What Character Would You Be?

I was asked a question on Formspring.me and thought it was an excellent inquiry to share here at my book blog.

The question was:

If you could live the life
of a character in a book,
who would it be?

My first thought was, "What a great question!" And then I thought, "...What a difficult question." All of the main female characters from my favorite books started bombarding my mind. Most of my favorite novels are about women who led less-than-ideal lives.

Marie Antoinette (from Abundance) got to wear gorgeous gowns, attend fabulous soirees, and rule as Queen of France. Not to mention, she got to indulge in a romantic affair with the handsome Count Fersen. But I wouldn't want to have been her because she was the scapegoat of the Revolution, was terrorized by her haters, and had her head chopped off in the end.

Marlena (from Water for Elephants) was a beautiful and talented circus performer who had a loving pet elephant named Rosie. However, she suffered abuse from her possessive husband.

Claudia (from Pilate's Wife) came from a wealthy Roman family and lived during my favorite time in history. She married Pontius Pilate, loved a good-looking gladiator, and traveled the empire. But she was tormented by nightmares that came true (including Jesus' crucifixion) and a Roman emperor that had it out for her family members.

And Queen Caroline Mathilde (from The Royal Physician's Visit) ruled as queen of Denmark and found true love in a romantic reformer. However, she had to marry an unstable and childlike king. And her love affair came to a rather bloody end.

So... who of all my favorite characters would I actually want to be in the shoes of?

My answer:

Scarlet O'Hara from
'Gone with the Wind'...
but I'd never let that
dashing Rhett Butler
get away from me!!!
He'd be mine, all mine. ;)

If you have a question to ask me, click here. It's totally anonymous.

Amore.

Nook-worm? Nose stuck in a Kindle?

(above: reading by one-little-thing.)

Being an avid reader, I can't help but notice the growing popularity of the e-reader. The Amazon Kindle and Barnes&Noble Nook seem to be taking the reading world by storm. These devices are sleek, chic, portable, and convenient. You can carry your whole library around with you. You can download a book in less than a minute---forgoing shopping or having to order. For the tech-savvy who like to read, these devices are really catching on. And I will admit that they are seductive little pieces of technology.


But I prefer books. For me, nothing compares to a book. I love the anticipation that comes with each physical turn of the page. I love the smell of crisp new ones and of old dusty ones. I love having it opened and my nose literally stuck in it. I love shelves of them, stacks of them, piles of them. I love the feeling of the page between my fingers. Books can be sleek and chic---but they can be so much more than a technological device. They may be brand spanking new or tattered and worn. Books are entirely portable and convenient. I enjoy browsing bookstores. And I like waiting for books I've ordered. (The wait is okay with me because I usually have a book to finish before I can start the one I ordered anyway.)

For me, books are incredibly seductive---more so than a cold piece of technology.

I read somewhere (sorry, I don't remember where or who) that it is predicted that because of the growing surge of e-reading and e-publishing, actual books will become a rare and expensive thing just as they were in the past when books first came out. E-reading and e-publishing are less expensive, more convenient, and save on resources such as paper. I do hope that prediction is wrong.

Whether you prefer physically turning the pages of a real book or enjoy the technological convenience of these e-reader machines, the important thing is that people keep reading. And if it takes an e-reader as opposed to a book to keep people reading, then I'm all about supporting that.

In the meantime, I do enjoy the Kindle commercial.

Amore.

20 Q's Reading Survey

1. Last books I bought: (I actually received these through PaperBackSwap...)
Uppity Women of Ancient Times by Vicki Leon, Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen, Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen.

2. Last book I read; book I'm currently reading :
The Gilded Chamber by Rebecca Kohn; Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue.

3. The first book I read over and over:
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Jackson. I was a child and I thought the book was magical!

4. Books I enjoyed in my youth:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, all books of poetry by Shel Silverstein, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, stories by Dr. Seuss, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault, Little House on the Prarie (and the other Little House books) by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and tons of Nancy Drew mysteries by Carolyn Keene.

5. Where I read:
Everywhere. On the bus. Before, after, and during (oops!) class. In a quiet corner of the library. And, my favorite place, curled up in bed.

