{"id":5212,"date":"2006-08-24T15:35:24","date_gmt":"2006-08-24T19:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=5212"},"modified":"2015-05-23T20:05:30","modified_gmt":"2015-05-24T00:05:30","slug":"two-book-memes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=5212","title":{"rendered":"Two Book Memes"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. First book to leave a lasting impression? <\/b>
\nCharlotte’s Web<\/a>\"\"<\/i>. That was the first book that made my heart HURT after finishing it. But that hurt also had some joy in it …. I mean, the last paragraph of that book:<\/p>\n

Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here I am, many many years later, feeling that same mix of hurt and joy at those words. <\/p>\n

2. Which author would you most like to be?<\/b>
\nI’m thinking maybe Madeleine L’Engle. She seemed like she has had a really nice life with a good balance between art and love and duty and pleasure. She also made a shitload of money. But most writers don’t have it so good, and most of them have miserable poverty-struck lives. So let me not play it safe and let me then say: In terms of what she actually WROTE? I’d like to be Charlotte Bronte. Because, seriously. I would love to be inside her head for just an hour or so, see what was going on in there.<\/p>\n

3. Name the book that has most made you want to visit a place? <\/b>
\nHmmm. Many thoughts are in my mind right now.
\nI have to say Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe<\/i> made me ACHE to go Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s “house”. Seriously. I wanted to be there so bad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Robert Kaplan’s Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History<\/a>\"\"<\/i> made me want to go to the Balkans – and Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon<\/a>\"\"<\/i> just solidified that. Next trip? Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, blah blah blah. Must go there.<\/p>\n

A House Like a Lotus<\/a>\"\"<\/i> by Madeleine L’Engle made me yearn to go to Greece.<\/p>\n

The Shipping News<\/a>\"\"<\/i> – made me want to flee to Newfoundland<\/p>\n

I love this question – I’ll have to think more upon it.<\/p>\n

4. Which contemporary author will still be read in 100 years? <\/b>
\nOh boy. This is always a fun question – like: “what movies today will be considered classics in the future”?? (cough Groundhog Day<\/i> cough)<\/p>\n

I would say:<\/p>\n

Madeleine L’Engle<\/p>\n

John Irving<\/p>\n

Probably AS Byatt<\/p>\n

Stephen King<\/p>\n

Edna O’Brien<\/p>\n

Michael Chabon<\/p>\n

Hmm. Just guessing. These people seem to have something timeless about their work.<\/p>\n

5. Which book would you recommend to a teenager reluctant to try ‘literature’? <\/b>
\nAdventures of Huckleberry Finn<\/a>\"\"<\/i>, no question.<\/p>\n

6. Name your best recent literary discovery. <\/b>
\nHmmm. Probably Jincy Willett. Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor, and Really Bad Weather<\/a>\"\"<\/i> was one of the best pieces of fiction I had read in YEARS. Her first novel. David Sedaris writes about the feeling of unbelievable delight and happiness that came over him when he discovered her and I had the same feeling. I couldn’t believe how terrific she was.<\/p>\n

7. Which author’s fictional world would you most like to live in? <\/b><\/p>\n

The Beavers house in Narnia. I know I’ve said it twice, but it certainly bears repeating.<\/p>\n

8. Name your favorite poet? <\/b><\/p>\n

Auden and Yeats. I refuse to choose. Thanks!<\/p>\n

9. What’s the best non-fiction title you’ve read this year? <\/b><\/p>\n

I can’t remember every book I’ve read this year – but the first book that comes to mind was Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia’s Secret Archives<\/a>\"\"<\/i>. <\/p>\n

10. Which author do you think is much better than his\/her reputation? <\/b>
\nAwesome question.<\/p>\n

The first thing that comes to mind is Elinor Lipman. She’s got to be one of the most under-rated writers out there. I mean, she’s successful, whatever – but she’s so damn good. She doesn’t get the props at ALL for how good she is. That’s the damn shame with this chick lit bullshit. Really good authors get lumped in with mediocre authors because … the genre fits?? But it doesn’t really. Lipman is a real novelist – she’s not a gimmick – she’s been doing her thing for years, and I LOVE her. (I loved coming across her name in this post <\/a>– and reading Fay Weldon’s essay about Lipman. Couldn’t agree more.)<\/p>\n

