Books books books!
Nov. 27th, 2008 12:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shah_of_blahI love books. I'm an English major, which really wouldn't be possible if I didn't have a great love of literature. I saw this meme about reading and couldn't help myself!
This meme is long, but who doesn't want to read all about books? Also for all of the questions where they asked for a favorite, as in singular, I usually put at least two. Oops. Snagged from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
taragel and queenofthorns .
+++INTRODUCTIONS+++
1. What's your name?
I don’t see how that’s relevant.
2. Do you read a lot?
Yeah, but during the school year I don’t read much “for fun.” I’m reading hundreds of pages per week for classes, and some of that is fiction, some of that is essays or whatnot. Then I read my own books when I’m on break. But before high school, and before I became addicted to the internet, I read about a book a week. When I was 10 my parents made a rule that my sister and I weren’t aloud to read during dinner. Because we always did.
3. What's your favorite genre?
I have genre issues...Really, fantasy is my favorite genre but I’m by no means exclusive to that. I pretty much just read any genre except for horror and romance. And I don’t read much nonfiction or mystery. Okay, so I guess I read fantasy, sci-fi, and general lit. I also like things that defy genre classification.
+++FANTASY AND SCI-FI+++
4. Do you prefer fantasy or science fiction?
Fantasy because it gives you the ultimate freedom (reading and writing). A fantasy writer can write anything and you really don’t have to worry about sounding scientifically plausible.
5. What's your favorite fantasy book/series?
That’s hard. I love so many. I guess my absolute favorite would have to be His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. Though A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin is also awesome. Those are my favorite series. But I might also have to add Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie because I would classify that as fantasy and it is AMAZING.
6. Who's your favorite fantasy author?
Maybe Ursula K. LeGuin? Or Philip Pullman. Oh, and Terry Pratchett’s consistently great. I’m not putting GRRM on this list because I haven’t loved his non-ASOIAF books.
7. What's your favorite science fiction book/series?
Well. There’s the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker’s Trilogy by Douglas Adams. And there’s Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge.
8. Favorite sci-fi author?
Douglas Adams, probably.
+++MYSTERY, HORROR, AND THRILLERS+++
9. Which do you prefer: a puzzling mystery, or a terrifying thriller?
Mystery, although I’m not wild about either,
10. Do you have a favorite mystery novel?
Yeah. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James.
11. A favorite horror novel?
NA.
+++ROMANCE+++
12. Do you read romance novels?
No. Unless you count Jane Austen. In which case, I’m just going to say that I love Pride and Prejudice and skip this section. I have a Jane Austen action figure! Complete with a tiny little plastic P&P.
+++CHILDREN'S AND YA+++
15. What's your favorite children's book?
This is really hard. Um. The Paper Bag Princess. McGelligot’s Pool. Black and White. The Witch’s Broom. The Magic Hare. Her Stories.
16. Is it the same book that was your favorite when you were a kid?
Yes, I loved them all as a child.
17. What's your favorite YA book?
I kind of love Dealing with Dragons and its sequels by Patricia C. Wrede to pieces. Cimorene was so awesome! I wanted to be her. But there’s also Haroun and the Sea of Stories because I think that technically counts as YA. And that’s one of my favorite books ever.
18. Did you actually read it as a YA?
Yes, to both. I think that Wrede probably wouldn’t work well for an older reader because the style might seem too dumbed-down, but I have re-read Haroun many times and that is a great book for all ages.
19. In general, do you prefer children's books over grown-up books?
No. Too many children’s books, to me, need to have been read as a child to be appreciated as an adult.
+++CLASSICS AND GENERAL FICTION+++
20. What's your favorite classic novel?
Well. Hmm. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. That’s a classic, right? And Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I also sort of, and this is weird, fell in love a little bit with Beowulf this semester. I could talk about Grendel’s mother all day.
21. What about general fiction?
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. True story: I read this book when I was 12, and so whenever people asked me what was my favorite book, I said “Poisonwood Bible” because I wanted to impress them. And because it is amazing.
