21:04

Books

Tango
Shamelessly lifted from Dolly's diary, though the translation at least is mine. As are the answers, obviously. :D



1. First book you read yourself:

Absolutely no idea. I should ask my parents. The first one I remember reading was "Зайчишка-Пушишка" ("Fluffy the Bunny"??). There was a very sad picture of a little bit of fluff from the bunny's tail left on fence, after he jumped over it. :D



2. First book you had read to you:

Fairy tales.



3. Most re-read book:

"Master and Margarita", closely followed by "Threshold" by Sara Douglass. But generally, I'm not a rereader, I prefer new stories.



4. Last book you read:

"Only Forward" by Michael Marshall Smith



5. Book that you had the hardest time finding:

A rather obscure biography of "The Beatles", when I was 10.



6. One you'd like to read or reread in the near future:

I keep meaning to reread Anne McCaffrey's "Crystal Singers" trilogy, but I doubt I'll get around to it. I've tried rereading it before and grown bored, but for some reason I keep trying. Maybe I just want to capture the feel of reading it for the first time.



7. One that touched you most deeply:

Not exactly a book, but... Andersen's "The Little Mermaid".



8. One for which you'd pay any price:

Umm... Maybe I'm cheap, but I can't think of any book worth all my life's savings. :D



9. Least favourite book:

Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" and its sequels. Bleeeeech.



10. A book you'd never read:

Why not? Never is a long time. :D



11. One that gave you the most food for thought:

"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I think I may have possibly composed half a PhD thesis on why I don't agree with 70% of what she advocates, along with why I think her writing style is one of the finest I have ever encountered. Any book that can make the reader do this must be very good indeed.



12. A book you read before you were ready for it:

Can't think of one.



13. A book which had the greatest influence on how you see yourself and the world:

Non-fiction: Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World". A brilliant and impassioned argument for scientific thought.



14. A book to which you would like to compose a soundtrack:

I'm not really a soundtrack person -- I'd find it easier to compose a story to go with music. :D But... I suppose Robin Hobb's "Farseer" trilogy.



15. A book where you'd like to be one of the characters:

I'd rather be myself.



16. A book you would like to discuss with the author, if you could

The only time I've actually really wanted to do this was after I first read "Threshold" -- and luckily for me, the author was quite happy to discuss it (long live the internet).



17. A story where you wish you could interfere and change what happens:

Can't think of one. I'm a passive reader, I don't like to get involved. :D If the author is good, they will make me feel that everything happens exactly as it should, even if it is painful.



18. Book that most closely resembles your own life:

Definitely not a book, but there is a great parody of "Lord of the Rings" from the point of view of a PhD student. Oh how true it is... You can read it here.



19. The book that made you laugh the most:

Anything by Terry Pratchett.



20. The book that made you cry the most:

"Here Comes The Messiah..." by Dina Rubina. Not because it's depressing, but just to release the buildup of emotion. I cried for two hours solid after I finished it.



21. One you would never part with:

"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.



22. One that contains your favourite quote or phrase:

See above, the phrase being "You are always responsible for those you have tamed."



23. A book you no longer like:

Since I don't tend to re-read books, they rarely reach this point for me -- though I'm quite sure that I would no longer like many of the books I enjoyed as a kid. I'd hazard a guess and say "Uncle Tom's Cabin".



24. A book you may one day grow to appreciate:

Hugo's "Les Miserables". After a promising first half, the second deteriorated rapidly into mind-numbing boredom. But maybe, one day... :D



25. A book that gives you a sense of hope and joy:

This is really difficult, because first of all this really depends on my mood, and secondly, I don't reread books. Actually the only thing I can think of that fits this question perfectly is Nancy Lorenz's "The Band" -- a fanfiction uber (set in modern times) that gives Xena and Ares (along with a few others) a new life. I'd say it qualifies here, seeing as it's the size of a good novel.



26. The book you found most difficult to read:

Nabokov's "Lolita", because inhabiting the mind of the protagonist is a profoundly disturbing experience.



27. A book you would be prepared to learn by heart:

Pushkin's "Ruslan And Lyudmila". Actually, I did know it off by heart many years ago -- now I only remember chunks.



28. The book you would save if all others were burned:

"Farenheit 451"



29. A book that reminds you of your childhood

"Конек-Горбунок" ("The Little Humpback Horse";). Especially with the old colour illustrations! :)









Tango

Комментарии
14.04.2004 в 23:15

Всему свое зелье
"Зайчишка-Пушишка"... а я ведь помню это чудо природы...)))) моя матушка до сих пор содрогается при воспоминании о его пушистых лапках... и тексте)))))



A propos Les Miserables. I've noticed that you either swallow this kind of books as a child or find them extremely boring as an adult. I guess Dumas is (alas!) also such a case - concidering the answers of several other people. An interesting phenomenon - if not my individual trait. ))
15.04.2004 в 05:03

Tango
Re "Les Miserables" -- I found the second half extremely boring as a child (well, I was 15). Haven't tried it as an adult. Maybe one day... :D Actually the whole first part, before Marius comes on the scene, was great. Maybe this should've been the answer for the book where I wish I could enter the story and change things: Fantine's story.



And listen, there's nothing wrong with the odd fluffy bunny story when you're 2. :D



Tango
15.04.2004 в 12:04

Всему свое зелье
:-D

well amybe even 15 is too old for the stuff. Because one has to be really undemanding. Ok, some kids lack concentration on any stage, yet others - like I used to be - are ready to devour patiently everything that gets into their hands and smells like a book. But their critical apparatus is still absolutely undevelopped - they cannot just say: Now, at this point the narrative loses tension, so I'd better stop. It's like constant unconscious suspension of boredom.
15.04.2004 в 12:45

Tango
Good point.