Sunday 22 March 2015

Short book meme

Time for a meme I think. Haven't done one of these in ages. Snagged from a friend on Live Journal.


1. What was your favourite book during childhood?

I tended towards favourite authors rather than favourite books to be honest: Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis were two. But there was one book I took out of the library time after time and it's this one:


Minnow on the Say by Philippa Pearce. It's a gorgeous summer adventure about two boys looking for treasure on a river. I read it again in 2008 and my review is here.


2.What is your favourite book now?

Again I do tend towards favourite authors so naming just one favourite book is very hard. I shall name *one* of my favourite books and that is Drood by Dan Simmons.


Opinions are sharply divided on this book and I had no idea which side I would come down on. Turns out I absolutely adored it.


3. What is your favourite movie adaptation of a book?

Excellent question. Generally speaking the book is nearly always better than the film. In one case it was not though. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper was turned into a fabulous film. The book? Truly awful. The writing was so dense and over-written I couldn't get past page 50. I thought it was a tragedy. It would, however, win a prize for best cover:


How gorgeous is that? Truthfully... I would buy that book for that cover if I ever came across it.


4. Do you prefer checking out books from the library or buying them?

I do both with gay abandon.


5. Have you ever been let down by a book that was highly recommended to you?

I suppose there must've been plenty of occasions but only one springs to mind and that was The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I finished it and didn't hate it precisely. But I didn't love it like members of my family and just about every review I'd read, and that was really because I didn't give a monkey's about Henry and whatever her name was. Just didn't care. Ah well, life would be boring if we all liked the same books.

~~~ooo~~~

11 comments:

Kay said...

I have never read Last of the Mohicans, but I agree that the movie is lovely. Well, violent, but lovely.

Dan Simmons has a new book coming out, did you know? The Fifth Heart or something like that - Sherlock and Henry James. Just saying.

Have a good reading week, Cath!

DesLily said...

wow.. you are right! I haven't seen a meme in forever.. I'll think on this one!!.. love your cover of Drood!! mine is plain light and dark brown, no color.

oh great... just great your friend Kay had to say about Dan Simmons new book (not that I have been interested in ALL his books) but when I looked it up it went on the wish list! Just what I needed... not!

Cath said...

Kay: Yes, very violent. Life was frighteningly cheap in those days.

No, I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip-off. Dan Simmons is definitely an author I would like to read more of... The Abominable and Hyperion for instance... but I gather his books can be a bit hit and miss. Though I rather suspect it depends a lot on the reader.

Thanks, Kay, you too.

Pat: I hope you decide to do this one. lol

Yeah, that's a nice atmospheric cover for Drood.

That new Dan Simmons is sounding good, eh? I think he's an author where some books appeal to people and some don't.

Peggy Ann said...

Fun little meme. I haven't done one in ages either! I am going to try and find Minnow on the Say for my grandkids! Sounds good.

I agree with you about the cover of The Last of the Mohicans. Never read it but have seen the movie too. Gorgeous movie.

Cath said...

Peggy: Minnow on the Say would be a lovely book to read with your grandkids and I think you would love it too.

Jeane said...

My boyfriend's favorite movie is Last of the Mohicans. Sadly, the time I sat down to watch it with him, I fell asleep halfway through! I think I was honestly just very tired, and have thought of reading the book before trying the film again, but now I'm not so sure about that! I haven't read anything by James Fenimore Cooper before.

Cath said...

Jeane: It's such feast scenically, and beautiful music too. I just thought it was such a shame about the book. I'll have to try and find something else along the same lines that I can read.

BooksPlease said...

I tried to read The Last of the Mohicans years ago because I liked the TV series 'Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans', but I was so bored I gave up.

I also got bored reading Drood, far too long and wordy! But I agree about The Time Traveler's Wife - I didn't hate it but didn't love it either.

Inspired by your post I've done one too today - http://www.booksplease.org/2015/03/29/short-book-meme/.

Cath said...

Margaret: I think that's probably the BBC series I watched. I seem to recall Philip Madoc played Magua. I've just checked on Imbd... yes he did and it was 1971. I thought it was a bit earlier than that... mid-60s... but no. And apparently it was filmed in Scotland.

Nomey said...

Sorry, I've only just caught up with this post so my comment comes a bit late. Anyway, I was thrilled to read that 'Minnow on the Say' was one of your favourite children's books; I discovered it when I was eleven and must have read it at least ten times since. The atmosphere of summer on the edge of the fens is magical, and I've never agreed with those children's book reviewers who criticise its structure and say Pearce's 'Tom's Midnight Garden' is much more successful. Thanks for reminding me it's time for a re-read.

Cath said...

The atmosphere of summer on the edge of the fens is magical,

You're exactly right. Such a wonderful depiction of a long, hot, endless summer holiday that at a young age I understood perfectly and loved to bits. I'd not heard that criticism of the book. It's nonsense.