Book memes = love

Thanks to my incredibly well-read friend, I present to you another book-related meme. Enjoy, and don't forget to fill one out for yourself!

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?
A French translation of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" that my mom bought me at an antiques store in Michigan several years ago. Sadly, my book collection tends to prune itself each time I move (about every two years) but I'm hoping to end that streak with our upcoming move in May.

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?
Current Read: None - just finished one last night.
Last Read: "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg (FABULOUS!)
Next Book: "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo

3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
"Wicked." I wanted to like it, I really did, but I found it so terribly confusing.

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?
I always tell myself that I want to read more of the "classics," but some of them are super dull. I have yet to make my way through "1,001 Books To Read Before You Die," and I can tell you that some on that list are going to be sheer torture. Maybe I should make my own list instead, because they left out a lot of 21st century literary gems, IMO.

5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”
I read too quickly to save any books. Some will get relegated to a "read later" pile if I pick up one I'm more interested in. Right now, the book I'm dying to get my hands on is "The Women" by T.C. Boyle. I have a sudden fascination with the life of Frank Lloyd Wright.

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
NEVER read the last page first! What's the point??

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I read them more now that I'm actually writing a book.

8. Which book character would you switch places with?
Without a doubt, Hermione Granger. I'd love to be a frighteningly intelligent witch.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
Too many to list, but I'll give you some highlights: The first four Harry Potter novels will be inextricably linked to my college years; "Harriet the Spy" was one of the anthems of my childhood, and I will forever remember the date, time, lighting, emotions and all sensations involved with reading the final page in the last Harry Potter book, "Deathly Hallows." I was a mess!!

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I've scored numerous bestsellers and a couple of manuscripts from the Kansas City Star's book sale, which is a magical event.

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
No specific situations come to mind -- I'm always happy to loan books, and when I give a book as a gift, I try extra hard to make sure it fits the recipient. I miss buying books for my grandpa -- he was a local and regional history buff, and he was always happy to read what I bought him.

12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
I typically bring new books with me when I travel, but I usually have my journal (that counts as a personal book, right?)

13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?
I absolutely despised Toni Morrison's "The Beloved" and can't bring myself to re-read it. Most other reading assignments were wonderful; Dante's "Inferno" and Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" count as two favorites.

14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?
Notes from past readers, but those were more likely found in textbooks.

15. Used or brand new?
I'm a little addicted to the shiny newness of books, but I love older ones because of how they smell.

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
I'm not qualified to say. He's never made it on my literary radar.

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
"The Shining"

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
"Confessions of a Shopaholic." Worst. Movie. Adaptation. EVER.

19. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?
Although we have different tastes in reading (most of the time), Rob's learned what I like and now makes excellent recommendations, the most recent of which was a wrestling autobiography that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will also follow any suggestions made by my stepmom, who is also an avid reader.