Here are the questions, Answer them under comments. Let it be a fun ride!
| 1. Favorite childhood book? |
| 2. What are you reading right now? |
| 3. What books do you have on request at the library? |
| 4. Bad book habit? |
| 5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? |
| 6. Do you have an e-reader? |
| 7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? |
| 8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? |
| 9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)? |
| 10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? |
| 11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? |
| 12. What is your reading comfort zone? |
| 13. Can you read on the bus? |
| 14. Favorite place to read? |
| 15. What is your policy on book lending? |
| 16. Do you ever dog-ear books? |
| 17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? |
| 18. Not even with text books? |
| 19. What is your favourite language to read in? |
| 20. What makes you love a book? |
| 21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? |
| 22. Favorite genre? |
| 23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)? |
| 24. Favourite biography? |
| 25. Have you ever read a self-help book? |
| 26. Favourite cookbook? |
| 27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? |
| 28. Favorite reading snack? |
| 29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. |
| 30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? |
| 31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? |
| 32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? |
| 33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? |
| 34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? |
| 35. Favorite Poet? |
| 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? |
| 37. How often have you returned books to the library unread? |
| 38. Favorite fictional character? |
| 39. Favourite fictional villain? |
| 40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? |
| 41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. |
| 42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. |
| 43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? |
| 44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? |
| 45. Most disappointing film adaptation? |
| 46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? |
| 47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? |
| 48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? |
| 49. Do you like to keep your books organized? |
| 50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? |
| 51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? |
| 52. Name a book that made you angry. |
| 53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? |
| 54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? |
| 55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? |
01 Matilda - Roald Dahl (All of his actually)
ReplyDelete02 Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
03 No membership as of now.
04 o organised place, Books all over the place, all over the house!
05 None (See 03)
06 Not sure whether my iphone's "ibooks" qualifies as an e-reader, eventhough i read from it
07 Several at once (ebook/physical book)
08 No
09 The Carrie Diaries (Prequel the Sex and the City), wasn't much of a fan
10 100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia and Marquez
11 Very rarely
12 My comfy bed
13 No
14 bed or couch
15 Share the written word!
16 Guilty
17 often, with e readers its even more easy
18 Text books are usually covered in my graffiti
19 English - Tamil also
20 The prose, the imagery, the characters, so much!
21 How much i have loved it
22 Romance/Magical realism
23 Nothing of that sort
24 The story of my experiments with truth - Mahatma Gandhi (Read in both English and Tamil)
25 A few, "How to win friends and influence people" being a favorite
26 None, Magazines have enough
27 Shalimar the Clown ( I want to write like that!)
28 Anything i can get my hands on, but coffee/tea does the trick
29 Ruined no, big disappointment would be the Twilight series
30 Literary criticisms don't influence me too much
31 Guilt free !
32 French (Sanskrit a close second)
33 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
34 All of Ernest Hemingways'
35 Lord Byron (My Love!)
36 None
37 rarely when i had a membership
38 A tie between Sydney carton (A tale of two cities) and Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
39 again a tie; Count Fosco (A woman in white)/ Professor Moriarty!
40 My favorite authors
41 2-3 months, when i started working
42 War and Peace - will probably finish it one day!
43 Eye fatigue
44 The Harry Potter Series, other than that, the Books are ALWAYS better than the movies
45 I don't/havn't watched the movies in order to preserve the books, none that i can think of
46 In india at one time, around 3000/= in today's currency
47 Very often
48 meandering plot or terrible prose
49 unfortunately no
50 Keep them, definitely
51 The fifty shades of grey trilogy, inspite of topping every best seller list, badly written smutty books are a no-no
52 The twilight series - Ugh!
53 Ludmila's Broken English - DBC Pierre
54 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
55 Chick Lit - Strictly Sophie Kinsella or Meg Cabot, i've come across some truly atrocious Chick lit
I am searching for people to read War and Peace with.. Have you finished that already? and maybe next year March we can start on Anna Karenina ? What do you say?
DeleteI didn't know Fifty Shades of Grey was a trilogy. !!!
Eye fatigue ah.. hmm.
Sorry, I didn't see this post! :O I'm was about 50% done, then i gave up! I've finished Anna Karenina, needless to say, i hated it.Its purely romance,i don't think you'll like it. Yes, unfortunately its a trilogy. They're waiting to make it into a movie. Ugh!
DeleteHey thanks for telling it's of a romance genre. Otherwise I would have started and good grief.
