Eva's Book Meme

How exciting! The first book meme I've ever been tagged on! Let's hope I do it correctly...

I was tagged by Margo from Margo's Entertainment Shelf, who was tagged by Rhinoa at Rhinoa Ramblings.


Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Hmm- probably the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. I don't know why I don't want to read it, as it's basically historical fiction, and historical fiction at a pretty interesting time in history, too. But I don't know- the covers are usually so romance-like that I shudder to even look at them, and I just have a feeling I wouldn't much care for the female lead.

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?
Hmm, probably Howl from Howl's Moving Castle, Falco from Lindsey Davis's Falco series and Jehane, from The Lions of Al-Rassan. Would be quite the eclectic bunch of people, and I can't really imagine them ever getting together of their own free will, so I guess it would just have to be a party at my house. I'd love to hear Falco's thoughts as he is confronted by the self-absorbed Howl... and I just really like to think Jehane and I would be BFF. Haha.

(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 awhile, eventually you realise it's past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Oh, wow. I have no idea. I think for me, it would have to be something by Nicholas Sparks. Hopefully not ALL of his books, though! That would be a slow and painful death.

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?
I don't think I've ever done this. Not that I remember, anyway. I have always had issues with people who list their "favorite books" on their online profiles when it's pretty clear from their personalities that they have never read the book. So I think if I can tell that easily with other people, they can probably figure it out pretty quickly with me! That said, though, I totally judge Nicholas Sparks and I have never read his books, so it's possible I'd really like him but would never admit to reading his books and certainly not to liking them. Based solely on movie adaptations such as The Notebook, of course!

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to 'reread' it that you haven't? Which book?
I don't think so. If this happened to me, it's probably on a book I've marked DNF, but really should have marked DNS (did not start).

You've been appointed Book Advisor to a 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 of personalise the VIP)
Well, with all the non-VIPs I know, I always recommend The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz-Zafon. Because I love that book. And most people I've recommended it to have loved it as well. That's really the token book I recommend to every "non-reader" I know.

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?
I would love to be perfectly fluent in either Telugu or Kannada, just for pride in the mother-culture :-)

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?
Haha- probably a short one! No, I think if there was a book I had to re-read every year, I'd want it to be The Count of Monte Cristo. That book is amazing. And I think it would stand up well to multiple re-reads.

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)?
I have heard about SO MANY books from other people's blogs, or from book discussion forums that I don't think I can even begin to list all my "discoveries." The most recent one was probably the last book I reviewed, The Secret River. Loved that one!

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? 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.
I would probably also pick the library from Beauty & the Beast, just as Margo did! I don't know what else my dream library would have, but I'd love a big armchair, fireplace and one of those moving roller ladders- that's the mark of an intense library, in my opinion! I think I'd also have all of Jane Austen's books in as old an edition as possible.

And the final portion of this assignment is to tag four others:
Between the Covers
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Reading Adventures
My Middle Name is Patience

*And, for extra credit, if you leave a comment letting Eva know you've done the meme with a link to the post, she will give you some link love via a big list of who's participated. Additionally, if you link back to her original post, she will enter you in a drawing to win The House at Riverton. If you're an American, this is especially exciting since it isn't going to published until April. ;) To be in the drawing, you must have posted the meme (and commented) by February 5th, which is when she is holding the drawing.