Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

But Mostly Re-Use

You may have noticed that I'm in a bit of a blogging slump lately. I worked this up for a Facebook meme last night, and since it's all booky, I thought I'd add it here, and try to ease back into the posting swing. (Edit: this kind of makes it sound like I created this questionnaire -- no, no, no. By "worked this up," I meant that I worked up my answers. I don't know where it started, but I stole it from O'Donovan on Facebook.)

The following is a questionnaire whose results are mainly:
a) embarrassing, if you don't read Lit-Tra-Toor
b) ego-building, if you do
c) an excellent opportunity for posting big fat lies, in either case.

Me, I fall into category 1, although I've been working on Not Being Embarrassed about what I read, and that's going pretty good. So here's what I posted.

......................................................

Yeah, so I'm a lifelong hopeless bookworm, but that still doesn't mean I'm well-read. What can I say, I stick with what I like.

1. What author do you own the most books by?
Welp. I think that would be Carolyn Keene, the pseudonym that the Nancy Drew mysteries are written under. I've been collecting the series for my daughters, neither of whom evince the slightest interest. Doesn't mean I'm getting rid of them, though.*

2. What book do you own the most copies of?
The New Rules of the Job Hunt Game. The Shrub's economy wasn't good to me. I kept loaning it out to people and then buying new copies and then having them return them to me.

3. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Usually, the hero of whatever romance I'm in the middle of. At the moment, that would be Hardy Cates.


4. What book have you read more than any other?
I rarely re-read books, but I've been through Gone With The Wind many, many times.

5. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Fifth grade, huh. Mrs. Wineland's class... let's see. Honestly? I have no idea. I think I was still hoovering through the various mystery series at the library, though I might've been just about ready to move on to the Little Women/young adult type section. (edit: actually, I think that was smack in the middle of my Gene Stratton-Porter phase)

6. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
I feel bad saying. It was a review copy that the author sent me, and it was the worst writing I ever laid eyes on (email me). It was published, though. Life is strange.

7. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Hmmm. I'd have to say it's a toss-up between Meljean Brook's Demon Angel or Joann Bourne's Spymaster's Lady.

8. If you could tell everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
I think... Captive Passions, by Fern Michaels. Yeah, even the guys. Don't roll your eyes. Your face might stick like that.

9. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Buh. Probably anything that was ever Assigned Reading. I have a Thing about that. What's that one about rich people in the 1920's? I keep trying to read that one and not getting it. Eyes rolling up in my head. Then there's anything non-fiction. How about my Circuits Analysis textbook back in 1987? Difficult is ONE word for it.

10. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Dressing? I like Italian.

11. Shakespeare, Milton or Chaucer?
Shakespeare, I guess. Haven't read the other two. What? I was an engineering major.

12. Austen or Eliot?
Whatever. See #11.

13. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I think maybe this question is redundant at this point. It's possible that the most embarrassing thing is my lack of embarrassment.

14. What is your favorite novel?
Oh, that's too hard. GWTW has stood the test of time, but I also love love love Kushiel's Dart, Outlander, and Mists of Avalon. Also, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

15. Play?
Um, The Crucible I guess. Out of a very narrow playing field.

16. Poem?
Something about Nantucket. I forget.

17. Essay?
Do Dave Barry columns count as essays?

18. Short Story?
"Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor. None better. <----This is Betsy's answer. I could go with that. Also "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson freaked my $h*t out back in sophomore English and I still remember it, so that's something.

19. Non Fiction
IP/VPN for Dummies has been useful.

20. Graphic Novel?
What, you mean like comic books? Never read one.

21. Science Fiction?
Maybe I'll just go with Douglas Adams here. I haven't read any straight-up SciFi in yonks and nothing's coming to mind except Dune, and, well-- no.

22. Who is your favorite writer?
Right now, JR Ward.

23. Who is the most over rated writer alive today?
Nicholas Sparks.

24. What are you reading right now?
Just finished Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas. Not sure what I'm going to pick up next, but it might be something by Samantha James.

25. Best Memoir?
Never read one.

26. Best History?
Never read one. Although I did *buy* the Guns of August. And I've thought several times about buying Guns, Germs, and Steel. Does that count for anything?

27. Best mystery or Noir?
Hmmm. The Secret of the Old Attic, by Carolyn Keene. Mystery, adventure, romance, piano playing, poisonous spiders. And bondage, too.
___________________________
*To clarify, I don't plan on getting rid of the books OR the daughters. In case anyone was confused.


.............................................

So there you have it. Those of you who'd like to play, re-post on facebook or your blog with your own answers.

What "holes" are there in your reading? Do you wish/plan to correct them, or are you content with being a cretin like me?

Gotta Whole Lotta Love

Mostly we blog for ourselves, right? The satisfaction of expressing ourselves, whether it's about politics, art, the cute thing your kid did this morning, a personal struggle or journey... there are a million different reasons to blog... but it feels awfully lonesome without some feedback. Finding out that other people appreciate what you have to say, whether you've touched them, or informed them or made them laugh-- well, it's heady stuff. So getting an "I Love Your Blog" tag is the kind of thing that can make a blogger's day.

