Book meme answers
B. Best Sequel Ever (asked by 
halotolerant)
The Lord of the Rings. I found The Hobbit entertaining enough when I first read it as a kid, but it didn't make a lasting impression. LotR, on the other hand, almost killed me (in a good way).
C. Currently Reading (asked by
delphi)
World War One. A short history by Norman Stone. At about 200 pages it lives up to its title, yet it manages to give an overview over a highly complex period and conflict. I'm enjoying it a lot -- if "enjoy" is the right word when reading about such a massive tragedy -- although there are some things that bug me, such as the somewhat snide comment about half the French army being composed of peasants, many of whom "did not even speak proper French" (paraphrased since I'm reading a translation). I mean, the traditional French dialects are just as valid linguistic varieties as the standard language, even if they were spoken by ~ peasants, and if you're referring to the fact that prior to the 20th centuries a lot of the French population did not speak the standard variety, then you could just say that. /annoyed
I also started Carol by Patricia Highsmith a while ago and should get back to it soon. I just... find the POV character rather annoying, which is probably why I haven't finished it yet, even though I love Highsmith's writing.
F. Fictional Character You Would Have Dated In High School (asked by
igrockspock)
I'm pretty certain I went through a phase of being fascinated with Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre when I was 15-16. :-( It was probably the "mysterious-man-goes-crazy-over-ordinary-woman-who-is-more-badass-than-she-seems" factor doing it, to be honest.
H. Hidden Gem Book (asked by
lokifan)
Considering the vast amount of books that have been written and are being written throughout the world, there are so many one could pick! I'm going to go with Irmelin Sandman Lilius's so-called "Lady Sola" trilogy, which are not well-known outside of Finland but which are absolutely gorgeous -- they take place in a fictional town on the Finnish coast and blend fantasy with magical realism and the flavour of folk tales. Though they were published in Norway some time during the '70s, I read them only a few years ago, but then I was utterly taken with them. (In fact, I think it's time for a reread... They're the kind of books I associate with summer, golden sunlight and shimmering blue sea.)
I. Important Moments of Your Reading Life (asked by
woldy)
Hmm, there are several books that have been important to me and made lasting impressions, and I don't know that I could name them all. But more generally speaking, I remember how proud I was the first time I read a whole book without any illustrations in it. (Can't remember which one it was -- there was something about a boy and a ferret.) And of course, realising at 16 that my new friends that I'd made in high school thought reading was cool and awesome, and not something that made you a weirdo and a loser, was pretty important. *g*
O. One Book That You Have Read Multiple Times (asked by
espresso_addict and
lokifan)
There are SO MANY candidates for this. I'm going with The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder, which I was completely obsessed with when I was about 10 or 11.The framing narrative is about a boy and his father travelling through Europe to find the boy's mother, who left them years ago "to find herself", and then there are stories within stories, like a Russian nesting doll. I've no clue as to how many times I reread it -- I've read some of Gaarder's other works (including Sophie's World) but was never taken with them the same way, but this one? I could probably still quote parts of it by heart.
P. Preferred Place to Read (asked by
magnetic_pole and
therealsnape)
Pretty much anywhere -- in bed, on the sofa, in parks, in cafes, and so on. Pretty much the only place that's off-limits is in the car/bus/train (I fall prey to motion sickness really easily).
W. Worst Bookish Habit (asked by
tetleythesecond)
I always tend to read more than one book at the same time. This was fine when I was a kid, because I always finished whatever I was reading, even books I didn't like, but these days my attention span is kind of terrible and too often books tend to lie around for ages before I manage to finish them. :-( (Case in point: Carol. Sigh.)
My favourite books also tend to show signs of wear and tear, though I don't know if I count that as a bad habit per se -- much as a person's wrinkles are signs of life lived, a book's creased spine and crumpled pages are signs of a story loved, in my book (hurr).
