What are you reading right now? I am reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones and desperately trying to finish it before midnight Friday so I can complete the Southern Reading Challenge.
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that? I have a reading schedule that I’m following for the rest of this year. My next reading selections will be (not necessarily in this order):
Middlesex (Pulitzer, BAC)
Blue Like Jazz (NF5)
The Travels of Marco Polo (NF5)
Bookseller of Kabul (NF5, RAB)
Half of a Yellow Sun (NYT, BookAwards)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (FC, RIP)
Lisey’s Story (NYT, BAC, RIP)
Never Let Me Go (DC)
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now? I don’t read in the bathroom; I just think it’s gross. But the magazines I do subscribe to are Bookmarks, National Geographic, and Smithsonian.
What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read? I usually like almost anything, but in high school I really didn’t care for The Red Badge of Courage.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone? To Kill a Mockingbird
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they? I know they recognize my face, but it’s a big library. I’m not sure they know my name or not.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all? I really loved Gilead, which some people love, but others are bored to tears by it. I think it has truly magnificent writing.
Do you read books while you do other things? Not really. Of course I listen to audiobooks while I’m driving. I usually bring a book to the doctor’s office or anywhere else I might be kept waiting.
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits? I don’t think so; I know my family and friends used to call me Bookworm or Bookgeek, though.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down? Sometimes I read late just so I can finish a challenge! I actually do this quite frequently, sad to say. The last two books I read almost straight through were The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.
I’ve heard kudos and yucks about Gilead. I guess it just depends on who you talk to. I love To Kill a Mockingbird and The Red Badge of Courage was a little irritating, but I kind of liked it, too, if only for the emotion.
I agree with you on the reading in the bathroom thing. Ick!
I was called Bookworm, too! And like you, I don’t really read while I do other things, except sometimes when I eat. I especially like to curl up on the couch with a book and a bowl of popcorn!
I had real mixed feelings about Gilead. I’m reading Middlesex right now. I’m about 3/4 through. Where are you in it?
I wish I had the discipline to have a reading schedule. My reading is often all over the place, which is why unfortunately many books I’d planned to read when I bought often don’t get read until years later.
I’ve never heard anything other than great things about Gilead, but I could see how someone could think it was boring since not very much actually happens. It’s more of a contemplative novel, but I agree with you, the writing is just spectacular. How could anyone not like it?
Can’t wait to hear what you think of Middlesex!
When I did this meme, I also listed Red Badge of Courage as the worst book I ever read. It was required reading in my 8th grade history class.