6. A book I bought just for cover:
The Lovers' Path by Kris Waldherr. It's a beautifully illustrated novel. I bought two copies---one for me, one for my sister. I can't wait to read it!

7. Scariest Book I ever read:
When I was little, I thought Where the Wild Things Are was the scariest book ever, but I read it over and over because it was fun to be scared like that. Last year I attempted to read Villisca by Roy Marshall. The novel is based on an axe-murder that occurred in Iowa back in 1912. It wasn't written in a scary way; there was nothing gory or suspenseful. However, the subject matter and thoughts of the horrible murder haunted me. I couldn't get past the second chapter.

8. Most Romantic Book ever:
Hmm... for me it's a tie between Pilate's Wife by Antoinette May and Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund. Romance isn't exactly the main focus of either of those books, but in Pilate's Wife I absolutely loved the romance between the main female character and her gladiator love interest. And in Abundance, I fell hopelessly in love with Count Axel von Fersen---even though he and Marie Antoinette's relationship is depicted as a mere friendship in this novel.

9. Book that changed my life in some way:
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Perfume by Patrick Suskind, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

10. Books I've reread the most:
I honestly haven't reread any books. There are several books which I say that I may read again (Pilate's Wife, Water for Elephants, The Royal Physician's Visit, Abundance) ...But I probably won't re-visit those until twenty or thirty years down the road. ;)

11. Books I need cliff notes for
Uhhh... well, most recently I needed cliff notes for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

12. Book I needed a dictionary for:
At times I felt like I needed a dictionary for Atonement by Ian McEwan.

13. Books I like that no one else seems to:
Nobody else I know seems to be interested in Perfume by Patrick Suskind. I think when I start talking about a guy who knows all the smells in the world, has no smell of his own, and starts murdering young virgins in an effort to create the world's most wonderful smell... people get turned off... But it's a beautiful, haunting, romantic, and eerie tale. Read it!

14. Books I don't like that everyone else seems to:
Oh gosh. Where to begin? The Harry Potter series. The Twilight series. Many others, but those two really pop out in my mind.

15. Number of books I own (guess):
Oooh dear, I'm honestly not sure. Over a 100 for sure... my mom owns like five times as many as I do.

16. Number of books on TBR (that have not been acquired):
Around 20 right now.

17. Must have reading accessory:
A bookmark. I love bookmarks.

18. Literary destination I want to go to:
I would love to visit Versailles. When I read Sena Jeter Naslund's Abundance, I felt like I was being transported there every time I picked up the book. I would love to see the palace in reality!

19. Top three favourite authors
Sena Jeter Naslund, Libba Bray, Sarah Dunant.

20. The reason I started book blogging
I blog because it is a fresh, creative way to express myself, broaden my interests, and interacting with people who share my interests. It is a great way to share favorite novels and to read reviews of other potential pageturners.

Reading Survey

1. What author do you own the most books by?

Nobody really. I have so many books and they're all by different authors. I can only think of a handful of writers that I have more than one book by.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?

I don't. I only have one copy of each book I own.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

Not really. Surveys are allowed to be so casual.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Definitely Sena Jeter Naslund's portrayal of Count Axel von Fersen in "Abundance". I was swooning each time he walked into the scene.

5. What book have you read the most times in your life?

When I was little I read "Where the Wild Things Are" more times than I can count. However, now that I've grown up I really only read books once. There are many plays I've read multiple times, though.

6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

Heh, probably "Where the Wild Things Are". I can't wait for the movie!

7. What is the worst book you’ve read?

Oh, there are several. "Robinson Crusoe," "Lord of the Flies," and "1984" are the ones that I hated most.

8. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

Without a doubt Sena Jeter Naslund's "Abundance". It's epically beautiful.

9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Hmmm... either "Abundance" because it was so captivating or "Perfume" because it was such a different type of store---so haunting, so strange, so intriguing.

10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?

I'm not sure.

11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

"Pilate's Wife," "The Birth of Venus", and "The Royal Physician's Visit" would all make excellent movies!

12. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

"Lord of the Flies". Ugh.

13. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

I haven't really had any weird dreams, but I have these super frustrating dreams sometimes about writing. I'll dream that I came up with a groundbreaking plot idea for my story or was writing the most wonderful novel... then I wake up and can't remember any of what I was writing in my dream. :(

14. What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

Nothing comes to mind.

15. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

"Love in the Time of Cholera". I was excited about it. I gave it a try. I tried really hard. The writing was beautiful, but I just wasn't hooked in the first few pages or even the first couple chapters. If a story can't reel me in, I quit.

16. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?

I don't know about obscure, but I saw an adaptation of "The Taming of the Shrew" set in 1950s America. It was ok. I reeeeally want to see a production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" though.

17. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

I'm drawn more to French things.

18. Roth or Updike?

I am acquainted with both, but I don't know either one enough to have a preference.

19. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers? ~

Same answer as above.

20. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Shakespeare---I do love him despite believing the real Shakespeare was Edward de Vere. Yes, I went there. :P

21. Austen or Eliot?

Same answer as 18 and 19.

22. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

High school. I didn't read much for enjoyment.

23. What is your favorite novel?

I have a new favorite: "Abundance". :)

24. Play?

Oh, man! Theatre was my life in high school, so there are many many plays that I love for various reasons. "Our Town," "Miss Julie," "Twelfth Night," "Chapter Two," and sooo many more.

25. Poem?

"Ode on a Grecian Urn" and "Ode to Psyche" by John Keats are my all-time favorites.

26. Essay?

Nothing is coming to mind.

27. Short story?

"The Story of an Hour," "The Yellow Wall-Paper," "Daisy Miller," and lots of Edgar Allen Poe stories.

28. Work of non-fiction?

"The Complete Pompeii".

29. Who is your favorite writer?

I honestly don't really have a "favorite". I have ones that I love and enjoy, but no overall favorite.

30. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

I'll have to think about this one.

31. What is your desert island book?

"Abundance". I'd read it again.

32. And … what are you reading right now?

"Pilate's Wife" by Antoinette May.

I tag anyone who wishes to take the time to do this. :)

What Type of Reader are You?

(above: Bookworm by weebobeebo)

What are my qualifications of a good book? (And remember, this is my personal criteria.)

I do judge a book by it's cover. I'm an aesthetic individual and lover of art. The cover is the first thing that draws me to a book. And all of the images I conjure up in my mind as I read the book are inspired by the image on the cover. I really like covers that depict a famous painting, like The Birth of Venus and The Royal Physician's Visit. If a book has a lovely cover, it will at least end up in my hands.

I read almost only historical fiction. That may sound narrow-minded, but it's just what I enjoy most. I love the past. I wish I could time travel. I wouldn't go back in time to any moment in my life... but would visit different eras of history in different areas of the world. But since time travel technology is not yet at my disposal, I read historical fiction to go to another place and time. It's an escape from the present. I also like the historical fiction I read to be historically accurate. I'm a history buff myself and writer of my own historical fiction. So I love researching a time period and making the story as realistic as possible for that era. And I appreciate it when authors do the same thing.

The book should possess me within the first ten pages, preferably the first sentence. I don't like to read books that get off to a slow start where things don't start happening until the middle of the novel. And I don't like books that make it all to easy to close the book, set it aside, and turn on the television. I like books that grab your heart, mind, and soul from the very first words. Gripping words that suck you into the story and make you forget about everything else in your own life. Words that make you feel like you're an invisible character in the novel, watching everything play out... like a fly on the wall, or like the walls themselves.

The best kind of book is the kind where you start reading and can't stop. A pageturner. You just have to turn to the next page. It draws you in more and more. One more sentence. Then one more page. Then one more chapter. You keep turning the pages and turning the pages because you simply can't resist. You just can't wait to find out what happens and how it all ends up. But then... when it all does come to an end, you're almost heartbroken. You're sad and lonely because such a beautiful, gripping story came to an end and you still yearn to know what happens next. And yet there's no next page to turn to. I love a book that leaves me wanting more long after the last page.

I read for my own personal pleasure, I'm following my heart and if a book doesn't grip me... I'll move on to another.

What kind of reader are you? Are you picky like me? Do you need a gripping story in order to stay faithful to a book? Or are you fiercely loyal and finish every novel you stick your nose in? Do you enjoy the slower readers more than the fast-paced?

Amore.