Book survey
Yoinked from Sarah Pedal.
1) You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451; which book do you want to burn?
The collected work of Ayn Rand.
2) Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
I'm sure I have, and I'm trying really hard to think of who it would have been. Probably Ce'Nedra from David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad series was the biggest. What that says about my taste in women I plan to never, ever think about.
3) What are you currently reading?
Just today started in on Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay, which is pretty decent one chapter in. A friend who moved to BC left it behind.
4) The last book you bought was:
It's been depressingly long since I've bought any. I guess it was the secondhand hardcover of Eco's The Island Of The Day Before I found at Value Village for $4. Haven't read it yet.
5) The last book you read was:
The Illuminatus! trilogy, of which more when I have time. I'd say it's a must-read. Also Valediction by Robert B. Parker, as I slowly work my way through the Spenser books via Aaron.
6) Five books you would take to a desert island:
Single volumes only, in no order, and obviously pretty fragmentary:
Baruch Spinoza - Ethic
Gene Wolfe - The Fifth Head Of Cerebus
Thomas Pynchon - V
Philip K. Dick - The Valis Trilogy
Anthony Lane - Nobody's Perfect
I love all five, but obviously I'm going to try to take big, thought provoking works to occupy me for as long as possible.
7) Who are you going to pass this stick to, and why?
Everyone, hopefully, although I'd be particularly interested in reading both Bens answers, as well as K's.
1) You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451; which book do you want to burn?
The collected work of Ayn Rand.
2) Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
I'm sure I have, and I'm trying really hard to think of who it would have been. Probably Ce'Nedra from David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad series was the biggest. What that says about my taste in women I plan to never, ever think about.
3) What are you currently reading?
Just today started in on Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay, which is pretty decent one chapter in. A friend who moved to BC left it behind.
4) The last book you bought was:
It's been depressingly long since I've bought any. I guess it was the secondhand hardcover of Eco's The Island Of The Day Before I found at Value Village for $4. Haven't read it yet.
5) The last book you read was:
The Illuminatus! trilogy, of which more when I have time. I'd say it's a must-read. Also Valediction by Robert B. Parker, as I slowly work my way through the Spenser books via Aaron.
6) Five books you would take to a desert island:
Single volumes only, in no order, and obviously pretty fragmentary:
Baruch Spinoza - Ethic
Gene Wolfe - The Fifth Head Of Cerebus
Thomas Pynchon - V
Philip K. Dick - The Valis Trilogy
Anthony Lane - Nobody's Perfect
I love all five, but obviously I'm going to try to take big, thought provoking works to occupy me for as long as possible.
7) Who are you going to pass this stick to, and why?
Everyone, hopefully, although I'd be particularly interested in reading both Bens answers, as well as K's.
1) Ayn Rand also -- good choice.
2) Countess Olenska from The Age of Innocence. Still do.
3)The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
4) Bulk buys at big sales.
5) The Assault by Muslisch (or some such last name)
6) My favs tend to be short novels: The Sun Also Rises, Age of Innocence, The Crying of Lot 49...so I might not last too long. Maybe Ulysses and the Sound and the Fury would help.
PS - I recently read Kavalier & Clay and loved it. I also like Lethem and Franzen so my lit cred is screwed. :)
Posted by
Justin Cober-Lake |
3:45 PM
Good call on the Crying of Lot 49 - I might take that instead of V, actually.
I adore the book by Lethem I've read (Fortress Of Solitude) and the non-fiction of his I've gotten my hands on, so you've still got cred with me. Haven't read Frantzen yet - any suggestions for a starter?
Posted by
Ian |
8:59 PM
I've read Franzen's 'The Twenty Seventh City' (review in the SWSL sidebar) - decent but by no means amazing. I've got 'The Corrections' too, but haven't read it yet.
Posted by
Ben |
8:29 AM
The only Franzen I've read is The Corrections, and it was quite good.
If you like Lethem, you might want to check out Motherless Brooklyn, which as a totally different feel than F of S, but is a quick, fascinating read. Of course, F of S = fantastic.
Posted by
Justin Cober-Lake |
1:06 PM