(no subject)

[slemslempike]

I started that Alphabet book meme months ago and never finished, and seeing other people do it re-inspired me. So here is a long and I'm afraid repetitive on my part meme about books.

Author you've read the most books by:
Like Jess, this must be Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. She wrote 58 Chalet School hardbacks, plus Rosalie/Mystery, plus the 7 La Rochelle books, the 5 Chudleigh Hold books, and 27 stand-alones. I have read all of them except The Little Marie-Jose, Elizabeth the Gallant, The Little Missus, and the 4 travel books. (I do actually own Quintette in Queensland, but have not yet read it.) So 83.

I'm not sure who else would have been in the running. there are plenty of authors where I'd read all their books, but that's not necessarily lots. Terry Pratchett, I suppose. Noel Streatfeild, I think - I've read 38 of her books, plus perhaps 4 or 5 of the Susan Scarlett books.

The internet tells me that of the 20 most prolific authors in Literary History (as of 1981), I've only read any by Enid Blyton (#5, 600 books), and L.T. Meade (#20, 258 books). I am now quite tempted to get hold of a book by Mary Faulkner to see what it's like. (I've never read Philip M. Parker, either, but I think I won't count him.)

Best sequel ever:

I don't know. Maybe A Suitable Girl will be? I'm finding it hard to separate sequels, because it seems a different question to things that are in series. And two of my favourite pairs of books (The Player's Boy/The Players and the Rebels, and The Maker's Mask/The Hawkwood War) were one book originally that got split for publication. I did like Bring Up the Bodies, but not as much as Wolf Hall. What other sequels have I read? I have no idea.

Currently Reading:

When I was first completing this meme: I started Tomorrow, When the War Began last night. I'd heard of it for ages, and then I saw John Marsden speak at the Book Festival and bought a signed copy in the bookshop tent. I'm enjoying it so far. I also have The Lost Time Cafe by Elizabeth Wilson in my bag, but I haven't actually opened that yet.

Now: I have just started A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively. It's an ebook borrowed from Edinburgh Libraries, and I still can't get over how great it is to be able to get library books while I'm all the way over here. I am a few pages in and finding Maria's conversations with objects delightful already. I am also in the middle of a reread of the Vorkosigan books. Just finished Memory and heading into Komarr.

Drink of choice while reading:

I don't really have specific set aside times for reading as much as I read whenever I am not also doing something with which is it not incompatible, so anything that can be drunk one-handed, and doesn't need refilling too often.

E-reader or physical book:

Then: Physical books. I don't own an e-reader. I used to have a kindle app on my phone, but then I lost my phone. I did like the app a lot, very useful for not running out of books accidentally. I don't really have anything against e-readers, except that I like to find my books in charity shops, which isn't easily replicated, and that when I go on holiday with people with e-readers I am unable to borrow their books once they're done.

Now: I have a NooK! I really like it. I got it for reasons of practicality, as I could not carry enough books out here for the year, and also what with the power situation it is very handy to have a book with a built in light. I had a conversation last night with some colleagues that was really obnoxious. They asked how I liked the Nook, I told them, and they said "oh, I just like having a shelf of books there", really? I hate paper books, obviously, and find no value whatever in a book as an object. Certainly my explanations of convenience mean that I plan to pile all books up and burn them. UGH. I mean, shelves of books are great. I cannot help but notice, however, that you have neither shelves nor more than three books here, so who is the sick man now, eh?

Fictional character you probably actually would have dated in high school:

I wouldn't have dated anyone in high school. I'm fairly sure they wouldn't have dated me either. At school I read a lot of Sweet Valley and Babysitters Club books, so dating at high school mostly conjures up images of Jessica Wakefield's many conquests. Man, Jessica Wakefield's life would have been awesome. (Until the books got weird. And when she got utterly shafted when they went to University.)

Glad you gave this book a chance:

I'm not sure what it means about giving books a chance - I'm usually happy to try most books. I suppose for books I might not have picked up on my own, at the moment, Shards of Honour. Also the Reacher books. But they came recommended, so it wasn't exactly going against what I wanted.

Hidden gem book:

Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith (Evadne Price). It is hands down the best book I've ever read about WW1, possibly about anything, and I cannot understand why it is not better known.

Important moment in your reading life:

I guess learning to read? I've been pretty lucky, with family and teachers who encouraged me to have access to books all the time and take out as many as I can, so I guess I don't have the memories of milestones of being more independent. Actually, an important moment was joining the Girlsown mailing list back in the late 90s, as it was the first time I'd had a large group of people to talk to about the books I liked. And then Chicklit, and then LJ.

Just finished:

Memory, in the reread. V. enjoyable.

Kinds of books you won't read:

I don't read the misery memoir books, mostly because I'm afraid I might really like them, and I think that it's not good for me to sort of perve on poverty/abuse that way. There are quite a few kinds of books I don't generally read, but very few I wouldn't pick up if they were available and I had free time.

Longest book you've read:

I don't really know - I assume it's A Suitable Boy, which frankly didn't feel nearly long enough when I was reading it. I can't think of any other single book that was as huge as that in my hands.

Major book hangover because of:

I don't know what a book hangover is.

