It's the May Talking Meme! You can ask me a question or give me a topic for any day of the month (that hasn't already passed or been claimed) here. I can't guarantee that any of my answers will be interesting! But I will answer them all.

Today's answer is for therck: "What is one book you think everyone should read ( Read more... )

Today I accidentally found this list of The Daily Telegraph's "Best 100 Novels in the World" from 1899, and I probably shouldn't try to read my way through it right now, since I already have two book lists running plus "all the mysteries ever," but here it is anyway in case I ever get done with one of those.

( THE BEST )

The Incredulity of Father Brown gave me some trouble. I still liked it intermittently, but Father Brown's homilies are overcrowding his otherwise likeable personality and Flambeau was nowhere to be found. I caught myself skimming a lot.

( All criminals believe in karma )

The last full chapter I read is “Of the Coming of Men Into the West” and it introduces us to Beor the Old, who is called The Old because he lives to be ninety-three - years, not centuries. Can you imagine it? They aren't unintelligent, either - when Felagund found their little drove they were speaking with each other, though strangely, and one of ( Read more... )

Reader(s), if a book is so dull and full of stereotypes and cliched dialogue that I feel like my own meager writing abilities are being drained away every time I pick it up, should I go on reading it? Skim really fast to the end? I'm trying to finish as many of the books I start as I can, but this one is a weirdly boring challenge ( Read more... )