I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am a bookworm, but I haven’t really talked much about books and reading and writing here, because I had another blog where those kinds of things were talked about. This is going to change. I’m going to be integrating the bookish stuff here. Partly because I never update the other site anymore, and I think I’d keep up with it better if everything is in the same place (here). And I would really like to still talk about books and pass along titles of good reads as I find them, and I think you all would be receptive to that. So expect to start seeing book review type things pop up every now and again. I may even post some of my own writing from time to time (meaning poems and bits of stories, not just blog post writing – what? I didn’t tell you I do that?).
So, if you’re following through an RSS reader you may one day soon see a bunch of old-dated book reviews posts as I migrate some of them over here. Just a heads-up. If you’re not in an RSS reader, you likely won’t notice anything different until I post a new review. Which will probably be after the cruise (5 days away!!), schedule being what it is. My pickings are heavy on the fantasy/sci-fi side of things, with a healthy dose of historical fiction and contemporary fiction. I may occasionally throw in a non-fiction book or some poetry, just to mix things up. I won’t review every single book I read, because I read, on average, 2 books per week, but that leaves plenty to choose from. If you want the book-by-book play of my reading list, just find me on Goodreads.
I’m also taking part in a challenge called Fifty/Fifty, which is to read 50 new-to-me books and watch 50 new-to-me movies in 2012. Me being the story-devouring addict that I am, 50 didn’t seem like enough, so my goal is 75/75. I’ll be making a page to keep track of my choices for that challenge here as well.
In the spirit of all that bookish news, here’s a book survey meme that’s been making the rounds.
Favourite book cover:
Kushiel’s Chosen, by Jacqueline Carey
So much my favorite, that this was my Halloween costume two years ago. Witness:
What are you reading right now?
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clark
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
Yup, already got it from the library – Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey
What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got round to?
Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Atlas Shrugged (I’ve been 30 pages in for awhile, haven’t gotten any farther), the complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and The Great Gatsby.
What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?
In the living room we have Time magazine on the coffee table. And there’s a shelf that holds my Taste of Home cooking magazines nearby. That’s it. We’re not really magazine people.
What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?
I’m not sure. Usually if I find a book that horrible, I stop reading.
What book seemed really popular but you actually hated?
The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Every single character was a whiny prick. I can’t get into a book when there’s not even 1 likable character.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
What are your 3 favourite poems?
Shakespeare’s Sonnet #29 (here)
Retreating Wind by Louise Gluck (here)
The Twins by Rachel Hadas (here)
Where do you usually get your books?
The library, most often. Sometimes book swaps, occasionally I buy some from Amazon (used) or B&N.
Where do you usually read your books?
The couch in the living room.
When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?
Flashlight and book under the covers long after I was supposed to have gone to bed.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
The Hunger Games.
Have you ever “faked” reading a book?
Yes, usually for school classes when I just wasn’t interested in reading the whole thing. One that comes to mind: One Hundred Years of Solitude. I’m sorry, but this is just a mess of a book.
Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
Oh yes, plenty of times. I’m a designer; I’m hard-wired to be a visual person.
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
The Weaving of a Dream, or The Forgotten Door.
What book changed your life?
I’ve never liked this kind of question. It’s never been my experience to read a book and then wham! something in my life directly changed. Plenty of books have opened up new ways of thinking and new information, and I’m sure those eventually result in changes over a lifetime. But I think the influence of any one book is too subtle to directly point to a life-changing event and say ‘this book caused it.’
What is your favourite passage from a book?
Just one?! No idea. Impossible question.
Who are your top five favourite authors?
Jacqueline Carey
Robin Hobb
Jim Butcher
Steven Brust
Carol Berg
What book has no one heard about but should read?
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
What is your favourite book by a first-time author?
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?
Can I go with series instead? Hard to narrow down to one book
The Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey (book 1 : Kushiel’s Dart)
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (book 1: Storm Front)
The Farseer series by Robin Hobb (book 1: Assassin’s Apprentice)
What is your favourite classic book?
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.
5 other notable mentions?
Come back on June 5th when I’m hosting the Tuesday 10 with Lena; we’re doing Top 10 Recommended Reads. 
There was curry, movies, brunch with friends, clothes swapping, karaoke, screenprinting, puppy-walking, and time with Ian. All good things.
