When I started blogging, shortly after the end of the Stone age, so called ”memes” were common. Perhaps they still are, but I haven’t really done any in a long while. Astrid reads a heck of a lot more than I do, but I was still inspired by her book meme, and thought I’d do this one too.
1 – The book you are reading at the moment
As mentioned before – I’m reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Funny thing is, the very day after my last post about the book, in which I was very sceptical and pretty much didn’t know how to get through the last 300 pages of it, I was sort of hooked again. The story is intertwined with a rather surreal here and now, and historical retrospects. The latter are usually the boring parts of a book, but in this case – it was one of the retrospects that got me back on the hook… So – now I’m reading it with a bit more energy again!
2 – Next book you will read or want to read.
I don’t really know – I still have Stephen King’s Dark Tower-series to go back to – but I have the next few books only in English, and I’m longing to read in Swedish for a while right now… I have a ton of Swedish books in my bookshelf, just waiting for my attention, so I have a lot to choose from. I recently bought one called Dramatiskt berättande by Mats Ödeen, which is a book on dramaturgy in storytelling. It’s very linguistically high-flown – in a non-flattering way – but I still want to get through it. Ödeen talks about stage-dramas, but I believe fictional writing (which is what I will be studying the next fall and spring) has much to learn from stage dramaturgy.
Or perhaps I will read Momo by Michael Ende. But then again – I’ve been told I should read that one in German, so I thought I should at least have the German version handy while reading it…
3 – Your favourite book.
Well, that would of course have to be a tie between several books – as I guess it is for most readers. It by Stephen King is actually one of my favourites, one that I have re-read several times already.
4 – Your most hated book.
The Magus by John Fowles. It’s one of those classics which is considered to be soooo fantastic – but it crept under my skin in a non-enjoyable way, and it stayed there. I still get the creeps when I think of it.
5 – A book you could read again and again.
As I mentioned before I’ve already read both It. But to mention a new title here I’d say The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. The latter part is my favourite – after Fantasia has been rescued and Bastian ”reinvents” it. Should be mandatory reading for all grown-ups.
6 – A book you have been able to read only once (whether you liked it or not).
Captain Corelli’s mandolin by Louis de Bernières. It’s a wonderful book, but there is something in the ending that touches very sore parts of my soul – and I couldn’t read it again. Although I’d recommend it to anyone!
7 – A book that reminds you of someone.
.
8 – A book that reminds you of somewhere.
The Magus is set in Greece but I read it on a beach in Italy – but Italy has the same warmth, ocean waves and mediterranean feel, so that’s what I connect the book with.
9 – First book you ever read.
I have no idea. I had so many books when I was little, and I was so little when I learned to read… I had one that I found recently and have read to my boys – it’s called Tiger in the teapot. Let’s just say that was the first one!
10 – A book by your favourite writer.
Stephen King is my favourite writer, although I’m not sure which book to mention specifically. I’ve already mentioned It, so I’ll say… Lisey’s story on this one. Remember? I read it last summer, not without struggle as it took a good 100 pages before the book had me hooked – and those 100 pages were a dreadful bore. But after that I read it with great joy – you who read know the feeling a book will give you, a sort of vibration, deep in the stomach area – and it’s rather stuck since then.
11 – A book you loved the first time you read it but you can’t stand now.
I will have to pass on this one actually. I think I have a rather good instinct for which books to re-read and which to just leave alone.
12 – A book you have been recommended by a friend or acquaintance.
The Bookthief by Markus Zusak is being mentioned here and there now, and all seem to love it. A friend of mine gave it to me, and it’s certainly on my to-read-list for as soon as possible. Perhaps that will be my upcoming Swedish reading?
13 – A book that makes you laugh.
For many years now I haven’t read much fiction, I realise. I haven’t read much at all, but what I have read has been non-fiction for the most part – not much to laugh about there, usually. So I’m going to the books that made me laugh when I was a child – the ”Dunder & Brak”-series by Hans-Eric Hellberg. I collected some of those books from used-book-stores a few years back – and I do think they will still make me laugh… I do have a silly sense of humour!
14 – A book from your childhood.
I’ve mentioned several already, and I thought I’d skip ranting about Astrid Lindgren this time. I do love her books, but they weren’t the only magic in my childhood bookshelf… There’s a childhood book that I look forward to reading again soon – A wrinke in time by Madeline L’Engle. I remember only very vaguely that I read the beginning of it, but don’t think I ever made it through – but the beginning of it has stuck with me through the years!
Oh – just found two books in my bookshelf that I have to mention here, for Swedish readers: Petter och den röda fågeln and Petter och de upproriska grisarna by Ulf Stark. I loved those books when I was little – for several reasons. They made me laugh, they made me cry, they made me think.
15 – The fourth book counting from the left in your shelf.
Der Spiegel im Spiegel by Michael Ende. Unread.
16 – The ninth book counting from the right in your shelf.
The Power of Less – Leo Babauta. Another gift from my sweet friend – however still unread. Vacation reading, perhaps?
17 – Close your eyes and pick up a random book from your shelf.
1000 artist journal pages by Dawn DeVries Sokol.
18 – The book with the prettiest cover you own.
I like my copy of The alchemist a lot. And Alice Sebolds ”Lovely bones”
19 – A book you have always wanted to read.
The Lord of the Rings-trilogy – but I can’t seem to get through it… *blush*
20 – The best book of all the compulsory readings you had to do at school.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
21 – The worst book of all the compulsory readings you had to do at school.
I’ve repressed it – some Nobel prize winning woman… *zzz*
22 – The book in your shelf with the higher number of pages.
Svea Rikes Lag – although that one’s not mine…! I would think ’It’ has the most pages, actually.
23 – The book in your shelf with the smaller number of pages.
I wish I could still say ”Jonathan Livingston Seagull” here – but at some point or another I must have lost that one. Maybe I gave it to someone? I don’t remember. Need to be replaced, though. Instead the thinnest book in my shelf is Den åttonde dvärgen by Annika Burholm. ”A book for writers in search of their stories”, which would definitely be me – but I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t even read it.
24 – A book no one would think you’ve read.
That would probably be one of my tarot-books. Perhaps the thick Meditation on the Tarot, which is a 700 pages ”journey into christian hermeticism”… Depicted here. (Although I have only read parts of it, to be honest…! But it’s rather a meditative and reflective read…!)
25 – A book which main character defines you.
You know… I really wouldn’t know. You tell me…? 🙂
26 – A book you’d read to your kids.
I look forward to reading The Neverending story to them, hoping they’ll love it as much as I did/do! And before then, the Dunder & Brak-books, of course! 🙂
27 – A book which main character fits your “ideal”.
I don’t know. Perhaps I haven’t read enough lately to really identify with book characters… I shall have to get back to you on this one!
28 – Thank God they made a film from this book!
Lord of The Rings, since I’ll never get through the books!
29 – Why on Earth did they have to make a film from this book?
The Neverending Story – which is a wonderful book but a really lousy film.
