Book Survey IV

1) What was the major theme from the last book you read?
Depression. I read Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. Brilliant book!

2) Who was the best written character from the last five books you read?
Francesca from Saving Francesca

3) Is there a new genre/topic that you're really looking forward to getting better acquainted with?
Steampunk! I have read a few that have themes, but none that are regarded as steampunk - I have an obsession!

4) Three things from recently read books that made you uncomfortable or nervous?
Jane True tottering around on extreme high heels when she normally wears joggers.
I can't think of any others.

5) Something you read recently that made you gleeful or overcome with admiration?
I can't think of anything in particular. I normally find that books are a rollercoaster ride, and they have so many challenges so each has its moment of joy.
More long term gleeful encounters have been the twist at the end of The Lace Reader, the Hunger Games series, and discovering Nalini Singh's Psy series.

6) Name a literary character you 'met' recently who you really liked?
I can't think of any in particular... I am really liking the Dark Heavens series which is an urban fantasy that has delved into Chinese mythology - of those I particularly like John Wu (Xuan Wu/Pak Tai , The Black Turtle- Snake, God of Martial Arts and Warfare, The Northern Wind) and Bai Hui (The White Tiger, The Western Wind).

7) Name a doomed literary character whose death really made you miss them?
There are quite a number!

• Leslie in Bridge to Terribithia by Katherine Paterson
• Beth in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Ona in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• Nick in the Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. He is resurrected (or whatever) but he is a different person - no longer the loving, carefree jokester but hell bent on revenge (which is silly, because he killed himself - Ash just said a word!)
• Sirrius and Dumbledore in Harry Potter by JK Rowlings

There are definitely more, but I can't think of them at the moment.

8) If you could only have access to a dictionary or a thesaurus, which would you choose?
The Complete Oxford Dictionary. I can spend hours looking at all its volumes! I used to get sidetracked when I was looking up words while researching my archaeology assignments. It is full of etymology, definitions, explanations of various meanings and damn, they just pack so much in! They also have a lot of words that are no longer common usage. I made mum buy me The Concise Oxford Dictionary for my 21st birthday (I really am a nerd!), but what I really wanted was the full dictionary - it is 20 volumes... and three grand *sigh*

9) What's the most pointless book on your shelves? The one you blink at every time you notice its existence?
The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren. It was a free book given to me, but it is a Christian life type, and so not my deal. I think I will find someone to give it to. I didn't even crack the cover and there are so many copies floating around that it isn’t even worth trying to sell *rolls eyes*

10) What's the best conversation you ever had about books or a particular book? Who was it with?
Damn! Um...... There are a couple! My presentation for Criminology at university was about the culture of Chicago, and took a leap of faith and decided to add colour to my discussion. I drew The Jungle by Upton Sinclair into it. It was meant to be the great socialist novel, but he ended up horrifying America on the practices of the meat works, and kicked off reform of the processed meat industry. It is very graphic, and I spent a lot of time feeling ill at the conditions they had to live in, the way the migrants and poor were treated, taken advantage of or blatantly victimised. Anyway, I bought all the criminal elements from The Jungle into the discussion and blew them away. Because there was now faces to the players. The Jungle has to be one of the only books I have analysed as both an English Literature and a Sociology text! I got carried away and instead of speaking for 15 minutes, I spoke for an hour LOL I got a High Distinction and my lecturer started fawning over me. Definitely a terrific book discussion, especially once I started a Q&A session after class LOL

Also, I ran a book forum, and was present at other forums. I had some terrific conversations there! Twitter is also a great place to talk books... Even if it does become a free for all!

My paranormal book club has made such a difference for me. I love those guys!