Friday, August 26, 2011

"The Ultimate Book Bash" questions

Charity at Austenitis is hosting:
Come to my Book Bash!

Here are my answers to the questions. Sorry there aren't any pictures - I'm really short on time.

1.       Name three books you love.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Emma by Jane Austen, A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke

2.       Name two books you enjoy, but that most people probably haven't heard of.
The School Story by Andrew Clements, Fifteen by Beverly Cleary

3.       Name three series you love.
My favorite definitely used to be the Mandie series by Lois G. Leppard; Samantha & Kit American Girl books (does that count as one?), Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke.

4.       Name three authors you love!
Jane Austen, Janette Oke, Elizabeth Gaskell (even though I haven’t read a whole book by her yet, I like her stories)

5.       How about three adventures or mysteries?
Running Out of Time by Margaret P. Haddix. Sorry, I can’t think of 3.

6.       Three non-fiction?
The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan, Jane Austen for Dummies, Jane Austen’s Letters (okay, that’s just the first three that came to my mind. Haha)

7.       Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys? Which book in your favorite set is your favorite?
Nancy Drew. Probably The Mystery at Lilac Inn or The Clue of the Broken Locket, but then I haven’t read an excessive amount of those.

8.       Narnia or Harry Potter? Name your favorite from the series you like best.
Really neither, but definitely NOT Harry Potter. As far as Narnia goes, I’ve only read about half of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe a pretty long time ago.

9.       A cookbook or a how-to-sew book?
Well, it depends on what I’m cooking and what I’m sewing. But probably sewing…that has the most interesting pictures. ;-)

10.   Historical fiction or fantasy? Name three books you like from the genre you chose.
Historical fiction! Um…A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke, When Calls the Heart by the same, A School of Her Own by Arleta Richardson. (All three of those are about teachers, my favorite historical fiction subject.)

11.   Hardcover or softcover?
That depends on whether it makes it easier or harder to hold, but maybe hardcover.

12.   Louisa May Alcott or Lucy Maud Montgomery? Name your favorite book by the author you chose.
I suppose I must say Lucy Maud Montgomery since I have finished some of her books. Probably Anne of Green Gables. (I also really like Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island.)
13.   Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte? Name your favorite book by the author you chose.
Jane Austen!!!!!!! What, just one? Well, Pride and Prejudice.

14.   Would you rather read historical fiction about the sinking of the Titanic, or the Civil War?
Probably the Civil War. That has a better ending. :-)

15.   What's your favorite classic? Why?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Yes, this is the 3rd time I mentioned that book.
   It has such variety in it, so many interesting characters, and is – as Jane Austen cheerfully observed – ‘light, bright, and sparkling.’ It’s so fun to read; when I pick it up it never fails to put a smile on my face. It’s so easy to laugh when reading Pride and Prejudice! Oh yes, and then of course we have Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. With such a heroine and hero, how could it fail to be delightful?

16.   Little Women or A Little Princess?
I’ve never actually finished either book (shocking, I know), but probably Little Women.

17.   What's your favorite time period to read about?
That depends on the setting. If it’s in England, probably the early 1800s (Regency period…surprise!) and if in America, usually I like mid-late 1800s.

18.   G. A. Henty, J. R. R. Tolkien, or Charles Dickens? What's your favorite book or series by the author you chose?
Charles Dickens. I haven’t actually read any of his books, but Little Dorrit might be my favorite story. (I might never read it though…it is excessively long!) I’m going to be reading A Tale of Two Cities for school.

19.   Ivanhoe or Ben-Hur?
I actually haven’t read either. Am I very ill-educated?

20.   Name three books everyone should read.
The Bible, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (4th time!), and another Jane Austen of their choice.

21.   Name two books we wouldn't have expected you to enjoy.
I really have no idea. What wouldn’t you expect me to enjoy? Maybe one would be Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink.

22.   Name three books that have good movies to go with them.
I do hope you will forgive me for altering this question…but I’m going to name 3 authors that have good movies to go with some of their books:
Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens

23.   Any books coming out soon that you're looking forward to?
The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

24.   Name two authors you'd like to talk to.
Jane Austen (unfortunately impossible), Jamie Langston Turner (or someone else who’s a Christian and mentions Jane Austen in her book[s]. hehe)

25.   Science fiction or a fairy tale?
Probably fairy tale, but it depends on what kind.

26.   A classic book you haven't read is...?
Lots! Let’s see…Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

27.   Shakespeare or George Bernard Shaw (who wrote Pygmalion)?
Shakespeare, I would suppose.

28.   Name a movie (or two) where it's actually better than the book.
Mary Poppins (ugh! And I don’t even like the movie, but the book…), and probably any fairy-tale turned Disney (namely Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty).

29.   Where is your favorite place to read?
My bed. However, if I could read anywhere I wanted, it would be a neat old attic or a relaxing chair in a beautiful garden.

