A bit more highfalutin' than most blog quizzes
You know how these work. Got tagged on Facebook (sort of), so I'm doing it here because I don't like writing on Facebook, and hey, my LJ should get used for something, right?
1) What author do you own the most books by?
In terms of actual number of discrete objects, definitely Philip K. Dick; but if we're counting number of novels, etc., he might have some competition in the form of David Eddings (I bought the omnibus editions of all the old series I loved growing up).
2) What book do you own the most copies of?
I don't think I own more than two copies of any given book, in which case Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Spinoza's Ethics are tied.
3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Not really. I always have trouble coming up with ways to rephrase that sort of sentence.
4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I'm sure when I was growing up there were some (actually now that I think about it, Ce'Nedra from some of Eddings' books probably qualifies), but I can't think of any fictional characters from the last (say) ten years of my reading life I have a crush on. Either I've started reading more books about unlikeable people, or I've been focusing more on real people.
5) What book have you read the most times in your life?
Probably Peter Dickinson and Wayne Anderson's wonderful The Flight of Dragons, which I took out from the grade school library so often than when I graduated the librarian gave it to me as a gift. I still own that copy, lacking dust jacket and with red tape as a spine, and I still love it.
6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Either the answer to question five, or one of these illustrated hardcover collections of 4-5 science fiction stories we had in the library, they had some pretty advanced/bleak stuff (I know that's where I first read Bradbury (and not happy-go-lucky Bradbury, we're talking "And There Will Come Soft Rains"), Dick, Asimov, etc) and I read every one I could get my hands on.
7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
I don't read enough books to waste time on a bad one. The ones I've liked the least I've still liked.
8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Maybe this is springing to mind because I read it so recently, but Paul Auster's New York trilogy of City of Glass, Ghosts and The Locked Room (all three make up one mid-sized novel, really) was flat-out amazing. Right up there with Borges and Calvino, in my opinion.
9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Carl Wilson's Celine Dion book for the 33 1/3 series. I think getting everyone to read that might actually make the (artistic) world a slightly better place.
10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
Fucked if I know. There don't seem to be any consistent criteria, do there?
11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
I would love to see a massive series of movies doing proper, Lord of the Rings-style adaptations of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. God, that would be awesome.
12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Watchmen.
13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Does your mom write books? Because I've had some pretty 'weird' dreams about her.
14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Probably the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child. Good fun.
15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Gravity's Rainbow. Not because Pynchon is hard to read (although he is) but because after a while reading it is like walking through a nightmare. It was also one of the most satisfying books to read I've ever been through.
16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
Love's Labours Lost. It was good.
17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
I haven't read enough of either, so you might as well ask me, Camus vs. Nabokov. Nabokov, obviously.
18) Roth or Updike?
Nothing I've heard about the work of either makes me want to read them, although I am open to being convinced otherwise.
19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
David Foster Wallace, because I've at least read Brief Interviews With Hideous Men.
20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Is this even a question? Shakespeare.
21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen I suppose, being relatively innocent of both.
22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Like all those possessing a library, Aurelian was aware that he was guilty of not knowing his in its entirety.
Jorge Luis Borges, “The Theologians”
23) What is your favorite novel?
The Crying of Lot 49. Or maybe The Fifth Head of Cerberus, but probably the former.
24) Play?
I think about Heiner Muller's Mauser more than I think about most plays. So that or King Lear.
25) Poem?
Archibald MacLeish's "Epistle to Be Left in the Earth." Has been since high school. (Eliot's "The Waste Land" is a predictable but sincere second, though)
26) Essay?
Too many of them. For the sake of convenience, though, I'll note that a few front-runners can be found in Jonathan Lethem's The Disappointment Artist.
27) Short story?
Jorge Luis Borges' "The Secret Miracle" (since I was a kid) or maybe Thomas Pynchon's "The Secret Integration."
28) Work of non-fiction?
I'm tempted to put a million flippant things here, but really, Spinoza's Ethics.
29) Who is your favorite writer?
Borges, Gene Wolfe, Pynchon, Philip K. Dick, Calvino, too many more.
30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
I wouldn't know.
31) What is your desert island book?
If not the Ethics (again!) then Anthony Lane's Nobody's Perfect... so large, so easy and pleasurable to re-read, and containing reminders of so many different aspects of culture.
32) And ... what are you reading right now?
