The Book Meme

I don’t really do memes, but it’s my husband that’s askin’; and I try not to deny him anything unless it involves animals, lasting physical harm, and, um, other forms of sexual deviancy that even I am not comfortable discussing… and you know I’ll talk about practically anything. This qualifies as none of the above, so here we go:

What book do you have at your bedside?
the 2004 Delivery Pages, because my nightstand is also the phone table. Whatever book I happen to be reading doesn’t so much stay at my bedside as migrate around the apartment with me--to the dining table, the living room couch, and of course, the bathroom. I have to stomp around like an aggrieved moose hunting for it if I’ve left it lying about.

You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?
Fahrenheit 451, in hopes of creating a paradox effect that would blow the entire book-burning reality asunder

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Aside from characters in role-playing games, you mean? Lots, though right now I can’t name anyone specific other than John Constantine. (I mean the comic book version, not Keanu! Philistines.)

What is the last book you bought?
Code Noir by Marianne de Pierres, a sci-fi espionage thriller that, sadly, looked more thrilling than it read

What are you currently reading?
Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends by Lewis Spence and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. The former is for long-haul reading, while the latter is for sneaking in between moments when I should really be doing something else.

What are the five books you would take to a deserted island?
1. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. I actually own this how-to manual on starting a fire without matches, fending off a shark, performing a tracheotomy, landing a plane, etc.--so I’d feel pretty crappy if I wound up stranded on an island without it!

2. The Lord of the Rings, which is my favorite book, and which--may I say for the umpteenth repetition--is not a set of three books, but a single novel divided into six parts. I have read it with satisfaction sixteen zillion times, so a zillion or two more shouldn’t hurt.

3. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which I stole from my ex-boyfriend’s house when I was 18. It was more like ‘rescuing’ than stealing, really, because the poor thing was gathering dust on its un-creased virgin spine in that house of book-buyers-not-really-readers. It has some of the best stories in the world and is so thick that by the time I’m done with the first reading, I’ll be just about ready for the next. Can also double as a weapon, in case it happens to be a Lost-type scenario with a big white monster thingie on the prowl.

4. a comprehensive book of Filipino myths. It’s sad that I know all sorts of junk about myths from various cultures, but very little about my own--unless you count the obligatory Malakas at Maganda. The reason is that I have yet to find a collection that is written both entertainingly and intelligently. Being stuck on an island would force me to learn the mythos, however uninspiringly crafted.

5. The aforementioned A Short History of Nearly Everything, because assuming I’m stuck on the island long enough, I’ll end up memorizing the whole thing and will therefore be the most educated person in my island neighborhood. I’m sure the crabs and barnacles will be suitably impressed.

Who will you pass this quiz to?
You! If you wanna do it, do it. Just be warned that if the words ‘Sidney’ and ‘Sheldon’ appear side by side anywhere in your list of answers, you will be laaaughed at, most loudly by me.