My Day in Books

photo by k

After seeing this meme on Simon and Sakura's blogs, I thought it would be fun to do it myself ... it's a story of a fictional day using books that I've read this year.

I began the day by The Walnut Tree

before breakfasting on The Pinhoe Egg

and admiring The Secret Garden.

On my way to work I saw Something Wicked this Way Comes

and walked by The Yard

to avoid The Woman in Black,

but I made sure to stop at The Phantom Tollbooth.

In the office, my boss said "I Am Half-Sick of Shadows",

and sent me to research Half Magic.

At lunch with Earwig and the Witch

I noticed Aunt Maria

in The Traveling Restaurant

greatly enjoying The Egg & I.

Then on the journey home, I contemplated Bright and Distant Shores

because I have The Map of the Sky*

and am drawn to Castle in the Air.

Settling down for the evening, Among the Mad,

I studied The Graveyard Book

by The Somnambulist

before saying goodnight to The Secret Keeper.

How was your day?

K

*currently reading

The Questions Meme (Times Two)

So, I was tagged by two lovely ladies on the Questions Meme that is going around and, since I'm having trouble focusing this week (a combination of vacation time, a sister in town and family tragedy), I'll just answer some of these brilliant questions.

Rules

You must post the rules.
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
Let them know you’ve tagged them.
First, the questions from Jenners ...

1. What’s the most played song on your iPod? (or CD collection if you’re old school)
At the moment, it's probably Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence because Z likes it.  The two songs I start up the most (the iPod lives in the car) are Björk's Hunter and Sigur Rós' Starálfur (which you might recognize from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou).

2. What do you miss most about your childhood?
Wow, um, I think I probably miss family gatherings with my great-grandparents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. Really, I just miss my great-grandparents.

3. What is your favorite poem?
I'm sure this comes as no surprise but it's Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.

... And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!

4. Without thinking too much, what are 5 of your favorite books of all time? (Just list them as they come to you … don’t think!!!!!)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones (yeah, it's six books), The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

5. What was the last book you read? Tell me about it in 5 words or less.
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare ... Magic, Mayhem, Love, Hot Boys.

6. Can you define irony and give an example? (This is self-serving as I’m struggling to do this with my son. I will so steal your answers if appropriate.)
My most-employed type of irony is saying something that is the opposite of what I mean in order to make a point or a joke. But when I think of the definition of irony, I think of this example from The Oatmeal's Three Most Common Uses of Irony --

7. If you were forced to change your name, what would you change it to?
Isobel Irene. It's what I would have named a daughter if I had one -- Isobel because I love it (and the Björk song) and Irene after my grandmother whom I love dearly.

8. What author/TV show/movie/book/celebrity, do you absolutely despise and avoid at all costs?
Oh, there are so many -- mostly ones that have celebrity for doing little or nothing, like the Kardashians or Snooki. But I also have developed a deep dislike for Tom Cruise over the past few years. I think it's the Scientology thing -- and his teeth.

9. What movie was actually better than the book is was based on?
Easy ... Breakfast at Tiffany. Love the movie and didn't really like the story.

10. Beatles or the Stones?
The Beatles forever, baby! Always been a Beatles fan. Luckily, Z is also becoming quite the little Beatles fan too.

11. What is your favorite quote?
Wow. I have a terrible memory so there's nothing that is my "go to" quote. But I could never get tired of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

... But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. ...

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." ...

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

And now the ones from Trish ...

1. What app do you love above all others? Not an app person? What about website?

For usefulness, it's probably Wikipanion but right now my life is spent playing Triple Town (and yes, it's free).

2. Describe your dream profession (sky is the limit).

Librarian at the Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, CA. (I know ... I could probably actually do that some day if I tried.) This is the Miller Library.

3. Appetizers or dessert?

Definitely dessert. I don't like a lot of appetizers (mostly due to seafood and mayonnaise) but there's almost no dessert I would say no to! In fact, I wouldn't mind a bit of dessert right now -- maybe some ice cream.

4. If you could be BFF with any fictional character, who would you choose?

Pippi Longstocking, of course. Never a dull day with Pippi! Treasure hunting, horseback riding and hanging out with a monkey? Sounds like fun!

5. I say BLUE. What immediately comes to mind?

Blue Monday ... an awesome New Order song.

6. Favorite song to blast and sing in your car with the windows down?

There isn't just one because I'm a car singer so the blasting/windows down thing happens quite frequently. I'll go with Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

7. What fashion fad makes you hang your head in shame?

Pegged pants. What an awful idea.

