| Product: |
Top Ten Non Fiction - General |
| Date: |
25/11/03 (162 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Question:
What is your favourite genre?
Answer:
Ooh it would have to be fiction thrillers. I really enjoy detective style novels having just read quite a few Ian Rankin's. I've also started enjoying a few fem-novels too including Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones books and anything from India Knight ? she?s fantastically funny!
I do also possess a good selection of travel guides! I buy one for every country I go to - or nearly go to in the case of Vietnam (trip postponed due to SARS lol) - so that in years to come I can have a whole bookcase full and be viewed as a great and wise traveller by all who visit my "library"!
I have a couple of travelogues as well - mainly by Tim Moore and Bill Bryson. They're hilariously funny and provide such a true reflection of the places they visit!
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Q:
Do you read the classics, i.e., the great authors of the 18th and 19th century?
A: Erm??.. well, I'd really like to at some point - mainly so I can come across as intellectual when I can quote from them and relate them to modern day life, but for the moment I'm sticking to the audio books. I read to rest and relax and I think I'd have to concentrate too hard on a classic. I've had Tom Brown's Schooldays on my bookshelves for years though!
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Q:
Are you interested in thrillers?
A:
I guess most of my latest reads fall into this category - are we including Kathy Reichs?
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Q:
What about horror stories?
A:
When I was younger I was quite hooked on the "Point Horror" series, since then I haven't got further than Stephen King. I really enjoy reading his books especially the ones that have been made into films as I like to compare them. I read "Dreamcatcher" just before they released the film. The book was fabulous
- based on aliens and mysteries of the unexplained shall we say - and to start with I didn't think it would be my cup of tea (I hate sci-fi as I will mention below). It turned out wonderfully and was superbly written as I have come to expect from King. At the time I wondered if they would ever make it into a film and how exactly they would do it. A few weeks later whilst walking past UCI with my other half I noticed a film version had just been released! The other half was duly dragged in but we were sorely disappointed. I was surprised as the film adaptations of King?s books have always quite impressed me in the past - with the possible exception of "Carrie". The film jumped about a lot and I don't think I would have really understood it had I not read the book before hand - I spent a lot of time providing my other half with extra background to everything that was happening on screen.
I haven't really sampled any other horror writers - probably because I tend to read what is already in the house - or head straight for the detective novels in a bookshop!
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Q:
Do you read science fiction?
A:
In a word NO! This is probably part down to ignorance and the fact I prefer to read books that can at least partly reflect everyday life - as in MY everyday life rather than the everyday life of a random person in the universe. Again I like to rest and relax whilst reading and I think sci-fi would get my brain ticking way too hard!
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Q:
How many Harry Potter books have you read?
A:
*hangs head in shame* Er - all of them. My mum bought me the first three to read whilst on holidays ? this was long after the original phenomenon when I had pretty much managed to ignore their existence. I have to say I was quite impressed. I found Rowling's writing to be different ? lively and childish yet with an adult twist. Perhaps I would be
wrong to compare it to the Simpson?s but I some how felt there would be parts of the book that would be overlooked by younger children. It is however pretty straightforward and easy to read so as "R" N "R" books I enjoyed them. The fourth book was much longer and instead of being fresh like the previous three the ideas dragged on slightly. The fifth just pushed my opinion of J.K.Rowling over the edge. By now I think she is just clutching at straws. She's obviously under a great amount of pressure to go that extra mile each time but instead of improving her writing style and introducing one or two new ideas she just plods on and adds extra pages of drivel. I thought she was really clutching at straws and in my eyes she has lost any credibility she once had. I shall probably end up reading the sixth - it will no doubt be bought for me by some member of my family - but mainly out of curiosity to see if she can relight the glory of her earlier works.
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Q:
Have you ever read and enjoyed biographies or autobiographies?
