Book Meme
31 questions. Really? But okay, it's about books, so I'm doing it. Snagged from hamsterwoman.
1. What’s the last book you read? What did you think of it?
I am currently rereading Good Omens. Because I found it on a shelf in my old room at my parents' house. I did not put it there. I've read it before, 15 years ago, and it's one of the best books ever. So, yeah.
The last one I finished was Fish Stick Fridays which seraphina_snape lent me. It's an m/m romance novel, and it was deliciously tropey and hot.
Oh, I forgot The Rivers of London and Ninefox Gambit, which I read on vacation. I found it too bloodthirsty, but otherwise great (and that applies to both of them). The latter has also been a rec from my flist. So very worth it.
2. What’s the worst book you’ve ever read, and why?
That's gotta be Homo Faber by Max Frisch. We had to read it for school, and it's full of deliberately ewwwy details. I only remember that one scene where the main character compares a puddle of frog eggs to sperm, but it was full of strange analogies like that. We had a fittingly ewwwy German teacher that year who always stood too close to us girls and made terrible innuendos in class. The combination with that book was just too much for me. The memories are sufficiently bad that I'm never going to pick it up again to see if it was really that bad.
3. A book you found overhyped, and why
OK, this is going to be a very unpopular opinion: Harry Potter. I think JKR is not the best writer, and all the books are excessively structured the same way. I read them anyway, because everyone else was reading them, and I was in the HP fandom for quite a while. Still: overhyped.
50 Shades of Grey, too, of course. The hype about that one is even more of a mystery.
4. Ereaders versus physical books is such a false dichotomy. Instead, tell me what other formats (phone apps, tumblr fiction, twitter haikus) you read in
I love reading books on paper, and don't like reading them in any e-format.
I love reading fanfiction on my laptop. I don't have any other hardware to read on, and I'm happy with that.
5. Which genre(s) don’t you read? Why not?
I wouldn't say I never read it, but non-fiction. If I have the choice between fiction and non-fiction, I will choose fiction. Within fiction, I will always choose fantasy/scifi over "ordinary" fare like crime or romance novels.
6. If you read in more than one language, is there a difference between the experience of reading in your native language(s) and reading in other languages?
I only read German and English (I could read French well enough, but I never do). And, no, I don't think there is a difference.
Except maybe for explicit fic. I think I would be more sensitive (as in, adverse) to some of the explicit words in German than I am in English. They just don't sound as indecent to me as the German words do. But I have read porn in German, and one gets used to it, too.
7. If you’re not a native English speaker, how much do you read in your native language versus how much you read in English? How do you feel about that? // If you’re a native English speaker, go find a book in your second/third/etc language, or in translation, to add to your to-read list
I read everything in English. Unless my mother recommends a book to me that was written by a German, but she only rarely does.
I feel great about that. I also write my lj in English, talk to lots of my colleagues in English, watch English tv. I like it this way.
8. The book you read when you’re stuck in bed sick
Fic!!!! Comfort fic!!!
The two Jaime/Brienne fics In This Light and Beast and the Beast, both by
SigilBroken
are the ones I read this week, because I am in fact currently stuck in bed sick.
9. Fiction or non-fiction or both? In what ratio? Where do you draw the line between the two?
Hmm. As I said, I don't like non-fiction much. So the ration is probably about 30:1 .
What do you mean, "line"? One is fiction, the other is non-fiction. It's not that hard a distinction to make. (Novels "based on" real events are still fiction.)
10. The book(s) you bought because the cover was pretty, and whether it was worth it
I usually get books recced by friends (on- and offline), and not in bookstores where the first thing I see is the cover. That said, I like the Earthrise covers and am looking forward to reading them because they are so pretty. I haven't read them yet, but they were recced to my by my flist, so I bought them.
11. The worst book hangover you’ve ever had
I don't even know what that means. The one I had the most trouble letting go of the characters? The one I really wanted to go on and on and never stop? I have that with most books.
The most recent one was probably The Rifter by Ginn Hale. Love love love that book.
12. Do you have to finish one book before you start the next one, or do you read multiple books at the same time?
Usually I finish one before I start the next one, but I forgot to take Jhereg with me on vacation, so I read other books in between. I have read Jhereg before, but that was at least 20 years ago, so I don't remember a thing.
13. The fictional character you want to believe you resemble and the fictional character you actually resemble
Puh. Book characters, puh. I'm skipping this one.
14. The book that, in hindsight, really should have clued you in to the fact that you’re _________ (queer/in love/doomed to be an academic/etc)
I have no idea. The fact that I brought the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to every book rec we ever had to do in High School? I already knew I was a scifi-obsessed geek then. But maybe I could have known it earlier. :)
15. The book that you reread over and over again and get new things from every time
I don't reread.