30.   What are your favorite quotes from books?
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerable stupid.” – Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey
“The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!” –Marianne Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility
“For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?” –Mr. Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

31.   What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
That is a very hard decision. If we’re talking about something that’s already been made into a movie but needs a different one, I’d say Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey. But I would love to see movies of Running Out of Time and A Gown of Spanish Lace, if they are faithful to the books. Oh and also Jane Austen’s minor works would be great. =D

32.   What book character do you identify the most with?
I identify with Elizabeth Bennet, Marianne Dashwood, and Catherine Morland all in different ways. ;-)

8 comments:

Charity U said...

Delightful! I'm glad you did this. :)

Lauren said...

Very Intresting! Although, I would disagree with you about Narnia, I practically know each book of by heart! Anyway, I would agree with you on most other questions (:

Melody said...

Charity,
Glad to participate! :)

Lauren,
Well, I wouldn't really say we disagree, it's just that you're more knowledgable on the subject. ;-) It sounds like we're a lot alike then! Thanks so much for reading & commenting!!

Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm said...

I'm going to try and comment as I read. I'm glad you did this tag, I was looking forward to your answers! I totally forgot to post photos in my first answers post and didn't have much time to add photos in my last answers post so don't feel bad!

I'm glad you like 'A Gown of Spanish Lace' too! It's one of those books that I can read over and over again!
Many of my friends have read the Mandie series, I've only read one book from the series and it was very good. I loved reading the American Girl series! My favorites were Kirsten and Felicity but I like all of them (except the newers series). The Love Comes Softly series was one of my favorites to read, and I need to re-read it sometime.
Which Elizabeth Gaskell are you reading? I've read a bit of Cranford and Wives & Daughters and all of North & South, her style of writing is very entertaining!
I loved reading Running Out of Time! My cousin had to read it for school once while my family and I were visiting and there were about five of us in the house who all took turns reading the book because it was so good and we couldn't put it down!
Love that your non-fiction books are all Jane Austen related! :)
That's too bad, I love the Narnia books. Maybe you'll read them sometime, they are so interesting and always encourage me in my walk of faith.
Do you sew a lot? I wish I could sew more but I'm not very good at it.
Have you read any of L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon books? My sister read them all last year and couldn't put them down! The Anne books are very good too but I haven't read very many.
Your comment that the Civil War had a better ending than the Titanic made me chuckle, it's so true! I find that the story of the Titanic is so depressing, I've never been able to finish ready or watching stories about it. :(
*Whispers* I haven't ever finished reading Little Women or A Little Princess either, but Little Women is more intersting.
I hope you enjoy reading A Tale of Two Cities, I haven't read it yet but hope to soon.
You're not ill-educated just because you haven't read Ivanhoe or Ben-Hur. There are some classics that it's okay to just have a general idea about. I would like to read Ivanhoe some day, the story is interesting.
Question 22 is much easier to answer the way you altered it! I agree with the three you mentioned!
I've never heard of Jamie Langston Turner before, I'll have to look that up!
Jane Eyre is an interesting book to read but it can get quite dull because Charlotte Bronte uses many big words, French sentences and is often moralizing or drawing conclusions about everything.
An old attic or a relaxing chair in a beautiful garden sound lovely! I'll come read with you! :) I actually love window seats for reading in, I've only been in one window seat before but they are lovely places to read and I'd love to have a house with a window seat some day!
Love the quotes you mentioned!
A movie of Running Out of Time would be great! I hope they do make a film of A Gown of Spanish Lace, it looks like they're going to. MP and NA definitely need miniseries made of them! I've often wondered why Jane Austen's minor works haven't been made into films yet instead of people making adaptations of other people's JA related writings. I mean, Lady Susan is actually written by the authoress herself! I'd love to see her minor writings done even if left unfinished!
Loved reading your answers!

Melody said...

Miss Laurie,
Yay! A long comment for me! :)

I shall answer you questions.
I started reading North and South. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing it right now though (although I will be reading it all eventually!) I got an itch for Pride and Prejudice...and ... yeah. And for some reason I feel like reading Jane Eyre (at least I did, before I started P&P...) But we'll see. There's always so many good books to read! It's great, but...there's just not enough time! I have enjoyed what I've read so far though. (About 4 chapters, I think.)

I've read Running Out of Time several times! It's so captivating! I've tried a couple other books by that author, and they were a little too...er...science-fiction or out-landish for my taste. But I LOVE the one mentioned. It's like...realistic time travel, because it's not really time travel, but just as fun! More, because it actually makes sense. And it's very exciting.

I don't know if I sew "a lot", but I do enjoy sewing. I recently finished making myself a dress...it's yellow (not shockingly yellow, sort of toned down) with roses and other flowers. It's empire-waisted, and I made it long, so it's fun to think of it as a Regency dress (even though it's not authentic; no gathers in the back, and I don't think the sleeves are authentic either).
Over the last 5 years or so I've really enjoyed making doll clothes (American Girl-size) and barbie dresses. =)
I need to make a Regency ball gown! There's an Regency ball this fall, but I won't be able to make it. :( There will be a Victorian ball in the spring though, and lots of people wear early 1800s dresses for that. :)
Well that was a very long answer to your question! haha

I haven't read any Emily of New Moon (yet), but it is on my book list. A friend of mine said she was going to make a book list with 102 titles to beat both Jane Fairfax AND Emma, so I did one with 103. =D

Well, I'm not sure if I consider Little Women to be more interesting...I really like them both. I love the BBC mini-seires of A Little Princess, it's very good. Several years ago I had a habit of watching it almost every Sunday afternoon. haha!

