Hmmm. Let's see . . . An address book doesn't count, does it? Okay, let's try this one:
Coffee? he asked.
- The Inhabited World by David Long
Here is another fun one that several of you have already taken part in. Lisa Jean's responses at Practicing Stillness finally convinced me to give it a try.
A book that made you cry: A better question would be which books do not make me cry. I am really not an overly emotional person, but books, movies, TV, songs and the occasional commercial can bring tears to my eyes. A book doesn't have to be sad to cause my eyes to tear up either. Happy endings will do the trick too. The last book that made me cry was Atonement by Ian McEwan (which was the last book I completed).
A book that scared you: Darkfall by Dean Koontz
A book that made you laugh: I can always count of the latest Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich to make me laugh.
A book that disgusted you: Although I ended up liking the book in the end, I had a love-hate realtionship with the book, Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson. One scene in particular almost had me throwing the book at the wall. This book is the one in which I discovered I do not have to like a main character to enjoy the book.
A book you loved in elementary school: It's a toss between Harry Cat's Pet Puppy by George Selden and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.
A book you loved in junior high: Another tie! The Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green and Farwell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston were two of my favorites.
A book you loved in high school: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I loved most of the assigned reading in school and those books turned out to be the most memorable for me. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was another. The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter was a favorite of mine during my early high school years, one of which I re-read, something I rarely do.
A book you hated in high school: I know this won't be a popular answer, but I was really turned off by Shakespeare during high school and have never developed a taste for his work.
A book you loved in college: Crime and Punishment by Fyoder M. Dostoevsky (and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which was a re-read for me in college).
A book that challenged your identity: I have not yet read a book that has challenged my identity. I have read many books that have given me pause for thought and made me re-evaluate my way of thinking, but nothing that outright made me question who I was. A book that shaped my career choice was One Child by Torey Hayden, but it was more like a reinforcement of a direction I was already headed than a challenge against what I believed or wanted to be.
A series that you love: I am a series fanatic. I am in the middle of so many and there are many more that I have yet to start to I want to try. At the moment, my favorite would have to be The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher although Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhoune series comes in at a close second. Oh! And I can't leave out J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
Comfort books: Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books are great comfort reads. The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith is another.
Your favorite horror book: The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Your favorite science fiction book: Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein (Heinlein is one of my husband's favorite authors and it was through him I spread my wings and began reading science fiction).
Your favorite fantasy book: Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Your favorite mystery book: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie comes to mind immediately, but I am a huge mystery fan and have to say that Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, J.A. Jance, P.D. James, and Anne Perry are among my all-time favorite mystery writers.
Your favorite graphic novel: Alias by Brian Michael Bendis. And no, not the Sidney Bristow Alias. This graphic novel is about a fallen superhero who is working as a private eye.
Your favorite biography: This is a tough one for me because I do not read biographies very often. The occasional memior, yes, but I don't consider those biographies. The last biography I read was for a school paper many years ago and was about Nancy Reagan. I couldn't for the life of me tell you who wrote it or what it was called.
Your favorite “coming-of-age” book: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Your favorite classic: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Your favorite romance book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favorite kids’ books: The Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish
Favorite cookbook: Do take out menus count? My favorite cookbook is whichever one my husband might be using at the time.
Your favorite books not on this list: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Hey there Wendy!! I had many plans to actually let you know you've been tagged by posting it to you!! But life kind of got away from me the last few days!! So SORRY!
ReplyDeleteI love the favorite meme. I have hopes of adding it to my blog in the next day or two. I just posted a book review and have one more to do before I get to it though!
Wow, that quote from 'The Inhabited World' doesn't really do it justice.
ReplyDeleteYour favorites are quite a bit more cerebral than mine, but you've got some good choices. I've noticed that even people who don't care for mysteries (like me) seem to enjoy Kinsey Milhone.
Oh, Amelia Bedelia, that takes me back! I used to love those books.
ReplyDeleteI didn't care for Shakespeare either in high school (and still don't). Although I do love (and own) the 1960's film version of Romeo and Juliet (with Olivia Hussey).
ReplyDeleteI love when people do this meme because it opens up so many books for me to add to my lists! I haven't done this one yet though because I'm not sure I can pin down favorites in all these catagories.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan of Shakespeare either.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre is on your list 3 times. Hurray for Jane!
You reminded me of books I loved and forgot. To Kill a Mockingbird should be on every list I ever do and it has been so long since I read the Heinlein book, Time Enough for Love, that I had this rush of pleasure when I read the title.
ReplyDeleteHello. Two great meme's there. I am going to have a go at the first.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments about Thomas Covenant. I have similar issues and after two tries have not got through the first book. I intend to try again.
You had some great categories that I didn't see on other memes - favorite cookbooks. I may have to go back and add that to my list. Great list.
ReplyDeleteThe Witching Hour! I loved that series.
ReplyDeleteThat Page 161 sentence doesn't really draw you into the book, does it? Lol.
I loved The Witching Hour too. The whole series, actually. Why did I not think of it when answering? Anne Rice was my favourite author when I was a teenager, and although I became disenchanted with her, some of her books will always be very special for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge "Mists of Avalon" fan as well!
Great answers!
Stephanie - Good morning (almost afternoon, wow! Where does the time go?). I saw the tag on your blog and that was enough notice for me! LOL
ReplyDeleteKookie - You don't like the quote? :-) It's not very revealing is it? I like it because it's short and sweet. The Inhabited World is up next on my reading list once I finish my current book. I'm looking forward to it.
LK - I was a huge fan of Amelia Bedelia.
Daphne - It's nice to know I'm not the only person who doesn't care for Shakespeare. I had a huge crush of Mel Gibson back when his version of Hamlet was released and I enjoyed that. I do agree with you, the 1960's Romeo and Juliet is a wonderful film.
Nikki - It is hard to pin down favorites and I'm certain my answers would be different if I'm asked a year from now. It sure was fun though. I hope you will give it a try.
Chris - There are three of us now! Jane Eyre is an all-time favorite of mine.
Lisa Jean - I'm finding that with everyone's lists too, that I'm being reminded of books I've forgotten but really enjoyed. Yes, To Kill A Mockingbird is an amazing book. A must read one, I think.
Dancin' Fool - I'm glad you decided to do the first meme. Your quote was much more entertaining than mine!
So I wasn't the only one who took issue with Thomas Covenant. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in that. I eventually plan to try the next book in the trilogy, but I haven't felt motivated to do that just yet.
Raidergirl3 - Thanks. The cookbooks one was on the meme I copied. I didn't really notice until I started reading through more of the lists that it wasn't on the original. :-) Or maybe it was and someone took it out?
Carrie K - The Witching Hour is a great series. :-)
And yes, that sentence from page 161 is kind of bland. I kind of like it though--it's short and to the point. It doesn't tell you a thing though, does it? Or give you a taste of what to expect.
Nymeth - Another Witching Hour fan! I enjoyed all the books in that line too. I am working my way through the vampire books slowly. I like Anne Rice's attention to detail and especially the history she puts into her stories.
The Mists of Avalon is one of the best books out there. I'm not biased or anything. I love the story, the writing, the characters . . . And I usually don't care for Arthurian tales.