24 November 2007

Isabelle's bookmeme

Hardcover or paperback, and why?
Paperback – they fit easier into my bag although admittedly this was only a consideration when I was working and needed a book to read during the commute to Canary Wharf. Cookbooks though should always be hardback.

If I were to own a book shop , I would call it….
I don’t want to own a bookshop. I just want people to give me books for free.

My favourite quote from a book (mention the title) is…
Every time a favourite quote question appears in a meme I forget my favourite quote. So this one will have to do “ The sky above the port was the color of television tuned to a dead channel” (Neuromancer, William Gibson).

The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be… Alexander McCall Smith.

If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SASsurvival guide, it would be…
It would have to be something that would survive rereading over and over so perhaps The Encyclopaedia Britannica in all x volumes. The sections not currently being read could be put to use as some sort of shelter.

I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…
would let me read a book while feeding the Count. I suppose growing an extra pair of arms would do the job but that seems like such hard work.

The smell of an old book reminds me of… the cupboard under the window in the spare room at my grandparents’ home. My grandmother had filled it with all sorts of old hardback children’s books and I spent entire weekends at my grandparents as a teenager reading for there was nought else to do there.

The most overestimated book of all times is… I have to go with Isabelle here and say Ulysees, White Teeth and all of DH Lawrence’s scribblings. I hate it when a book … is predictable. When I was recovering from an operation back in March 2006 I went through a bit of a Katie Fforde phase; after reading a few of her novels I realised that they were all the same – girl is single, girl runs into boy, boy and girl disagree on life, argue constantly but really are falling in love with each other……

If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), I would be…. Thursday Next in “The Eyre Affair”

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh I quite liked DH Lawrence simply because my mum thought it was inappropriate for a young lady to read, ie it had sex in it.

I was most disappointed when I had LMT that nature doesn't provide you with an extra arm or two when you have a baby, not least to hold a book or knit with but to do simple things like wipe away dribble.

Aunty Evil said...

Alexander McCall Smith has a way of writing that just doesn't do it for me. I bought 3 of the Typing School books, and couldn't get past the first chapter. I recently sold them in mint condition on ebay!! :)

meggie said...

An interesting meme.
Like you, I can never think of my favourite quotes when I need them.

molly said...

If I were going to a deserted island and could only take one book.......I wouldn't go!

Pam said...

Gosh, a post with my name on it! I'm honoured! I've never even heard of the character you'd like to be, or the relevant book. Must investigate.

Yes, having dinner with AMC would be ok - I've been at a lecture he gave and he seems a nice chap, though his writing doesn't do a huge amount for me.

I often used to read when feeding my babies, though I felt a bit guilty since they gazed at me meaningfully. I don't remember having an extra hand, but then one forgets so much at my age.

Stomper Girl said...

Thursday Next rocks. I don't mind a bit AMcCS but I'd prefer Nick Hornby for my lunch date

Nic said...

Oh yes, I would SO love to be Thursday Next...

Can I nick this meme for my blog? I really like this one.