Jamie Langston Turner is a favorite author of my mom and oldest sister. I've never actually finished any of her books...I read about 1/3 of one (Sometimes a Light Surprises) and the beginning & a few random parts of No Dark Valley.
Probably that author's...er...'trademark' is that she writes about real life. A lot of times her characters are not Christians at the beginning but get saved by the end. :) And usually they've had some sad or troubling thing that's happened in their past, pretty adult-themed most the time, although my family says that there's no, you know, descriptiveness...it's all tastefully done without inappropriateness. :)

I'm going to post this comment and then continue, because I'm afraid of losing what I've written somehow...I hate it when that happens.

Melody said...

Oh wow! That was long. Okay, here's more.

I'm such a 'nonsensical' Janeite that the main reason I'm interested in that author is because she obviously likes Jane Austen, and mentions her in her books. Like, in No Dark Valley, the main character's favorite movie is the 1995 P&P (yay!) Oh yeah, and the guy she ends up with in the end is supposed to look rather like the Mr. Darcy from that one.
(But it is NOT 6 hours long!!!!! SO many people get that wrong!)
End of vent.
Okay, anyways. The first book I mentioned has to do with a young lady who was homeschooled, which interests me. :) The main character was a man though, and I have a sort of thing about reading books mostly about girls...maybe I'll get over it. ha
She is a very talented writer. Her books are very long though...well, Sometimes a Light Surprises didn't seem to be AS long. Her writing style varies; one I heard part of (Mom was listening to a book tape in the car) was written in first person, and it sort of jumped from past to present tense; rather confusing to me, but my mom liked it. :P

My sister (the other one) told me about the French in Jane Eyre. I think maybe I'll copy & past those conversations from online (usually classic books are online) onto a Word document and then translate it. Tehe

From what I've read of The Watsons I think it would make a very good movie. :) I haven't read hardly any of Sanditon yet. But I will! :) Or Lady Susan. Well, I read the first couple letters, but that's all.

Thanks for your comment! Hope you like long ones too...;-)

Miss Dashwood said...

I just love that you love two of the same ND books as I. :D What do you think of reading parts of ND books aloud to each other in dramatic voices at our next visit? :D

Hey, did you actually read A School of Her Own???? I thought you'd only read a couple of the early Grandma's Attic books. I ADORE that one. It's so schoolteachery. :D

I will have you know that way more people died in the Civil War than in the sinking of the Titanic. And there are some peeps in the South who would not agree with you about the ending. But I know what you mean. Heh. Though there was a time when I was kind of obsessed with the Titanic, which is kind of weird and morbid when you think about it...

Oooh, you should finish A Little Princess. It's so SWEET. OOOOOOOH. This has given me an idea. Email me and ask me for my book idea, 'kay?

You are not at all ill-educated to have not read Ben-Hur. ICK.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA at this point you hadn't read Jane Eyre. Goodness. Now I think you're quite an authority on it (and I don't mean that in a sarcastic or teazing way).

Would you still pick Shakespeare over GB Shaw, now that you know and love MFL? Just curious.

I will coldly ignore your crack about Mary Poppins. :P

And... the end. Heehee.

P.S. I do not like this word verification thing. It is much of a nuisance. Much of a muchness nuisance. They should make a thing where if you comment on a person's blog enough, you are automatically made a VIC (Very Important Commentator) and should not be subjected to the same hoop-jumping as the peasants. *haughty sniff*

Melody said...

Amy m'dear,
(Ha, in the last comment I forgot to address it to you. :P)

Oooh! That sounds like fun. If we have time. ;)

No, actually I said I'd only read a couple of the LATER Grandma's Attic books, hahaha. That was the first one I ever read (all the way through, that is), and I pulled it off the shelf because I saw it was about a schoolteacher and was captivated. ;) I loved it. Even though I only read it once. ;) So then I read the one that came before that, and then the one after it... ha. I intended to start from the beginning and read them all after that, but it dinna happen. Heh.

Well, yes, way more people died, but a Civil War story could leave the Important People alive at the end without seeming unrealistic, in contrast to one about the Titanic. Haha. And yes, I know there are some people in the south who would disagree with me. I knew that when I wrote it. I, however, am not in the south. *starts whistling Yankee Doodle*
:P

The main thing that interests *me* about the Titanic is the time period. All those pretty dresses. Hahahaha. I'm so frivolous sometimes, I really am.

Yezzz... it's rather amusing having you read all these old posts, and then when you comment I'm like "what on EARTH is she talking about," and I have to go back and see.

Hmmmm... I'd really have to read more of both Shakespeare and GB Shaw to decide, haha.

Well, when I wrote this post I didn't even know you, much less know that you liked Mary Poppins and would not appreciate my remarks to the contrary. Snort.

And yeah, the word verification thing is annoying (especially since lately it's only been doing numbers. Even worse.) If I could add you as a VIC, I would. ;D

Would you rather hear the story...

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