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Book Meme, ganked from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
saffronlie.
1. A favourite book. Little Owl's Favourite Uncle. One of my first books and the most treasured possession on my book shelf. I feel all warm and fuzzy and safe whenever I so much as look at that book.
2. A book that affected you in your YA years. Er, I didn't really read YA stuff. I just went straight onto adult fiction. I remember borrowing my dad's trashy The Ladykiller, by Martina Cole. That sort of traumatised me.
3. A favourite fantasy novel. Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones. It's about the Dog Star, Sirius-not-Black, being forced onto this planet to live as a dog as punishment for a crime he didn't commit. It's wonderfully funny and yet touches on everything from the violence in Northern Ireland (at that time) to Welsh myths to the ineffable awesomeness of dogs. She's a great author.
4. A favourite sci-fi novel. Er...um. Ah.
5. An awesome book you think not many people around you have heard of/read. Mystery in Spiderville!
6. A book you own more than one copy of. Interview With the Vampire. I have my first, battered copy that I bought when spending my college prize of book tokens and also a special edition of the novel with, you know, those awesome thick pages and everything.
7. An author whose every single book you own/will buy. George Orwell
8. The worst book you've ever read. The Wisdom of Crocodiles, by Paul Hoffman. I saw this film about a sexy, nefarious man played by Jude Law, who preyed on women, killing them once they grew to love him. It was so intriguing that, even though I was a poor student, I went and spent £15 on the book - it was only out in B format at the time and stupidly expensive. That was my grocery money! And it was the most stupid, pretentious, smarmy, ridiculous 'satire' I have ever read in my life. There was this entire section where the Ghost ofChristmas present the Stock Exchange took a man on a tour of The City to show him the error of his trading ways. Or something.
I was nineteen years old and FILLED WITH RAGE at this stupid, stupid book and the writer, wearing a turtleneck, smirking smugly at me from the back cover. I flung it against the wall when I finished it and sobbed that I would have to go without food for a couple of days for the worst thing I had ever bought. Yes, even worse than those leg warmers.
9. A book you dislike that lots of other people you know like. Lord of the Rings. You will never convert me.
10. The most difficult book you've ever read. The Brothers Karamazov. It just went on and on and on. It wasn't something I could just skim read and it took me three months to get through it, just because each friggin' character wanted to have Existentialist discussions. It was worth it, though.
11. Tell me what kind of books your mum reads/read. Lots of history books, particularly local history. I got my love of history from her, I think. She used to walk around the area with me and point out the history of the village. She also loves biographies of all sorts. She will never read fiction; "It's all lies."
12. What have you read so far this year? A lot! I'm really getting my reading mojo back due to the frequent train delays en-route to work.
13. What are you reading now? The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, by Louis de Bernieres. It's a terrific satire/drama set in a fictional South American country.
14. What are you reading next? I'm probably going to give The Book Thief a second chance.
saffronlie. 1. A favourite book. Little Owl's Favourite Uncle. One of my first books and the most treasured possession on my book shelf. I feel all warm and fuzzy and safe whenever I so much as look at that book.
2. A book that affected you in your YA years. Er, I didn't really read YA stuff. I just went straight onto adult fiction. I remember borrowing my dad's trashy The Ladykiller, by Martina Cole. That sort of traumatised me.
3. A favourite fantasy novel. Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones. It's about the Dog Star, Sirius-not-Black, being forced onto this planet to live as a dog as punishment for a crime he didn't commit. It's wonderfully funny and yet touches on everything from the violence in Northern Ireland (at that time) to Welsh myths to the ineffable awesomeness of dogs. She's a great author.
4. A favourite sci-fi novel. Er...um. Ah.
5. An awesome book you think not many people around you have heard of/read. Mystery in Spiderville!
6. A book you own more than one copy of. Interview With the Vampire. I have my first, battered copy that I bought when spending my college prize of book tokens and also a special edition of the novel with, you know, those awesome thick pages and everything.
7. An author whose every single book you own/will buy. George Orwell
8. The worst book you've ever read. The Wisdom of Crocodiles, by Paul Hoffman. I saw this film about a sexy, nefarious man played by Jude Law, who preyed on women, killing them once they grew to love him. It was so intriguing that, even though I was a poor student, I went and spent £15 on the book - it was only out in B format at the time and stupidly expensive. That was my grocery money! And it was the most stupid, pretentious, smarmy, ridiculous 'satire' I have ever read in my life. There was this entire section where the Ghost of
I was nineteen years old and FILLED WITH RAGE at this stupid, stupid book and the writer, wearing a turtleneck, smirking smugly at me from the back cover. I flung it against the wall when I finished it and sobbed that I would have to go without food for a couple of days for the worst thing I had ever bought. Yes, even worse than those leg warmers.
9. A book you dislike that lots of other people you know like. Lord of the Rings. You will never convert me.
10. The most difficult book you've ever read. The Brothers Karamazov. It just went on and on and on. It wasn't something I could just skim read and it took me three months to get through it, just because each friggin' character wanted to have Existentialist discussions. It was worth it, though.
11. Tell me what kind of books your mum reads/read. Lots of history books, particularly local history. I got my love of history from her, I think. She used to walk around the area with me and point out the history of the village. She also loves biographies of all sorts. She will never read fiction; "It's all lies."
12. What have you read so far this year? A lot! I'm really getting my reading mojo back due to the frequent train delays en-route to work.
13. What are you reading now? The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, by Louis de Bernieres. It's a terrific satire/drama set in a fictional South American country.
14. What are you reading next? I'm probably going to give The Book Thief a second chance.
