The blog adventure continues. Today, I’m taking on the A-Z Book Survey, which I found on The Perpetual Page-Turner blog (run by Jamie!). It’s an oldie, but since it appears on the Blog Challenge Project masterlist, I figured fun should override currency.
Below, you shall find some vaguely amusing insights into my reading interests and habits. You may use this information for nefarious purposes if you so choose.
Here goes:
Author you’ve read the most books from:
This is a tough one. My immediate inclination would be Tobias S. Buckell; I have read most of his dozen or so “book” works. However, it’s probably more likely that I’ve read more Poul Anderson than any other author. It’s kind of unfair, though. Anderson has published dozens of novels and short story collections, and I’ve been a pretty big fan of his since my teen years. Tau Zero and Inheritors of Earth are two of my favorite works by him!
Best Sequel Ever:
Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell. It is such an incredible space opera, and it brilliantly expands the universe he first explored in Crystal Rain.
Currently Reading:
Roman Colonization Under the Republic by E.T. Salmon. This was chosen by random folks on the Internet, and I’m pretty sure the person who picked it was either Larry Swain or Paul Weimer. The subject matter is well outside of my wheelhouse, but learning new things is fun, right?
Drink of Choice While Reading:
Tea. Preferably black. I’m not picky about the type. Currently, my tea cabinet is full of a LOT of loose leaf black tea varieties acquired from an Indian market in Minneapolis. There’s a lot of tea in there!
E-reader or Physical Book?
Physical Book. Every single time! You can read about why here.
Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School:
Nobody. Just like high school.
Glad You Gave This Book a Chance:
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway or As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. I struggled a lot with enjoying “classic literature” in my early 20s, but diving into these works was totally worth it. They remain two of my favorite novels of all time!
Hidden Gem Book
Duncton Wood by William Horwood. This is, for me, the pinnacle of animal-centered epic fantasy. Yet, it remains largely forgotten in SF/F. It deserves far more love than it has received.
Important Moment in your Reading Life:
Either my first introduction to William Horwood’s Duncton Wood series OR my first introduction to Octavia Butler in college. The former just blew me away with what fantasy could do. The latter was my first true introduction to SF/F by people of color, and it changed everything for me. I’ll talk more about that sometime.
Just Finished:
The Witches by Roald Dahl. I read it mostly out of curiosity, having only been exposed to the 1990 film. It’s a fun book, but I think I’ll remain rather partial to the film even if the author hated it.
Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:
Unfortunately, I am just not the erotica type. I’ve read some that I thought was fine, but generally it just isn’t for me. And that’s cool. Others can love every bit of it. I’m probably repressed or something.
Longest Book You’ve Read:
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (1072 pages). I remain very much “not a fan.”
Major book hangover because of:
Probably A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. It’s a great book, but reading anything of that length really takes it out of you. Otherwise, I’d have to go with some of the incredibly long works of philosophy I read during grad school. Lacan is top among them. Interesting stuff. Mentally exhausting.
Number of Bookcases You Own:
13, I think. A very lucky number.
One Book you Have Read Multiple Times:
Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell. I’ve taught it several times. Alternatively, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway OR 1984 by George Orwell.
Preferred Place to Read:
Honestly, probably my university office because I can keep it relatively quiet and can walk and read at the same time. Except during a pandemic…
Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:
Currently, this one from Philip K. Dick’s Valis: “It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.” It may not be the crying-into-my-book feels, but it’s definitely a I-shall-nod-very-hard-at-this” feels.
Reading Regret:
Not reading enough. It really comes down to that sad fact. *sniff*
Series You Started and Need to Finish (all books are out in series):
Oddly enough, I don’t get that invested in series anymore. I enjoy series, but there isn’t any single completed series that I need to finish. If I was interested, I would have finished it already.
Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:
Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell, Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson, and Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. They’re all so good!
Unapologetic Fanboy For:
All things Star Wars. I am obsessed, and I don’t care.
Very Excited for This Release More Than All the Others:
Honestly, I struggle really hard to keep up with all the new things coming out. So it really comes down to which of my favorite authors has a book coming out this year.
Off the top of my head, I’d say Jeff VanderMeer’s A Peculiar Peril, which is bound to be weird and haunting as all VanderMeer books are.
Worst Bookish Habit:
Collecting books without having read all the ones I already own. It’s not really a problem for me, but other people think I have an…issue.
X Marks the Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:
Galactic Empires (Volume One) edited by Brian Aldiss! It’s a solid collection!
Your latest book purchase:
Utopia and the Dialectic in Latin American Liberation by Eugene Gogol and Industrial Colonialism in Latin America by Victor Manuel and Figueroa Sepulveda.
What can I say? I’m a nerd.
ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. That’s the last time I stayed up all night to finish a book. These days, I’m too old to do that anymore. I like sleep…
And there you have it. I hope that was fun! 😀