Which is contradicted by what I said above, namely that I am currently rereading not one but two books. But I have honestly forgotten most of what happened in Good Omens, and - no lie - all of what happened in Jhereg. So, I'm pretty much reading them again for the first time.
16. The book that you don’t dare reread for fear it won’t be the same any more
I don't have that fear. I don't reread because I like to explore new worlds, not retreat into old ones.
17. Preferred bookshelf organisation scheme
By author and series. I own a lot of series/trilogies/"complete works", and those are always shelved within their group.
18. Do you theme your monthly/yearly/etc reading (eg Year of Reading Women)?
Nope, I'm lucky I get to read ten books a year. I'm only up to 7 this year. No use categorizing. ;)
19. That book with a twist that felt like a blow to the chest. Tell me about it. (But warn for spoilers if necessary!)
Harry Potter. I like Snape, okay?
1984. The ending is so hopeless. (Everybody knows this is a dystopian novel, right?)
20. The coolest bookshop you’ve ever been to
Hm. I don't go to bookshops. I could probably list the five bookshops I've been to in my whole life. None of them were particularly cool (because most of them are franchises).
21. The book you gave up on, and the reasons why
Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear
I loved her writing style of the Jenny Casey novels. She's the first author I ever consciously noticed has a female writing style - and I love it! Unfortunately, Blood and Iron is all about faeries and she chose to bring that out through the writing style. It's full of stylish color descriptions - everything from crimson to periwinkle. I love colors, but I didn't know half those words, so their abundance really got on my nerves and I dropped it.
22. The book you finished even though you hated it, and the reasons why
Shaman's Crossing (Soldier Son trilogy) by Robin Hobb
I promised myself I'd get through the first part of the trilogy at least. I did, but I hated it all the way. This is what I wrote in my book rec post about it:
The soldier son feels set up to be deconstructed later, with traditionalist views in a traditionalist white-male society that favors him. But. No breaking down yet, and the book is long. I skipped lots of it and it still dragged. I don't have time for this shit. Sorry, Robin, not going to read the rest of this as long as there are other books around.
23. The book you expected to hate, didn’t, and then got angry about not hating
Can't think of one right now. Probably because I wouldn't read a book I'd expect to hate. Too many books, too little time.
24. The book that you got into because of the movie/TV series/etc, and the relative merits of each version
Maze Runner
I only read it because Dylan O'Brien was set to star in it - but I read it before the first movie came out. I really love the first chapter - it's the second best first chapter I have ever encountered in a book. I read the whole trilogy, and didn't really like the final resolution. But it was a good read otherwise.
Turns out I never went to the movies. I missed the first part, and then never wanted to watch the other parts without having seen the first.
In case you're wondering, the best first chapter ever is Transfer (Return from the Stars) by Stanislaw Lem. You should not read any summary at all before reading that chapter, then it is even more overwhelming. (The book plot itself is lacking, but that first chapter, oh man.)
25. The only book care question that actually means anything: do you write in your books? If so, in pen or in pencil?
Nope. Never.
26. Do you read reviews of books? Before or after you read the books themselves? Why? Why not?
Before. I base my decision to buy books on my friends' reviews, and then I also read some online reviews before I buy. I have read lots of books and I have very little time, so I filter before I buy.
27. The book you’re embarrassed to admit you’ve read
I love m/m romance, and will happily rec them to my flisters. In RL, I think I would be embarrassed to admit I have read them. Any of them.
28. The one where the fanfic was better than the original (and the relevant AO3 links, pls)
Harry Potter. Obviously. :D
The fic was so good that it was my headcanon from then on. It was written in the middle of the book series and I had internalized it so much that I was confused that Dumbledore was not dead when the next book came out. It predicted a lot of what happened in the end, years before it happened in canon. It had vanished in the meantime but has now been archived and is readable online again:
If You Are Prepared by
Cybele2013
Beware: it is explicit Snape/Harry and it is dark and people die (duh.) I love it to bits and pieces.
29. Your vacation reading habits
I tend to just grab whatever is on the shelves there and read that while I'm there. I also take a few books with me to read, but never manage to read more than one.
30. The book you read the blurb of, constructed a version of in your mind, and were promptly disappointed by once you finally got around to actually reading it
I try to avoid the blurb. I remember one where the blurb gave away almost the whole plot, but I don't remember the book now, or I'd warn you. ;)
31. Bonus question: rec me something!
Look at my book rec posts: http://tinnny.livejournal.com/?tag=recs-books,lj-yearly&mode=and
Off the top of my head, I'd rec The Rifter . Be careful: the numbering is confusing! The originally published ebook list contains ten parts, the paperback combines them all into three books. If you have questions, ask me.