Just finished The Time Traveller's Wife last night, not sure what now. I haven't read any fantasy in a while and I feel the itch.
1) What author do you own the most books by?
In terms of actual number of discrete objects, definitely Philip K. Dick; but if we're counting number of novels, etc., he might have some competition in the form of David Eddings (I bought the omnibus editions of all the old series I loved growing up).
2) What book do you own the most copies of?
I don't think I own more than two copies of any given book, in which case Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Spinoza's Ethics are tied.
3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Not really. I always have trouble coming up with ways to rephrase that sort of sentence.
4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I'm sure when I was growing up there were some (actually now that I think about it, Ce'Nedra from some of Eddings' books probably qualifies), but I can't think of any fictional characters from the last (say) ten years of my reading life I have a crush on. Either I've started reading more books about unlikeable people, or I've been focusing more on real people.
5) What book have you read the most times in your life?
Probably Peter Dickinson and Wayne Anderson's wonderful The Flight of Dragons, which I took out from the grade school library so often than when I graduated the librarian gave it to me as a gift. I still own that copy, lacking dust jacket and with red tape as a spine, and I still love it.
6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Either the answer to question five, or one of these illustrated hardcover collections of 4-5 science fiction stories we had in the library, they had some pretty advanced/bleak stuff (I know that's where I first read Bradbury (and not happy-go-lucky Bradbury, we're talking "And There Will Come Soft Rains"), Dick, Asimov, etc) and I read every one I could get my hands on.
7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
I don't read enough books to waste time on a bad one. The ones I've liked the least I've still liked.
8) What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Maybe this is springing to mind because I read it so recently, but Paul Auster's New York trilogy of City of Glass, Ghosts and The Locked Room (all three make up one mid-sized novel, really) was flat-out amazing. Right up there with Borges and Calvino, in my opinion.
9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Carl Wilson's Celine Dion book for the 33 1/3 series. I think getting everyone to read that might actually make the (artistic) world a slightly better place.
10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
Fucked if I know. There don't seem to be any consistent criteria, do there?
11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
I would love to see a massive series of movies doing proper, Lord of the Rings-style adaptations of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. God, that would be awesome.
12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Watchmen.
13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Does your mom write books? Because I've had some pretty 'weird' dreams about her.
14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Probably the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child. Good fun.
15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Gravity's Rainbow. Not because Pynchon is hard to read (although he is) but because after a while reading it is like walking through a nightmare. It was also one of the most satisfying books to read I've ever been through.
16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
Love's Labours Lost. It was good.
17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
I haven't read enough of either, so you might as well ask me, Camus vs. Nabokov. Nabokov, obviously.
18) Roth or Updike?
Nothing I've heard about the work of either makes me want to read them, although I am open to being convinced otherwise.
19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
David Foster Wallace, because I've at least read Brief Interviews With Hideous Men.
20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Is this even a question? Shakespeare.
21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen I suppose, being relatively innocent of both.
22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Like all those possessing a library, Aurelian was aware that he was guilty of not knowing his in its entirety.
Jorge Luis Borges, “The Theologians”
23) What is your favorite novel?
The Crying of Lot 49. Or maybe The Fifth Head of Cerberus, but probably the former.
24) Play?
I think about Heiner Muller's Mauser more than I think about most plays. So that or King Lear.
25) Poem?
Archibald MacLeish's "Epistle to Be Left in the Earth." Has been since high school. (Eliot's "The Waste Land" is a predictable but sincere second, though)
26) Essay?
Too many of them. For the sake of convenience, though, I'll note that a few front-runners can be found in Jonathan Lethem's The Disappointment Artist.
27) Short story?
Jorge Luis Borges' "The Secret Miracle" (since I was a kid) or maybe Thomas Pynchon's "The Secret Integration."
28) Work of non-fiction?
I'm tempted to put a million flippant things here, but really, Spinoza's Ethics.
29) Who is your favorite writer?
Borges, Gene Wolfe, Pynchon, Philip K. Dick, Calvino, too many more.
30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
I wouldn't know.
31) What is your desert island book?
If not the Ethics (again!) then Anthony Lane's Nobody's Perfect... so large, so easy and pleasurable to re-read, and containing reminders of so many different aspects of culture.
32) And ... what are you reading right now?
Just finished The Time Traveller's Wife last night, not sure what now. I haven't read any fantasy in a while and I feel the itch.