I'm a little late getting in on this meme-- it's already made the rounds to a lot of my favorites. So I'm going with a few here that are kind of new, because it means so much to me as a blogger to know people are reading, and it was an even bigger deal when I first started.


Here are the rules:

Add the logo of the award to your blog
Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
Nominate at least 7 other blogs
Add links to those blogs on your blog
Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

My nominees are:

1. The Hairrorist: A brand new blog by a smart, witty friend of mine.
2. Sayuri at Book Pron: New location and focus for an experienced blogger
3. J. Kaye's Book Blog: The hardest-working book blogger in the business. There's always something new going up on her site! She doesn't need any traffic help from me, but I do love that blog.
4. Daz at 99daz.com : The metaphysics of art. Or the art of metaphysics. Or something like that.
5. Laura at Edgy June Cleaver: Mmmmm, that new-blog smell.

That's all I've got this time.

I've Been Tagged! Banned Book Week Meme

How many have YOU read?

Celebrating Banned Book Week 2008, here is the ALA's list of the 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990 through 2000.

How to Play:

1: Copy this list.
2: Highlight the ones you have read (or at least remember reading) in RED.
3: Tag five people to play.

The List:

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling (well, part of it anyway)
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna
20. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (just bought this one for my daughter!)
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (does it count if I saw the movie?)
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
77. Carrie by Stephen King
78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Total: 21

I'll go one step further: I will commit to reading at least 10 more books off this list before Banned Books Week of 2009. Anyone care to join me?

TAG YOU’RE IT:

Jackie, at Literary Escapism
Shannon, at What Women Read
Betsy, at The Dog's Pajamas
Susan, at Seaside Book Worm Blogger
Ms. Bitchpants, at Bitchpants: Activate!

Come back and leave a comment with a link if you choose to participate!

"LibraryThing" Game

I dunno who started this, but it seems fun. Copy and play along if you are so inclined, and if you want, leave a link to your blog in comments.


Here is the Top 100 Most Popular Books list on LibraryThing.
Bold what you own.
italicize what you’ve read.
Star what you liked. *
Star multiple times what you loved! ***


1. Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
7. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling
10. 1984 by George Orwell
11. Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics) by Jane Austen
12. The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger
13. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
14. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
15. The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
16. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
17. Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) by Charlotte Bronte
18. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
19. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
20. Animal Farm by George Orwell
21. Angels & demons by Dan Brown
22. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
23. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
24. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
25. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
26. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
27. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
28. The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, Part 2) by J.R.R. Tolkien
29. The Odyssey by Homer
30. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller****
31. Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut
32. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I couldn't finish. It hurt my brain.
33. The return of the king : being the third part of The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
34. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
35. American Gods: A Novel by Neil Gaiman
36. The chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
37. The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams***
38. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
39. The lovely bones: a novel by Alice Sebold
40. Ender’s Game (Ender, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card
41. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by Philip Pullman
42. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman***
43. Dune by Frank Herbert (my husband made me)
44. Emma by Jane Austen
45. Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
46. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Bantam Classics) by Mark Twain
47. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
48. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
49. Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
50. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire--auggh, hated, could not finish
51. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
52. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
53. The Iliad*** by Homer
54. The Stranger by Albert Camus (in French </smug>)
55. Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
56. Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
57. The Handmaid’s Tale: A Novel by Margaret Atwood* (OMG, totally freaked me out; paranoiacs should avoid at all costs.)
58. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
59. Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
60. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery (in French </smug>)
61. The lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
62. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
63. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
64. The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition) by John Steinbeck, ugh, thank you HS sophomore English for planting images in my brain that I've never quite shed....
65. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
66. The Name of the Rose: including Postscript to the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
67. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
68. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
69. The complete works by William Shakespeare - read lots of it, but not nearly all.
70. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
71. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
72. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
73. Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library) by William Shakespeare
74. Of Mice and Men (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) by John Steinbeck
75. A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
76. The Alchemist (Plus) by Paulo Coelho
77. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
78. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
79. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk
80. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
81. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by Philip Pullman
82. Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan
83. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
84. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
85. Dracula by Bram Stoker
86. Heart of Darkness (Dover Thrift Editions) by Joseph Conrad
87. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
88. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
89. The amber spyglass by Philip Pullman
90. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Classics) by James Joyce
91. The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel (Perennial Classics) by Milan Kundera
92. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
93. Neuromancer by William Gibson
94. The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer
95. Persuasion (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
96. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
97. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
98. Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
99. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
100. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Read: 39
Own, but haven't read: 28 (a lot of these belong to my husband)

Hope you don't mind that I scrimped on the "liked/didn't like" evaluations-- some of these were an awfully long time ago... as in, I recognize a real lot of these from my 7th grade summer reading list. As a hint? Orwell's 1984 was still futuristic when I read it.

Of the 61 I haven't read, there are a handful that I sincerely hope I die without ever reading, and maybe a dozen or so that I expect to get around to someday. The rest I'm indifferent to. Popular != good.