Thursday 20 September 2007

Books, Books, Books

Breadbox invited me to write about reading.
My immediate response was

"No! That is TOO much typing"

But then I realised that blogs cannot survive on pictures of pansies
There needs to be some content
So here it is:

Question 1
What do I read?

I am a haphazard and slow reader.
I read for pleasure and not for self-improvement.
I love audio books.

MissM is the intellectual in our family.


Question 2
How many books do I have?


Too many.

This is a picture of the books
I have just removed
from MrM's bedside table.

Question 3
What are you reading at the moment?


The Convenient Marriage
by Georgette Heyer
Which is mainly written in Capital Letters
and is having an Alarming Effect on my vocabulary.

Note to Self:
It is Vital that I do not start referring to MrM as Sir
it would be Very Bad for His Ego.

Question 4
What is the last book that you bought?

by Ludovic Kennedy

but it was for MasterM
so it doesn't count.

so here is a bonus question

What is the last book that you borrowed?


The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver

And yes, Thomas, I promise I will remember
to bring it back next time we visit.

Question 5
List 5 books that have influenced you.

This is impossible.
But here are 5 books that have influenced me

Mr William Shakespeare's Plays
illustrated by Marcia Williams
which MissM knows off by heart.
Badger's Parting Gifts
by Susan Varley
which deals with bereavement.
The Treasure Hunters
by Enid Blyton
which was the first book that my children read by themselves.
A Traveller in Time
by Alison Uttley
which I read and reread as a child.
Dean's Gift Book of Fairy Tales
given to me by a very dear friend.

And before I go and lie down
and rest my weary hand
if any of you would like to do this interview too
do let me know.

11 comments:

dottycookie said...

I didn't make it further than the first chapter of The Poisonwood Bible; I have been told that I shoulod try again and that the rest of the book is very different from the opening - so the question is, did you enjoy it, and should I give it another chance?

BreadBox said...

That was an absolutely delightful response to the tag, and makes me really glad that I chose you to pick on!

I have a gentle, but very broad, smile across my face right now:-)
N.

Unknown said...

Ditto to breadbox. Boy, I need to re-think my childhood because I loved to read. And you made me remember that. I used to read during class when I was supposed to be listening to the teacher. I did pull out many favourites while my son was growing up. Poisonwood Bible ranks really high as an alltime favourite on many levels. It probably doesn't move fast enough for dottycookie's tast.

carrie said...

Nice!

I went to the library yesterday to pick up some books I placed on hold and I accidentally picked an audio book. The nice librarian offered to exchange it for a real book. I just can't seem to do that yet, but I suppose if I was stuck in traffic or had a lot of "quiet" time during the day to concentrate, it would work.

Anyway, interesting list. :)

Anonymous said...

Might I take this opportunity to recommend some military history, in particular the works of Carlo D'Este who has written two great biographies of Patton and Eisenhower. The footnotes themselves almost constitute a separate volume.

I think it is important to have good footnotes to a book in the same way that one needs to have a good cobbler for one's shoes. This is probably more of a bloke thing I feel but there you go.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant post, I love books and the pile on my bedside cabinet became rather dangerous so there is a pile on the floor now as well. My sons claim that wherever I sit for any length of time a tower of books appear.

alice c said...

MrM refers to a disgraceful episode in our family life. Each term our children are asked to write down which book has impressed them most. Our wicked son, who had read nothing, wrote down 'Eisenhower'...and because he was not challenged, wrote down 'Eisenhower; The Footnotes' the following term.

Carrie, in my defence, I do a huge amount of motorway driving and that is when I listen to audiobooks. It is better than listening to phone-ins!

ginny said...

Regarding the audio books, I have listened to quite a few especially on a long journey and I
must admit to being a sucker for buying a book after hearing the abridged version on radio 4! I'm always open to a recommendation though - what was the poisonwood bible like?
Al

Anonymous said...

I am touched that you should mention the Poisonwood Bible which I iniitially recommended to you. Told in turn through the voices of the mother and her four girls' it conveys more than a straight narrative. At the moment I am greatly enjoying 'The Man who went into the West' (a biography of R S Thomas by Byron Rogers.)

alice c said...

Ummm...The Poisonwood Bible...well, I enjoyed it but that was because I was able to read large chunks without interruption and so could get absorbed in the slow narrative style. But if I was reading it a page at a time before I go to sleep as usual it is unlikely that I would have reached the end.

It is missionary with children and long suffering wife meets Heart of Darkness. Oh dear, there is a Professor of my acquaintance who would kill me for writing that.

Jackie said...

It might seem odd to you that my only comment on your blog is here. I discovered you about an hour ago when I was just about to go to bed and I've read you backwards till I got to midnight and to here, and as I read and loved A Traveller in Time I thought I'd say so. Now I'm off to bed. Thank you for the entertainment.