22. What classic novel do you just *not* *get*?
I don’t know. I don’t think I’m supposed to get Joyce, and I’ve only read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which I think is his most comprehensible. I’m not sure if anyody counts this as classic or just old, but I did not get Pearl (by the Gawain poet). Oh, this isn’t really a novel, but I DID NOT understand William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. I was reading it for class, and we’d just read Paradise Lost. Blake’s thing was like 20 pages long, so I figured it had to be a break from the Milton. I mean, how long could it take to read something so short? I read it cover-to-cover twice and came in to class the next day having absolutely no idea what Blake was talking about. I did entertain myself though by writing lots of bizarre commentary in the margins, and then selling it back to the bookstore at the end of the semester.
23. Do you have a favorite play or drama?
Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Angels in America.
24. What do you think of Shakespeare?
I love him. Except for the history plays. The Richards and the Henrys. Not a big fan of those.
+++POETRY+++
25. Could you pick a favorite poem?
That’s really hard. I don’t usually remember the names of poems that well, but Molly McGlennen wrote this poem that I loved called “War Curio.” And I’ve always admired John Ashbery for writing this poem:
The Cathedral <--that’s the title
is scheduled for demolition.
26. What about a favorite poetry collection?
Um. Well, I had this book of children’s poetry that I always loved. Can’t remember the title.
27. Who's your favorite poet?
I don’t read poetry steadily or actively enough to answer this.
+++COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS+++
28. Do you read comics or graphic novels?
Yup.
29. Do you have a favorite series?
Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. Also loved his work with Runaways.
30. A favorite book?
This is between Fray (Joss Whedon!) and Brief Lives (Sandman). I have a Delirium action figure.
+++SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS+++
31. Do you prefer short stories (or short novels) over full-length novels?
Not exactly, but I do love short stories. I used to definitely prefer novels until I read Sherman Alexie and Kelly Link.
32. What's your favorite short story?
“The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor” by Sherman Alexie (from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven) and "The Hortlak" by Kelly Link (from Magic for Beginners).
33. Favorite short story collection?
Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Alexie) and Stranger Things Happen (Kelly Link).
34. Do you have a favorite short story author?
Sherman Alexie and Kelly Link. Surprised?
+++NONFICTION+++
35. What kind of nonfiction do you usually read?
I rarely read nonfiction when it’s not for school.
36. Do you have a favorite nonfiction book?
Ain’t I a Woman, the biography of Sojourner Truth. My hero!
37. Read any interesting biographies?
See above.
38. History books?
Eh. Well, I tried to read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown when I was about 11. It was very good, but I was too young.
39. Politics?
No.
40. Religious texts?
No.
41. How about books on mythology, fairy-tales, or other cultural stories?
I love mythology and fairy-tales. I can’t think of a specific book though. Does Her Stories count?
+++ELEMENTS OF FICTION+++
42. What's the most important element of a novel? Plot? Characterization? Style? Themes? Happy ending?
This is difficult. Characterization, style, and plot are, I think, all very important. But if I had to pick one, I’d go with characterization. If I am drawn in by a character, I will read just about anything. (This applies to BSG as well—I will ignore the plot holes for Kara Thrace). Understand that I don’t have to like the character—they can be a complete rat bastard who I have very little sympathy for as long as they are complex and interesting and make me care. After characterization, I’d go with style. If something is shittily written, it’s shittily written.
43. What kind of plot interests you the most?
I don’t know. I don’t really think of plots as having kinds. Interesting plots. I like ones where I can sort of figure out what’s going to happen, but I also like to be surprised. I’m not very good at writing plots.
44. What kind of characters usually appeal to you?
Women who are awesome are generally, well, awesome. But I don’t really classify the characters that I like. I don’t know. I think I have pretty varied interests here.
45. What is your favorite book overall?
Well, I have a list. Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Poisonwood Bible, Catch-22, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Flight (Sherman Alexie).
+++PASS IT ON+++
46. What's the last book you read?
Just read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It was really good, but I still think Flight was better. I just wrote a research paper about Flight.
47. What are you reading now?
Still reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Still got my bookmark in The Return of the King too.
48. What are you going to read next?
Well I’ve got to read Bone Game by Monday for class. After that, and after the two mentioned above (meaning January) I’ll probably pick up a LeGuin, either The Other Wind or The Left Hand of Darkness.
49. Is there a book you would recommend to everyone on your friends list?
Yes. All of the books mentioned in 45. But pretty much every book I’ve mentioned.
50. Tag five people to fill out this meme:
Participate if you so desire. I, for one, love reading about books!
