Questions about reading

So many books, so little time. Nevertheless, we can still eke out ways to talk about them… can’t we? 🙂

What’s your favourite book from childhood?
The availability of classic children’s books was decidedly limited during my early years, so it’s pretty much Enid Blyton. I’m going to cheat a bit and nominate a series called the “… of Adventure” books – Island, Castle, Valley, Sea, Mountain, Ship, Circus and River. I don’t recall being annoyed – even then – with the gender stereotyping of the children in this series, as I was with the “Famous Five” books.

If you could change one book and save one character’s life, which book would you change and what character would you save?
Jude from A Little Life by Hanya Yanahigara. He suffered so much throughout his life that he ended up taking his life. It felt especially tragic as he was finally surrounded by so many people who truly loved and cared for him, and yet it wasn’t enough.

Did you ever have to call in sick because you couldn’t put a book down? What book?
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor. To be fair, I genuinely wasn’t feeling very well, but would probably have dragged myself to work if not in the middle of reading this.

Would you rather read a book that is really well written but has a terrible story, or the other way around?
My experience is that a book having a really interesting premise or storyline isn’t enough to save it if it’s poorly written. In fact, it makes me rather cross, as I keep wishing I could see what a good writer would do with the idea. One successful author who’s a prime example of this does come to mind, but on the basis of horses for courses, I’ll not be naming and shaming.

Do you read more at night or during the day?
I like to sleep, so daytime is when I read. I’ve read at night on rare occasions – like wanting to finish the final Harry Potter book or when suffering from Insomnia.

Did you ever visit a city or place just because you read about it in a book you loved?
No, but I did read a book because it was about somewhere I’d visited and loved – Seven Seasons in Siena by Robert Rodi.

Can you name a book that kept you up at night? 
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson – a post-apocalyptic horror novel (later film) which was a book club selection. Half of it was the story of one man investigating what had happened (which was genuinely interesting), but the other half was pure zombie stuff. I had to read a light-hearted and funny book alongside it just so I could sleep at night.

Have you ever met a writer in real life?
I’ve chatted with Marian Keyes a few times, but wouldn’t describe it as meeting her in real life exactly, even though those chats were in-person. I’m a hanger-on to my friend who fell in with a crowd of funny Irish ladies on Twitter, among whose number is the aforementioned author. Marian describes my friend as “gas”, I call them the Marianettes, but they call themselves the MITH gang (short for mad in the head – as they all suffer with their mental health).

Would you rather be allowed to only read new books, or to never be allowed to read anything else than what you’ve read before?
I mostly read new books anyway. Other than my comfort reads, I tend not to re-read as with the best books I’ve read, part of the magic is lost when you know what comes next.

Did a book ever make you cry with laughter?
No. But I have – literally – laughed out loud with a variety of books. Those which come to mind immediately are To Say Nothing of the Dog from Connie Willis (sci-fi/time travel), Anybody Out There from Marian Keyes (women’s fiction), and London Rules from Mick Herron (spy thriller). With each of these, my LOL-ing happened so frequently, I was asked what I was reading by those around me.

What about you? What would be your reply to any (or all) of these bookish questions?

© Debs Carey, 2024