DeleteHaiyo. I got a recommendation from a twitter friend saying Hunger Games is good. More like a Masala movie, y'know. Good and fun read. Let's see. After Les Miserables perhaps.
I found that I was repeating myself, sometimes. How come they haven't asked for Favourite Book of all time?
DeleteFirst of all "WOW". Thanks for writing something like this.
ReplyDelete1) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
2) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (The Long version)
3)Most of John Le Carre's. They are too old and the Uni library cannot find them
4)Sometimes I am so bloody minded that I don't stop a book that I should not be reading. The book becomes all-consuming.
5)Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
6)Yes, Kobo.
7) One book at a time. Multi-tasking is to screw up more than a thing at a time.
8) Probably yes, I am experimenting more with different genres.
9)Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
10)Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
11)Of late, very often, for every book in my comfort zone one is out of it.
12)Crime, mystery, espionage.
13)Yes.
14)On the bed, with a cup of coffee by the side.
15)The pleasure of reading is far too good to be kept to yourself, lend away.
16)Nope. I hate disfiguring books
17)No, I make mental notes and challenge myself to remember
18)Ah.. Sometimes, but in a neat manner with coloured pens and post-its.
19)English, and then Tamizh
20)The language and then the plot. Sometimes, but seldom, the character development and portrayal
21)If I liked it, and if I know the person well, I will recommend
22)Crime, but lately magical realism
23)Historical fiction and autobiographies.
24)Long time ago, of Ernesto Che Guevara
25)Nope
26)Don't read those.
27)The Master and Margarita
28)I don't like to eat while reading, but like tea or coffee.
29)The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - So much of hype, all for nothing.
30)I don't read em.
31)Pretty bad because every book written is an artistic endeavour and a form of expression. To feel negatively is to decry that, I feel.
32)Latin
33)The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas Pere. So many characters and so many machinations. So many story lines.
34)This is easy, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
35)Not much of a poetry person but E. E. Cummings and Robert Frost.
36)Normally in SL, about 6 - 8.
37)Almost never
38)Ah, this is difficult, where do I begin. Athos in The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas, Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by V. Hugo, Lord Peter Wimsey by D. L. Sayers, Psmith in the Psmith books by P. G. Wodehouse and George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre.
39)The Jackal in the Day of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth and some more.
40) If particular books then PGW(P. G. Wodehouse) and Robert Harris books.
41)3.5 months (I almost went mad)
42)Um.. none so far. But if I never get to it, then Heart of Darkness by Josef Conrad
43)The urge to answer nature's calling.
44)Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre
45)None so far that I can think of.
46)2000 Rupees
47)Almost never
48)Almost nothing
49)To a certain extent yes.
50)Give them away.
51)Chick-lit and pure romance novels (OK, I said it)
52)The Kite Runner (actually it made me very sad, not so much angry)
53)The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
54)For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
55) Jeffrey Archer
Sniper Assassin :
ReplyDelete29) I liked "The Lost Symbol" But thought that "The Da Vince Code" was a total disappointment and antic-climactic.
24) "A Painted House" John Grisham's semi-autobiographical novel is also pretty good.
51) How can you not like Romance Novels? :)
54) I've read a lot of bad reviews of Hemingway, including astonishment on how he won the Nobel.
I must be the only person here who hasn't read P G wodehouse, Must give it a try. Do you wear Glasses?
29) I like the Da Vinci Code because it was the first of it's kind which was high profile and had so much of brouhaha around it. The Lost Symbol was just regurgitation of the same plotline which had gone past its expiration date. People had moved on to actual crimes like those portrayed in "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo".
Delete24) Will try, I used to read Grisham, and then I felt the storylines were being recycled. Should start again :)
51) I don't know. I have always been like this :)
54) Well I agree with those critics.
I advise you to read PGW exercising extreme caution because people are apt to think you are stark raving mad. You will be literally ROFL-ing. And don't read it in public transport. If you are reading at home tell your parents and siblings not to feel disturbed if you burst out laughing. :)
And yes, I do wear reading glasses, but that being said, the power has remained very minute and constant for the past 12 years now.
But Hemingway is so revered, Funny world. "Angels and Demons" was okay, nothing to rave about. My eyes tire quickly and then come the maddening migraines ugh!
DeleteI must add one more question
56) Who in your opinion is the most overrated author of all time?
OK, I will tackle the most important one first: The overrated author amongst those whom I have read is Sidney Sheldon. No seriously, as formulaic as you get them. Another one who is a more controversial choice is Shakespeare. But I am sure there are plenty of other people but due to my good karma I have avoided reading them (I am talking about Daniel Steele, Stephanie Meyer etc.)
