Book Meme
I haven't done one of these in a while and I've seen this one doing the rounds so I just swiped it from A Patchwork of Books.
What was the last book you bought?
I haven't been buying books too much lately as I just have so many in the house, from the library and the arcs keep pouring in. But the last book I bought was from a thrift shop: If This Was Happiness: A Biography of Rita Hayworth by Barbara Leaming. I read her biography of Katherine Hepburn and found it to be very well-written and respectful. I love bios of old movie stars.
Name a book you have read MORE than once
Hmm. I've read a lot of books more than once, mostly classics or children's books but I'll say Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. I read it numerous times as a child and I've read it a couple of times each to both of my children. (11 yrs apart)
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
The Bible. I became a Christian as an adult and my life has never been the same since.
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Usually I look at genre then read the plot summary. I gravitate towards fantasy, vampire books, Canadian Lit and historical fiction.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Hmm. Another toughie. I guess I do prefer Fiction but there's nothing as good as a true Victorian crime novel either.
What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
From those two choices I'd pick gripping plot. I love a book to be beautifully written but I can't stand an artsy fartsy high brow "look how beautiful I write" book that is boring with no plot. But the most important thing to me in a novel is characterization. I can read a book that hasn't much of any plot to speak of (such as Home by Marilynne Robinson) but has fabulous depth of characters and I'm in heaven. In fact, if the plot is gripping and the characters aren't fully developed I probably won't have too high an opinion of it.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Same as above I'm going to go with Little Pear. He is your typical curious gets-into-trouble-but-doesn't-know-why little kid.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
I have about 40 books on my nightstand at the moment but if you look over at my side bar you'll see what I'm currently reading from that stack of books.
What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
The last book I read was Allies of the Night by Darren Shan and I finished that two days ago.
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Duh. Yes. Many times. I give a book 50 pages and if it hasn't caught my interest it isn/t very likely too. There are too many books in the world I haven't read to spend my time with a book I'm not enjoying. I don't blog about these books unless I received it as a review copy then I feel obligated to state why I gave up on the book. Sometimes I'll go 100 pages if it is a very long book as sometimes it takes that long for a huge book to really get going. And sometimes I'll push myself to the 100 pages because it is considered a great classic or it is getting rave reviews. Sometimes the push to 100 pages works like with The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy. It is a Canadian classic but it was not drawing me in at first and I couldn't understand what was so good about it but I pushed onwards and ended up really enjoying it at the end and I am so glad I read it.
What was the last book you bought?
I haven't been buying books too much lately as I just have so many in the house, from the library and the arcs keep pouring in. But the last book I bought was from a thrift shop: If This Was Happiness: A Biography of Rita Hayworth by Barbara Leaming. I read her biography of Katherine Hepburn and found it to be very well-written and respectful. I love bios of old movie stars.
Name a book you have read MORE than once
Hmm. I've read a lot of books more than once, mostly classics or children's books but I'll say Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. I read it numerous times as a child and I've read it a couple of times each to both of my children. (11 yrs apart)
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
The Bible. I became a Christian as an adult and my life has never been the same since.
How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
Usually I look at genre then read the plot summary. I gravitate towards fantasy, vampire books, Canadian Lit and historical fiction.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Hmm. Another toughie. I guess I do prefer Fiction but there's nothing as good as a true Victorian crime novel either.
What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
From those two choices I'd pick gripping plot. I love a book to be beautifully written but I can't stand an artsy fartsy high brow "look how beautiful I write" book that is boring with no plot. But the most important thing to me in a novel is characterization. I can read a book that hasn't much of any plot to speak of (such as Home by Marilynne Robinson) but has fabulous depth of characters and I'm in heaven. In fact, if the plot is gripping and the characters aren't fully developed I probably won't have too high an opinion of it.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Same as above I'm going to go with Little Pear. He is your typical curious gets-into-trouble-but-doesn't-know-why little kid.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
I have about 40 books on my nightstand at the moment but if you look over at my side bar you'll see what I'm currently reading from that stack of books.
What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
The last book I read was Allies of the Night by Darren Shan and I finished that two days ago.
Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Duh. Yes. Many times. I give a book 50 pages and if it hasn't caught my interest it isn/t very likely too. There are too many books in the world I haven't read to spend my time with a book I'm not enjoying. I don't blog about these books unless I received it as a review copy then I feel obligated to state why I gave up on the book. Sometimes I'll go 100 pages if it is a very long book as sometimes it takes that long for a huge book to really get going. And sometimes I'll push myself to the 100 pages because it is considered a great classic or it is getting rave reviews. Sometimes the push to 100 pages works like with The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy. It is a Canadian classic but it was not drawing me in at first and I couldn't understand what was so good about it but I pushed onwards and ended up really enjoying it at the end and I am so glad I read it.
Characterization stands out the most for me too when it gets right down to it.
ReplyDeleteYou must have a big nightstand. ;-) I took the question a little more literally when I answered it.