Meme - Negativity

I was tagged by Dog Ear Diary, a site I love because of the variety of reading selections--I enjoy even just looking at the titles: Horse People, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for His a Hat, and An Anthropologist on Mars are some of the latest. Anyways, here's the meme:

1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

If I don't like a book (which doesn't happen very often--I'll read just about anything!), I will say so in my blog. I don't know what the point of a review would be otherwise.

2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

I don't think I ever completely slam any books--almost everything I read has some good and bad qualities--even some of my very favorites have their weaknesses.

3. What do you think is the best way to respond when you see a negative review about a book you enjoyed?

I usually just write a comment saying how I feel about the book, and I would hope others would do the same for me. I like to read different opinions and perspectives. Variety is the spice of life! Just like food, everyone has different taste in books. I wouldn't get upset if someone hated banana cream pie (which I could live on), so I won't get upset if someone hated David Copperfield.

4. What is your own most common reaction when you see a negative review of a book you loved or a positive review of a book you hated?

I think sometimes a book can bring you so much joy or pleasure that you want to share that with someone else, and when they don't have those same feelings, it can be a bit of a disappointment.

5. What is your own most common reaction when you get a comment that disagrees with your opinion of a book?

Bring it on . . . just don't get personal!

6. What if you don’t like a book that was a free review copy? What then?

This is something I've never done, but I guess I would try to be honest.

7. What do you do if you don’t finish a book? Do you review it or not? If you review it, do you mention that you didn’t finish it?

Since I'm still pretty new to blogging, I don't think there is a book I have not finished since I started, although there have been a couple I was tempted to quit! I think I would review it, either to warn others who think their taste is similar to mine, or to find out from someone that I should really read the whole thing--that in the end it's worth it.

I'm so bad at picking people to tag--I'm a horrible decision maker! I'll have to give it more thought. How about if I just invite anyone who reads this to join in?

The Reading Meme That Took Me an Hour to Fill Out

Tagged by Susan of Bloggin' 'bout Books
Meme by Eva of A Striped Armchair

By the way, can anyone tell me where the word "meme" comes from? Is it short for something? Does it indicate "me" "me" because we answer questions about ourselves? I am clearly ignorant of some of this terminology! I just know they can be lots of fun!

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Lolita by Nabokov. It's in the top ten of many "best" lists, and it's my local library's pick for the classic's book club in February, but I don't know if I could enjoy a book about an older man being obsessed with a young girl.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

My idea of a social event is an evening at home! But who would I invite? Will Ladislaw of Middlemarch (dreamy!), Levin of Anna Karenina (we could really bond), and Snape of Harry Potter(to tell him I never doubted him, and perhaps suggest some good shampoo.)

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): You are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it's past time to die. What book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

Of Human Bondage by Maugham. I read 300-400 agonizing pages before I accepted the fact that I didn't need to torture myself any longer.


Come on, we've all been there. What book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it?

Usually, it's the opposite for me--books that I'm embarrassed to admit I've read!

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book you really thought you had read only to realize when you read a review about it/go to "reread" it that you haven't? Which book?

My memory is so bad I can't remember one!

You're interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why? (If you feel like you have to know the person, go ahead and personalize the VIP)

To Kill A Mockingbird--to me one of the most perfect books every written.


A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

I don't know--I'm still trying for perfect reading comprehension in English! Other than that, I would pick Russian.

A mischevious fairy comes and says you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

That is a really hard question!! For a geeky answer I would say The Lord of the Rings. For mental health I would say Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and It's All Small Stuff (I have anxiety issues!). For a hopelessly romantic answer I would say Jane Eyre. To keep my parenting in line I would say Parenting With Love and Logic.

I know the book blogging community, and all its challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What's one "bookish" thing you discovered from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art - anything)?

I have just been relieved to find out that there are others who are just as obsessed with books as I am! I have found that it is hard to resist reading challenges!

The good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead - let your imagination run free.

Well, as long as we're talking about fairies and magic, my dream library would go with me wherever I went, so that if I were waiting in line at the store, driving kids around, waiting at the doctor's office, I would have any book available at the snap of a finger. I would want access to any audiobooks, (currently I am at the mercy of what the library has.) I do have an irrational weakness for books that have the rough-edged pages. Is there a technical name for those? Sadly, I would have to admit that I would want a refrigerator in my library. And maybe a permanent chef. And I would want it to be soundproof.