Friday, September 28, 2007

Meme

Tagged by Bybee for this meme:

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why? Hardback, although I love really nice paperbacks, too
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2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it… The Book Garden.

3. My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is… "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again" There is no way I could possibly decide on a favorite quote from a book, but this line is one that has remained in my head since I read Rebecca when I was in high school.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be …. Flannery O'Connor. She was funny and down to earth, and in her letters to her friends, she says "bidness" and "liberry," tells hilarious anecdotes, and makes sly, dry observations. As long as I am "making believe," I would also be capable of making intelligent conversation as, in spite of being a "good old girl," Miss Flannery had a formidable intellectual side.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except from the SAS survival guide, it would be…The Collected Works Of William Shakespeare. What other work of fiction could provide such variety and sustain reading and rereading for an unspecified period of time?

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…. ... replaced books on the shelves in an organized manner. I leave mine on every flat surface, including the floor.

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of…. Childhood books that came from my mother and my aunts and provided so many hours of entertainment and vicarious life.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be….There are days that, like Bybee, I'd like to be Robinson Crusoe, self-sufficient and innovative; days I'd like to be Eloise, imaginative and spoiled and with free run of the Plaza; and days I'd like to be like Elizabeth Bennett, independent and self-assured. (Robinson Crusoe, Eloise, Pride and Prejudice)

9. The most overestimated book of all times is…. I'm not sure; there are so many books that I read that don't meet my expectations based on the hype.

10. I hate it when a book…. ...has characters that are all unlikable. I need to be able to identify with or to like at least one character in order to care about what happens to them.

I thought this meme was fun; anyone who would like to borrow it feel free!
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13 comments:

  1. LKSeptember 28, 2007 5:46 PM

    Great meme, and great answers! I'm enjoying all the different Ps of View on this one...

    And that quote! When I read it, I hear Joan Fontaine's voice in my head!

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  2. Sam September 28, 2007 5:54 PM

    I have to agree with you about books that have nothing but unlikable characters. I know it sounds silly, but those books always leave me in a bad mood regardless of how much I may have actually enjoyed them.

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  3. BybeeSeptember 28, 2007 6:17 PM

    Oh dang! I forgot about the Rebecca quote. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful and graceful opening sentence, at least in English-language literature.

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  4. tanabataSeptember 29, 2007 2:42 AM

    There are some days that I'd like to be Elizabeth Bennett too! And I like your idea for the re-shelving gadget!

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  5. Rebecca H.September 29, 2007 6:12 AM

    Oh, lunch with Flannery O'Connor -- good choice!

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  6. jenclairSeptember 29, 2007 7:52 AM

    LK -- Isn't it a memorable line? And the image of the approach to Manderly also sticks in my head. I never saw the movie, but Joan Fontaine's voice would be perfect.

    Sam -- If I can't connect with a character in some way, I won't enjoy the book. It is rare, however, to find books that don't have at least one character, not necessarily the protagonist, that readers can identify with to some degree. Then again, as I think about it, the concept is so highly individual; we don't all connect with the same characters.

    Bybee -- She really had a winner in that line, didn't she? She had the tone and mood set with the opening words.

    tanabata -- Wouldn't it be great? Because not only do I have stacks all over the house, but I'm constantly pulling out others to refer to or check on or grab a quote...and they don't go back to the shelves either.

    Dorothy -- Oh, yeah, Flannery would have a lot to say, and it would all be worth listening, too.

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  7. EvaSeptember 29, 2007 12:30 PM

    I need your book gadget! I thought this meme was a lot of fun as well. :)

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2007 7:52 PM

    I love your bookstore name. You could have French doors that lead out into a real garden. Wouldn't that be lovely?! I enjoy reading the answers to these memes! The Rebecca line is definitely one of the more memorable ones!

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  9. jenclairSeptember 30, 2007 7:03 AM

    Eva -- It would be nice if the gadget could fetch as well, wouldn't it?

    danielle -- Oh, I'm with you on the French doors and the garden! This meme has been fun, with some interesting responses.

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  10. CornflowerSeptember 30, 2007 7:54 AM

    I so agree about unlikeable characters!!

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  11. AnonymousOctober 02, 2007 11:27 PM

    Great answers. I agree about unlikeable character as well. There's got to be at least one that I'm rooting for you know.

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  12. Lotus ReadsOctober 04, 2007 6:57 PM

    I love the name you would give your bookshop...Book Garden...sounds so inviting!

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  13. jenclairOctober 05, 2007 8:43 AM

    Karen - Books where the characters are all unlikable seem so cold to me. I find it true with a lot of books that get good critical acclaim, and there are certain authors that I just mark off my list.

    iliana - :) Yeah, even if flawed, we need that one person to root for!

    Lotus -- Thanks! And I like Danielle's idea of the french doors onto a real garden. Not that I could ever afford to have an independent book store!

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