A meme from Karen

This is another literary meme, created by Karen.

If you could be any character from a book, who would you be and why?

My first instinct is to say Elizabeth Bennett, from Pride and Prejudice. She's so elegant and witty, and she ends up with Mr Darcy and Pemberley. I admire the character of Jane Eyre, but she endured too much hardship. Yeah, I'll stick with Lizzie!

Which book do you wish you had written and why?

I don't know if this counts because it's non-fiction, but I think Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, because then I would have spawned a huge amount of debate, and the development of the sociology of scientific knowledge, and I would have been one of the most cited authors of the 20th century.

In terms of fiction... Clare Boylan's completion of an unpublished Charlotte Bronte manuscript, Emma Brown, because maybe then it wouldn't have annoyed me as much.

What book(s) have you wanted to change the ending of?

1. Lives of Girls and Women, by Alice Munro. I kind of identified with Del's way of thinking, so I was hoping she'd end up more successful and following her dreams, rather than just staying on the Flats Road.

2. Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. I know the title says it all, but did it have to be that depressing?!

What is most important to you in a book and why?
Story/Plot? Character? Language? Ideas? Other?

I think I'd have to say plot, though it really depends on the author. If the language is beautiful enough, or evokes enough of a reaction in me, it doesn't really matter if there is no plot. Same with ideas - if they're interesting or original enough, the others don't matter. Though, I guess the ideal book would have all four in a good balance!

In your opinion, who is the writer who is best at:
Story/Plot? Character? Language? Ideas? Other?

I'm not sure I can answer this question. I've spent the last few years reading far too much trash, and it's only this year that I've started getting more into decent literature. But here are some examples:

1. I love To Kill A Mocking Bird for the story, and also for the character of Scout. She's adorable.

2. I thought Tim Winton's Cloudstreet was really good for the characters - how they interacted, and how they changed throughout the book.

3. Donna Tartt's The Secret History for the language.

4. Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age for the ideas, though the ending was a bit poor. And, overall, it was a bit weird for my tastes. I'm not really into Science Fiction.

Which book(s) have you most wanted to burn/obliterate the memory of off the face of the planet?

1. Passion and Purity, by Elizabeth Elliot. I read this book at the beginning of last year. I was in the first relationship I'd had since high school, and I was looking for some Christian guidance on how to be in a relationship. The general idea of this book was good - the importance of keeping one's thoughts pure, as well as one's body. My main issue with the book was the way she used her relationship with her first husband, Jim Elliot, as an example. They were in love, but he wasn't sure that God wanted him to be married. So, he basically kept her hanging on for about ten years while he figured this out. He wouldn't kiss her, because he wanted her thoughts to remain pure, but he was quite happy to go out and kiss other girls. Also, he wrote Elizabeth these increadibly steamy letters - don't see how that was supposed to help her control her thoughts. I also didn't like the extremely conservative viewpoint on gender roles - apparently it's a sin for a woman to ask a man on a date. Or something like that.

2. Dan Brown's books. Maybe not The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, but definitely Digital Fortress and Deception Point. I think Dan Brown should have only been allowed to write one book. Or, at the very least, his books should come with a warning that excess consumption can cause severe frustration.

3. The Left Behind books. I've only read three, but they were terrible. Actually, I think they were even worse than Dan Brown.

Describe your favourite place to read (plus essential accompaniments, etc. tea).

I love reading in bed. Even when I get home very late (or early the next morning!) I always have to read a bit in bed before I go to sleep. If I'm being good, I have a cup of tea. If I want to spoil myself (or escape a little) I like a glass of red wine and some good chocolate. Mmmmm...

Which books are your “comfort” books? (ie. the ones you keep coming back to to read over and over again because you enjoy them so much each time.)

1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

2. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

3. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. I've only read it once, but I think it will be one of these.

I have another class of books I read over and over, mostly when I'm too tired to read anything else. These are things like John Grisham and Patricia Cornwell novels.

What attracts you about your favourite genre?

I don't really have a favourite genre, I read lots of different books. I do read a lot of crime fiction though; authors like John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. When I'm reading for light relief or sheer escapism, I like books with an exciting and engrossing plot - something I can't put down. And I like things that require very little concentration! Fortunately, I'm now starting to find more literary crime/thriller novels to read - things like Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club, and The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

Which book has had the biggest impact on you/completely changed your life? (apart from the Bible)

I don't think my life has ever been completely changed by a book. That could be an indication that I don't read enough Christian books! I was impacted by To Kill a Mockingbird, though. It made me realise how hypocritical people (including Christians) can be, and how easily innocence can be lost.

Which book do you most want to see as a movie done well which has not been turned into a movie already?

I'm not sure about this one. I think all my favourite books have been made into movies already. Movies very rarely do justice to the book, anyway. Perhaps The Diamond Age would be interesting as a movie, as long as the part where the guy gets torn apart by the 'cookie cutters' is not too graphic.