8. What are your thoughts on 80s Hair Bands--specifically Monster Ballads?

Well, if we are talking about the ballads specifically, then I will have to admit that I know 95% of them by heart and have belted them out at the top of my lungs since they first were played on the radio. There might have even been some tears shed at some point. (How embarrassing!)

9. What is a book you wanted to throw across the room? What is one you wanted to hug?

I wanted to throw Drood by Dan Simmons across the room (and I did chuck the ARC into the recycle bin when I was done) and I wanted to hug The Technologists by Matthew Pearl.

10. Imagine you are an aerobics instructor--what song must be on your playlist?

Is this even a question if it can only ever have one answer? Physical by ON-J of course! (Olivia Newton-John for you non-abbreviators)

11. What's for dinner tonight?

Leftover lasagna ... mmm. Why is lasagna always better on the second day?

Bonus: What's your favorite go-to lipstick (including color)
I am a non-lipsticker. It doesn't ever stick to my lips and the smell of almost every kind makes me nauseated. I almost exclusively use The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter Lip Balm.

And now I'm going to be bad and not tag anyone or make up any questions because of the aforementioned lack of focus. But I'll ask that if you comment, that you answer at least one of these great questions so I can get to know you all better!

Enjoying this mental break (and listening to the Beatles),

K

The Book List Meme: Three Books That I Loved As A Child

Three books I loved as a child?  This is a hard one!  Luckily these aren't superlative lists ... these are just three of the many books that I loved as a child.  I'm trying to think of ones I haven't talked about a bunch before.

1. Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle - I adored these stories about Raggedy Ann and Andy.  They hobnob with fairies and other toys and play with kittens.  These books also introduced me to my favorite word -- grotto (only slightly tarnished by the Playboy Mansion).

2. The Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene - I think that almost every time I came home from the library I had checked out one of these.  I don't remember much about the stories themselves but I remember loving the suspense and the independence.

3. No Flying in the House by Betty Brock - This was one of the ones that I re-read over and over.  I bought a copy a few years ago and liked it just as much now as I did then --though for entirely different reasons.  This book caused me to spend hours of my childhood trying to kiss my elbow.  You see, if you can do that you're a fairy.

Loving this short trip back in time,

K

The Book List Meme: Three Fictional Worlds

Three Fictional Worlds I Would Like To Hang Out In

1. Wonderland (from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll) - Singing flowers, borogroves and momeraths?  I would love to see them!  I might even attend a tea party or two while I'm there.

2. The Series Worlds (from The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones) - I love the idea of average worlds where magic is just taken for granted and used for both good and evil but mostly just for neutral uses.  There's also an incredible variety between the worlds and if you were able to travel between them, it would be amazing.

3. The Hundred Acre Wood (from Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne) - Doesn't this seem like the perfect place for reading, quiet walks and a pot of honey?

And yes, Hogwarts was a definite runner-up!

Drifting away to an imaginary place,

K

The Book List Meme: Characters I Love to Hate

This is the second of Rebecca's Book List Memes.  I couldn't think of a list for the first one but this one was fairly easy.  So without further ado ...

Three Characters I Love To Hate

1. Lydia Gwilt from Armadale by Wilkie Collins

2. William Collins from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. Phoebus Daunt from The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox

Miss Gwilt was the obvious choice here.  No character is more odious than she -- but in such a delicious way!  Mister Collins is revolting in every way possible and you can't help but smile every time he is insulted to his face.  And Phoebus Daunt -- oh how easy it is to hate what he makes Edward Glyver eventually do.

I love to hate you ... and you ... and you,

K

BBAW: Reading Meme

Today's Book Blogger Appreciation Week task is a meme.

We encourage you to be creative with this! Please choose one or two questions to answer or try to answer all the questions in five words or less. Or choose a picture to answer a question! Brevity is the goal of today!

Do you snack while you read? Only in the afternoon. If so, favorite reading snack? Crackers, nuts and candy.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? Pristine books make me happy.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open? Bookmarks, bookmarks everywhere.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? More fiction than non-fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks? No audiobooks ... not a commuter.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? Kids don't wait for chapters.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Only when it affects plot.

What are you currently reading? Another big honkin' Delderfield.

What is the last book you bought? Four from Powell's.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? A one book gal.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? Anytime and anywhere it's quiet.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? I like stories to last.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) By subject and whim.



Finding thick blankets for cozy fall reading,
K

Only a couple more days to enter our BBAW giveaway for a $25 gift card!