DeleteI think Hemingway is revered partly because of the experiences he has gathered rather than the stories he has written about them. That is my humble opinion.
Cupcakes & Kafka.....you haven't read Wodehouse? which planet are you on? I am the proud owner of an Omnibus........
DeleteSniper Assassin: I love Good ol' Shakespeare! Yes, Sidney Sheldon is way overrated but find him better than, Danielle Steel,who is unbearable. Some of the old romance novels, (Kathleen Woodiwiss)are truly terrible and a huge setback to feminism. Funny part is now twilight has taken over from them. Best sellers should be more like Harry Potter. It saddens me to see all our Book shops stacked to the brim with, Vampire diaries, werewolf this and that.They sell like hot cakes, i feel sorry the new generation.
DeleteThe thing with Vampires and Werewolves is that it is constructed to be palatable for only a certain cross-section of people.
DeleteI like Shakespeare too but I think he is overrated. I don't normally try out authors unless they are from an older era (like Kafka, Dostoevsky et al. )
True that, Kafka is awesome and i really liked Crime and Punishment. Tolstoy, War and Peace is just too long and i loathed Anna Karenina, I just wanted to Slap her!
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DeleteOK I am not as voracious a reader as I used to be but here are my comments, P.S. Sniper if you had ever been in Washington,D.C. you would have loved the Golden Symbol....it brought back so many memories when I read it, I like all the Dan Brown books, haven't read Digital Fortress yet..
ReplyDelete1. Nancy Drew, Famous Five, Five Find Outers
2. How Opal Mehta Got kiss, got wild and got a life
3. Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni's books
4. Leaving a book half read and never returning to it (i consider it a crime)
5. from the law library ; Identities in Transition (will never start reading it I guess)
6. No, but i read on my macbook
7. one book at a time
8. no
9. Sleeping Arrangements (sort of chic lit)
10. Enchantress of Florence
11. rarely
12. magical realism, historical fiction, Mystery, romance (chic lit), cartoons
13. yes
14. in bed....but lately trying out every place
15. give and receive and always ask for your book to be returned
16. I use a bookmark
17. not always but i mark down favorite quotes to share on FB ;)
18. I write all over textbooks
19.English & Tamil
20. Plot, emotion, use of language
21. If I absolutely loved it I will recommend it
22. Historical fiction
23. books about the conflict in Sri Lanka
24. I have rarely read biographies but I hope Vikram Seth's Two Lives counts
25. half read He's just not that into you if that counts
26.never read
27. The Places in Between by Rory Stewart (yes that cute British MP)
28. murukku/mixture
29. i always approach books on a positive frame of mind - but I think Anne Frank's Diary
30. I have a habit of liking everything I read...I will make a very bad reviewer..
31. It is necessary that really bad books should be panned
32. Frech/ Spanish
33. Nelson Mandela's autobiography (I still haven't finished)
34. All the Ernest Hemingway books
35. John Donne of 'Sweetest Love I do not goe' fame
36. 2
37. unless its the law library never
38. Mr. Darcy/ Rhett Butler/ Sidney Carton/ Percy Blakeney
39. Mr. Wickham (I loathe him)
40. Agatha Christies..LOL
41. 2-3 months
42. Autobiographies (Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi)
43. Studies...sigh :(
44. BBC version of Pride and Prejudice
45. Twilight series
46. Rs. 4000 SL currency
47. About once
48. another more interesting book
49. meaning? my books are on the shelf except the current book i read which is on my table
50. Would never give away my books...books are my soul
51. Crime - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
52. Most political books by S.L. Gunasekera
53. Midnight's Children (fell in love)
54. some chic lit stuff with similar story lines
55. Chic lit - Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella :)
9) It was a bore i know. One of the best was "The wedding Girl", that was touching, had a proper plot and all, Sad too. I'll e-mail it to you, if i get it.
Delete29) You didn't like Anne Frank's Diary?
23) You should try Anita Pratap's "Island of Blood", it caused quite a sensation, its surprisingly funny and found it interesting.
Regarding P G Wodehouse, Where do i start? Someone recommend a book,Please
PGW, you can start at Something Fresh. You can get it at Project Gutenberg. It's free and open copyright.
DeleteBy the way, for people in Colombo did you guys know that The Barefoot Cafe has a good collection of books and it's pretty well priced too. Last December was the first time I visited the book store part of Barefoot and they had all of Le Carre's books. But by that time I had gotten my e-reader so buying all those books and taking them to Thailand was out of the question.
