![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
literary meme
Oct. 21st, 2004 09:24 pmI'm still working on my Christmas list. And I have to write a paper for my therapist about Tolkien. In lieu of actual thoughtful examination of my day, let's be thoughtful about something else.
Hardback or paperback? In general I prefer hardbacks, though there are some damn fine trade paperback editions out there, especially from Vintage.
Highlight or underline? I don't usually write in my books, and keep battered notebooks full of quotations in my best hand. But when I do, it's underlining.
Lewis or Tolkien? Tolkien, hands down. I've been reading those books over and over for more than a decade now. I might not believe there are elves and magic, but I believe in the story.
E.B.White or A.A. Milne? I've not read either one, truth be told. Can we go with Watership Down instead?
TS Eliot or e.e. cummings? Oh Eliot's apocalyptic ravings, to be sure.
Stephen King or Dean Koontz? This presumes I read either one. I have, and I wasn't thrilled. I'd say, HP Lovecraft trumps both.
Barnes & Nobles or Borders? I do buy books at Barnes & Nobles more often, because I hold a grudge against Borders for being part of the Waldenbooks empire of evil that I worked for one miserable Christmas. That said, I really like Half Price better.
Waldenbooks or B Dalton? I miss Bookstop, I used to go there all the time as a kid and buy tons of bizarre paperbacks, including my first book about the Trojan war. I still like Half Price best, even if working for them wasn't the greatest always.
Fantasy or science fiction? See, I can't make that choice. Some of the first books I read were sci-fi, and then fantasy. I love a good spaceship, but wizards steal my heart.
Horror or suspense? Horror, I think. I like the creepy supernatural.
Bookmark or dogear? Either way.
Hemmingway or Faulkner? Hemmingway was one of my big loves about eight years ago. I like the sparseness of his prose, the feeling that everything is dry and dusty and baked in the sun. I hate Faulkner.
Fitzgerald or Steinbeck? I think I like Fitzgerald more, but it's hard to say.
Homer or Plato? Homer, hands down.
Chaucer or Edmund Spenser? Not really my field. Let's go with Beowulf instead.
Pen or pencil? Oh pens. Especially my thin pilots that disassemble into five pieces.
Looseleaf or notepad? Spirals, all the time
Alphabetize by author or title? When I get crazed enough to do that, it's usually by author.
Dustjackets on or off? Usually on, unless it's too slippery.
Novella or epic? Epics, huge sweeping grandiose epics
John Grisham or Scott Turow? Um, no.
JK Rowling or Lemony Snickett? Probably Rowling, given the opportunity to puzzle out so many strange theories.
Fiction or non-fiction? Usually fiction, but I make exceptions for certain topics.
Historical biography or historical romance? Biographies, because I'm ultimately a greedy voyeur who wants nothing more than a complete deconstruction of your life.
A few pages per sitting or at least a chapter? Try a couple chapters, I read fast.
Short story or creative non-fiction essay? What the hell is a creative non fiction essay? Short stories, because they are fun.
"It was a dark & stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? Once upon a time, because I read way too many fairy tales one summer.
Buy or borrow? I buy a lot.
Book reviews or word of mouth? Dust jackets, and random chance, and associations.
Hardback or paperback? In general I prefer hardbacks, though there are some damn fine trade paperback editions out there, especially from Vintage.
Highlight or underline? I don't usually write in my books, and keep battered notebooks full of quotations in my best hand. But when I do, it's underlining.
Lewis or Tolkien? Tolkien, hands down. I've been reading those books over and over for more than a decade now. I might not believe there are elves and magic, but I believe in the story.
E.B.White or A.A. Milne? I've not read either one, truth be told. Can we go with Watership Down instead?
TS Eliot or e.e. cummings? Oh Eliot's apocalyptic ravings, to be sure.
Stephen King or Dean Koontz? This presumes I read either one. I have, and I wasn't thrilled. I'd say, HP Lovecraft trumps both.
Barnes & Nobles or Borders? I do buy books at Barnes & Nobles more often, because I hold a grudge against Borders for being part of the Waldenbooks empire of evil that I worked for one miserable Christmas. That said, I really like Half Price better.
Waldenbooks or B Dalton? I miss Bookstop, I used to go there all the time as a kid and buy tons of bizarre paperbacks, including my first book about the Trojan war. I still like Half Price best, even if working for them wasn't the greatest always.
Fantasy or science fiction? See, I can't make that choice. Some of the first books I read were sci-fi, and then fantasy. I love a good spaceship, but wizards steal my heart.
Horror or suspense? Horror, I think. I like the creepy supernatural.
Bookmark or dogear? Either way.
Hemmingway or Faulkner? Hemmingway was one of my big loves about eight years ago. I like the sparseness of his prose, the feeling that everything is dry and dusty and baked in the sun. I hate Faulkner.
Fitzgerald or Steinbeck? I think I like Fitzgerald more, but it's hard to say.
Homer or Plato? Homer, hands down.
Chaucer or Edmund Spenser? Not really my field. Let's go with Beowulf instead.
Pen or pencil? Oh pens. Especially my thin pilots that disassemble into five pieces.
Looseleaf or notepad? Spirals, all the time
Alphabetize by author or title? When I get crazed enough to do that, it's usually by author.
Dustjackets on or off? Usually on, unless it's too slippery.
Novella or epic? Epics, huge sweeping grandiose epics
John Grisham or Scott Turow? Um, no.
JK Rowling or Lemony Snickett? Probably Rowling, given the opportunity to puzzle out so many strange theories.
Fiction or non-fiction? Usually fiction, but I make exceptions for certain topics.
Historical biography or historical romance? Biographies, because I'm ultimately a greedy voyeur who wants nothing more than a complete deconstruction of your life.
A few pages per sitting or at least a chapter? Try a couple chapters, I read fast.
Short story or creative non-fiction essay? What the hell is a creative non fiction essay? Short stories, because they are fun.
"It was a dark & stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? Once upon a time, because I read way too many fairy tales one summer.
Buy or borrow? I buy a lot.
Book reviews or word of mouth? Dust jackets, and random chance, and associations.