My Life According to Literature Meme

I saw this meme on Lena's site, Save Ophelia, this week and really liked the idea so here's my version (with links to my reviews) ...

Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!

Describe Yourself: The Uncommon Reader

How do you feel: Inkheart

Describe where you currently live: Bleak House

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Ice Land

Your favorite form of transportation: The Séance

Your best friend is: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

You and your friends are: People of the Book

What’s the weather like: Cold Comfort Farm

Favorite time of day: Neverwhere

If your life was a: Postern of Fate

What is life to you: The Invention of Everything Else

Your fear: Wicked Plants

What is the best advice you have to give: Behold, Here's Poison

Thought for the Day: What Would Jane Austen Do?

How I would like to die: The Reluctant Widow

My soul’s present condition: Revelation of Fire

Wondering what my literary life was last year,
K

Mystery Read-A-Thon Wrap-up Meme

1. Give us some stats: How many hours did you read? How many pages? How many books?
I ended up reading for almost ten and a half hours. I read 564 pages which was one short-story anthology from start to finish. I ran out of time but also wouldn't have been able to get very far into a new book if I had started one.

2. What did you enjoy MOST about the event?
I enjoyed picking up a book that would have sat in my TBR stacks for a while. I know that I have many other books that I need and want to read soon so I might not have even picked this one up until next year.

3. Do you have suggestions to make this event better?
Of course, I would love to see more participants. I didn't even know about it until the day before when Wendy (Caribou's Mom) said she was participating.

4. Would you participate in another Mystery Read-A-Thon?
Sure! I will definitely have to manage my time better and do my errands earlier though.

5. Did you read a book for this event that you particularly liked and would recommend to other readers?
I really liked a few of these short stories and I will be investigating the other works of the author further. I hope to also introduce my readers to some new authors through this experience.


Thanks again to Wendy for being the glue of this read-a-thon. This was something that I enjoyed and would like to try in various different ways in the future.

Marveling at the complexities of life's mysteries,
K

The Literary Notes Meme

Found on Danielle's A Work in Progress, this meme looked like an interesting (and long) one but I think it has a few good questions for book bloggers.

What author do you own the most books by? I'm sure it's Agatha Christie ... apparently I have 58 of her books. Then probably Elizabeth Peters ... 26. I have 17 books in the Wizard of Oz series but they are by two different authors. Those are the biggest bunches and then I have a few authors in the five to ten range.

What book do you own the most copies of? I have two copies of Gone With the Wind (a newer one bought when my original copy became too battered), two of The Wizard of Oz (one is annotated), two copies of The Brothers Karamazov (a paperback and a beautiful old copy found at a used bookstore), two sets of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, and I think we have three or four copies of Atlas Shrugged around the house.

Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? Maybe a little bit but I'm not a big grammar nazi.

What fictional character are you secretly in love with? I've always been a Rhett Butler girl.

What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children)? I think probably Gone With the Wind ... the last time I remember counting was seven and I think I read it again once or twice after that. The Harry Potter series is up there too because I would re-read all the previous books when a new one came out and also David Copperfield which I think I've read maybe four or five times.

What was your favourite book when you were ten years old? The Secret Garden was probably one of them but I have always read so many books that I can't even remember.

What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? I think it was Drood.

What is the best book you’ve read in the past year? I would say either The Graveyard Book or Rebecca ... or maybe The Mysterious Benedict Society. Or 84, Charing Cross Road. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? I've read quite a few really good books this past year.

If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be? I wouldn't do that. Book tastes are very personal and I don't think there's one book out there that would suit everyone.

Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature? I have no idea. I'm sure it will be an international author that I have barely heard of.

What book would you most like to see made into a movie? The Graveyard Book would make a really fascinating movie if it was made well.

What book would you least like to see made into a movie? Probably The Eyre Affair. The sense of humor wouldn't translate and it would just be one of those bizarre Terry Gilliam bombs or something.

Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character. I don't know of one. I tend to forget my dreams shortly after I wake up or definitely by the end of the day.

What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult? Hmm ... I guess one of the recent romances that I got for review. It wasn't bad though!

What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? Probably The Iliad. It's just so dry and long and I'm not a big fan of war.

What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen? I think I've only ever seen Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew. Well, and maybe a high school performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Nothing very obscure.

Do you prefer the French or the Russians? Right now, probably the Russians. They are so angsty!

Roth or Updike? I don't really plan on reading either.

David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? I haven't read either one yet.

Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer? Definitely Shakespeare. I didn't really enjoy Milton or Chaucer.

