Monday, April 04, 2005

Book Meme

Thank goodness - just when I know I've run out of anything to blog about, Make Tea Not War invites me to complete this book meme.

1) You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451 which book do you want to be?

It doesn't matter which book it is, as long as it's not one of the books which goes on the bonfire. And from the movie, I'm pretty sure most books went on the bonfire except maybe The Bible.

2) Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

I really can't think of a fictional character I've had a crush on, and I'm really really sad about it.

3) The last book you bought is?

Q and A by Vikas Swarup. It was great; my comments are posted here.

4) The last book you finished?

Do Androids dream of electric sheep? by Philip K. Dick, on which of course the film Blade Runner is based. It’s a little more cerebral than the film, and doesn't have any of the right-wing, anti-feminist feeling I've detected in his other stories.

5) What are you currently reading?

(i)The Gameplayers of Titan by Philip K. Dick, which is interesting but probably the last Dick novel I will get from the library

(ii)The New Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer, a classic history of magic and superstition from the early twentieth century; initial comments posted here.

(iii)Up the Duff by Kaz Cooke, loaned to me by my sister-out-law. It’s a hilarious, yet helpful, week-by-week account of what to expect now that I’m expecting. Needless to say I'm skipping over the bits about actually giving birth.

6) Five books you would take to a deserted island?

(i) and (ii)A couple of Buffy books – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy, 'cos it combines two favourite topics and Fighting the Forces: What’s at stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a collection of media studies-type analyses of the themes in this divinely wonderful series.

(iii)A survival guide of some sort, but probably not The Zombie Survival Guide

(iv) The madness of a seduced woman by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer, because it's a good read. Also, it's the kind of book which makes me angry at men; when I'm in that kind of mood, a deserted island might be the best place for me.

(v) One of Bill Bryson's books on origins of words, either Made in America or Mother tongue. He's a funny writer, and the subject is one I'm really interested in.

7) Who are you going to pass this stick to? 3 persons and why?
Anyone who wants to do this meme, can.

8 comments:

Frally said...

Oooh, those Buffy books sound interesting. I might have to hunt them down.

Amanda said...

Up the Duff is great. It was pretty much my pregnancy Bible when I was pregnant.

Kid Wrangling which is the Kaz Cooke follow up about what to do once the baby is born isn't nearly as good.

Violet said...

Frally: I bought mine through Amazon, but I did see them at Dymocks for a short while.

Make Tea: Thanks for the heads-up on the Kaz Cooke's sequel. Perhaps I'll try The Baby Whisperer (I think that's what it's called).

portuguesa nova said...

I just discovered Bill Bryson myself and really love his books.

Violet said...

EB: I don't know why you deleted your comments, but luckily they still ended up in my email inbox. So, if Baby Whisperer wasn't all that - got one you do recommend?

Portuguesa nova: Bill's my favourite humour writer, although P.J.O'Rourke is pretty good too if you can handle his Republicanism.

Amanda said...

Discussing parenting books and theories can get extremely fraught. I found it quite eye opening to read the reviews of different parenting books on Amazon. But I'll go out on a limb and say I found some stuff from the Baby Whisperer helpful. I also used the Contented Little Baby for some things though, be warned, the tone is a tad off putting (Gina Ford, the author is known as the NAzi Nanny in some circles).

I don't have the Baby Whisperer but I can lend you the Contented Little Baby book and also a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child which I found quite worth reading, if you are interested.

flying kiwi said...

I've even read Kaz Cooke's Up the Duff, and I've never even been up the duff.

Violet said...

Make Tea: Ooh...that would be great. Just the thing to distract me from reading about childbirth and all the things that can go wrong...

Flying Kiwi: It must be a sign of a good book if you found it interesting even if it wasn't relevant to you. Or perhaps you read it while a friend was pregnant and you wanted to know what she was going through?