Sidenote: Ursula K. LeGuin has the absolute best name for any author, let alone an author of spec fiction. And it’s her real name! Incredible.
This meme is long, but who doesn't want to read all about books? Also for all of the questions where they asked for a favorite, as in singular, I usually put at least two. Oops. Snagged from
taragel and queenofthorns .+++INTRODUCTIONS+++
1. What's your name?
I don’t see how that’s relevant.
2. Do you read a lot?
Yeah, but during the school year I don’t read much “for fun.” I’m reading hundreds of pages per week for classes, and some of that is fiction, some of that is essays or whatnot. Then I read my own books when I’m on break. But before high school, and before I became addicted to the internet, I read about a book a week. When I was 10 my parents made a rule that my sister and I weren’t aloud to read during dinner. Because we always did.
3. What's your favorite genre?
I have genre issues...Really, fantasy is my favorite genre but I’m by no means exclusive to that. I pretty much just read any genre except for horror and romance. And I don’t read much nonfiction or mystery. Okay, so I guess I read fantasy, sci-fi, and general lit. I also like things that defy genre classification.
+++FANTASY AND SCI-FI+++
4. Do you prefer fantasy or science fiction?
Fantasy because it gives you the ultimate freedom (reading and writing). A fantasy writer can write anything and you really don’t have to worry about sounding scientifically plausible.
5. What's your favorite fantasy book/series?
That’s hard. I love so many. I guess my absolute favorite would have to be His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. Though A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin is also awesome. Those are my favorite series. But I might also have to add Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie because I would classify that as fantasy and it is AMAZING.
6. Who's your favorite fantasy author?
Maybe Ursula K. LeGuin? Or Philip Pullman. Oh, and Terry Pratchett’s consistently great. I’m not putting GRRM on this list because I haven’t loved his non-ASOIAF books.
7. What's your favorite science fiction book/series?
Well. There’s the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker’s Trilogy by Douglas Adams. And there’s Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge.
8. Favorite sci-fi author?
Douglas Adams, probably.
+++MYSTERY, HORROR, AND THRILLERS+++
9. Which do you prefer: a puzzling mystery, or a terrifying thriller?
Mystery, although I’m not wild about either,
10. Do you have a favorite mystery novel?
Yeah. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James.
11. A favorite horror novel?
NA.
+++ROMANCE+++
12. Do you read romance novels?
No. Unless you count Jane Austen. In which case, I’m just going to say that I love Pride and Prejudice and skip this section. I have a Jane Austen action figure! Complete with a tiny little plastic P&P.
+++CHILDREN'S AND YA+++
15. What's your favorite children's book?
This is really hard. Um. The Paper Bag Princess. McGelligot’s Pool. Black and White. The Witch’s Broom. The Magic Hare. Her Stories.
16. Is it the same book that was your favorite when you were a kid?
Yes, I loved them all as a child.
17. What's your favorite YA book?
I kind of love Dealing with Dragons and its sequels by Patricia C. Wrede to pieces. Cimorene was so awesome! I wanted to be her. But there’s also Haroun and the Sea of Stories because I think that technically counts as YA. And that’s one of my favorite books ever.
18. Did you actually read it as a YA?
Yes, to both. I think that Wrede probably wouldn’t work well for an older reader because the style might seem too dumbed-down, but I have re-read Haroun many times and that is a great book for all ages.
19. In general, do you prefer children's books over grown-up books?
No. Too many children’s books, to me, need to have been read as a child to be appreciated as an adult.
+++CLASSICS AND GENERAL FICTION+++
20. What's your favorite classic novel?
Well. Hmm. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. That’s a classic, right? And Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I also sort of, and this is weird, fell in love a little bit with Beowulf this semester. I could talk about Grendel’s mother all day.
21. What about general fiction?
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. True story: I read this book when I was 12, and so whenever people asked me what was my favorite book, I said “Poisonwood Bible” because I wanted to impress them. And because it is amazing.
22. What classic novel do you just *not* *get*?
I don’t know. I don’t think I’m supposed to get Joyce, and I’ve only read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which I think is his most comprehensible. I’m not sure if anyody counts this as classic or just old, but I did not get Pearl (by the Gawain poet). Oh, this isn’t really a novel, but I DID NOT understand William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. I was reading it for class, and we’d just read Paradise Lost. Blake’s thing was like 20 pages long, so I figured it had to be a break from the Milton. I mean, how long could it take to read something so short? I read it cover-to-cover twice and came in to class the next day having absolutely no idea what Blake was talking about. I did entertain myself though by writing lots of bizarre commentary in the margins, and then selling it back to the bookstore at the end of the semester.
