Friday, May 1, 2009

Eh, what?

Today I was feeling not completely well, and not completely awake (owing to a 4.55am rising to drop family at the airport). It was also cold, cloudy, and grey. As a result of all these unique factors, I actually got to spend some time in bed cuddled up under a rug, reading. I haven't done that in a while and it was delightful.

And since it's put me in a bookish mood, let's do a meme (stolen from a friend and then tweaked). I call it the What Book Meme, and as always you are so very invited to chime in with your own answers to any or all of these questions.

1) What author do you own the most books by? Coming in first place: Mary Grant Bruce. I own 26 copies of various books of hers. These are getting harder and harder to find and I love to share them, so when I find a copy -- and if I have the dollars -- I try and pick it up. I've slowed down now, though, you'll be happy to know. Next comes Isabella McDonald Alden, at 23. This suprises me because she's not my favourite author. But again, her books are hard to find and they're very sweet. And in third, it's Laura Ingalls Wilder, because I keep giving her books away or loaning them to people, so I have multiple copies of lots of them. What does this tell you? Firstly, that I collect mostly books by authors with three names, and secondly: I finally understand why I am forever running out of bookshelf space.

2) What book do you own the most copies of? I have five copies of Mary Grant Bruce's A Little Bush Maid. In my defence, I must tell you that each of them is a different printing.

3) What fictional character are you secretly in love with? Alright then. I confess: Daniel, in The Bronze Bow. Also Jim Linton in The Billabong Books. They both seem the epitome of the awesome man.

4) What book have you read the most times in your life? Besides the Bible, I'd say... Little Women.

5) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old? Little Women. After all, that's why I read it so many times.

6) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? I didn't finish Francine Rivers' A Voice in the Wind. It was compelling and yet... so wrong. Not recommended.

7) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year? I really, really, really loved The Heaven Tree trilogy by Edith Pargeter. It'd been a long time since I read fiction that made my heart skip a beat.

8) What book would you most like to see made into a movie? I am thrilled beyond words to say that They -- the universal They -- are actually making a movie of a book I have loved for long ages: Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth. I hope they do it justice. I really do.

9) What book would you least like to see made into a movie? I really don't like seeing Jesus depicted in movies. He's always portrayed as such a paltry, simpering man. So I guess I'd say I'd rather not see the gospels made into movies.

10) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult? I tried to read Sahara by Clive Cussler and the writing was just really so terribly bad I couldn't finish it. But this question strikes me as rather a nasty one.

11) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? Difficult mentally or difficult emotionally? I will have to think long and hard about this one.

12) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen? Er.... I've never seen a Shakespeare play. I'm so terribly uncultured.

13) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading? I have never read Thomas Hardy and I can't for the life of me seem to like G.A. Henty even though historical fiction lovers say he's wondrous.

14) What is your favorite novel? That question is too entirely unfair and I refuse to answer it.

Now I have a "what" question for you: What book are you going to enjoy this weekend?