Book Meme!
I couldn't resist...snagged from trishtrash
What was the last book you bought?
Hmm..Blood Ties, from the Harry Dresden Series and Crossed Bones, the next book in the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.
Name a book you have read MORE than once.
Too many to name. Just a few would be Moonheart by Charles DeLint; the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward; The Princess Bride by William Goldman; Svaha by Charles DeLint, the Last Herald Mage series by Mercedes Lackey...and the list goes on.
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Yes. From my younger days, Johnathan Livingston Seagull and One by Richard Bach, as well as a number of books by Lynn V. Andrews. The Spiral Dance, by Sparhawk. Numerious books that helped me find my path as I moved from the Christian Faith to my current belief system.
How do you choose a book? e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Author, by default. I'll pick up something completely not in my usual Genre if it's by an author that I know and love. Non-Fiction has to grab one of my current interests - right now it's Intelligence testing and the whole Holy Grail mythos storm stirred up by the DaVinci Code. Rarely, I'll pick up a book based on cover - but VERY rarely. Depending on the friend a "OMG, you've GOT to read this" is a guaranteed buy. If I'm looking for something and I can't find anything new by an author I love or that is hitting my current interest buttons, I'll fall back to the liner notes/blurb.
Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction, 9 times out of 10 - except as noted above.
What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Hard one. I really, really, really want to say beautiful writing, because I'm such a language nut. If I'm going to be honest, I've got to go with plot. I've stuck with books that had a good storyline but language that made me cringe; I have given up on books that not even the most lyrical of prose can save.
Most loved/memorable character?
Gah. Vanyel, from Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage series and Taleisin from DeLint's Moonheart (and sequels). DeLint's writing is heads and shoulders above Lackey's, but there's just something about the way wrote Vanyel that keeps plucking at the heartstrings.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Let's see. The Mismeasure of Man, Stephen Jay Gould; On the Prowl (anthology); American Gods, Neil Gaiman. Probably some other trashy romance anthology that I couldn't tell you the title of.
What was the last book you read?
Death Masks, Jim Butcher (Dresden Files)
Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
Once. I usually bail much earlier, if I'm going to bail. I can be pretty Masochistic when it comes to finishing books.
What was the last book you bought?
Hmm..Blood Ties, from the Harry Dresden Series and Crossed Bones, the next book in the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.
Name a book you have read MORE than once.
Too many to name. Just a few would be Moonheart by Charles DeLint; the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward; The Princess Bride by William Goldman; Svaha by Charles DeLint, the Last Herald Mage series by Mercedes Lackey...and the list goes on.
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Yes. From my younger days, Johnathan Livingston Seagull and One by Richard Bach, as well as a number of books by Lynn V. Andrews. The Spiral Dance, by Sparhawk. Numerious books that helped me find my path as I moved from the Christian Faith to my current belief system.
How do you choose a book? e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Author, by default. I'll pick up something completely not in my usual Genre if it's by an author that I know and love. Non-Fiction has to grab one of my current interests - right now it's Intelligence testing and the whole Holy Grail mythos storm stirred up by the DaVinci Code. Rarely, I'll pick up a book based on cover - but VERY rarely. Depending on the friend a "OMG, you've GOT to read this" is a guaranteed buy. If I'm looking for something and I can't find anything new by an author I love or that is hitting my current interest buttons, I'll fall back to the liner notes/blurb.
Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction, 9 times out of 10 - except as noted above.
What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Hard one. I really, really, really want to say beautiful writing, because I'm such a language nut. If I'm going to be honest, I've got to go with plot. I've stuck with books that had a good storyline but language that made me cringe; I have given up on books that not even the most lyrical of prose can save.
Most loved/memorable character?
Gah. Vanyel, from Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage series and Taleisin from DeLint's Moonheart (and sequels). DeLint's writing is heads and shoulders above Lackey's, but there's just something about the way wrote Vanyel that keeps plucking at the heartstrings.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Let's see. The Mismeasure of Man, Stephen Jay Gould; On the Prowl (anthology); American Gods, Neil Gaiman. Probably some other trashy romance anthology that I couldn't tell you the title of.
What was the last book you read?
Death Masks, Jim Butcher (Dresden Files)
Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
Once. I usually bail much earlier, if I'm going to bail. I can be pretty Masochistic when it comes to finishing books.