A Bookish List Post That May Just Reveal as Much About Me as You Will Ever Care to Know!

 

Disclaimer: should you make any purchases through links in this blog, I may earn a commission from the seller, but that has no impact on the cost to you as the consumer, and it definitely does not influence the content of this blog.

What's that? You want to know me a little better through some of my book choices? Well, you've come to the right place then! I am taking the prompts in this list post from some typical book challenge suggestions. 

All right, here we go!

Favourite book in a series - Had to think for a moment about this one, but I think I will go with The Wench is Dead by Colin Dexter. In 1989, from a hospital bed, as he recovers from a perforated ulcer, Chief Inspector Morse turns over the case of Joanna Franks, an historic case from 1859. I have a soft spot for Morse, and this story is the one that's stuck in my mind from the series of Dexter's novels starring the Oxford sleuth.

Favourite book by my favourite writer - I am not sure that I have a favourite writer. I tend to get excited about whichever great writer I last discovered. But, in the interests of not copping out (of a question that I asked myself), let's go with The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. You may find it hard to believe, but I read my first book by Ishiguro this year, though a few of his books have been on my shelves for a while. I have read a couple since, but this book (which I wrote about here) is my favourite so far.

A book I did not finish - The first book that comes to mind is Ulysses by James Joyce. I remember taking it home from the local library and trying to read it - this was when I was in my late teens or early twenties - but not being able to get into it at all. It was very different from anything I had read before. I seem to remember telling someone that I thought it was a book that was written to be studied rather than read. But perhaps, now that I have matured as a person and as a reader, I could return to this book some time and enjoy it.

A book I remember from childhood - There are a few that pop into my mind. But, I am going to go with Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne, published by Methuen, and with black and white illustrations by E. H. Shepherd. I have a copy of that book on my shelves now. Not the copy I had from my childhood, I am not sure where that is, but I had such fond memories that I had to get another copy for myself thirty or so years later.

Favourite classic novel - I developed a liking for Dickens quite early in my reading life. And, it's a toss up therefore between Great Expectations and David Copperfield. And, I think I am going to go for the latter. Both these novels have the usual mix of colourful and memorable Dickens characters, and comedy, and both are examples of Dickens at his best, in my opinion. My siding with Copperfield is purely the way I feel inclined right now. Ask me again tomorrow and I might tell you that it's something else entirely.

A book that broke my heart - Can I opt for another Ishiguro novel? The Buried Giant? I am thinking of the ending here in particular - which I won't be so cruel as to give away - which I found poignant. A beautiful exploration of married love, both the good and the light of that love, I wrote more in depth about this novel here, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Series everyone should read - What do I know about what you should be reading?! I don't. I can't tell you that you have to read such and such. But, I can make a recommendation, and my recommendation for a book series would probably be either the Poirot or the Miss Marple novels by Agatha Christie. I read these a lot when I was younger. And, I still have a lot of time for Christie's crime novels. Today, her stories would be called "cosy crime"; and so, I recommend settling in with a cup/glass of something nice, in your favourite chair, and starting out on one (or both) of these series.

Favourite book to give as a gift - Well, ideally, you'll be giving a book that the recipient will either enjoy or find useful, right? I mean, otherwise you're just buying a gift for yourself and giving it someone else, no? However, the book that immediately came to mind when I saw this prompt was The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I don't know why. I have my own copy, its been read more than once, and I was my own kind of mixed up adolescent, so maybe all that has something to do with it. But, as I say, it was just my immediate response.

A book that made you cry happy tears - I am stumped. I don't think there is a book that has made me cry happy tears. There are books that I have closed with a sigh; a sigh of relief, and a sigh of mourning. As I turn and look at my shelves, one novel stands out for me in response to this one - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. This is a novel that explores themes of loneliness, loss, mental health, and friendship in a beautifully well-crafted manner. It isn't maudlin, as you might expect, given the list of themes I have just presented you with, but is warm and funny. But, yes, also there are parts that will touch on something raw, because it's honest too.

A literary character you want to have drinks with - Of course, Alan Karlsson (The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, and The Accidental Further Adventures of the One Hundred Year Old Man)! You'd never know where you were going to end up in the company of this laid back character. And, yes, sure, you may even end up dead, but you'd have an adventure on the way!

A popular book you haven't read - Never have I read anything in the Twilight series, nor the Fifty Shades of Grey series. Never read any of the Harry Potter books, though some of those did make their way on to my shelves. Never read The Da Vinci Code, never read any Dan Brown. And, I have never read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Should I have?

A book with a colour in the title - Just going to go with a book plucked from my shelves here - Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley. This is Huxley's first full-length novel and is lighter and more comedic than much of his later work. Here we find the author casting his eyes over the wit and posturing of the 1920's. I have a lot of time for Huxley!