Austen or Eliot? Austen, although I enjoy Eliot.

What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading? I'm not embarrassed because there is always more time to read but I've been wanting to try Terry Pratchett lately.

What is your favorite novel? This is a totally impossible question. It might be David Copperfield.

Play? The Importance of Being Earnest, definitely!

Poem? The Raven ... you can't go wrong with that one.

Essay? I have no idea.

Short story? I think I will have to go with Oscar Wilde again and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Work of nonfiction? Hmm ... The Double Helix?

Who is your favourite writer? Another impossible question but I could say Charles Dickens and it wouldn't be a lie.

Who is the most overrated writer alive today? Dan Brown? Stephenie Meyer? Anyone who writes books with little substance that become bestsellers.

What is your desert island book? Probably The Eyre Affair because I would need a good laugh if I was stuck on an island with one book.

And… what are you reading right now? The Glassblower of Murano (an ARC).

Wow ... that was a long one!

Waiting for the judgment,
K

"Why I Blog" Meme

Everyone's favorite English teacher, Laura, at State of Denmark is collecting data for a project and has created this meme --

1. How long have you been blogging?
Just over ten months now.

2. Why did you start blogging?
I needed to regain my adult vocabulary and writing skills after spending four years at home with a young one and having conversations that focused mainly on bodily functions and sleep patterns.

3. What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?
It has helped me regain my analytical mind and, as a book blogger, gives me an incentive to read regularly. I admit that free review copies are also a nice benefit of blogging.

4. How many times a week do you post an entry?
I post six times a week with one regular weekly feature, Poe Fridays.

5. How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?
I have about fifty blogs in my Google reader that I read most of the posts.

6. Do you comment on other people’s blogs?
Yes, but maybe not as much as I should. If I see my same comment up, I tend not to repeat. It makes me feel unoriginal.

7. Do you keep track of how many visitors you have? Is so, are you satisfied with your numbers?
Yes, I keep track. I hope for more but I know that I'm just starting out and still finding my voice and discovering what really interests readers.

8. Do you ever regret a post that you wrote?
No, I don't but I'm a book blogger so it would be strange to regret a book review.

9. Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?
I think they have a partial sense of who I am. I don't reveal a lot of personal information but I'm trying to put more of my personality into the writing.

10. Do you blog under your real name?
Yes, I do. I considered a pseudonym but it just seemed like it would get confusing at some point. I blog about my son under a false initial though since he is only five.

11. Are there topics that you would never blog about?
Not a lot of home-life topics because they just don't fit in the theme.

12. What is the theme/topic of your blog?
Book reviews, reading and book news and such

13. Do you have more than one blog? If so, why?
This is the only blog. I would never have time to write a second one and still live my life!

If you would like to participate, post this meme on your blog and put your link in the comments on State of Denmark's post.

Hoping you enjoy my blog as much as I do,
K

New Meme: I Would Read (Almost) Any Book About ...

This is a meme that I thought of the other night as I was falling asleep. I was thinking about tagging books on LibraryThing and how to convey what it was about a book that made me enjoy it and why I would choose to read a similar book. I am really interested to hear everyone's conclusions to this simple sentence. It's harder than you think! Post your answers here on this entry or post the link to your answers on your own blog.

I would read (almost) any book about ...

... Edgar Allan Poe. I love both biographical books (The Beautiful Cigar Girl) and historical fictions that feature him as a character (The Pale Blue Eye).

... Charles Dickens. Again, a great subject in both real life and fiction (The Last Dickens).

... a female detective in a non-modern setting. Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, Amelia Peabody, Flavia de Luce. Truth be told, I would even read those Jane Austen mysteries if they were sitting around.

... books and words. Non-fiction about literature and language, historical fiction about a specific book (People of the Book), or a mystery/suspense about an author, library or books (The Thirteenth Tale or The Club Dumas), I love them all.

... scientists or great scientific discoveries. From The Double Helix to Naturalist, I love learning more about science. Historical fiction about scientists (The Invention of Everything Else) are pretty cool too!

I may come back and add to this list later. I think it's been a really interesting exercise! An idea comes up but then I think of some segment of that genre that really is not interesting to me and so I have to scratch that one. I'm glad that I still have many books that I have just chosen on their own merit and not because they fit into a category that I will pick up no matter what. It makes me feel better about my reading diversity! (This list also makes me feel like a big nerd!)

Hoping many of you share your answers,
K

Twelve Things That Make Us Happy

I've been tagged by Booklogged at A Reader's Journal for the "6 Things That Make Me Happy" meme. Since there are technically two of us here, I thought it would be fun to have Z give his answers too.


