The Book Stacks

With apologies to e e cummings for taking a bit of his poetry in vain, I’ve been thinking today about things I have not done. More specifically about famous books that I have not read. Let me begin by saying that I am infamous among my friends for not having seen certain films. Folks always give me a shocked look when I say things like, “No, I’ve never seen The Sound of Music.” (My closest friends have reached the point of being surprised when I *have* seen a film.) Anyway, I was tidying up the Books on Tape section at work, and it struck me again that there are all of these books out there that it seems everyone else has read. The kind of books that you try to steer conversations away from rather than admit you have no idea what the other person is talking about. Do you know what all of this pondering has lead me to? I have decided to post a list of five things (series, books, etc.) that I have never read. You may then try to convince me to read any of the items on the list (good luck with that) and comment with a title or five that you admit to never having read. Perhaps we will unmask some classics as being deadly dull, or maybe I will actually read something from my list. Either way, I think it will be fun. Lets get started!

I hereby swear that I have never read:

1. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (It’s book 2…and I can’t talk myself into reading book 1.)
2. Anything by Jane Austen (Nope, I’ve never seen any of the films either.)
3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Although, I have a friend who tossed his copy into a swimming pool when he finished it.)
4. Anything by Louis L’Amour (And this makes my mother sad.)
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I never finished Little Women, either.)

So, there you are. My secret is out. I’ve got bunches of other books that I could add to this list, but now it’s your turn. Spill! What books are there that you feel like everyone out there has read except you?

e e cummings, The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, Jane Austen, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Louis L’Amour, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, Little Women

Yesterday, JM over at Fiction Scribe asked for folks to send her pictures of their desks/creative spaces, and it got me to thinking. In these hectic days where we tend to cart our reading material around with us, else we’d never find the time to read, what do folks consider their favorite reading spot? I mean, ideally we would all have either huge comfy chairs to curl up in or lovely shady trees to sit under (like Frodo at the beginning of Fellowship), but how often is that really the case? So, to begin with, I offer you a pic of my favorite reading place:

This is my couch (currently being haunted by my ghost pillow as you can see). My couch is actually quite comfy, but the arms are not. Just add a pillow and *presto* a comfy spot to enjoy some reading. It is not safe to move from a sitting up position on this couch, however. Once you have gone from sitting to reclining, you will fall asleep. Trust me. It is safer than reading in bed, though. The only downside to this spot is the proximity of the television, so it only works out when I’m home alone.

Do you have a favorite reading spot? Would you like to tell me about it? Why not email me? I’d love to see your reading spots (if you would like to send along a pic) and/or hear about why you enjoy your particular spot.

So, watch this space. I hope to start featuring reading spots soon.

Fiction Scribe, reading spot, reading

I know that most of the time the book is *far* better than the film. A good example of this is the second version of Escape to Witch Mountain, or as I like to call it: The Purple Monstrosity. The book was *so* much better than that film. (The book was better than the first movie, too, but by a much smaller margin.) Other times, the book and the movie complement each other quite well, each showing their own strengths, in effect making them *as good as* (or nearly as good as) the book. I like to use The Princess Diaries as my example for this sort of thing. The book and the movie had many of the same elements, but they really end up being more like two different versions of a similar story. (Which really worked for me. I like that kind of story.) Return from Witch Mountain is a good example of a film that was *very* faithful to the book, and actually managed to keep the spirit of the book intact too. That’s actually a very difficult balance to maintain. Of course, the rarest of all is the film that was better than the book. Which brings me to today’s question. I’m curious. How many of you out there have encountered a filmed version of a book that you thought was better than the book itself? I can only think of one example off of the top of my head, and that’s Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Yes, I really didn’t like the book, but I *loved* the film. (I’m not that big a fan of the mini-series, though.) What about you?