A fairytale retelling - The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I am unsure as to whether this could be called a retelling, but I think it is fair to say that this novel follows in a tradition of French literature, one that can be found in the French fairytale Beauty and the Beast (Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, 1740), of men with disfigurements falling in love with beautiful young women. However, unlike Beauty and the Beast, Quasimodo's appearance is no punishment for selfishness. Indeed, he is something of a pure and innocent character. As an aside, if you come to this book thinking it might be an easy read, it isn't. And, it's far darker than the Disney adaptation. You've been warned.

A book that makes you sad - I have been reading a book called Britain on the Couch by Oliver James. And, I don't agree with everything that he says in this book (which I may write about soon) but it has left me pondering as to whether or not I should get myself back onto the ol' antidepressants. I do have a tendency to feel kind of low energy and blah and sometimes I have been . . .bad. Like, quite bad. I am not that bad now. But, I do feel extremely listless. If I do a write up on this book, I might use it as an opportunity to talk more about my own history with anxiety, depression, and SSRI's (you've been warned), but for now I will just say that this book got me mulling over some stuff . . .

A book you have read more than once - Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry. I am, as are many, a big fan of Stephen Fry. The comedian, author, actor, documentary maker, and all round national bloody treasure is candid in this volume of his memoirs. He covers his early childhood, through to early adulthood. The book is well-written, and the reader feels as though Fry could be sitting next to them relaying the story of his early life, with the charm and warmth he is known for, in the comfort of a cosy armchair in a warmly lit room. He covers everything from struggles with mental health, school years, countryside life, and more. A read I would recommend, and not just to fans of this man, but anyone who likes a well written memoir.

A book with a person's name in the title - Let's go with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the title story of this compilation of short stories, Benjamin Button is born in 1860. However, he begins life as an old man and ages backwards, towards infancy. Fitzgerald wrote for and about the "Lost Generation", a generation in limbo between wars and about to find themselves in the midst of a Great Depression.

A book by an author no longer living - As someone who is fond of classics, it isn't too difficult to find books in this category on my shelves. But, I am going to go for Silas Marner by George Eliot. This is a very short book, at just over 150 pages, but it is one of the author's most admired works. It tells the story of Silas, the unjustly exiled handloom linen weaver and how he is restored to life. "George Eliot" was the pen name adopted by Mary Anne Evans when she began to write fiction in her thirties, and she is the author of other notable novels, including Mill on the Floss, and Middlemarch.

A book with an unreliable narrator - The first book that comes to mind here is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, another Agatha Christie novel. Indeed, another Poirot novel. I fear to get into this one too much, in case there are those of you that have not yet read this one, but some readers might be a little put out by just how unreliable this narrator is . . .

A book on sexuality - I am quite excited to read Can Everyone Please Calm Down? by Mae Martin, as it sits waiting for attention patiently on my "TBR" pile. Upon delivery, I couldn't resist flipping through the pages and I read a few snatches, and I came away thinking that this book would benefit pretty much every teenager, and their parents. If you have seen Martin's stand-up performances or her successful television show, Feel Good, you'll know she explores topics thoughtfully and intelligently. And, it looks as though that translates to this book! 

A book quote that you know by heart - From the poem, This be the Verse, by Philip Larkin:

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

They may not mean to, but they do.

They fill you with the faults they had

And add some extra just for you.

A book written by more than one author - For this one, I am choosing Icons of England which is edited by Bill Bryson and features contributions from many writers, including Julia Bradbury, Melvyn Bragg, Jo Brand, Sebastian Faulks, Trisha Goddard, Benjamin Zephaniah, and others. This collection was originally published in 2008, and sales went towards supporting the work of The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). Having grown up in a small countryside village, that's a cause that I can't help but admire.

A book with a villain in it that you love - Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I'm not talking about Sikes or Fagin here, but The Artful Dodger. Though a criminal character, and one who betrays the eponymous orphan boy of the novel, he is but a child. And, he shows himself to not be altogether devoid of heart and caring. Perhaps a child living on the streets of Victorian London is worthy of a little sympathy and caring for. Even if they are fictional.

A biography you'd recommend - I am a big fan of Nirvana. Kurt Cobain, guitar in hands, underwater, adorns the t-shirt I wear as I type out this list for you (and myself). And so, the biography I would recommend is Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R. Cross. I have a copy on my shelves that is more than a little worn and dog eared at this point. I would recommend the biography, and I would recommend the music. I am unapologetically grungey!

A book I haven't read but definitely plan to - The Good Teacher by Rachel Sargent. I don't what else to say except that I've heard good things. It's a whodunit murder mystery, and I am a sucker for a good one of those, so . . .

A book cover that you love - Not particularly fussy about book covers. But, I do really like the cover to Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones . . .

And, last but not least, the book I am reading at the moment - I am reading two books at the moment; The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred Year Old Man by Jonas Jonasson, and Britain on the Couch by Oliver James. Both of these I might talk about in more detail in future posts, so I won't go into them here. Otherwise, you won't come back!

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did, perhaps you would consider following/supporting me over at ko-fi, then I could afford to buy books and, you know, eat and stuff. All support is gratefully received and very much appreciated!

Thank you for reading, and see you again soon!