(no subject)
Swiped this one from edith_jones
What was the last book you bought?
The last book I bought for myself (as opposed to as a gift or for Catherine) was I Can Has Cheezburger?, the LOLcat book (which wasn't really worth it, actually). The last REAL book was, I think, The Bourne Supremacy, which I picked up at Costco.
Name a book you have read MORE than once.
A large number of the books I have, I think, have been read more than once. Some that are read, and re-read over and over and over again:
Gone with the Wind
The Harry Potter books
Shogun
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Good Omens
Pride & Prejudice
The Pern books of Anne McCaffrey
Almost anything by Dave Barry
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
I would say they've changed the way I see life, but certainly a lot of them have widened my outlook and honed my knowledge - most of them either history or politics (and sometimes, as in the case of Mark Levin's Men in Black, both).
Since I do not trust the mainstream news media to give the full story about Joseph McCarthy and what he did, Ann Coulter's Treason was a good launching point that got me to the Verona papers and Whittaker Chambers' Witness. Coulter may have an agenda, but she always backs it up with facts and a full bibliography, so it's not hard to go to her sources and read them in context.
Bernard Goldberg has been a fantastic source of information on the topic of media bias. A 28-year veteran of CBS News, he gives some serious insight into how and why it has come about, and why a lot of people don't notice it. His books Bias and Arrogance are excellent treatises on the subject.
I need to start reading some real American history. I've got McCullough's John Adams, and I'm looking forward to reading it, then moving on to some of the other great biographies of the Founding Fathers. Particularly Franklin.
How do you choose a book? e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews?
A lot of different ways. If it's an author I like, it's mostly a given. Otherwise, it's a combination of cover design (if I'm just browsing - I tend to notice, for instance, books featuring Tudor-era women on the covers), title, and summary. I tend not to read reviews. Occasionally, Amazon recommendations will come up with something I would not otherwise have heard about, and when that happens I will read the customer reviews, but not really otherwise.
Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
I'm a big fan of fiction. Non-fiction has to be either biographical, historical, or political.
What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
It doesn't matter, but it's gotta have one or the other. For instance, Steve Martin's novellas don't have much in the way of plot, but they're beautifully written. On the other hand, I'm currently reading The Bourne Identity and I can honestly say that Robert Ludlum is not a great writer. The plot, however, is terrific.
Most loved/memorable character?
John Blackthorne of Shogun.
Lessa of Pern
Elizabeth Bennet
Scarlett O'Hara
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
What was the last book you read?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
Usually, the book is lucky if I get halfway.
What was the last book you bought?
The last book I bought for myself (as opposed to as a gift or for Catherine) was I Can Has Cheezburger?, the LOLcat book (which wasn't really worth it, actually). The last REAL book was, I think, The Bourne Supremacy, which I picked up at Costco.
Name a book you have read MORE than once.
A large number of the books I have, I think, have been read more than once. Some that are read, and re-read over and over and over again:
Gone with the Wind
The Harry Potter books
Shogun
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Good Omens
Pride & Prejudice
The Pern books of Anne McCaffrey
Almost anything by Dave Barry
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
I would say they've changed the way I see life, but certainly a lot of them have widened my outlook and honed my knowledge - most of them either history or politics (and sometimes, as in the case of Mark Levin's Men in Black, both).
Since I do not trust the mainstream news media to give the full story about Joseph McCarthy and what he did, Ann Coulter's Treason was a good launching point that got me to the Verona papers and Whittaker Chambers' Witness. Coulter may have an agenda, but she always backs it up with facts and a full bibliography, so it's not hard to go to her sources and read them in context.
Bernard Goldberg has been a fantastic source of information on the topic of media bias. A 28-year veteran of CBS News, he gives some serious insight into how and why it has come about, and why a lot of people don't notice it. His books Bias and Arrogance are excellent treatises on the subject.
I need to start reading some real American history. I've got McCullough's John Adams, and I'm looking forward to reading it, then moving on to some of the other great biographies of the Founding Fathers. Particularly Franklin.
How do you choose a book? e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews?
A lot of different ways. If it's an author I like, it's mostly a given. Otherwise, it's a combination of cover design (if I'm just browsing - I tend to notice, for instance, books featuring Tudor-era women on the covers), title, and summary. I tend not to read reviews. Occasionally, Amazon recommendations will come up with something I would not otherwise have heard about, and when that happens I will read the customer reviews, but not really otherwise.
Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
I'm a big fan of fiction. Non-fiction has to be either biographical, historical, or political.
What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
It doesn't matter, but it's gotta have one or the other. For instance, Steve Martin's novellas don't have much in the way of plot, but they're beautifully written. On the other hand, I'm currently reading The Bourne Identity and I can honestly say that Robert Ludlum is not a great writer. The plot, however, is terrific.
Most loved/memorable character?
John Blackthorne of Shogun.
Lessa of Pern
Elizabeth Bennet
Scarlett O'Hara
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
What was the last book you read?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
Usually, the book is lucky if I get halfway.