Tagged by The Choff today, here goes:
1. What is a book that changed your life?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude. The book that inspired me to shed my years of self-imposed scientific and nonfiction reading habits and escorted me firmly back to the glorious and untidy meandering path that leads to the other side of LIFE again. Beautiful book.
2. What is a book you've read more than once?
Oy, trashy novel alert. Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. My friend and lab partner in high school senior chemistry was always reading this book -- when I say always I mean always. All semester long he just kept re-reading it. I asked him about it, and he went out and bought me a copy.
I took Art History my first semester in college, and was fascinated by the move from basilica to romanesque to gothic cathedrals. I also began this book mid-fascination. Class struggles, intrigue, murder, betrayal and lies of the most foul imaginable, art appreciation, damsels in distress, damsels kicking ass, knights, witches, wicked priests, and revenge, yo -- you cannot go wrong. Plus I retained all my knowledge about gothic architecture from salivating over this book all semester long. Historical romance at its very best.
That long-ago chemistry partner is now a mason. Fancy that.
3. What is a book you'd want with you on a desert island?
SAS Survival Handbook.
Hey, there might be a nuclear war on my desert island!
4. What is a book that made you giddy?
Rikki Ducornet's The Stain. Gorgeous storytelling -- a bawdy, fantastical, black fairy tale. The best description of the players in this book has to be, "sadistic nuns, scatology, butchered animals, monkish rapists, and Satan." And amongst all this mayhem is our heroine, Charlotte, condemned to deal with this woeful cast of characters simply because she has a furry birthmark in the shape of a rabbit.
Runner-up: Nina Fitzpatrick's The Loves of Faustyna. A cloud in the shape of buttocks appears over the city of Krakow, and everyone believes the world is coming to an end. Enchanting, hilarious, yet dark story of Faustyna's navigation of her lovelife and Communist politics in Poland.
5. What is a book that made you sad?
Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking. I cried so often while reading this book, and actually had to put it down many times because I became nauseated with grief. What we as humans are capable of doing to each other is sometimes beyond comprehension, but Ms. Chang reveals it in all of its tragic reality. I was deeply saddened but strangely not shocked when I found out Ms. Chang had committed suicide. I hope she finally found peace.
6. What is a book you wish had been written?
The History and Timeline of the Fossilized Remains of the Combustible Engine.
7. What is a book you wish had never been written?
The Da Vinci Code. Damn you Dan Brown! Daaaaammmmnnnnnn yoooouuuuuuuuu!
8. What is a book you're currently reading?
James Meek's The People's Act of Love. I was out the chute with this when it first came out, and then I put it down for ages and just picked it up again. Like the best Russian novels, only written by a Brit -- bleak, desolate, sardonic, but with a glimmer of beauty that makes the cold core seem almost inviting. The last battle of the Hussars will bring you to your knees.
9. What is one book you've been meaning to read?
Georges Bernanos' Mouchette. And of course my annual attempt at Franz Kafka's The Castle.
10. Now tag five bloggers.
Oh man, do I even know 5 bloggers? Do 5 bloggers even read my ramble?
Alright, don't hate me, y'all, share with me which books shaped you: Bunny, The Casual-T, Bradly, Andrea (girl, you can throw some Bowie in there somewhere), and just because I am crazy that way (and I need a 5th blogger, even though his "news" isn't really a blog -- c'mon, gimme a break here!), David J.
Yes, if you can believe it, I would love it if David, (like you, my 4 other sweet bloggerati), read my blog. And yes, I recognize there is infinitely more chance in hell that the bots at The Hype Machine read my mp3-less blog and post their answers in Esperanto, but whatever. A fangirl can dare to dream. As Ruby Rhod says...dzzzzz-zzzzt!
1. What is a book that changed your life?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude. The book that inspired me to shed my years of self-imposed scientific and nonfiction reading habits and escorted me firmly back to the glorious and untidy meandering path that leads to the other side of LIFE again. Beautiful book.
