so here goes: 20 questions about BOOKS -- et moi. also, je ne parle pas français, je just pretend. (maybe with google translate, but maybe not. I'll never tell.)
1} my overall favorite book this year
I kind of feel like giving up already. THIS IS ASKING TOO MUCH OF MEEEEE!!!! crud, I don't know. seriously. guhh.
but I guess since I won't be graded on sincerity, probably my favorite book this year was les miserables, brick version. it was fantastic. or maybe --
I know I'm not supposed to do this. I just can't help it. maybelanternbearersordune. (does saying it faster count as less cheating?)
2} favorite debut
um, I think the only book I read this year that was published this year was kirsten miller's the darkness dwellers (aka kiki strike #3). in that case, that would have to be my favorite, which sucks because #s 1 and 2 were awesome and #3 was not. oh well.
3} books I reread this year
oog. a lot. I'll list five I reread because of their "favorite" status.
- a room with a view, by e. m. forster
- the lantern bearers, by rosemary sutcliff
- count robert of paris, by sir walter scott
- the sherwood ring, by elizabeth marie pope
- baby, by patricia maclachlan
4} favorite covers
chaim potok's the chosen.
john knowles's a separate peace.
the cover pictures were actually taken by the same guy (marc yankus). I love his style. it's almost as good as the books themselves.
6} self-published books I read this year
meredith allady's friendship and folly and amy dashwood's only a novel. both are fantastic books, and meredith allady is one amazing lady. and amy. amy's awesome, too. hi, amy! (I can't resist. LBD is just that quotable.)
7} books that gave me a massive hangover
in a good way? les miserables. dune. less good? vanity fair. mill on the floss. horribly? brisingr. I couldn't stop ranting.
8} best standalone
just to shake things up, I'm going to say rebecca, by daphne du maurier. I swear, that book is one of the most-forgotten but most-deserving-of-classic-status ever. I really love it. (does the fact that the almost-as-good hitchcock movie exists make it not a standalone? because laurence olivier might have had something to do with my appreciation. just saying.)
9} biggest books I read this year
les misérables has made this list too many times already. (or is that not possible?) war & peace; vanity fair; gone with the wind.
10} books I followed for the hype, then loved
this hasn't ever happened. next!
11} most disappointing
definitely the darkness dwellers. WE EXPECTED SO MUCH, and then... oh, I can't start. I'll never stop. grrrrrrr.
12, 13} favorite leading-male and -female characters
winnie foster (tuck everlasting). aquila/dolphin (lantern bearers). but drem (warrior scarlet) and philip hepburn (sylvia's lovers) could both compete for that position. ...now that I think about it, so could andrei volkonsky and natasha what's-her-face (war & peace). quite the decisive person, am I not?
14} best romances
prince andrei and me. sir percy and me. courfeyrac and me. that IS what you were asking, isn't it?
no??
oh.
well then.
betty vanderpoel and james saltyre (the shuttle), for one. count robert of paris and his wife brenhilda (count robert of paris). drem and blai (warrior scarlet). alan and esther (bleak house). danny and maggie, haha (nothing to fear). lucy and george (a room with a view) (did you know I did their wedding invitations?). narrator and max de winter (rebecca). francie and ben (a tree grows in brooklyn).
okay. I need to stop. right now.
15} books that hit the DNF list
to tell the truth, the first book I ever recall not finishing (finishing is a point of honor with me, even if I hate the book) was this year.
the sound and the fury by william faulkner. it signified nothing to me.
seriously, though, I couldn't. it was too much to wade through, too few clues, and too little value to finish. so I didn't.
16} out-of-my-comfort-zone books that I read
dune. I generally avoid sci-fi, fantasy stories, but I heard really good things about it -- like from my dad. so I tried it and loved it. and hated it. ...it was one of those. I'm planning on reading it again, though (just not the sequels. kill me to death. once was enough!).
17} author I read the most
this year? probably rosemary sutcliff. I am an insatiable sutcliff fanatic. however, dickens (duh) and tolstoy could probably compete. and wilkie collins. henry james? elizabeth gaskell? ... I haven't counted.
18} top 5 books I'd recommend based on 2013
- war & peace
- p. g. wodehouse x)
- silver branch (the whole trilogy is... well... *sniff*)
- the woman in white
- murder of roger ackroyd
funny thing is, I could recommend each author, too. and also emmuska orczy, whose awesome books have really helped me through some hard times (like "I'm having a breakdown because there aren't any more sir percy books! WAAAAAH!" with "...wait, there's a sir-percy-was-based-off-of-him story? AWESOME!"). thanks, baroness.
19} how many books did I read this year?
I don't know! I can't answer this one. at least 50.
20} a book I'm hugely excited for in 2014
I don't know if it's coming out in 2014, but if it is... the next mysterious benedict society book. SQUEE. and, also "if", the next incorrigible children of ashton place. I love those, too.
crikey o'blimey, guys, that was one long post. sorry.
if you scrolled to the bottom to get a nice summary... long post short, I LOVE BOOKS. may you, too, enjoy the literature that comes your way :)
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