Puss Reboots: Blog: January 2008: Eva's Meme

Eva's Meme: 01/29/08
Morsie Reads has tagged me for Eve's Meme. I'm not surprised that I was tagged; it's a fairly bookish meme. I've been watching the meme make the rounds since Eva made it up; yes I'm a subscriber!

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

There are many books I cringe from reading and I'm not proud of it. The two that come immediately to mind are the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman and the other is the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I've read the back covers of the Pullman books and they just don't appeal to me. The recent film didn't appeal to me either.

The Series of Unfortunate Events has two things against it; the cliche of orphans as protagonists and the really stupid nom de plum. What's a guy from San Francisco doing calling himself "Lemony Snicket"?

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?

The first person who pops into my mind is young Jim di Griz (from before he married Angela). I'm thinking of how he's described in The Stainless Steel Rat is Drafted. Of course now I'd be way too old for him but at least his future wife wouldn't be trying to kill me.

Guest number two would have to be Christopher Parker Pyne, a little known Agatha Christie detective. He just goes by Parker but in one of the stories it's mentioned that his first name is Christopher. He strikes me as the most interesting of Christie's detectives.

Guest number three would be Corwin from the Amber series by Roger Zelazny. I'd love to listen to him talk and maybe he show me his Trumps.

I don't know where we'd go. Maybe just a nice coffee house or a bar.

(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 realize it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

To be honest, I don't really like the Thursday Next series. I like the science fiction stuff but the literary book jumping is poorly executed.

As far as the "most boring novel" goes, that would be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I stopped reading it about six years ago and haven't had the urge to go back and finish it (or read the books that come after it). But how depressing that Harry Potter would be the last book I'd read!

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?

Don't presume things, Eva. I have never once pretended to have read a book that I haven't. With reading 300 to 400 books a year, I don't feel the need to lie about reading books.

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realize when you read a review about it/go to 'reread' it that you haven't? Which book?

I don't think so. Usually it is just the opposite. I often think I haven't read a book only to find it in my list of read books. I've been keeping this list since 1987. My most recent surprise read was Stardust by Neil Gaiman which I apparently read in 1999.

You're interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some 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 personalize the VIP)

Assuming this VIP was in a position of leadership, I would get him or her a copy of The Prince by Machiavelli. It was written for just that purpose!

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?

I would like to read Japanese. I watch a lot of anime and I've started to read manga. I don't like being so dependent on the subtitles and translations. I would also like to visit Japan some day and not look like a complete tourist-idiot.

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 would pick A Christmas Carol because I read it most years anyway and it is short.

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)?

The book challenges hosted on a variety of blogs and at BookCrossing's release challenge forum have helped me to increase my reading numbers and make for a more varied selection.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

I think I already have my dream library. I would like more room for bookshelves to better hold my collection. I would also like the books to be better organized. After so many moves I just haven't been able to keep them sorted.

Now I'm supposed to tag four people:

meme | books

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