Books Books Books Meme

(Finally swiped from Kwizgiver who did this months ago)

1) What author do you own the most books by? I think probably Laura Ingalls Wilder. I don't buy books by their authors; I tend not to buy books, to be honest.

2) What book do you own the most copies of? The Bible. We probably have close to two dozen in the house.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? The first one did. "Of" doesn't usually bother me, thanks to Churchill.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life? Dr. Seuss' Alphabet Book: "Aunt Annie's Alligator...A A A..." out loud, to Sparky. Oh, wait, no: it's the Thomas the Tank Engine Says Goodnight cloth book that we read every night to Sparky at bedtime and naptime! For 5 years.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old? I have to say, it was probably The Secret of the Old Clock.

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? Ishmael by Daniel Quinn [I am VERY freaked out that my answer matches Kwizgiver's--how the heck did we end up reading such an awful, and old, book the same year??!] Technically, I didn't finish it, though.

8 ) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year? Columbine, by Dave Cullen

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be? I haven't tagged anyone, but I think everyone should read whatever suits them best.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie? I'm actually quite happy that none of the books I love the most have been made into movies.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie? Anything else by Dan Brown or Nicholas Sparks.

13) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult? People, I read EVERYdamnthing! Lowbrow, highbrow, Mad magazine, and books on esoteric cataloging strategies, not to mention picture books and early Church history books. I have major issues with the whole concept of "lowbrow."

14) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? The Bible. Moby Dick. The Leatherstocking Tales. Everything by Jane Austen. Haven't finished any of them.

15) Do you prefer the French or the Russians? I suppose I should ask what part of French or Russian life we are discussing, but my answer would almost always be Russian, unless the subject is food.

16) Roth or Updike? Updike, but only barely.

17) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? Dave Eggers, by a nose.

18) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer? Shakespeare. But I adore Chaucer, too.

19) Austen or Eliot? Eliot, and No-Doz.

20) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading? I don't read much true scifi or romance fiction. I don't read much 'literary' fiction. I don't read ANY political stuff. I'm not particularly embarrassed about any of that, but those are the big gaps.

21) What is your favorite novel? The Book of Ruth, by Jane Hamilton

22) Essay? What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell

23) Work of nonfiction? Anything by John Sutherland always cheers me.

24) Who is your favorite writer? Stephen King, Robert Parker, Lawrence Block, Nevada Barr, Emily Bronte, John Steinbeck, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dr. Seuss, Sara Paretsky...probably easier to peruse this list.

25) What is your desert island book? The Bible. I'd probably finish it.

26) What are you reading right now? By Blood We Live (edited by John Joseph Adams) -- short stories about vampires
Blaze, by Richard Bachman -- similar in tone to Of Mice and Men
Blood Trail, by C.J. Box (on CD) -- typical suspense novel, by first by this author

27) What fictional character are you secretly in love with? Spenser. And Mr. Rochester.

28 ) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature? Who cares? Certainly not me.

29) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character. Can't think of anything.

30) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen? I don't think I've seen any of the obscure ones.

31) Favorite Poem? Custard the Dragon. Or, really, almost anything else by Ogden Nash.

32) Favorite short story? I've a soft spot for "The Lottery" but I really adore short stories and there is no way I could pick just one.

33) Who is the most overrated writer alive today? Well, I guess now that Salinger's dead... There are lots of others to take his place. I can't think of anyone specific, though.