This entry was originally posted at http://miss-morland.dreamwidth.org/118855.html. You may comment there, if you like.
halotolerant)
The Lord of the Rings. I found The Hobbit entertaining enough when I first read it as a kid, but it didn't make a lasting impression. LotR, on the other hand, almost killed me (in a good way).
C. Currently Reading (asked by
delphi)
World War One. A short history by Norman Stone. At about 200 pages it lives up to its title, yet it manages to give an overview over a highly complex period and conflict. I'm enjoying it a lot -- if "enjoy" is the right word when reading about such a massive tragedy -- although there are some things that bug me, such as the somewhat snide comment about half the French army being composed of peasants, many of whom "did not even speak proper French" (paraphrased since I'm reading a translation). I mean, the traditional French dialects are just as valid linguistic varieties as the standard language, even if they were spoken by ~ peasants, and if you're referring to the fact that prior to the 20th centuries a lot of the French population did not speak the standard variety, then you could just say that. /annoyed
I also started Carol by Patricia Highsmith a while ago and should get back to it soon. I just... find the POV character rather annoying, which is probably why I haven't finished it yet, even though I love Highsmith's writing.
F. Fictional Character You Would Have Dated In High School (asked by
igrockspock)
I'm pretty certain I went through a phase of being fascinated with Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre when I was 15-16. :-( It was probably the "mysterious-man-goes-crazy-over-ordinary-woman-who-is-more-badass-than-she-seems" factor doing it, to be honest.
H. Hidden Gem Book (asked by
lokifan)
Considering the vast amount of books that have been written and are being written throughout the world, there are so many one could pick! I'm going to go with Irmelin Sandman Lilius's so-called "Lady Sola" trilogy, which are not well-known outside of Finland but which are absolutely gorgeous -- they take place in a fictional town on the Finnish coast and blend fantasy with magical realism and the flavour of folk tales. Though they were published in Norway some time during the '70s, I read them only a few years ago, but then I was utterly taken with them. (In fact, I think it's time for a reread... They're the kind of books I associate with summer, golden sunlight and shimmering blue sea.)
I. Important Moments of Your Reading Life (asked by
woldy)
Hmm, there are several books that have been important to me and made lasting impressions, and I don't know that I could name them all. But more generally speaking, I remember how proud I was the first time I read a whole book without any illustrations in it. (Can't remember which one it was -- there was something about a boy and a ferret.) And of course, realising at 16 that my new friends that I'd made in high school thought reading was cool and awesome, and not something that made you a weirdo and a loser, was pretty important. *g*
O. One Book That You Have Read Multiple Times (asked by
espresso_addict and
lokifan)
There are SO MANY candidates for this. I'm going with The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder, which I was completely obsessed with when I was about 10 or 11.The framing narrative is about a boy and his father travelling through Europe to find the boy's mother, who left them years ago "to find herself", and then there are stories within stories, like a Russian nesting doll. I've no clue as to how many times I reread it -- I've read some of Gaarder's other works (including Sophie's World) but was never taken with them the same way, but this one? I could probably still quote parts of it by heart.
P. Preferred Place to Read (asked by
magnetic_pole and
therealsnape)
Pretty much anywhere -- in bed, on the sofa, in parks, in cafes, and so on. Pretty much the only place that's off-limits is in the car/bus/train (I fall prey to motion sickness really easily).
W. Worst Bookish Habit (asked by
tetleythesecond)
I always tend to read more than one book at the same time. This was fine when I was a kid, because I always finished whatever I was reading, even books I didn't like, but these days my attention span is kind of terrible and too often books tend to lie around for ages before I manage to finish them. :-( (Case in point: Carol. Sigh.)
My favourite books also tend to show signs of wear and tear, though I don't know if I count that as a bad habit per se -- much as a person's wrinkles are signs of life lived, a book's creased spine and crumpled pages are signs of a story loved, in my book (hurr).
This entry was originally posted at http://miss-morland.dreamwidth.org/118855.html. You may comment there, if you like.