Curse you L ... or the book meme from hell
From (Evil) L, over at Random_Speak:
How many books have you owned?
Don't know for certain - maybe 600 or so. I've always been big on libraries and low on cash. But if I read a book I really love, I will buy it to keep then read it over and over and over. And now that I work at a library - I can request as many books as I like!
What was the last book you bought?
Hard to know, I tend to smuggle them into the house so Handsomest doesn't see them and say things like "more damn books?":
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (for Book Group)
2. The Secret History by Donna Tartt (this is my third copy as I keep giving them to friends)
3. A miscellaneous bunch of trashy novels from the bargain bin (5 for $20 - because you can sometimes find a jewel among them)
4. Water Touching Stone by Eliot Pattison
5. Vanishing Acts by Jodi Piccoult (to read at the hairdresers)
What was the last book you read?
I tend to read about three at once - but the last two weeks (and this is a true list - no fibbing now):
1. Burglar on the Prowl by Lawrence Block
2. Jeeves and Wooster : Omnibus by P. G. Wodehouse
3. Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle
4. Insatiable disire of injured love by Arthur Gask (an audiobook)
5. Memoirs by David Attenborough (another audiobook)
6. I'm not scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
What are five books that have meant a lot to you?
Difficult. The first five that spring to mind (that I've read multiple times):
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
5. Perfume by Patrick Suskind
6. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Tagging....
CK over at The Fount of Useless Information (because I can)
Blandy over at Get On the Blandwagon (because Bland is good)
Granola Girl (because I'm interested to know)
How many books have you owned?
Don't know for certain - maybe 600 or so. I've always been big on libraries and low on cash. But if I read a book I really love, I will buy it to keep then read it over and over and over. And now that I work at a library - I can request as many books as I like!
What was the last book you bought?
Hard to know, I tend to smuggle them into the house so Handsomest doesn't see them and say things like "more damn books?":
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (for Book Group)
2. The Secret History by Donna Tartt (this is my third copy as I keep giving them to friends)
3. A miscellaneous bunch of trashy novels from the bargain bin (5 for $20 - because you can sometimes find a jewel among them)
4. Water Touching Stone by Eliot Pattison
5. Vanishing Acts by Jodi Piccoult (to read at the hairdresers)
What was the last book you read?
I tend to read about three at once - but the last two weeks (and this is a true list - no fibbing now):
1. Burglar on the Prowl by Lawrence Block
2. Jeeves and Wooster : Omnibus by P. G. Wodehouse
3. Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle
4. Insatiable disire of injured love by Arthur Gask (an audiobook)
5. Memoirs by David Attenborough (another audiobook)
6. I'm not scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
What are five books that have meant a lot to you?
Difficult. The first five that spring to mind (that I've read multiple times):
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
5. Perfume by Patrick Suskind
6. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Tagging....
CK over at The Fount of Useless Information (because I can)
Blandy over at Get On the Blandwagon (because Bland is good)
Granola Girl (because I'm interested to know)
posted by Laziest Girl at 8:21 am
8 Comments:
For a variety of reasons, I made a decision a while ago not to 'do' memes on my blog. And yet the desire to talk about my exquisite good taste and general well-readedness is overwhelming! You see my conundrum!
So I'm doing it in comments.
How many books have you owned?
About seven square metres' worth. I have a floor-to-ceiling bookcase occupying one complete wall in my study, and it's pretty full. In addition to the books and files, there's some photos of my family, an old teddy bear I found in the park, and a model of Scooby Doo's Mystery Mobile.
What was the last book you bought?
James Lileks' 'Interior Desecrations'. It's teh funny.
What was the last book you read?
A colleague loaned me a copy of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay', which I'm enjoying so far.
What are five books that have meant a lot to you?
1. The Bible. It's not a book you'd read for fun or for the joy of prose (which in St Paul's case is hideously convoluted). But it's the Word of God and the core of my life... how can it not mean a lot to me?
2. The Moomintroll books. Most children's books want to be read in a bright, perky voice. Tove Jansson's books invite you to read them low and quiet, to match their eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
3. The Surprise of Cremona. Touring Italy by herself in the 1950s, Edith Templeton managed to be risque, erudite, self-deprecating and witty all at the same time. This book charms me more every time I read it.
4. Class. Paul Fussell's uber-snarky study of the American class system helped shape my class prejudices for more than a decade.
5. The novels of Vernor Vinge and Iain M Banks. These two taught me a lot about writing and creativity. Vinge taught me to think outside the box in terms of what science might one day allow and how alien species and societies may operate. Banks taught me that everything doesn't need to be revealed at once.
And in a more commenty comment, I'm delighted that at least two of my favourite books appear in your list. Perfume and American Gods are simply unique and beautifully told stories.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is wonderful!
They're turning it into a movie, which makes me worry - I don't know that it can be done properly, since its strength is more in the narrative than the actions.
Unless it's narrated throughout, and very well, I dunno...
Oh bother! See blog.
Ah, just what I needed a meme passed on to me. And you have the nerve to curse L for giving it to you.
Oh, if you just want to click on a link the blog in question can be found here
You've got a few on here that I really loved: Curious Incident..., Road To Wellville, American Gods. Hunter Thompson? You must not be as lazy as you claim.
I highly recommend Freakonomics! Insightful book, makes you think.
I didn't agree with every point, but it's a very good read!
some lovely choices there, my dear :)
LOVED Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (I crack up helplessly every time I read it)
and I also love P.G. Wodehouse- he's screamingly funny!
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