The Return of the Meme-Killer!

Tagged by rambling-soul. (Heh. Obviously, ramble hasn't heard of my avowed inclination to kill all memes passed on to me. To steal a quote, wasak to all memes!)

1. One book that changed your life.

I suppose if I were to really think about it, it was Peter Bowler's The Superior Person's Book of Words. With this book, I realized that words can be weapons, sharp enough to cut another without bleeding. Of course, I also realized that if one has to have wit, one also needs a sharp mind to use it. I've never looked back since then.

2. One book you have read more than once.

I don't really read a book more than once given how many books I still have on my to-read pile. However, there are some books I don't mind dipping into again and again, i.e. John Steakley's Vampire$ and Pamela Dean's Tamlin, which uses those oft-repeated tropes (vampires and elves respectively) in interesting ways. Ironically, these two books also bear the title 'books to be replaced if ever I lose my copy.' (Hmmm. Must elaborate further...)

3. One book you would want on a desert island.

What, with no hope of rescue? I'd get Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. [Identity-protected] told me this one's depressing and am thinking that I'd probably end up killing myself afterwards. Something to motivate myself, yes?

4. One book that made you laugh.

Last one that was good for a laugh was Terry Pratchett's Guards series, i.e. Night Watch and Men at Arms. At the time, I wanted to try Pratchett but I didn't want to jump in too wholeheartedly. That man has more books written than there is money in my wallet.

Yes, unfortunately, I haven't read anything lately that's made me laugh.

5. One book that made you cry.

Ditto with crying. The really last one was Stormy by Jim Kjelgarrd when I was a wee kitten. Hey, I was a sucker for good dog stories then. Nowadays, if I want to bawl, I'd cut up a bowl of peeled onions.

6. One book you wish had been written.

I wish I had written The Da Vinci Code. That way, I'd be rich enough to write the stuff I want, including a subversive DVC version that has the secret history of onions in every 23rd word of the book .

You mean you never heard about the history of onions?

7. One book you wish had never been written.

Funny enough, I've never really thought about it. None, I guess. Now if you were to ask me, "what's one book that's a total waste of time but has been published a lot and because of this, has mulched vast tracts of forests, alas", well, we'd be here for a long time...

8. One book you are currently reading.

Lewis Hyde's Trickster Makes the World, about the study of the Trickster myths. It's an interesting book and has fascinating applications to the real world. For example, has anyone thought that Naruto, with his nine-tailed demon fox spirit, could actually be a vessel of change?

9. One book you have been meaning to read.

*looks at my to-read pile* You're kidding me right?

Tagging: No one! (Unless you wanna revive this thing.)