Six things that make K happy are:
-- the scent of the ocean
-- getting the perfect picture
-- breakfast foods all day long
-- kelp forests and sea otters
-- reading outside
-- See's scotchmallow candy


Six things that make Z happy are:
-- bugs
-- kisses
-- singing Do Re Mi
-- blowing out candles
-- playing pirates
-- bubbles

Feel free to participate ... we aren't going to tag anyone specific but we would love to see some other people's lists!

Heading into a week-long school vacation (which makes us very happy!),
K and Z

One Book Meme

Passed on by Eva at A Striped Armchair ...

One book you’re currently reading: The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer
One book that changed your life: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
One book you’d want on a deserted island: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
One book you’ve read more than once: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
One book you’ve never been able to finish: The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
One book that made you laugh: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
One book that made you cry: Woman in the Mists by Farley Mowat
One book you keep rereading: The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie
One book you’ve been meaning to read: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
One book you believe everyone should read: The Odyssey by Homer

Finally,
Grab the nearest book. Open it to page 56. Find the fifth sentence:
"This was a man to die for, even as he had dreamed in those far-off days at Harcourt." From The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer (a historical novel about William the Conqueror).

Comment here if you decide to do this meme ... I would love to read your responses!

Suddenly considering some re-reads,
K

A Quick Mystery Book List

Since I can't really be expected to ponder anything besides Michael Phelps and Kobe Bryant today, I am going to copy this meme that I found at A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore... (she has read 13 of them) and A Work in Progress (she's read 17).

The 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century, as selected by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's online members (compiled in 2000).

In bold are the ones I've read; books I'd like to read are in italics.

Allingham, Margery. The Tiger in the Smoke
Ambler, Eric. A Coffin for Dimitrios
Armstrong, Charlotte. A Dram of Poison
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity's Death
Ball, John. In the Heat of the Night
Barnard, Robert. Death by Sheer Torture
Barr, Nevada. Track of the Cat
Blake, Nicholas. The Beast Must Die
Block, Lawrence. When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
Brand, Christianna. Green for Danger
Brown, Frederic. The Fabulous Clipjoint
Buchan, John. The 39 Steps
Burke, James Lee. Black Cherry Blues
Cain, James M.. The Postman Always Rings Twice
Cannell, Dorothy. The Thin Woman
Carr, John Dickson. The Three Coffins
Caudwell, Sarah. Thus Was Adonis Murdered
Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Connelly, Michael. The Concrete Blonde
Constantine, K.C.. The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes
Crais, Robert. The Monkey's Raincoat
Crispin, Edmund. The Moving Toyshop
Crombie, Deborah. Dreaming of the Bones
Crumley, James. The Last Good Kiss
Dickinson, Peter. The Yellow Room Conspiracy
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles
DuMaurier, Daphne. Rebecca
Dunning, John. Booked to Die
Elkins, Aaron. Old Bones
Evanovich, Janet. One for the Money
Finney, Jack. Time and Again
Ford, G.M.. Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?
Francis, Dick. Whip Hand
Fremlin, Celia. The Hours Before Dawn
George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance Reading
Gilbert, Michael. Smallbone Deceased
Grafton, Sue. "A" is for Alibi
Graham, Caroline. The Killings at Badger's Drift
Grimes, Martha. The Man With the Load of Mischief
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon
Hare, Cyril. An English Murder
Harris, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs
Hiaasen, Carl. Tourist Season
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley
Hill, Reginald. On Beulah Height
Hillerman, Tony. A Thief of Time
Himes, Chester. Cotton Comes to Harlem
Innes, Michael. Hamlet, Revenge
James, P.D.. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
Kellerman, Faye. The Ritual Bath
Kellerman, Jonathan. When the Bough Breaks
King, Laurie. The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Langton, Jane. Dark Nantucket Noon
le Carre, John. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird
Lehane, Dennie. Darkness, Take My Hand
Leonard, Elmore. Get Shorty
Lochte, Dick. Sleeping Dog
Lovesey, Peter. Rough Cider
MacDonald, John D.. The Deep Blue Good-by
MacDonald, Philip. The List of Adrian Messenger
Macdonald, Ross. The Chill
Maron, Margaret. Bootlegger's Daughter
Marsh, Ngaio. Death of a Peer
McBain, Ed. Sadie When She Died
McClure, James. The Sunday Hangman
McCrumb, Sharyn. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
Millar, Margaret. Stranger in My Grave
Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress
Muller, Marcia. Edwin of the Iron Shoes
Neel, Janet. Death's Bright Angel
O'Connell, Carol. Mallory's Oracle
Padgett, Abigail. Child of Silence
Paretsky, Sara. Deadlock
Parker, Robert. Looking for Rachel Wallace
Perez-Reverte, Arturo. The Club Dumas
Perry, Thomas. Vanishing Act
Peters, Elizabeth. Crocodile on the Sandbank
Peters, Ellis. One Corpse Too Many
Pronzini, Bill. Blue Lonesome
Queen, Ellery. Cat of Many Tails
Rendell, Ruth. No More Dying Then
Rice, Craig. The Wrong Murder
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. The Circular Staircase
Robinson, Peter. Blood at the Root
Rosen, Richard. Strike Three You're Dead
Ross, Kate. A Broken Vessel
Rozan, S.J.. Concourse
Sayers, Dorothy. Murder Must Advertise
Sjowall & Wahloo. The Laughing Policeman
Stout, Rex. Some Buried Caesar
Tey, Josephine. Brat Farrar
Thomas, Ross. Chinaman's Chance
Todd, Charles. A Test of Wills
Turow, Scott. Presumed Innocent
Upfield, Arthur. The Sands of Windee
Walters, Minette. The Ice House
White, Randy Wayne. Sanibel Flats
Woolrich, Cornell. I Married a Dead Man

