casacorona tagged me with the book meme, along with 4 other friends whom I hold in such high esteemed that I'm flattered and more to be included in their company even on a tagging list.


1. One book that changed your life?

Hmm. Hmmm. So many have in small ways, yet I can't point to one that's done so profoundly. The one that comes closest is most likely Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson. For the two-line exchange that goes something like this:

-"Snowcrash -- is it a drug, a language, or a religion?"-

-"Is there a difference?"-


2. One book you have read more than once?

On purpose? The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, just before the movie came out. That was a mistake.


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

Like casacorona's How To Do Everything book from 1940s, I'd opt for The Home-Lovers Encyclopedia. It was published with no date, estimated by several to be in the mid-1930s. Not only does it explain how to do a kazillion things, I also have the heart memory of first reading it at Walter and Madeleine Willis' home.


4. One book that made you laugh?

Gambit, a Nero Wolfe mystery by Rex Stout. (For the Webster's 3rd scene.)


5. One book that made you cry?

Most recently, The Infinite Destiny by Gwen Frostic. For personal reasons, not the words themselves.


6. One book you wish had been written?

I'll agree with casacorona: the next Aubrey and Maturin novel.


7. One book you wish had never been written?

The Eugenic Marriage, published 1914. I found the second volume of the 4-volume book in the attic of Toad Hall when I moved in.


8. One book you are currently reading?

The Wild Swans by Peg Kerr. Finally. Just finished the first three Temeraire novels by Naomi Novik.


9. One book you have been meaning to read?

Language Culture Type edited by John D. Berry. Maybe I'll finally pick it up at TypeCon next week.


10. Tag five people:

Pass. Anybody and everybody is welcome to respond or play (or not) as desired.