t done a survey in a while and this one seemed like fun, so here goes.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I have actually read this book - it was my junior year of high school and it took me an entire nine weeks to read it. I had to renew it at the library three times, they were kind enough to let me do it since it wasn’t a bestseller. And I can see why. It is the most boring, pointless book I have ever read.  I can’t understand the obsession or great societal purpose this book serves. Ironically, I ended up getting a copy of the book several years later in a boxed set of classics, so I own it, but I refuse to read it.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be? Hmm. This is a tough one. There are so many great characters in literature. I would really like to meet Sylvia Plath’s character in The Bell Jar, Daisy from The Great Gatsby, and Edward from The Meaning of Night (this is the book I’m reading now and I am so intrigued by him because I imagine he is modeled after so many real life people from Victorian London).

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave? Frankly, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn better get me the nicest grave going. Also, I felt like The Stranger by Albert Camus was pretty boring, but it was better than Huck Finn.

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it? I hint that I have read The Brother’s Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, because I actually did make it about 100 pages in for a literature class that I attempted to take in college. I say attempted because I actually weaseled my way out of the requirement for that class. Thank you, Laird!

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book? I really can’t think of anything.

You’ve been appointed Book Advisor to a VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It is one of my favorite pieces of ethnic literature. 

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with? Hebrew. I also hope that I would be able to speak it and understand it and write it fluently.

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick? I’m not a big re-reader of books, but A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen. It’s only about 30 pages (I believe it was Quindlen’s commencement speech that she gave at a college graduation) but it is full of wonderful bits of wisdom.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)? I definitely appreciate cover art. The New York Times Book Review blog (which I rarely read) is big on cover art. They actually have an award for best cover art. I’ve found a lot of interesting books that way, especially non-fiction. I also have discovered a lot more great short story collections.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free. Oh gosh. I’ve plotted my dream library for so long. It has floor to ceiling bookshelves and it sorted by genre. Size and form of book doesn’t matter. Many of my teaching texts are hardback, so I can’t really say I’m picky. I also have tons of magazines so there would be a couple of shelves just for those periodicals, sorted by type. I would definitely have some first editions in there (of my favorites), but I’m not picky. I just love books.

Stay tuned for another book post in a few days. I’m off to the bookstore again today, but won’t post until I’ve had a chance to savor and look through all that I have purchased.

 

Hello, my name is Brianna and I’m addicted to books. (written 01.21.08)

I’m slightly addicted to books and magazines. Actually, anything have to do with words is my cup of tea. I’ve been on a book buying binge lately, which I put a stop to on Saturday. Really, I’m not spending any money on anything right now. Just my loan payment and my cell phone bill and groceries. No extras. That means: no books, no itunes purchases, no scrapping stuff, no clothes, no eating out, no movies. I have dozens of books, tons to scrap, and tons of movies I’ve never even watched.

But that is not the point of my post. The point of my post is the insane amount of books I have bought over the last couple of weeks.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. This is about a book restorer who gets to restore the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which is the earliest book in the Jewish religion to be illuminated, during a time when it was considered desecrating to do such a thing.

Sweeney Todd by Mark Salisbury. This is the novelization of the Broadway play. I’m excited to read this and then see the movie. I love musicals, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. This is book number one in “His Dark Materials”. It will be interesting to read the book and see the movie. I’m curious if it really was as controversial as everyone was making it out to be. I think, as with Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia it was just some uninformed people making an uninformed decision.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks. This is a collection of short stories, written by a neurologist. He drew his inspiration from his years as a doctor, having seen many fantastic and unusual cases.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This takes place during WW2 and is narrated by Death. I actually tried to start reading it a couple of weeks ago, but got sidetracked by some other stuff and have since started something else. I am definitely going to go back to it, though. It’s got a great story line and is well written, just from the first five or so pages.

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox. This book is long; nearly 700 pages. But I like that, even though it’s going to take me forever to read. I’m reading it now and enjoying it immensely. It’s very well written; the author has a way with words, although it’s not written in a lot of fancy, flowery language. His descriptions of things really make you feel like you are there. (Although in a dark alley with a murderer is NOT where I want to be, thankyouverymuch).

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman. This is all about going vegan and vegetarian, which is not necessarily what I am out to do. However, I do want/need to start eating healthier and I’m hoping this (and the companion cookbook, which I do not yet have) will give me the kick in the pants that I need to get healthy. I was trying on clothes yesterday and feeling totally fat, so this is coming at just the right time.

What are you reading? I am always looking for something new and interesting to read. I especially love short story collections and anything related to travel.