Oh – and Stephen King. Yes, he over-writes. Yes, he needs an editor. Yes, sometimes he chooses an image that is just flat-out wrong. But this dude can write. And it makes me mad when people blow him off because he mainly writes in a genre.<\/p>\n

And here is the second meme. And I’m sorry – but I truly cannot remember where I found each of these. I saved them a while back to “get to later” and now … oh well.<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book that changed your life.<\/b>
\nHarriet the Spy<\/a>\"\"<\/i>. Helped make me who I am today.<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book that you have read more than once.<\/b>
\nMating: A Novel<\/a>\"\"<\/i>, by Norman Rush. (I wrote a huge essay about it here<\/a>)
\nHopeful Monsters (British Literature Series)<\/a>\"\"<\/i>, by Nicholas Mosley
\nEmily of New Moon (The Emily Books, Book 1)<\/a>\"\"<\/i>, by LM Montgomery (actually the whole Emily series)
\nIt<\/a>\"\"<\/i>, by Stephen King
\nAll of Anne Lindbergh’s journals
\nI read books “more than once” all the time, apparently. There are a ton more – but these are the first that leap to my mind<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book that you would want on a desert island.<\/b>
\nWar and Peace<\/a>\"\"<\/i>. Or In Search of Lost Time<\/a>\"\"<\/i>. I’ve read neither – and if I’m gonna be waiting to be rescued for a long time, might as well have something NEW (to me, anyway) and also LONG<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book that made you laugh.<\/b>
\nI Was A teen-age Dwarf<\/a>\"\"<\/i> – had to leave my high school library, due to being unable to hold back the laughter<\/p>\n

Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir<\/a>\"\"<\/i> – had to leave my graduate school library, due to being unable to hold back the laughter (it was Malachy with the dentures stuck in his face that did it)<\/p>\n

Winner of the National Book Award<\/i> – by Jincy Willett<\/p>\n

Lives of the Saints<\/a>\"\"<\/i> – by Nancy Lemann<\/p>\n

I’m not talking about chuckling – or smiling – or thinking to myself, “Wow, that’s funny.” I’m talking about guffawing and snorting and wiping away tears – making an embarrassing scene if you are in public (kind of like when I saw THIS <\/a>yesterday)<\/p>\n

Actually, At Swim-Two-Birds<\/a>\"\"<\/i> made me laugh outl oud as well.<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book that made you cry.<\/b>
\nAtonement: A Novel<\/a>\"\"<\/i> by Ian McEwan. I actually don’t think I ever need to read that book again. And again – I often have sort of intellectual responses to events in books: “Wow, that’s sad” or “How awful” – but to burst into tears? To have to put the book down? Very few books have done that. Atonement<\/i> was one of them.<\/p>\n

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay<\/a>\"\"<\/i> was another. The ending of that book …<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book you wish had been written.<\/b>
\nUlysses<\/a>\"\"<\/i> of course. Why not? Why not be a mad genius who causes everyone to chitter chatter? And they are all chitter chattering still …<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book you wish had never been written.<\/b>
\nI’m not really digging this question. There are plenty of books I have hated – but do I wish they had never been written? No, cause someone else might love it. <\/p>\n

\u0095 One book you are currently reading.<\/b><\/p>\n

Re-reading The White Album<\/a>\"\"<\/i> – collectin of essays by Joan Didion<\/p>\n

Reading Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood<\/a>\"\"<\/i><\/p>\n

Also reading the Ron Chernow biography of Hamilton<\/p>\n

\u0095 One book you have been meaning to read.<\/b><\/p>\n

The Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton. Also Saturday<\/i> by Ian McEwan. And the new John Irving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. First book to leave a lasting impression? Charlotte’s Web. That was the first book that made my heart HURT after finishing it. But that hurt also had some joy in it …. I mean, the last paragraph of that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[745,94,691,829,79,156,263],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5212"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102871,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5212\/revisions\/102871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}