Guilty as Charged

OK. I stole this from JGR's blog, Fire in the Bones, but I don't feel bad about it because it's too good not to steal and, besides, I am giving due credit.

Serial Reading

I love books that come in series. It’s fun to follow a character, or even a whole community of characters, through the years, to see them change, grow, and age. I wait and watch for the author’s next release, like anticipating a visit from an old friend.

I guess the two I’ve been following the longest are Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta and Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon. These series are very different from each other, but both are based around a character who fascinates me.

One great thing about a series is that, unless the author abandons the character (which can seem like a death in the family to faithful readers), you’ve always got another read lined up, even if you have to wait for it.

But it’s fun too, to discover a series that’s already been written, or is at least well on its way. Then you can have a marathon reading session, buying them all at once and reading them straight through.

There are a couple of series that I’m planning on reading this way, in the distant, after-dissertation future. One is Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies Detective Agency, which has been recommended to me several times over the last couple of years by readers whose opinions I respect. Another is the (gasp) Harry Potter books. I know. I’m so out of touch. I may even read the Twilight series—not so much because I’m fascinated by teenagers and vampires but because of the impact these books have made on young readers, many of whom I’ll probably have in future classes.

Any suggestions for other series that I should check out?

Couples and Pairs

While I was racking my brain to come up with literary couples for yesterday’s post, a few twosomes came to mind that just don’t fit in a “literary couples” category. They’re more like “literary pairs.” And you know me, ever loathe to leave out deserving characters, I decided to follow up with some of my most memorable literary pairs. Feel free to add to the list.

Gus and Call from Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove
Charlotte and Wilbur from E. B. White's Charlotte’s Web
Marian Halcombe and Walter Hartright from Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White
Frank and Joe Hardy--come on, surely you know this one!?!


Oh, and if you haven't already done so, don't forget to vote!

Booking It

I found a new book-inspired blog called Booking through Thursday that posts a question (or two, or three) about books each Thursday that readers can answer on their own blogs. I thought I’d do last week’s here:

What was the last book you bought?

Jodi Picoult’s Plain Truth

Name a book you have read MORE than once.

Jane Austen’s Persuasion

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Yes. Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible is one. But there are many more.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

Very rarely by cover design, although that might catch my eye. I often choose to read books recommended by friends, and I’ve bought many books just because the blurb on the back cover piqued my interest. I read the book reviews every Sunday in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, and I occasionally buy books I learn about there.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Fiction

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

That’s a tough one. If I’m reading just for escape and entertainment, I want the gripping plot. But beautiful writing will make me stop and marvel, even if the plot’s not pulling me along. I never grab my pencil to underline gripping plot, but I’ve put down my book to search for one when I’ve encounter a beautifully wrought sentence or the perfect metaphor. Both are important.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Trixie Belden in the Trixie Belden Mystery series.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

See sidebar.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

The last book I finished was The Book that Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them, edited by Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannessen. I finished it on Friday.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

Are you allowed to do that?


If you’d like to answer these same questions in the comment section, please feel free. If you'd rather answer them on your own blog, it’d be great if you’d post a link to your answers in my comment section. Who knows? After reading your answers, I just might have to make a run to the bookstore.