11.04.2010

Thursday Book Questions: Part 8

Five questions a week. Eleven weeks. Post your answers in the comments (or on your own blog if you prefer, just link back in the comments) and I'll do the same thing.

Last week's questions were more directed at personal taste than some weeks' have been. Favorite poet? There weren't a lot of duplicates. I'm a bit shocked that I forgot to say Shakespeare or King David, though I don't regret mentioning MacDonald.

We also had a variety of thoughts on the ways and means of giving negative reviews. Latin got the most votes for language we'd like to be able to read in, and George and I had a brief discussion on the merits of Sindarin versus Quenya. Lastly, the world holds so many books that are intimidating for so many different reasons (as Eric noted) that it was a lot of fun to read everyone's answers on those questions.

This week's questions:

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
(answer here)
37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
(answer here)
38. Favorite fictional character?
(answer here)
39. Favorite fictional villain?
(answer here)
40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
(answer here)

Come one, come all with answers! I do love reading them.

13 comments:

  1. 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
    When I do check out books, one or two.

    37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
    Not very. I don't check out enough books that I don't want to read.

    38. Favorite fictional character?
    Ooh. Tough call. Very, very tough. I might have to go with Ender Wiggin, but Albus Dumbledore comes very close. Not to mention Hermione Granger, most of Jane Austen's heroines and heroes (Elizabeth and Jane Bennet, Anne Elliot, Elinor Dashwood, Mr. Knightley, Mr. Bingley... oh, all right, and Mr. Darcy), and the Pevensie children (especially Lucy)...

    39. Favorite fictional villain?
    I thought you weren't supposed to like villains? Haha. But there's some redemption to Severus Snape, and I have some affection for him because of that.

    40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
    Actually, vacation is a great time for me to read new books, because I'm less likely to feel guilty about dropping everything else to finish. But if I don't have any, Harry and the Austen canon are the first places I look.

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  2. 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
    Uh, library? What's that? I don't think I've used a library in over 7 years.

    37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
    See #36

    38. Favorite fictional character?
    Ah, do I have to choose just one?

    39. Favorite fictional villain?
    Ah, do I have to choose just one?

    40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
    Fantasy, short stories, magazines. Of course, with a Kindle & a smart phone I have a wide variety of genres and books with me at all times.

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  3. George, LOL--start to finish. Let me liberate you. You don't have to choose just one.

    Also, you're going to sell me on Kindles yet... auggh. I'm trying to hold out till I can comfortably write books on one of these devices as well as read them.

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  4. Okay, favorite fictional character, there's too many in The Lord of the Rings to name all of them. Same for Narnia but Lucy stands out. Orual in Till We Have Faces. The Trio plus many others in Potter. I'm sure there's many more.

    Favorite villain? Hmm, oftentimes villains aren't so much favorites as they are intriguing. Snape would definitely fit into that category.

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  5. Hey, this is consumeristic America, who says you need only one device? Buy two or three; it'll help the economy. :)

    Here's the thing with a device that would both be a reader and a place to write: An iPad or other tablet would probably give you that ability. But the main problem I have with iPads and smart phones for reading is the glare and eye strain. I would assume the same problems would apply with writing. As well as with carpal tunnel problems. :)

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  6. Yay! So glad it's Thursday :-D.

    36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
    At least 4, and usually more than 8. I only go once a month so I make it worth my while :).

    37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
    Rarely. I skim the books before I check them out to make sure they're worth risking a late fee for.

    38. Favorite fictional character?
    Jean val Jean. The man is amazing. I love other characters a lot, for sure, but Jean val Jean is my hero.

    39. Favorite fictional villain?
    Eew. I don't have a "favorite," but I think the most hateful character in all of literature is Fyodor Karamazov. That man is the grimiest, most oily, despicable, detestable, greasy, lewd, disgusting, villainous character ever written (or at least, the worst I've ever read, which is a big difference, hehe).