23. Do you have a favorite play or drama?
Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Angels in America.
24. What do you think of Shakespeare?
I love him. Except for the history plays. The Richards and the Henrys. Not a big fan of those.
+++POETRY+++
25. Could you pick a favorite poem?
That’s really hard. I don’t usually remember the names of poems that well, but Molly McGlennen wrote this poem that I loved called “War Curio.” And I’ve always admired John Ashbery for writing this poem:
The Cathedral <--that’s the title
is scheduled for demolition.
26. What about a favorite poetry collection?
Um. Well, I had this book of children’s poetry that I always loved. Can’t remember the title.
27. Who's your favorite poet?
I don’t read poetry steadily or actively enough to answer this.
+++COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS+++
28. Do you read comics or graphic novels?
Yup.
29. Do you have a favorite series?
Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. Also loved his work with Runaways.
30. A favorite book?
This is between Fray (Joss Whedon!) and Brief Lives (Sandman). I have a Delirium action figure.
+++SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS+++
31. Do you prefer short stories (or short novels) over full-length novels?
Not exactly, but I do love short stories. I used to definitely prefer novels until I read Sherman Alexie and Kelly Link.
32. What's your favorite short story?
“The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor” by Sherman Alexie (from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven) and "The Hortlak" by Kelly Link (from Magic for Beginners).
33. Favorite short story collection?
Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Alexie) and Stranger Things Happen (Kelly Link).
34. Do you have a favorite short story author?
Sherman Alexie and Kelly Link. Surprised?
+++NONFICTION+++
35. What kind of nonfiction do you usually read?
I rarely read nonfiction when it’s not for school.
36. Do you have a favorite nonfiction book?
Ain’t I a Woman, the biography of Sojourner Truth. My hero!
37. Read any interesting biographies?
See above.
38. History books?
Eh. Well, I tried to read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown when I was about 11. It was very good, but I was too young.
39. Politics?
No.
40. Religious texts?
No.
41. How about books on mythology, fairy-tales, or other cultural stories?
I love mythology and fairy-tales. I can’t think of a specific book though. Does Her Stories count?
+++ELEMENTS OF FICTION+++
42. What's the most important element of a novel? Plot? Characterization? Style? Themes? Happy ending?
This is difficult. Characterization, style, and plot are, I think, all very important. But if I had to pick one, I’d go with characterization. If I am drawn in by a character, I will read just about anything. (This applies to BSG as well—I will ignore the plot holes for Kara Thrace). Understand that I don’t have to like the character—they can be a complete rat bastard who I have very little sympathy for as long as they are complex and interesting and make me care. After characterization, I’d go with style. If something is shittily written, it’s shittily written.
43. What kind of plot interests you the most?
I don’t know. I don’t really think of plots as having kinds. Interesting plots. I like ones where I can sort of figure out what’s going to happen, but I also like to be surprised. I’m not very good at writing plots.
44. What kind of characters usually appeal to you?
Women who are awesome are generally, well, awesome. But I don’t really classify the characters that I like. I don’t know. I think I have pretty varied interests here.
45. What is your favorite book overall?
Well, I have a list. Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Poisonwood Bible, Catch-22, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Flight (Sherman Alexie).
+++PASS IT ON+++
46. What's the last book you read?
Just read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It was really good, but I still think Flight was better. I just wrote a research paper about Flight.
47. What are you reading now?
Still reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Still got my bookmark in The Return of the King too.
48. What are you going to read next?
Well I’ve got to read Bone Game by Monday for class. After that, and after the two mentioned above (meaning January) I’ll probably pick up a LeGuin, either The Other Wind or The Left Hand of Darkness.
49. Is there a book you would recommend to everyone on your friends list?
Yes. All of the books mentioned in 45. But pretty much every book I’ve mentioned.
50. Tag five people to fill out this meme:
Participate if you so desire. I, for one, love reading about books!
Sidenote: Ursula K. LeGuin has the absolute best name for any author, let alone an author of spec fiction. And it’s her real name! Incredible.
