InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Beep."

chibikaie (chibikaie) wrote,
@ 2007-06-14 23:45:00

Current mood:	contemplative
Entry tags:	books

I should probably warn peeps that I have an ff8/sga crossover brewing. Apparently, I can cross ff8 with anything. This is somewhat disturbing.

Anyway, here's my attempt at answering the book meme:

1. The four books of your childhood

Ah ... this is going to depend wildly on one's definition of childhood, isn't it? I'm using high school as my cutoff point (and it probably says something that I use a whole four years to determine a point). Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald-mage trilogy. Anne McCaffrey's Pern series, primarily Dragonquest. A. Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, most especially The Hound of the Baskervilles. A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh.

2. The four writers you'd read again and again

I agree, four is not enough. Not nearly so. But at the top of the list would be: August Strindberg, Stephen Jay Gould, Terry Pratchett, Fumi Yoshinaga (Antique Bakery), and Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist).

3. The four writers whose books you wouldn't buy or borrow again

David Eddings, Clive Cussler, Ian Fleming, and Toni Morrison.

4. The four books you'd take to a desert island

If I could only have four, I think I would be forced to commit seppuku.

5. The four last words of one of your favorite books

;-; Most of my books are not here!

6. The four first books in your "to read" list

Boogiepop novel volume 3 - I love Boogiepop, but I really have to get mentally prepared to read it. So I've been hanging onto it since it was released in the US a few months ago, never quite feeling ready to tackle it. Something by Banana Yoshimoto - that author was recommended highly to me, but I forget the title. Naomi Novik's trilogy, which I keep putting off for no good reason.

I work in a bookstore, so books are constantly catching my eye. At the lastest sweep through the store, I came away determined to read Gilgamesh, Don Quixote, Poincare's Prize or something like that ... various Star Wars titles ... I'm sure I won't read most of them, actually.

7. The four people you'd like to answer this meme

Ash (POKE!), Joann, and ... you know what? My sister. I want to see how her list differs from mine, particularly since I piggybacked on her reading choices until I was 13 or so.

---
I'm going to add:

8. The four books you'd recommend to anyone, and why

Boogiepop the novel #1 (Boogiepop and others), by Kouhei Kadono. It may be somewhat dark, but I believe that the lessons in storytelling it has for all of us are worth learning. Besides, it's a refreshingly complex story.

Stories Rabbits Tell, by Susan E. Davis and Margo DeMello. I don't say this lightly. I may be a rabbit lover, but what I find so important about this book is the underlying assumptions made by people in the United States about not rabbits, but "women and children" - groups that are degraded right along with "the fluffy little bunnies". Also, it serves as a reminder that although we like to style ourselves as a civilized nation, we are still capable of turning a blind eye to horrors within our country.

Feet of Clay, by Terry Pratchett. "Freedom without limits is just a word." It still remains my favorite out of all of the Discworld books I've read.

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(Post a new comment)

	(Anonymous) 2007-06-23 06:13 pm UTC (link)
	Thumbs up for S. Holmes! My favorite was A Study in Scarlet =D Toni Morrison? Hum. I've read a couple of her books and I still don't have an opinion on her. Oh, do read Don Quixote. You don't even have to read it from the beginning to the end, you can jump in the middle of an adventure. And everybody praises Pratchett, one day I'll have to find out why. -Yan (Reply to this) (Thread)

chibikaie
2007-06-25 03:17 am UTC (link)

Oh dear, now I must go collect my Holmes so I can reread them ... not that I really need the hard copy.

I read Beloved when it was assigned to my sister's English literature class. I stayed up until 2 am to finish it. I hated every minute of it, but I couldn't stop reading. I believe that she is a gifted writer, but I absolutely refuse to read another one of her books. (Oddly enough, a friend of mine had the exact same reaction. "I hate this book!" *turns page*)

You really should read Pratchett sooner or later. I prefer the City Watch books - the first one is Guards! Guards! but in my opinion, they can be read in any order. Probably my second favorite after Feet of Clay is Thud! and I can't wait for another one.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-07-03 05:21 am UTC (link)
	I hate this book!" turns page) Well, I don't know if I hate them but they were uncomfortable to read. Every time I thought I'd figured out a character or the plot they changed. If I remember correctly she's also a bit hard on her characters, isn't she? -Y (Reply to this) (Parent)