Mistborn by Brian Sanderson is also amazing.
x-posted to dw (comments:
)
1. What’s the last book you read? What did you think of it?
I am currently rereading Good Omens. Because I found it on a shelf in my old room at my parents' house. I did not put it there. I've read it before, 15 years ago, and it's one of the best books ever. So, yeah.
The last one I finished was Fish Stick Fridays which seraphina_snape lent me. It's an m/m romance novel, and it was deliciously tropey and hot.
Oh, I forgot The Rivers of London and Ninefox Gambit, which I read on vacation. I found it too bloodthirsty, but otherwise great (and that applies to both of them). The latter has also been a rec from my flist. So very worth it.
2. What’s the worst book you’ve ever read, and why?
That's gotta be Homo Faber by Max Frisch. We had to read it for school, and it's full of deliberately ewwwy details. I only remember that one scene where the main character compares a puddle of frog eggs to sperm, but it was full of strange analogies like that. We had a fittingly ewwwy German teacher that year who always stood too close to us girls and made terrible innuendos in class. The combination with that book was just too much for me. The memories are sufficiently bad that I'm never going to pick it up again to see if it was really that bad.
3. A book you found overhyped, and why
OK, this is going to be a very unpopular opinion: Harry Potter. I think JKR is not the best writer, and all the books are excessively structured the same way. I read them anyway, because everyone else was reading them, and I was in the HP fandom for quite a while. Still: overhyped.
50 Shades of Grey, too, of course. The hype about that one is even more of a mystery.
4. Ereaders versus physical books is such a false dichotomy. Instead, tell me what other formats (phone apps, tumblr fiction, twitter haikus) you read in
I love reading books on paper, and don't like reading them in any e-format.
I love reading fanfiction on my laptop. I don't have any other hardware to read on, and I'm happy with that.
5. Which genre(s) don’t you read? Why not?
I wouldn't say I never read it, but non-fiction. If I have the choice between fiction and non-fiction, I will choose fiction. Within fiction, I will always choose fantasy/scifi over "ordinary" fare like crime or romance novels.
6. If you read in more than one language, is there a difference between the experience of reading in your native language(s) and reading in other languages?
I only read German and English (I could read French well enough, but I never do). And, no, I don't think there is a difference.
Except maybe for explicit fic. I think I would be more sensitive (as in, adverse) to some of the explicit words in German than I am in English. They just don't sound as indecent to me as the German words do. But I have read porn in German, and one gets used to it, too.
7. If you’re not a native English speaker, how much do you read in your native language versus how much you read in English? How do you feel about that? // If you’re a native English speaker, go find a book in your second/third/etc language, or in translation, to add to your to-read list
I read everything in English. Unless my mother recommends a book to me that was written by a German, but she only rarely does.
I feel great about that. I also write my lj in English, talk to lots of my colleagues in English, watch English tv. I like it this way.
8. The book you read when you’re stuck in bed sick
Fic!!!! Comfort fic!!!
The two Jaime/Brienne fics In This Light and Beast and the Beast, both by
SigilBroken
are the ones I read this week, because I am in fact currently stuck in bed sick.
9. Fiction or non-fiction or both? In what ratio? Where do you draw the line between the two?
Hmm. As I said, I don't like non-fiction much. So the ration is probably about 30:1 .
What do you mean, "line"? One is fiction, the other is non-fiction. It's not that hard a distinction to make. (Novels "based on" real events are still fiction.)
10. The book(s) you bought because the cover was pretty, and whether it was worth it
I usually get books recced by friends (on- and offline), and not in bookstores where the first thing I see is the cover. That said, I like the Earthrise covers and am looking forward to reading them because they are so pretty. I haven't read them yet, but they were recced to my by my flist, so I bought them.
11. The worst book hangover you’ve ever had
I don't even know what that means. The one I had the most trouble letting go of the characters? The one I really wanted to go on and on and never stop? I have that with most books.
The most recent one was probably The Rifter by Ginn Hale. Love love love that book.
12. Do you have to finish one book before you start the next one, or do you read multiple books at the same time?
Usually I finish one before I start the next one, but I forgot to take Jhereg with me on vacation, so I read other books in between. I have read Jhereg before, but that was at least 20 years ago, so I don't remember a thing.
13. The fictional character you want to believe you resemble and the fictional character you actually resemble
Puh. Book characters, puh. I'm skipping this one.
14. The book that, in hindsight, really should have clued you in to the fact that you’re _________ (queer/in love/doomed to be an academic/etc)
I have no idea. The fact that I brought the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to every book rec we ever had to do in High School? I already knew I was a scifi-obsessed geek then. But maybe I could have known it earlier. :)
15. The book that you reread over and over again and get new things from every time
I don't reread.
