Another book meme

I found this at CurtJester this morning via googlereader:

1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews? Harry Potter. But irrationally wouldn't be the right word.

2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be? A summer cabin perhaps by the water would do for me. And our companions, because Husband would be there too, would be Flannery O'Connor (after all she is a character in The Habit of Being in a way), Lizzie and Darcy, Kristin Lavransdatter, Laura Ingalls (she's also a character!) and my newest friend Aloysha.

3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave? Any Chesterton. (Did I say that?)

4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it? The Brothers Karamazov. I didn't pretend, but I have hid the fact that I have yet to work through it. The only reason I am admitting it now is because I am happily announcing I am finally doing it, page by page.

5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP). Brideshead Revisited. Why? It's a great Catholic book, a page-turner, and a well known, respected author.

6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with? French, of course. Ah, to read some of the greatest literature in the original.

7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick? Pride & Prejudice... but I believe I may already do that.

8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)? Not sure it comes from blogging, but I wouldn't have read the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series if not for blog readers Susan and John.

9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free. It looks very much like a conglomeration of my friends' libraries: Susan R. in NJ, Anne M. in NE and Nancy here. All of the books recommended in good homeschool programs are there, as well as the complete works of every great author. Every Ignatius Press, Sophia Press and Bethlehem book is there! What else would I want?