Book Thoughts

I stole this from my sister’s blog. I thought it might be an interesting change of pace:

1. One book that changed your life:
In a strange, convoluted way, Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. I first read the book when I was in 4th grade and was interested enough that I read the entire series. I put them away after a while, but when I was in college I pulled them out again. My interest in them and the movies based on them led me to stumble on a forum devoted to the third movie, which was to be released in 2000 (it was a terrible movie, completely unlike the books). It was through this forum that I eventually met Mrs. X, which led me to move from my old job to my current job. A long string of event based off a random reading in 1987.

2. One book that you've read more than once:
I have officially lost count of the times that I have read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. I first read it when I was about 9 or 10 and enjoyed it so much that I have reread the book many times. In fact, the first copy I had was duct taped together for a while I had read it so much. I now have a nice hardcover edition that I pull off the shelf on occasion.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
In the vein of the last post, I would pick the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which they can sell as one book). It’s a very long, engaging read that should pass the time sufficiently while I wait for rescue.

4. One book that made you laugh:
I don’t read a lot of pure comedy books, although I do have a lot of comic collections. One of the few I do have is Fatherhood by Bill Cosby. A lot of things he references I’ve seen in his stand up acts and it makes for an amusing read.

5. One book that made you cry:
I don’t know that I’ve ever cried when reading a book, however, I do recall getting extremely angry while reading few books, mostly due to frustration with the character’s stupidity. Probably the one I recall the easiest is Needful Things by Stephen King. On at least one occasion, I wanted to step into the book and strangle several of the characters for acting in such a stupid fashion.

6. One book you wish had been written:
This is hard because just about every good movie or story I’ve heard has been based on a book. I’ll have to leave this one blank.

7. One book you wish had never been written:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I’m no fan of Dickens under most circumstances, but I couldn’t stand this story. Days of Our Lives has had less convoluted and eyebrow raising plots.

8. One book you're currently reading:
I haven’t started it yet, but I’ve put Band of Brothers on reserve at the library. Mrs. X and I just finished watching the miniseries and I thought it might be interesting to get more details in the book.

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
There are a lot of these. One that’s been sitting by my bed for quite a while is Love and War by John Jakes. It’s the second book in the North and South series and I’ve started it twice but always put it down and never gotten back to it. Maybe later this winter I’ll pick it up and stick with it.

10. One book that has scared the crap out of you:
It didn’t exactly scare me, but I was deeply disturbed by the novella The Long Walk by Richard Bachmann (aka Stephen King). A very disturbing story about a fascist US that holds a contest where 50 young men walk continuously in competition. If you fall behind a set speed too often, you are shot. Last man standing wins a big prize. Very disturbing concept.

11. The one book that is most recommended to others by you:
Mrs. X has repeatedly recommended the Generations books. They’re a non-fiction series dealing with historical trends and patterns among the various generations and how one can use these trends to observe various sociological patterns. I keep meaning to read them but never quite get around to it.