Because it’s a Friday and because Anne asked, I’m revisiting the One Book Meme. With new improved answers!
1. One book that changed your life?
The Secret of the Old Clock and the 51 Nancy Drew mysteries that followed. The author was named Carolyn Keene, which sounded an awful lot like my name, Carolyn Kellogg. What did I know from psuedonyms? My 6-year-old self decided to be “a book writer.” No, I don’t drive a roadster, but I’m always on the lookout for a Datsun 1600 in blue(-ish green) to match my eyes.
2. One book that you have read more than once?
Most recently, You Remind Me Of Me by Dan Chaon. My policy for my readings class in grad school is read everything first for fun, then for class. So far I’m still able to read for fun, an experience which grad school may put in jeopardy. Anyway, for complexity of structure and natural thought flow, I don’t know if you can beat Dan Chaon. Spend a little time with You Remind Me of Me and you’ll see what I mean.
3. One book you would want on a desert island?
War and Peace. I’ve never read it, and if I can have a copy that includes both the English and the Russian, maybe I’d be able to re-learn all that Russian I’ve forgotten.
4. One book that made you cry?
This is so lame, but when I was working on my own novel and had to do something awful to a character, the tears were flowing. God, I am such a dork.
5. One book that made you laugh?
I just read George Saunders’ Pastoralia for class (first time around). Ha! Ha! Hooray! Fun!
6. One book you wish had been written?
Fan fiction where Spock and Kirk get together? Oh, wait, that has been written? Really? That’s totally gross. And proof that everything has been written.
7. One book you wish had never been written?
Anything and everything by Rachael Ray.
8. One book you are reading currently?
Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski.
9. One book you have been meaning to read?
Apart from all the wonderful booky books that fill a 6-foot tall shelf on my third floor (how did I get that up there, I wonder), I’ve had The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene waiting patiently since this summer.
10. Pass it on.
Is it possible Tod has not done this yet? How about Will? Or Cecil?
Now, no cheating before you read the WHOLE book, but…
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html
and he HOSTS it, fer gooniss sake
Enjoy!
Alas, Rachael Ray. She annoyed me, then I relented and thought her charming. Now that she’s everywhere, I’ve gone back to my original opinion. Did you read Buford on FoodTV in the New Yorker? She annoys him, too. (Though he seems to find Giada pretty–I guess that’s not hard to do.)
Thanks for doing this AGAIN.
It’s funny (dorky? vain?) that you loved Nancy Drew for Carolyn Keene & I went for ANNE of Green Gables. Sigh.
Boy where the hell’ve I been? I’m waaaaaay late, but I’m on it!