Number of bookcases you own:

Then: 5 different bays of Ivar in the bookroom. 2 small built in ones in my flat, but there's only books on 2 shelves of those. I also own a small wooden bookcase that used to be in Alice's room in Lancaster, and is possibly still there in a tenant's room. I will reclaim it one day. One day I will have floor to ceiling built in shelves in the bookroom. At the moment there is simply not enough room.

Now: I still own these. The Ivar bookshelves are currently living in my parents' house.

One book you have read multiple times:

I read lots of books multiple times. The Antonia Forest books are probably the ones I reread the most.

Preferred place to read:

I like to read in bed. Most things are better done supine where possible I think. I like curling up under the duvet and propping my head up on pillows. I miss duvets.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read:

I can never remember quotes when I have to. They pop into my head occasionally, half-formed and then I mangle them and people look at me pityingly. Recently I told someone one from Lauren Berlant, which is something about ordinary people resenting having to have identities, whereas before it was only other people who had them. Oh, found it:
"["ordinary citizens"] sense that they now have identities, when it used to be just other people who had them." It's from The Queen of America Goes to Washington City.

Reading regret:

There are quite a few books I think I would have really adored when I was a teenager, and that I don't get as much out of now. Or, I suppose, I got different things out of which should be fine, but instead I have melancholia for what I might have had otherwise.

Series you've started but need to finish (all books are out in the series):

I think I've read to the end of all the series I've started. Well, Not So Quiet is one of three, I think, but the other two are very hard to find so it's unlikely I'll ever read them. I suppose I'm reading the Daisy Dalrymple books, but I haven't made the mental commitment to them that I am definitely reading the series. Oh, I guess the Jessica Darling books - there's a fifth one I will defintiely read at some point, and another Janie book by Caroline B Cooney that I haven't got yet.

Three of your all-time favorite books:

All of Antonia Forest - especially The Cricket Term, Falconer's Lure, Player's Boy.

I couldn't pick out specific boks, other than those mentioned here already, so I went through my pictures of books, and went for: Seraphina by Mary K Harris. The Fortunate Few by Tim Kennemore. The Exiles by Hilary McKay. Namedropper by Emma Forrest. Family Reunion by Caroline B Cooney. I realise that is not three.

Unapologetic fanboy for:

Lots of things. I suppose of the things people seem to think I need to apologise for it's Reacher.

Very excited for this release more than all the others:

I'm not sure. If A Suitable Girl ever comes out, then that will be very high on my excitementometer. New Reacher in September, yay, and the next book in Hilary Mantel's Cromwell series will be very welcome. Has Bujold said if she's planning another VOrkosigan book?

Worst bookish habit:

All my bookish habits are charming, how dare you.

X marks the spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Going by pictures of my books in situ in my flat before they were packed up, it's The Third Form at St Clare's, a fill-in by Pamela Cox. I remember little about the book, but I liked it enough to keep it, clearly. I have not yet read any of the Malory Towers ones she did, though I intend to do so at some point.

Your latest book purchase:

Then: I'm trying not to buy new books at the moment, but on Saturday I needed change for the bus so I went to the charity shop and found The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam, an author I only read in the last couple of years, and now really like.

Yesterday I bought the new Reacher short story, but can't read it until I get to the office and have some wifi as the Nook delivers by internet.

Zzzzz-snatcher book. Last book that kept you up way too late:

The (then) new Reacher. Eventually I had to concede that I needed sleep more than I needed to know what happened next right that second, but I was still very sleepy in the morning.

Comments

[oursin.livejournal.com]

That 'shelf of books' remark sounds awfully close to the 'books as interior design feature/marker of My Superior Cultural Tastes' motif.

(Also 'a' shelf? amateurs.)

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

That was my thought about "a" shelf too! I left it unvoiced. I think it was less about the interior design thing for them, to be fair, but still.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Are the Ivars sturdy? I've been thinking of getting some.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

The Ivars are GREAT. They're wood rather than plyboard, though that sort where it's in strips joined together rather than solid wood, and even through double stacking hardbacks on every shelf for a while, I have witnessed no bowing whatsoever on the standard 80cm shelves. The shelves lock into the struts pretty well, and the rest depends on your placement of the crossbraces. They may need fastening to the wall depending on the levelness of floorboards/carpet and the determination of your cats, but I wholeheartedly and rather aggressively recommend them.

[jinty]

I've read 39 Georgette Heyers (romance + historical but no whodunnits). Counting up the Pratchetts on his rather hard-to-read bibliography I make it 41, I think. I've only read 20 Streatfeilds! Must try harder.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I have read fewer Heyers than that - not even all the romance. I read one whodunnit and didn't much enjoy it. I think I make it 52 Pratchetts, but as you say it's hard to read and I may have overcounted by mistake.

I have read more of the Streatfeilds now that Greyladies are reprinting them, and I like her adult bokoks very much, though not enough to reread so far.

[listersgirl]

I have that same reading regret. I've read quite a few YA-ish books in the past 10 years that people have such deep emotional attachments to, and I just end up wishing I'd read them earlier, when I might have had the same reaction.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly! Lots of things I think would have been better for a teenage emotional response.