I've read 8 of what they consider the best mysteries. To be honest, I haven't heard of many of these books (or even their authors) so I am definitely going to have to do some research and add on to my already ridiculously long wish list!

Mysteriously behind,
K

A Reading Meme

I am appropriating this meme today from Dani at A Work in Progress ...

Do you remember how you developed a love of reading?
I don't remember because I was reading before my memory starts. The way my mom tells it, I was read to a lot when I was very little and then when she had my brother, when I was just over 2 years old, she had less and less time to read to me and eventually realized that I was reading to myself. Sometime when I was three, I could read. I have just kept going from there.

What are some books you loved as a child?
The Wizard of Oz books were the first series I read (when I was four). I also loved the Raggedy Ann stories -- they introduced me to my favorite word of all time, grotto. I also really liked Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Pippi Longstocking and many many others.

What is your favorite genre?
Right now it's historical fiction (preferably Victorian), Victorian pot-boilers, and some fantasy.

Do you have a favorite novel?
I have a couple of novels that I go back to over and over but no single favorite.

Where do you usually read?
Everywhere ... on the couch, on the floor, in bed, in the front yard, at the dentist ... anywhere I can take a book.

When do you usually read?
Any time I find free.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
Not usually. I prefer to really immerse myself in a book so I like to do one at a time. I also read pretty quickly so I usually don't have time to start one book while already reading another.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
It just takes me a longer time to read non-fiction. I'm also likely to read a fiction at the same time.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out from the library?
I buy most of them because I usually want to read them again at some point.

Do you keep most of the books you buy?
Yes. If I totally dislike a book and know that I would never read it again, I have a pile and, when it's large enough, I take them in to the used bookstore.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them?
I have been slowly building Z's bookshelf with books that he is ready for. The first book that I absolutely did not want him to miss was Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak. I loved it when I was a kid! It has the best rhythm and it made soup seem so exotic. I also made sure that Z has a good Dr. Seuss selection. Oh yeah, and The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. I love that one too ... it is so precious that Ferdinand doesn't want to fight, he just wants to sit and smell the flowers. I see on Amazon that I bought it for Z when he was 7 months old. And Tikki Tikki Tembo! Shall I keep going? Maybe my next post will just be about Z's bookshelves.

What are you reading now?
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. It has been on my shelf for years but I never read it for some reason.

Do you keep a To Be Read List?
I have a pile of books that I have bought by my bed and then I have my Amazon list that I constantly add to. I also made a re-read pile recently of books that I can't quite remember if I liked the first time I read them.

What’s next?
Probably Volume III of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Dianna Wynne Jones.

What books would you like to re-read?
The ones I re-read most often are The Ground Beneath Her Feet (Salman Rushdie), The Eyre Affair series (Jasper Fforde), David Copperfield and Great Expectations (Dickens). As I've said before, I'm a big re-reader. I have been thinking that it's about time to grab The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) again soon.

Who are your favorite authors?
Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Jane Austen, Josephine Tey, Agatha Christie, Salman Rushdie, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde and Elizabeth Peters.

Well, that was pretty fun ... see you next time.
K