Well, it’s more work for me today, unfortunately. In lieu of posting a detailed history of this week’s reading, I’ll post this short meme, which is derived from the questions asked of authors on Shelf Awareness.
On your nightstand now: Passions and Tempers by Noga Arikha, An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer.
Book you’ve “faked” reading: Twice for school – Billy Budd by Herman Melville and The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. These are the only two books I’ve ever failed to read for school.
Book you’ve bought for the cover: I don’t think I’ve ever bought any book solely based on its cover.
Favorite book when you were a child: Anne of Green Gables, Princess Nevermore, For the Love of Pete by Jan Marino, and the Dear America series.
Book that changed your life: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Favorite line from a book: Don’t exactly have one … what springs to mind is, “Reader, I married him”, from Jane Eyre, though that line isn’t particularly beautiful or anything.
Top five favorite authors: Guy Gavriel Kay, Kazuo Ishiguro, Robin Hobb, Sharon Kay Penman, Edith Wharton.
Books you recommend as regeneration when people say, “I’m bored by almost all contemporary American writers.”: I’d probably recommend Sharon Kay Penman or Stephen King, as I think genre fiction helps a lot. In all honesty, I can’t recommend any literary fiction here, because I usually prefer British authors myself. (I don’t know why; it just happens)
Book you can’t believe that everyone has not read and loved: Harry Potter, to be honest. I think they’re very charming and engaging, and even though they don’t have much literary value, Rowling knows how to tell a story. I guess I can believe it if you don’t like fantasy in general, but if you do, I really can’t. Maybe someone could tell me?
Book you are an “evangelist” for: Definitely The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. If you have not read it, go read it now. Seriously. I have coerced many, many friends into buying and reading this book.
Book you most want to read again for the first time: Same as my last answer – The Remains of the Day. I’d also love to read for the first time again The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, and most of the rest of my favorite books.
Books you wanted to begin again immediately after finishing them: Those last ones again. After finishing Guernsey, which I delayed because I loved it so much, I actually told my fiance that I just wanted to read the book over again. He said my TBR pile was too big to justify rereading a book I had just finished. *sigh* My voice of reason.
I think most people resist Harry Potter because of the hype, or because the whole idea of children’s lit puts them off. That’s why I held off reading them for so long, but once I dived in I was sorry I waited. They’re definitely not literature, but they’re so much fun! I think J.K. Rowling has a real talent for writing characters who speak to the reader, and her stories are completely addictive.
Oh, now you really make me want to read The Remains of the Day. I know it; I just haven’t had a chance to read it. I’ll have to add it to the “Read soon” list.
I love Edith Wharton too; Age of Innocence is incredible.
I see you listed Robin Hobb as one of your five favorite authors. I haven’t read enough of her stuff to claim I’m a huge fan, but the one book I did read, I really liked it: book one in the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice). I haven’t read the other two in that series, but I plan to go back and read them at some point. What is your favorite series by her?
Also, I saw you listed Guy Gavriel Kay. Which novels by him would you recommend I start with?
Haven’t read Remains of the Day (it’s on my TBR list), but I felt the same way about the Guernsey book – when I got to the end, I just wanted to go back and start all over again.
Can anyone ever really be faulted for faking finishing a Herman Melville novel – even a short one? I say no way!
I need to re-read The Remains of the Day. I read it after seeing the movie, but that was so long ago that I can’t even remember it.
Your reading habits are a lot like mine! I too enjoued Remains of the Day, though not, perhaps, as much as you. Also agreed with regards to Sharon Kay Penman–The Sunne in Splendour is one of my all-time favorite novels (which is why I’m looking forward to reading her new book, coming out this fall). Also agreed on Guernsey–there’s a review of it on my blog somewhere. Very good, heartwarming novel.
Now that I look back at some of the other comments, I couldn’t help but smile at Literate Housewife’s comment. I think I skipped over much of Moby Dick when I read it in school.