DeleteI'll try it next. Yes, I went to buy some books for the Lit Fest and they were cheaper than Vijitha Yapa. I was pretty shocked, since its quite an expensive store. They have an eclectic selection, Lot of South asian books also. Cargills has also improved now.
DeleteYeah and if my memory serves me correct they had P. G. Wodehouse for like 350 Rupees. That's pretty awesome I think. In comparison to their overpriced milkshakes (400 Rupees) the books are a good deal. :)
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Deletehave never read Kafka.....whats so special about him? and Cupcakes & Kafka darling I liked Anne Frank but it wasn't upto the hype..that being the question.....and I have read Prataps' book...it was nice, bought it with the prize money I got from school..LOL
DeleteKafka was a pioneer in absurd literature, which spawned into absurdism (later on perfected by Kurt Vonnegut, C. S. Carrol etc). But instead of limiting his works to that, people also say that he does deserve literary merit as well. His books normally deal with oppression and identity crises mingled with deprivation and destitution. FUNNNNN :D
Deletefun? dat is fun? seriously? I am scared to read him.....
DeleteI was being ironic yaar :D
Delete1) The Story of Sri Krishna and the Enid Blyton Series
ReplyDelete2)What Ho! (Wodehouse)
3)Don't have a membership
4)Skipping ahead to find out what happens to a favourite character, and then regretting it.
5) None
6) Does the computer count as one? :-)
7)Mostly one at a time
8) No
9)A Thousand Splendid Suns
10)A Damsel in Distress and One Hundred Years of Solitude
11)Not very often
12)err....anything that does not involve science fiction/biographies
13)Used to, all the time when I was small. I'm starting to get headaches as I get older. Must be the aging eyes.
14)The bed/couch
15)As long as the person who is borrowing is doing so with at least some intention of reading the book. A pet peeve is when people borrow a book merely because they've heard about it/found it lying around (especially when it's one that I'd enjoyed reading) and return it many years later, unread.
16)Often
17)No
18)Yes, with text books, but in pencil
19) English and Tamil
20)The style of writing, plot, characters..
21)If I liked it myself, and if i feel that the other person will actually read it
22)See 12
23)Biographies/Autobiographies.
24)See 23
25)No
26) Not interested in the subject. Though I've flicked through to look at the pictures.
27)One Hundred Years of Solitude
28)Coffee
29)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
30)Don't read them
31)If it came from a friend who shares my tastes in books, I might listen
32)Spanish
33)Long Walk to Freedom
34)None for now
35)Bharathiyar
36)See 3
37) See 3
38)Too many..Rhett Butler always comes to mind(the hero my friends and I sigh for) Currently it's Jeeves and Wooster.
39)hmm...scrolled upwards for inspiration)Will agree with Madiba and go with Mr Wickham
40)Saki, P.G Wodehouse, Bridget Jone's Diary
41)Can't remember
42)Long Walk to Freedom and The Story of Geneghis Khan (which I bought in a fit of madness)
43)Tired eyes/a headache
44)Pride and Prejudice(BBC version)
45)Several (like C & K said, the books are always better)
46)About Rs 2000
47)Usually don't skim through before I start, sometimes afterwards
48)Usually nothing, unless I really, really didn't like it.
49)I'd like to. Doesn't happen that way, unfortunately.
50)Nothing like giving them away, saying "Read this!!!"
51) Science fiction
52)The Twilight series (the last three parts, especially)
53)The Hunger Games series
54)Recently, A Thousand Splendid Suns
55)Sophie Kinsella,Lauren Weisberger
Wait a minute...you didn't like A thousand splendid sons? I loved it.....even my Prof. a UN Spl. Rapporteur loved it....sigh!!! and you didn't like the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? I was sobbing bucket loads........
DeleteI thought it catered a little too conveniently to a Western audience.
Delete27) Love in the time of cholera is super cute! :)
Delete29) Blasphemy!
35) I forgot Barathiyar, Does Kanna dhasan count too? But not as good as the Great Maha Kavi.
52) Me too!
51) For some one in the Science field? Overdose much? :)
54) I liked it,I'm surprised.
Yes i do agree it was a bit too more catering to the Wetern audience but you have to give some allowance to the author, after all he is an American now....
ReplyDeleteYes, that's true, but his writing was a bit too American for my liking.
ReplyDeleteI liked the film version of Deathly Hallows. It's just that the book didn't live up to being the epic (this word is used in the old-fashioned sense)finale that it should have been.