Which is contradicted by what I said above, namely that I am currently rereading not one but two books. But I have honestly forgotten most of what happened in Good Omens, and - no lie - all of what happened in Jhereg. So, I'm pretty much reading them again for the first time.
16. The book that you don’t dare reread for fear it won’t be the same any more
I don't have that fear. I don't reread because I like to explore new worlds, not retreat into old ones.
17. Preferred bookshelf organisation scheme
By author and series. I own a lot of series/trilogies/"complete works", and those are always shelved within their group.
18. Do you theme your monthly/yearly/etc reading (eg Year of Reading Women)?
Nope, I'm lucky I get to read ten books a year. I'm only up to 7 this year. No use categorizing. ;)
19. That book with a twist that felt like a blow to the chest. Tell me about it. (But warn for spoilers if necessary!)
Harry Potter. I like Snape, okay?
1984. The ending is so hopeless. (Everybody knows this is a dystopian novel, right?)
20. The coolest bookshop you’ve ever been to
Hm. I don't go to bookshops. I could probably list the five bookshops I've been to in my whole life. None of them were particularly cool (because most of them are franchises).
21. The book you gave up on, and the reasons why
Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear
I loved her writing style of the Jenny Casey novels. She's the first author I ever consciously noticed has a female writing style - and I love it! Unfortunately, Blood and Iron is all about faeries and she chose to bring that out through the writing style. It's full of stylish color descriptions - everything from crimson to periwinkle. I love colors, but I didn't know half those words, so their abundance really got on my nerves and I dropped it.
22. The book you finished even though you hated it, and the reasons why
Shaman's Crossing (Soldier Son trilogy) by Robin Hobb
I promised myself I'd get through the first part of the trilogy at least. I did, but I hated it all the way. This is what I wrote in my book rec post about it:
The soldier son feels set up to be deconstructed later, with traditionalist views in a traditionalist white-male society that favors him. But. No breaking down yet, and the book is long. I skipped lots of it and it still dragged. I don't have time for this shit. Sorry, Robin, not going to read the rest of this as long as there are other books around.
23. The book you expected to hate, didn’t, and then got angry about not hating
Can't think of one right now. Probably because I wouldn't read a book I'd expect to hate. Too many books, too little time.
24. The book that you got into because of the movie/TV series/etc, and the relative merits of each version
Maze Runner
I only read it because Dylan O'Brien was set to star in it - but I read it before the first movie came out. I really love the first chapter - it's the second best first chapter I have ever encountered in a book. I read the whole trilogy, and didn't really like the final resolution. But it was a good read otherwise.
Turns out I never went to the movies. I missed the first part, and then never wanted to watch the other parts without having seen the first.
In case you're wondering, the best first chapter ever is Transfer (Return from the Stars) by Stanislaw Lem. You should not read any summary at all before reading that chapter, then it is even more overwhelming. (The book plot itself is lacking, but that first chapter, oh man.)
25. The only book care question that actually means anything: do you write in your books? If so, in pen or in pencil?
Nope. Never.
26. Do you read reviews of books? Before or after you read the books themselves? Why? Why not?
Before. I base my decision to buy books on my friends' reviews, and then I also read some online reviews before I buy. I have read lots of books and I have very little time, so I filter before I buy.
27. The book you’re embarrassed to admit you’ve read
I love m/m romance, and will happily rec them to my flisters. In RL, I think I would be embarrassed to admit I have read them. Any of them.
28. The one where the fanfic was better than the original (and the relevant AO3 links, pls)
Harry Potter. Obviously. :D
The fic was so good that it was my headcanon from then on. It was written in the middle of the book series and I had internalized it so much that I was confused that Dumbledore was not dead when the next book came out. It predicted a lot of what happened in the end, years before it happened in canon. It had vanished in the meantime but has now been archived and is readable online again:
If You Are Prepared by
Cybele2013
Beware: it is explicit Snape/Harry and it is dark and people die (duh.) I love it to bits and pieces.
29. Your vacation reading habits
I tend to just grab whatever is on the shelves there and read that while I'm there. I also take a few books with me to read, but never manage to read more than one.
30. The book you read the blurb of, constructed a version of in your mind, and were promptly disappointed by once you finally got around to actually reading it
I try to avoid the blurb. I remember one where the blurb gave away almost the whole plot, but I don't remember the book now, or I'd warn you. ;)
31. Bonus question: rec me something!
Look at my book rec posts: http://tinnny.livejournal.com/?tag=recs-books,lj-yearly&mode=and
Off the top of my head, I'd rec The Rifter . Be careful: the numbering is confusing! The originally published ebook list contains ten parts, the paperback combines them all into three books. If you have questions, ask me.
Mistborn by Brian Sanderson is also amazing.
x-posted to dw (comments:
)