11 June 2010

A literary meme

I know I said the next blog post would be about the NASCAR HOF. But, see, this isn't a blog post; it's a meme. I won't tag anyone, but I'd love to see this pop up on various blogs, especially those of you who are librarian friends of mine (ahem).

(1) What author do you own the most books by?

Michael Connelly or John Lescroart

(pause)

Okay, I went and counted. I have 16 Connellys and 16 Lescroarts. It's a tie!

(2) What book do you own the most copies of?

Charlotte's Web (3)

(3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

A little.

(4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser (from the Outlander novels)

(5) What book have you read the most times in your life?

Charlotte's Web

(6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

Um. Charlotte's Web.

(7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

Rich Again by Anna Maxted. Awful. Horrible. I want to burn it.

(8) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

Heroes for my Son by Brad Meltzer

(9) If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would it be?

Charlotte's Web. It's again friendship and love and how far we'll go for those we care about, but without getting SO deep. And E.B. White's writing style... it's just classic.

(10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?

Edgar Allan Poe

(11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

I think a lot of Jane Green's novels could be made into fun movies without upsetting me too much.

(12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Simply because I've lived with those characters and that world in my head for SO long that anything on the screen would BE WRONG.

(13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

If I've had these types of dreams, I sure as hell have forgotten them. And that may be a good thing.

(14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

Define lowbrow.

(15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

On one hand, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold earns a mention because it just sucked so much and I have NO EFFING IDEA why people went around praising it for a year (see my goodreads review for more on how I feel about that book). But on a more serious level, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is always really difficult for me. I first encountered it in grade five, and I've read it several times since then (the most recent time was last year), but it's a difficult one. Set in 1930s Mississippi, it explores living in the South from the perspective of a close-knit black family. Narrated by Cassie, a young daughter in the family, who really struggles with the social justice issues of the times.

(16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?

Unfortunately, I don't think I've seen obscure ones. Although I have seen "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)." Does that count? ;)

(17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

I haven't had either. Oh wait, you meant...

(18) Roth or Updike?

Neither, but thanks.

(19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Both!

(20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

I love me some Shakespeare, but I've got nothing against Milton or Chaucer, either. One of my fondest memories from high was going through The Canterbury Tales in Mr. Anderson's class.

(21) Austen or Eliot?

I haven't read Eliot. So Austen by default (although I truly like Austen).

(22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

Apparently, see above. I wouldn't say that I'm particularly embarrassed by my gaps, though.

(23) What is your favorite novel?

Charlotte's Web (okay, it's a children's novel, but it's still a novel!)

(24) Play?

A View From the Bridge by Arthur Miller. I fell in love with it in high when we studied it, they took us on a field trip to see it, and there's been no turning back since.

(25) Poem?

"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Phenomenal Women" by Maya Angelou, and "On the Pulse of Morning" by Maya Angelou

(26) Essay?

Most anything by Mark Twain (I am a Missourian, after all)

(27) Short story?

Depending on my mood, I'll go for either Poe or Twain.

(28) Work of nonfiction?



(29) Who is your favorite writer?

Brad Meltzer

(30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

Dan Brown. He's written one novel. The rest are all variations on that novel. He changes the location and the character names and calls it a new novel. Wow.

(31) What is your desert island book?

Can I just take Brad Meltzer and make him keep writing new books for me while I'm there? If I had to choose just one book (and not a series or the works of an author), I'd probably take Outlander because it's good and long. Or maybe the new edition of "Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness." Because between reading, I could sing and dance and not be embarrassed by too many people watching me. ;)

(32) And… what are you reading right now?

Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein

3 comments:

  1. I love Charlotte's Web so much. It's been a long time since I've read it though. I'm sure now it would make me sob.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I need to start reading again before I become a retard.

    ReplyDelete