Escape to Witch Mountain, The Princess Diaries, Return from Witch Mountain, Cold Comfort Farm

There are many useful reading and book-related websites out there. Some of them offer you reviews or the order in which a series was written. Some of them even offer you a forum in which to discuss your favorites. Do you have any favorite book or reading-related sites that you use? As for myself, I tend to use Amazon.com rather a lot, especially at work. It can be really helpful if you don’t remember who the heck wrote a particular book, particularly when it’s one with a common title. Book covers, which Amazon has in abundance, can really help in that sort of situation. For the eternal “which book comes next?” question in the realm of mysteries, I head straight for stopyourekillingme.com. Check out their author page for Nancy Atherton as a good example. Another nice feature of this site is lists of read-alikes. Lastly, I use Library Thing to make lists of my own books and discuss them with others. What sites do you use in your reading life?

Amazon.com, stopyourekillingme.com, Nancy Atherton, Library Thing

So, lately I’ve been in the mood to try a new romance author. Who are your favorites? I am particularly partial to Mary Jo Putney (my favorite is Angel Rogue) and Maggie Shayne (difficult call on a favorite of hers…probably Miranda’s Viking). I want something new and romancey (is that a word? well…it is now.) to read. Who do you recommend?

Mary Jo Putney, Angel Rogue, Maggie Shayne, Miranda’s Viking

Okay, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I left my copy of 1,001 Ways to be Romantic at home, so i didn’t manage to get the review done this year. In the midst of being annoyed at myself about this, I got to thinking. Do you all have a favorite work of Romantically Helpful Non-Fiction? I am personally quite fond of anything by Greg Godek (1,001 Ways to be Romantic, 1,001 More Ways to be Romantic, etc.) and I also enjoyed Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus. What books of this sort have you found helpful?

1, 001 Ways to be Romantic, Greg Godek, 1, 001 More Ways to be Romantic, Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus

A couple of questions for you this week. Do you have a favorite Historical Mystery? For that matter, is there a time period that you prefer for your mysteries? Personally, I especially enjoy historical mysteries that teach me something about the time period. For example, The Cater Street Hangman has a wealth of information about upper middle class life in Victorian Britain. Crocodile on the Sandbank manages to insert all kinds of information about the state of Egyptology during the Victorian era. Hmmm…I seem to enjoy Victorian mysteries. Well, I also enjoy books from the 1920s/30s…and Kate Ross’s Julian Kestrel mysteries that take place in the 1820s in London. A ha! My taste in mysteries seems to be quite anglo-centric. I knew that there was a trend in there somewhere. I need to branch out more. What about you? I need a list of new historical mysteries to try.

Historical Mystery, The Cater Street Hangman, Crocodile on the Sandbank, Kate Ross, Julian Kestrel

If you frequent this blog, it is likely that you have noticed my love of Picture Books, as I seem to review them all the time. Now, we all know that not all Picture Books are created equal. (I could tell you about some *very* boring examples of the genre…but I don’t want to put you to sleep.) I have recommended a few fabulous ones by now, but I would like to know the name of your favorite picture book(s). Yes, I want to make a list of cool books to check out when I change jobs. Do you fancy Frederick? Do you like Lyle, Lyle Crocodile? Or, do you prefer the Pigeon? Let me know!

Picture Books

Are you a fan of “cozy” mysteries? The Seattle Mystery Bookshop defines a Cozy mystery as: “Think Agatha Christie. Think cats. Think culinary. The cozy is a mystery in which a murder, perhaps violent, is committed without bringing significant unpleasantness to the reader, or to the other characters in the story.” A perfect example of this genre, apart from Mrs. Christie herself, is the work of Charlotte MacLeod (a.k.a. Alisa Craig). As I own almost all of her books, you would be correct in assuming that I am a fan. In the first of the Peter Shandy mysteries, Rest You Merry, Professor Shandy returns home from a Christmas holiday to find his best friend’s eternally interfering wife dead in his living room. Good thing that he has an alibi. Too bad that the College President wants him to solve the mystery, and quickly. Ms. MacLeod gave us four series of fantastic mysteries. One of them even features a Mountie (and his wife). Another author that I tend to recommend to folks is Nancy Atherton, author of the Aunt Dimity series. I’ve reviewed two of that series so far on this site, Aunt Dimity’s Death and Aunt Dimity and the Duke. Do you have any cozy mysteries that you tend to recommend to others? I’m in the mood to read something new…and cozy. Anyone?

Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Charlotte MacLeod, Alisa Craig, Peter Shandy, Rest You Merry, Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity