Eva's Book Meme

Seeing as I have been tagged by Julia, Rhinoa and Aarti, I probably should answer this meme, created by Eva, which has been sweeping through the bookish blogs that I read!


Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

That would have to be Dorothy Dunnett's books. I have been intending to read them for a while now. In fact, it was one of my reading resolutions for last year, and I still didn't manage to start them. I have borrowed the first one, Game of Kings, a couple of times, but had to return them because I couldn't read them before it was due back. I am going to attempt to borrow, and READ, Game of Kings some time this year!

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Err - well, I think I would have a dinner party (because I am far too old for clubbing!) and start with Jamie Fraser from Outlander because I think that he would be a very entertaining guest. I guess if he insisted that Claire had to come that would be fine.

Another guest would be William Marshal from Elizabeth Chadwick's The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion - a man of honour and integrity - and given his history of participating in tourneys I am sure that he would have some great stories to tell!

And the third? John Thornton from North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, but only as portrayed by Richard Armitage - no real good reason other than for the eye candy factor!

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

It's tempting to say War and Peace, but as I am intending to try and read the new translation by Pevlear and Volokhonsky sooner rather than later, I would hate to be jinxing myself!

Come on, we've all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it?

I may have inferred that I read a book to an author, when I actually only got half way through! The sad thing is I really enjoyed the book, or what I read of it, and even bought the second one, at relatively great expense because it was coming from Canada. One day, I will finish it, I really will!

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to 'reread' it that you haven't? Which book?

I really can't think of one straight off.

You've been appointed Book Advisor to a VIP (who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why? (if you feel like you'd have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP)

It really does depend on the VIP. Is it a female who really needs to escape into another world away from their busy lives - maybe some Outlander. Is it someone who would like to challenge themselves - maybe Anna Karenina.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

I think I would go with Latin, simply because it is the basis for so many other languages, and presumably if I am fluent in Latin, it won't be that difficult to master some of the other languages myself!

Having said that, I always wanted to learn Japanese.

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

Hmmm.....maybe Anna Karenina, because I am sure that it is the type of book that you could get something different out of every time you read it!

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What's one bookish thing you 'discovered' from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

Before I started blogging, I would never have thought that I would read paranormal romances. Vampires and werewolves? Bah, not for me! Of course, that's changed and now I read them quite regularly.

Another change is that I read more fantasy now than I ever have before. Books like Anne Bishop's Black Jewels books for example, would be books that I never would have found because I just would never normally have gone near the Fantasy section of the bookstore. Now, I wouldn't say that I read it regularly, but I do read enough now and look forward to reading well written fantasy.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

My dream library is one where I have ever expanding bookshelves where I could keep all the books that I own and want to own! I am not all that fussed about leather bound, but certainly would love a library full of pristine trade paperbacks, and if some of them are signed by my favourite authors then all the better! At the moment, I am in desperate need of new bookshelves but I also have a problem in how I am going to fit them into my living room if I do buy more!

And the final portion of the assignment is to tag four others.

I tag:

Susan Higginbotham
Kelly from Loaded Questions
Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise
Kathrin from Crazy Cozy Murders


*And, for extra credit, if you leave a comment letting Eva know you've done the meme with a link to the post, she will give you some link love via a big list of who's participated. Additionally, if you link back to her original post, she will enter you in a drawing to win The House at Riverton. If you're an American, this is especially exciting since it isn't going to published until April. ;) To be in the drawing, you must have posted the meme (and commented) by February 5th, which is when she is holding the drawing.