The Anti-Book-Meme

[reasie]

Trying to understand what I dislike about the 'which of these 100 books have you read' memes... even as I greedily take part in them to show off my mad leet erudition...

There's a part of The Screwtape Letters where Screwtape encourages his nephew Wormwood to have the soul he is trying to corrupt choose his books based on what books he wants

Comments

[gwacie]

Good list! Some of those are drawing up memories for me too :) Mmmm... how much of our youth we misspent in libraries :)

um.. we're like... nerds, huh?

[reasie]

You don't think listing "Great Expectations" makes me a complete dork? I mean... I actually dislike some things about the book, but there was something very vital in it, too. The loss of dreams and the cold settling of reality as one comes of age - well, that and the wacky Miss Havisham bits. :D

[aisb23]

I really like this idea and think I'm going to swipe it for my own LJ.

Question though, does it have to be 20 novels or can it be any book? I think more non-fiction has shaped me than fiction.

[reasie]

I opened it up to non-fiction - "Chivalry" by Maurice Keen is a non-fiction book. I felt a little guilty including it for not being fiction, but there ya go! Non-fiction can be very shaping.

[aisb23]

Turns out on 7 of 20 were non-fiction, though there were a surprisingly large number of historical novels.

You can find my list here:
http://aisb23.livejournal.com/273465.html

[dreamriver]

Me, too. :-)

[nuclearmse]

Great meme. I will definitely be putting this in my own journal.

[evil_fizz]

I am curious to know what you thought of Canticle. I read it in high school and it just did not resonate. What was formative about it for you?

[reasie]

The monk copying the blueprints. When he learns that the blue was just a part of the process of making the print and then is freed to make his own illuminated copy of the circuit diagram with flowers and all the medieval trappings of a monk copying...

As a medieval reenactor it resonated that they were trying to re-create a lost time - and the past is always lost. I liked that there was no sense of "neener neener how dumb are people not us?" that you get sometimes in fiction (either future or past) where our time and culture is misunderstood or struggled to be understood.

And for me the idea that a circuit diagram which you or I would dismiss as another boring thing could become imbued with awesome mystery.

I've tried to remember that sense of beauty in the unknown when I write.

[deafelis]

I see nothing wrong with including a great classic if it fits your definition of shaping you (which I am interpreting as being a book which caused you to make a major change in your way of thinking/acting about something).

I have read SO many books that I'll really have to sit down and think about this one. It may be a couple of weeks before it gets posted (assuming I don't get distracted in the meantime and forget to do it. :p)

As for the long lists, I never care what other people think about what I've read. I look at it as, "hey, how many of these have I read? I get to learn something about me today! :)" Then I share, because it sometimes provokes discussions (and new meme's) like this. :)