2. What is a book you've read more than once?
Oy, trashy novel alert. Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. My friend and lab partner in high school senior chemistry was always reading this book -- when I say always I mean always. All semester long he just kept re-reading it. I asked him about it, and he went out and bought me a copy.
I took Art History my first semester in college, and was fascinated by the move from basilica to romanesque to gothic cathedrals. I also began this book mid-fascination. Class struggles, intrigue, murder, betrayal and lies of the most foul imaginable, art appreciation, damsels in distress, damsels kicking ass, knights, witches, wicked priests, and revenge, yo -- you cannot go wrong. Plus I retained all my knowledge about gothic architecture from salivating over this book all semester long. Historical romance at its very best.
That long-ago chemistry partner is now a mason. Fancy that.
3. What is a book you'd want with you on a desert island?
SAS Survival Handbook.
Hey, there might be a nuclear war on my desert island!
4. What is a book that made you giddy?
Rikki Ducornet's The Stain. Gorgeous storytelling -- a bawdy, fantastical, black fairy tale. The best description of the players in this book has to be, "sadistic nuns, scatology, butchered animals, monkish rapists, and Satan." And amongst all this mayhem is our heroine, Charlotte, condemned to deal with this woeful cast of characters simply because she has a furry birthmark in the shape of a rabbit.
Runner-up: Nina Fitzpatrick's The Loves of Faustyna. A cloud in the shape of buttocks appears over the city of Krakow, and everyone believes the world is coming to an end. Enchanting, hilarious, yet dark story of Faustyna's navigation of her lovelife and Communist politics in Poland.
5. What is a book that made you sad?
Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking. I cried so often while reading this book, and actually had to put it down many times because I became nauseated with grief. What we as humans are capable of doing to each other is sometimes beyond comprehension, but Ms. Chang reveals it in all of its tragic reality. I was deeply saddened but strangely not shocked when I found out Ms. Chang had committed suicide. I hope she finally found peace.
6. What is a book you wish had been written?
The History and Timeline of the Fossilized Remains of the Combustible Engine.
7. What is a book you wish had never been written?
The Da Vinci Code. Damn you Dan Brown! Daaaaammmmnnnnnn yoooouuuuuuuuu!
8. What is a book you're currently reading?
James Meek's The People's Act of Love. I was out the chute with this when it first came out, and then I put it down for ages and just picked it up again. Like the best Russian novels, only written by a Brit -- bleak, desolate, sardonic, but with a glimmer of beauty that makes the cold core seem almost inviting. The last battle of the Hussars will bring you to your knees.
9. What is one book you've been meaning to read?
Georges Bernanos' Mouchette. And of course my annual attempt at Franz Kafka's The Castle.
10. Now tag five bloggers.
Oh man, do I even know 5 bloggers? Do 5 bloggers even read my ramble?
Alright, don't hate me, y'all, share with me which books shaped you: Bunny, The Casual-T, Bradly, Andrea (girl, you can throw some Bowie in there somewhere), and just because I am crazy that way (and I need a 5th blogger, even though his "news" isn't really a blog -- c'mon, gimme a break here!), David J.
Yes, if you can believe it, I would love it if David, (like you, my 4 other sweet bloggerati), read my blog. And yes, I recognize there is infinitely more chance in hell that the bots at The Hype Machine read my mp3-less blog and post their answers in Esperanto, but whatever. A fangirl can dare to dream. As Ruby Rhod says...dzzzzz-zzzzt!
posted by Ammie at 6:27 PM
3 Comments:
Wow, A-Chan, you are such a incredible writer! I'm gonna have to be up to the challenge before I respond to your tagging...it's alomst 3:30 in the AY-EM now, so I'll have to get back to ya.
Hey, Monkey: Aishteru!
awwww, you have such a beautiful style of writing!! I'm going to think a lot, then write my answers to these questions ;P
and I was damn sure that you were going to include J!! :D
hi monkey,
I've made my list, and might stick to it. Rather than clog up your comments though, you can just go here.
Post a Comment
<< Home