A:
I have never really been interested in reading biographies but a good friend lent me that of Kurt Cobain - Heavier Than Heaven - knowing I was a fan. It was brilliant ? the complete opposite of what I'd expected. I'd always thought if I read a biography I would be interested but that I would be forced to push myself along for the sake of reading it. With Kurt's I actively wanted to turn the page - to find out what happened next in his tormented life. It was well written and objective and has encouraged me to consider further biographies in the future.
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Q:
Do you remember any of the books you read and loved as a child?
A:
Oh yes I have a much loved collection of Enid Blyton's - doesn't everyone! I never got into the famous five but always enjoyed "The Secret..." adventures and th
e Mallory Towers tales (mainly because they played lacrosse! In my eyes Enid is still on of the best children's authors to have ever lived - along with Roald Dahl of course. I have many of his books and was devastated when he died. I still love reading "Boy" over and over again. (Can I class that as an autobiography lol)
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Q:
Have you reread these books as a grown-up?
A:
Some of them actually - mainly those by Roald Dahl. I re-read them out of curiosity because I found I'd forgotten some of the small details and wanted to re-live their glory.
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Q:
Is there a book of which you can say it has influenced you?
A:
Erm, sadly I haven?t been particularly influenced by any particular books. I?m more the type to absorb them and use their detail in life. I guess India Knight's "My Life On A Plate" (terribly cruel yet witty) influenced me to use "-" when writing to insert sub-thoughts!
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Q:
Which are your favourite authors?
A:
Ooh: -
India Knight
John Grisham
Stephen King
Roald Dahl
Enid Blyton
Ian Rankin
Kathy Reichs
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Q:
Which book would you take with you on a desert island?
A:
It would actually be "Boy" by Roald Dahl. I enjoyed it as a child and am still enjoying it now. It never ceases to make me cringe and laugh twice on the same page!
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Q:
What is your attitude towards translations?
A:
I haven't actually read many translations. From my experience they tend to lose something half way.
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Q:
Do you buy your books/get them from the library/borrow them from friends/steal the
m?
A:
Whilst at college the library was across the road so I used to get all my books from there. Beforehand I read all the books my parents and brother had. Nowadays I tend to scour Amazon for a
good read. However, I buy most of my books at airport bookshops where I always seem to develop this unnerving urge to read anything and everything!
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Q:
When you buy books, do you prefer hardcover editions or pocket books?
A:
Paperbacks! I REALLY hate those dust cover things that have an unnerving habit of unfolding themselves at the run time and ending up crumpled and crushed. I've got "50 Crap Towns" on the go at the moment and it features the aforementioned offending item. I like not having to worry about my books too much - they spend a lot of time travelling the world in rucksacks - and I actually find hardbacks are more susceptible to damage than their paperback counterparts. I have only ever had two paperbacks die on me - a copy of the original Lord of the Rings and a John Grisham - which now lie in individual chapters lol. I do actually look after my books quite well (except when in transit!) - probably because I treat them the same way I would treat a book I was giving as a present but wanted to read first ;) I don't bend the pages back too far and am never ever fold them over!
Plus there is always that extra cost concerned with a hardback.
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Q:
Have you ever tried Audio Books?
A:
I have trouble sleeping unless there is something to distract me - silence keeps me awake strangely enough! When I was younger I used to use audio books a lot but found there was a problem when the tape needed turning over - I was too sleep to do it myself but couldn?t sleep with the silence? I now leave my television on a low buzz so I can listen but close my eyes at the same time.
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And... (this challenge is like Chinese whispers, with odd questions showing up at the end for no apparent reason ;) )
Q:
Last book you bought/read?
A: I bought 5 at once!
What Not To Wear 2
- My mum requested it for Xmas (groan)
50 Crap Towns - bought on a whim after a friend said it was amusing - it's good for a quick chuckle!
Pains on Trains - bought due to a deal with 50 Crap Towns - a very amusing look at the stereotypical commuter train journey
Lonely Planet guide to Switzerland - am moving there for 5 months on Nov 29th!
Do Not Pass Go - Tim Moore's newest travelogue detailing a Monopoly board trip around London - highly recommended by other dooyooers but haven't read much my self yet!
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