W & W Books

I have been commanded to participate in book questions and when one is commanded to do something, well … in most cases I just pretend I didn’t know about it but in this case it doesn’t hurt to play along.

The rules are as follows:

1. Post the Rules.
2. Answer the eleven questions that were asked of you by the person who tagged you.
3. Make up eleven new questions and tag your friends to do the same.
4. Let them know you tagged them or let them find by chance

 

Here are the questions that my ‘tagger’ made up and my answers:

1. Have you ever liked a movie more than the book? If so, what movie(s)?
   My Fair Lady. I saw the movie before I ever knew it was a book (Pygmalion) and I have tried twice to read the book but can never get past the first 20 pages. Inconceivable!
2. ________ opening for __________ would be a dream concert. Fill in the blanks. (You can fill them in with performers dead or alive.)
   I’ve never been much of a concert goer. I could count them all on one hand. Besides, there were not many concerts in the countries I lived in.. The last concert I went to was in 2001 when a friend surprised me with tickets to see a performance at a small venue. That was a good concert. Some local band I don’t even remember the name of opened the performance. I suppose it would be fun to see Eric Clapton in concert or Paul Simon but I don’t really care if I ever do. I am not considering Lebanese performers whom I have seen in the past years.
3. If you’re making dinner and don’t need to take into account anyone else’s tastes but your own, what do you find yourself having over and over again?
   Cereal, boiled eggs and Lebanese salads. Thank goodness I don’t have to cook for someone else.
4. You get to interview the author of the book you are reading right now. What’s the first question you’d ask?
   Since I am now reading The Heart of The Matter, I would ask Graham Greene why does Scobie believe that “no human being can really understand another, and no one can arrange another’s happiness”
5. If the world becomes one in which all new novels are only published in digital format, what will you miss most?
   I don’t think I’d know how to fill in the shelves that are currently filled with my favorite books. Also. I’d really miss bookmarks and my need for commenting on books margins.
6. If you had been gifted to play any musical instrument brilliantly, what would you choose to play? (Or maybe you are so-gifted. If so, what do you play?)
   I never played any instruments. For a very very long time I wanted to learn how to play the piano. Currently I’d like to someday learn how to play a classic guitar. It’s much smaller and more portable. But then again, if #5 comes true I could put a piano in place of a bookshelf.
7. The “war between the sexes” has been around since the beginning of time. What do you think is the biggest problem between the sexes today?
   Frankly no-one has a definitive answer, neither do I; but I will borrow from Jane Austen, “half the world cannot understand the pleasure of the other.”
8. If you could switch places with any celebrity for three months, with whom would you like to switch places?
   I think I will pass on this. I’d never ever want to be a celebrity. I like my peace and quiet way too much and being followed around and having unflattering photos taken of me just is not so appealing. Even the thought of being Robert Redford for three months makes me cringe.
9. You can eat at any restaurant in the world. Where would you eat?
   A delicious meal cooked in my own kitchen by a wonderful friend. No restaurant anywhere can make me a meal seasoned with as much love and caring as she does.
10. What book do you wish you hadn’t wasted your time reading last year?
     The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
11. Would you like me to answer all these questions myself?
     But of course!

 

Now, here are my questions:

1. What is the first book you remember reading?
2. What book on your shelves have you owned the longest?
3. What is the oldest book on your shelves in terms of when that particular edition was published?
4. If you could meet a character from any book, what character would you like to meet?
5. What no longer living author do you wish were alive to write just one more book?
6. Where is your favorite place to read?
7. Do you like to snack while reading?
8. Do you read with music playing or the television on?
9. Has the internet shortened your attention span and made it harder to read books as cultural critics claim, or is your ability for sustained reading just as good or better than it ever was?
10. Do you belong to a book group?

    11.  What book or author haven’t you read yet and are always saying you’d like to get around to “someday”?

As for tagging eleven people, well, here I break the rules. Please play along if you’d like and just let me know via mail so I am sure to not miss your answers!

Some thoughts:

1. It will be really interesting looking at the various writer’s libraries and getting a sense of who they are and how they live.
2. I actually own no out-and-out pornography books. If I did, I will definitely have it out on my shelves. I’ve never liked the idea of a hidden book. It means no one will ever randomly pick it up and have a conversation with you about it.
3.  My favorite library in the book, not only for looks but also for content. I would even like a big Atlas one day.

I will leave you with this..

[When you look around somebody’s personal library, you can actually see, physically, tangibly as objects, a map of that person’s interests and preoccupations and memories. When you stand really close to somebody’s library, you get a powerful sense of who they are, and not just who they are now but who they’ve been.