Day 287: Give Thanks For Books
I am, at the time of writing this, travelling through the United States just before Thanksgiving. My title comes from the sign outside most libraries we have driven past. I support this sentiment! Once again it is time to have a look at all things bookish for the month just gone with the Literary Junkies. How was your month of words between covers?
Q: What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!
A: Here is the current list, and here are the books I added one day after composing that list; take away the completed Flowers for Algernon and The Silver Linings Playbook. Crazily, I am reading all those books. Yes, I probably have either ADHD or a short attention span. I keep finding things interesting and adding them to the pile. This month I also added four new books, set in the four states I planned to visit on my holidays: Nevada (Steven King's The Stand), Utah (Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song), Arizona (Mark Poirier's Goats) and New Mexico (Have you seen Charlie? A Cowgirl's Guide to Quantum Physics by KH Brockwell). Then we found ourselves in Colorado and so I had to hit up Amazon again and got myself The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale. I have been in the States for a week and a half and am yet to start any of them. Which is not overly surprising given I am still reading one of the three novels I got based in Vietnam when I went there in March!
Q: How many books have you read this year? Do you set reading goals for yourself?
A: Finished? Twenty-five. Goodreads is kindly telling me I am sixty-three behind schedule for my yearly goal of a hundred. I don't know what I was thinking, but I like to aim high. I set myself a Goodreads goal every year. And I also like to do quests with reading blogs around the place. This year I am doing two: the Eclectic Reader Challenge and the Autumn Reading Challenge. I have finished a grand total of zero of the books on those challenges, but I have started twelve of twenty-seven so I am not giving up just yet. I know, if I read fewer books I could probably finish more. It's one of those weird things like how leaving ten minutes earlier in peak hour can mean getting to work later. It's something to do with quantum physics and an extra time dimension.
List_Addict Irene
(Bad news: we just decided to go to Texas. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre is set in Texas. It's on the Kindle now.)
Q: What do you think are the best and worst book-to-movie/TV show adaptations?
A: Funnily we were discussing this in the car the other day. I had just finished reading The Silver Linings Playbook and was questioning the film-maker's decisions on what they changed and why. Especially with Pat's father who never does come round to showing love to his son in the book, amongst other things that I will discuss in a blog shortly. To which V—— commented that he preferred a variation from the book to the film. He was slightly irked by the Harry Potter films because they too closely followed the books—what was the point of reading it if it was all in the film, he argued. Some would say that was a good adaptation. Does that answer the question without me having to make any decisions?
Q: What is the first line of your favorite book?
A: I am too much of a Libran to have a favourite book—I can find worth in the careful weighing up of any book. I love first lines though and it is one of my favourite things, when I get a stash of (real) books, to turn to each first line and get a feel from that first impression. So I will give the first line of the book I am most concentrating on at the moment—Anne Funder's All That I Am—and, if you haven't read it, discern what you may from this taster: 'When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.'
Q: What's your favorite quote from a book?
A: Impossible. Can not compute ...
The Outfit
Clearing the Closet: It’s time to go sage green embroidered skirt in the a-line phase I went through that just doesn't work for me
Two Piece Top and Jacket: Op-shopped, Vintage
Skirt: Op-shopped
Necklace: Junk Jewellery Shop Somewhere
Shoes: Irregular Choice 'Patty'
Photographer de Jour: Moi
Who wore it better?
Getting linky today with:
Q: What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!
A: Here is the current list, and here are the books I added one day after composing that list; take away the completed Flowers for Algernon and The Silver Linings Playbook. Crazily, I am reading all those books. Yes, I probably have either ADHD or a short attention span. I keep finding things interesting and adding them to the pile. This month I also added four new books, set in the four states I planned to visit on my holidays: Nevada (Steven King's The Stand), Utah (Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song), Arizona (Mark Poirier's Goats) and New Mexico (Have you seen Charlie? A Cowgirl's Guide to Quantum Physics by KH Brockwell). Then we found ourselves in Colorado and so I had to hit up Amazon again and got myself The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale. I have been in the States for a week and a half and am yet to start any of them. Which is not overly surprising given I am still reading one of the three novels I got based in Vietnam when I went there in March!
Q: How many books have you read this year? Do you set reading goals for yourself?
A: Finished? Twenty-five. Goodreads is kindly telling me I am sixty-three behind schedule for my yearly goal of a hundred. I don't know what I was thinking, but I like to aim high. I set myself a Goodreads goal every year. And I also like to do quests with reading blogs around the place. This year I am doing two: the Eclectic Reader Challenge and the Autumn Reading Challenge. I have finished a grand total of zero of the books on those challenges, but I have started twelve of twenty-seven so I am not giving up just yet. I know, if I read fewer books I could probably finish more. It's one of those weird things like how leaving ten minutes earlier in peak hour can mean getting to work later. It's something to do with quantum physics and an extra time dimension.
(Bad news: we just decided to go to Texas. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre is set in Texas. It's on the Kindle now.)
Q: What do you think are the best and worst book-to-movie/TV show adaptations?
A: Funnily we were discussing this in the car the other day. I had just finished reading The Silver Linings Playbook and was questioning the film-maker's decisions on what they changed and why. Especially with Pat's father who never does come round to showing love to his son in the book, amongst other things that I will discuss in a blog shortly. To which V—— commented that he preferred a variation from the book to the film. He was slightly irked by the Harry Potter films because they too closely followed the books—what was the point of reading it if it was all in the film, he argued. Some would say that was a good adaptation. Does that answer the question without me having to make any decisions?
Q: What is the first line of your favorite book?
A: I am too much of a Libran to have a favourite book—I can find worth in the careful weighing up of any book. I love first lines though and it is one of my favourite things, when I get a stash of (real) books, to turn to each first line and get a feel from that first impression. So I will give the first line of the book I am most concentrating on at the moment—Anne Funder's All That I Am—and, if you haven't read it, discern what you may from this taster: 'When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.'
Q: What's your favorite quote from a book?
A: Impossible. Can not compute ...
Who wore it better?
Getting linky today with:
It's been so long since I read an actual book that I can't remember what I like or any quotes from them. I can tell you my two favourite quotes from movies, but I'm not sure either of them work out of context:
ReplyDelete(Having explained to Elizabeth the humble pirates don't understand big words ...)
"I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." by Barbosa in Pirates of the Caribbean
and
"Way to comit, soldier" - Skipper in Madagascar 3, in response to hearing that the breaks in the 4WD had failed.