    40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
    Eesh... not a library book. I almost always reach for Austen on vacation.

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  7. 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
    About 10 but most if not all are for my preschooler.

    37.How often have you returned a book to the library unread? I never used to but I find I have less time to read these days so it does happen from time to time.

    38. Favorite fictional character? There really are too many. I liked Jenna's Mr. Darcy suggestion and of course so many good ones to choose from in Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia. I have to say the one that sticks with me all the way from childhood though is Anne of Green Gables.

    39. Favorite fictional villain?
    The President from Fr. Elijah was very well written I thought.

    40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
    Easy fiction novels that I can breeze through, like crime novels.

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  8. 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
    In a good three-week period, 15-20 or more. Sadly, I've had fewer good three-week periods since I took up editing for a living.

    37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
    Very rarely. I read quickly and I don't usually check out books I'm uninterested in.

    38. Favorite fictional character?
    I'm not one for picking favorites, but at the moment I simply must go with Freddy the Pig.

    39. Favorite fictional villain?
    Again favorites aren't my thing, but today... Fagin, my dear.

    40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
    Ones with thin pages. Luggage gets very heavy when you bring six or seven full-size books along. Find me a thick anthology that only weighs a pound and I'll do quite well. (I have an edition of Oliver Twist that fits inside a pocket. This gets pressed into service a lot.)

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  9. I've got over 200 books on my Kindle right now. My wife has over a thousand or so. Just saying it's great for trips. :)

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  10. George, Amazon should hire you. Good points about the iPad and Kindle. :)

    Farmer's City Wife, I like val Jean too; what a sweet guy. The way Marius treats him for awhile always made me so sad. Also, Fyodor Karamazov is disgusting. I forgot about him.

    Sarah, I love Anne of Green Gables. And you're right about the President. What a creepy dude. That last scene, with Fr. Elijah challenging him... Ack.

    Eric, I've seen the musical but never read Oliver Twist. Maybe it's time to change that. For travel, yes--mini-classics are a win. My Jane Austen paperbacks serve the same purpose as your Dickens. :)

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  11. 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

    I would say about 3-5 on average...I try to pick out one non-fiction for every two fiction books I check out.

    37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?

    Fairly rarely...although, sometimes I have to recheck books out multiple times.

    38. Favorite fictional character?

    Oooohhh, I have no idea. I really like Hermione and Ron, Anne from Anne of Green Gables, Nymphadora Tonks, Wesley from The Princess Bride, Samwise Gamgee, and many others.

    39. Favorite fictional villain?

    Ummmm, no idea. I guess, right now, I'm going to have to go with Jenna's Severus Snape, although I don't know if I'd really classify him as a villain? Maybe more of an antagonist?

    40. What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?

    Okay, confession time. Whenever I travel (this especially applies to airplane travel) I let myself read what i classify as "junk." I get celebrity magazines and entertainment magazines and that is all I read on the plane. I can't believe that I just admitted that!

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  12. MissPhotographerB, I've totally been thinking the same thing about Snape. Antagonist is a much better word than villain.

    Got a kick out of your confession... you're not the only person I know who does that. I'm not usually super intrigued by those, but give me a hairstyle magazine and I might just read it cover to cover. :P

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  13. Posting the same link to my catch-up Thursday Book Questions post that I posted to the comments thread on Pt. 7:

    http://donnarosemary.blogspot.com/2010/11/thursday-book-questions-pts-7-8-catch.html

    I admit this time that I skimmed these answers before composing mine, and the mention of Snape caused me to choose him for the villain question as well. I'd classify him as "villain" at least insofar as he *is* a villain in Harry's eyes (which is the reader's lens) until very close to the end of the story. I do not think he is a villain in essence though, but since I love his character arc so darned much, I wanted to recognize him in some capacity.

    Also, it looks like many of us love Anne Shirley. What a fantastic character. I consider her a dear friend who I sorely miss when I am not reading the Green Gables books. It makes me want to plan a reread of them in the near future...

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