... by dear Mr Luse.
1. One book that changed your life: An old paperback I picked up for seventy-five cents at a used bookstore in Baltimore: The Man Who Was Chesterton, an old Image anthology. And before that, Poetic Meter and Poetic Form, by Paul Fussell.
2. One book that you've read more than once: Look Inside Cross-Sections: Trains, by Michael Johnstone. I've read this one way more than once.
3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Dear Mr Luse asks, Who would want just one book on an island? You'd want a library, wouldn't you? I would. And I think Mark Windsor has the right idea: I'd want the Aubreyad, in 21 volumes.
4. One book that made you laugh: Most recently? H.W. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage (that "elegant variation" entry really brings the funny).
5. One book that made you cry: The Clown of God by Tomie DePaola. Gets me every time.
6. One book that you wish had been written: How to Work All Those Colors in the Needlepoint Christmas Stocking Kit You Bought Last Year and Never Finished.
7. One book that you wish had never been written: Confessions, by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
8. One book you're currently reading: The Temperament God Gave You, by Art and Laraine Bennett.
9. One book you've been meaning to read: The Conservative Mind, by Russell Kirk.
10. [Not on the original list, but added by dear Mr Luse] One book you should read: The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis.
Tag: Pansy, Bob the Ape, and Miss Rosey-Posey Moss (who can post her answers in a comment box).
Wow! Impressive reading list, read or unread! As a real reader, you would have enjoyed my alma mater, Thomas More College in NH (thomasmorecollege.edu). I enjoy your blog.
I think I would have enjoyed it too. Glad you enjoy the blog :)
I just got through reading Mr. Luse's responses and am fairly certain he would disapprove of my feelings for Joyce. Of course, he didn't mention Portrait of the Artist (which is admittedly the only book by Joyce that I have read...and by force at that!). I have been put off by Joyce since then, and it's a shame, because I'm certain that he can not be so lauded for nothing. I may just take another crack at Portrait...eventually (in case I missed something of major literary importance during my first go). I may however, go for Dubliners first. That one sounds a lot more promising (for me at least).
Go for Dubliners first. It will still require patience but reward at the end. My daughter's still trying to get through Portrait, but insists she will endure to the end.
"Portrait" is one of those books that I really do wish to fully grasp. This is sort of how I feel about Calculus as well. LOL I find both equally intimidating! I would often find that my mind was wandering and then I'd be lost in the prose, not knowing exactly what was going on for pages at a time. I will absolutely try it again, but will take your advice and try Dubliners first. :) That would surely build up my confidence, and I figure the short story format would work best in taming my wandering mind.
Congratulations! You actually got me to post something!