Yeah yeah its been forever but I baaa
Questions on books...
1. What author do you own the most books by?
Interesting question... if we are talking just me than either Bernard Cornwell or Terry Pratchett
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
I think I used to have two copies of Return of the King, however with my fathers paper back book swap thingy copies quickly disappear.
3. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Hmmmm... what type of love? if we are talking traditional marry and have a life with love than I have no idea... other definitions of love bring up two... Sam Vimes from Pratchett's Guard books and Miles Vorkosigan.
4. What book have you read the most times in your life?
Wow... really tough one... um... book = Small Gods, short story = any number of ones from To the Last Cartridge which I have probably read more often than Small Gods so...
5. What was your favourite book when you were ten years old?
Either Tolkien's LOTR or Weis and Hickmans' Dragons of Autumn Twilight
6. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Hmmm I think the prize here has to go to my first foray into a romance, My Favorite Earthling, by Susan Grant. (I still maintain it was a bad book even though I stayed up all night to read it.)
7. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
This is a tie between Bruno Giberti's Designing the Centennial and Barabara Nelms' The Third Republic and the Centennial of 1789
8. If you could force everyone reading this to read one book, what would it be?
I have to agree with colla on this one... everyone should have their own... although I'd restrict it down to some of the more recent narrative histories in an attempt to show that history is not always bad.
9. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
I do. (why not? Its not like any of my other answers would have been better informed)
10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Okay this is a weird one... Ron Chernow's Hamilton
11. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Fiction:
Honestly I would prefer to not have Bujold's Vorkosigan series made into a movie... there is to much that could be done poorly.
12. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I had a recurring nightmare while writing my thesis of walking in to defend it and finding my panel now had David McCullough, James McPherson, and Marc Bloch sitting in on the final decision... nothing woke me up to get back to work faster than that...
13. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
interesting... um... depends on who you ask, either the romance I just read or some scifi/fantasy or a graphic novel
14. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Following Colla's lead on this and not counting textbooks... hmmmm A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
15. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
Seen eh? Well thats a problem because I honestly think I've only seen one Bard play... no I lie... but still my choices are between a MidSummers Night Dream and Comedy of Errors...
16. Do you prefer Roth or Updike?
The only thing I've read of either is Updike's A&P
17. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Who?
18. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.
19. Austen or Eliot?
Um... having read neither...
20. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Like daeron and colla, I haven't read much literature.
21. What is your favorite novel?
The Captain by Jan de Hartog
22. Play?
I cannot answer this question. I just can't. Sorry.
23. Poem?
Happiness A.A. Milne
24. Essay?
"Toward a Comparative History of European Societies" by Marc Bloch.
25. Short story?
Hemingway's "Hill's Like White Elephants"
Asimov's "The Last Question"
Bujold's "Mountains of Mourning"
26. Work of nonfiction?
Very tough choice... I'm going to have to stick with my standby David McCullough's Path Between the Seas but if I ever get the chance to finish reading Weber or Durkheim that may change.
27. Who is your favorite writer?
Hmmmm... I'll divide this into living and dead. My favorite living author is a toss up between Pratchett and Bujold a literal dead heat. My favorite dead author is either Steinbeck or de Hartog.
28. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
In addition to Colla's excellent choices I'm going to throw in John Grisham.
29. What is your desert island book?
Wow... um... how to build a boat and sail off a desert island? a collection of short stories of some type...
30. And what are you reading right now?
Currently the books I have going are:
1. With All Despatch Alexander Kent
2. Dragon's Fire Anne and Todd McCaffrey
3. Economy and Society Max Weber (way behind on this one)
1. What author do you own the most books by?
Interesting question... if we are talking just me than either Bernard Cornwell or Terry Pratchett
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
I think I used to have two copies of Return of the King, however with my fathers paper back book swap thingy copies quickly disappear.
3. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Hmmmm... what type of love? if we are talking traditional marry and have a life with love than I have no idea... other definitions of love bring up two... Sam Vimes from Pratchett's Guard books and Miles Vorkosigan.
4. What book have you read the most times in your life?
Wow... really tough one... um... book = Small Gods, short story = any number of ones from To the Last Cartridge which I have probably read more often than Small Gods so...
5. What was your favourite book when you were ten years old?
Either Tolkien's LOTR or Weis and Hickmans' Dragons of Autumn Twilight
6. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Hmmm I think the prize here has to go to my first foray into a romance, My Favorite Earthling, by Susan Grant. (I still maintain it was a bad book even though I stayed up all night to read it.)
7. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
This is a tie between Bruno Giberti's Designing the Centennial and Barabara Nelms' The Third Republic and the Centennial of 1789
8. If you could force everyone reading this to read one book, what would it be?
I have to agree with colla on this one... everyone should have their own... although I'd restrict it down to some of the more recent narrative histories in an attempt to show that history is not always bad.
9. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
I do. (why not? Its not like any of my other answers would have been better informed)
10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Okay this is a weird one... Ron Chernow's Hamilton
11. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Fiction:
Honestly I would prefer to not have Bujold's Vorkosigan series made into a movie... there is to much that could be done poorly.
12. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
I had a recurring nightmare while writing my thesis of walking in to defend it and finding my panel now had David McCullough, James McPherson, and Marc Bloch sitting in on the final decision... nothing woke me up to get back to work faster than that...
13. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
interesting... um... depends on who you ask, either the romance I just read or some scifi/fantasy or a graphic novel
14. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Following Colla's lead on this and not counting textbooks... hmmmm A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
15. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
Seen eh? Well thats a problem because I honestly think I've only seen one Bard play... no I lie... but still my choices are between a MidSummers Night Dream and Comedy of Errors...
16. Do you prefer Roth or Updike?
The only thing I've read of either is Updike's A&P
17. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Who?
18. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.
19. Austen or Eliot?
Um... having read neither...
20. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Like daeron and colla, I haven't read much literature.
21. What is your favorite novel?
The Captain by Jan de Hartog
22. Play?
I cannot answer this question. I just can't. Sorry.
23. Poem?
Happiness A.A. Milne
24. Essay?
"Toward a Comparative History of European Societies" by Marc Bloch.
25. Short story?
Hemingway's "Hill's Like White Elephants"
Asimov's "The Last Question"
Bujold's "Mountains of Mourning"
26. Work of nonfiction?
Very tough choice... I'm going to have to stick with my standby David McCullough's Path Between the Seas but if I ever get the chance to finish reading Weber or Durkheim that may change.
27. Who is your favorite writer?
Hmmmm... I'll divide this into living and dead. My favorite living author is a toss up between Pratchett and Bujold a literal dead heat. My favorite dead author is either Steinbeck or de Hartog.
28. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
In addition to Colla's excellent choices I'm going to throw in John Grisham.
29. What is your desert island book?
Wow... um... how to build a boat and sail off a desert island? a collection of short stories of some type...
30. And what are you reading right now?
Currently the books I have going are:
1. With All Despatch Alexander Kent
2. Dragon's Fire Anne and Todd McCaffrey
3. Economy and Society Max Weber (way behind on this one)