My weblog is most useful, I’ve found, at reminding me when I did something. (I have a good memory except for important things like dates and figures.) I was glancing at my time card this afternoon, wondering why I only worked six hours on March 1. It took a quick trip to my archives to remind me that that’s when they came to fix my cable modem. It’s sort of like last year, when I was doing my taxes and needed to consult my weblog to remember when I’d moved across town into a new township. These little notes don’t serve a lot of purpose while I’m writing them, but they can be invaluable when I’m trying to remember the details of my life.
Month: March 2004
Courtesy of fellow capper Mr. Grant, Bears!
Two quotes from Roger Ebert:
“…the mission of a good critic is not to reflect popular taste but to inform it.”
“People are not dumb unless you treat them as dumb.”
Well, Betty did it, so I guess I might as well, too. It looks like an interesting enough meme:
1. I’m currently reading: Not enough, and not as much as I say I’m reading in the sidebar or here on my book log. March has been a disappointing month, as far as reading and writing goes (after a pretty terrific January and February). I need to get back into the swing of things. Right now, I’m in the last eighty or ninety pages of Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster.
2. Next I’ll read: I don’t know. My shelves are filled with books I haven’t read. I should probably finish reading the books I started last month, Millroy the Magician by Paul Theroux and Blindness by Jose Saramago, but I wasn’t exactly loving either of them.
3. The best book I read in the past year was: Does “in the past year” mean since January, or since this time last March? If it’s the former, then my answer is probably Perdido Street Station by China Miéville or Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje. If it’s the latter, then it’ll probably be tougher to remember. I think I read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell last year — and, except for the ending, it’s terrific — and I know that’s when I read Summerland. Off the top of my head, those are probably the best books I’ve read since March 2003.
4. The book I’m most looking forward to reading is: Probably The Scar by China Miéville, although there are a number of others on my wishlist I’m particularly keen to read.
5. My favourite author is: This is a tough call. In the short bio thing I wrote in January, I listed Ray Bradbury, Paul Auster, Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon, Ursula K. Le Guin, Italo Calvino, and Kelly Link. There are probably others, though.
6. My favourite book from childhood is: Gee, um…I don’t know. I guess it depends on which part of my childhood we’re talking about, now doesn’t it? I was always fond of The Great Brain series, as well as Frog and Toad.
7. My favourite book from when I was a teenager is: I honestly haven’t got a clue. I read a fair number of Stephen King and Dean Koontz back in the day. I still read King’s books, but Dragon Tears pretty much cured me of Koontz. He relies pretty heavily on formulaic plot, and I think it was just laid a little too bare in that one. I haven’t read anything by him since, and that was in (I’m guessing) 1994.
8. The first western I read was: Hmm. I haven’t read much of anything in the genre. I read The Ox-Bow Incident by Wallace Stegner sometime in high school, I think, for a class. And then in my freshman year of college, I read Jubal Sackett by Louis L’Amour — my roommate at the time was a big L’Amour fan. And that, I think, is actually about it.
9. The first romance I read was: I don’t know that I’ve ever actually read a romance novel. Certainly none of the boddice-ripper variety. Although it’s apparently a very popular genre.
10. The first mystery I read was: The first mystery? Probably an “Encylcopedia Brown” book.
11. The first coming-of-age story I read was: I’m guessing something by Judy Blume, but I don’t know.
12. The first “ethnic” writer I read was: I’m not even sure I know what that’s supposed to mean.
13. The first science-fiction/fantasy book I read was: I couldn’t even begin to guess. Does Charlie and the Chocolate Factory count?
14. I wish I spent more time reading: Of course.
15. The book I think was the greatest waste of my time to read was: I try not to waste my time with bad books, and it’s surprisingly rare that I come across one. Maybe if I read more, or had less discerning tastes. A few years back, I attempted to read Hannibal by Thomas Harris (I’d liked both Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs, more or less). That was definitely a mistake, but I gave up after only a couple of chapters, so I didn’t waste too much time on it.
16. The person who most encouraged me to read was: My parents. Although that’s people. Probably my mother more than my father. Or maybe it was Mr. Rogers, the Muppets on Sesame Street or The Electric Company. I don’t exactly remember learning how to read. I don’t really remember much of anything from before I was four.
17. The book I’m embarrassed to admit I liked is: I can’t think of any off-hand actually. I stand by the books I’ve read, even if I don’t want to re-read them.
18. I think people could be encouraged to read through: Making it look like fun, I guess, although I’m no educator. I suppose I could ask my sister — she’s studying to become an elementary school teacher — but the truth is, I don’t know. I’m genuinely amazed when I hear people say they don’t like to read.
19. My current favourite genre is: I don’t have a favorite genre. I probably gravitate towards science fiction more than any other, but I don’t like to limit myself if I can help it.
20. The one book that I’d recommend to almost anyone is: I’m trying to keep a running commentary on the books I’m reading here. You’re all free to check that out, and I’d certainly recommend some of those books over others. But, hey, to each his/her own.