Book Tag

Lili has tagged me to answer these book questions. You can also see that Judy has answered them too.


1: Hardcover or paperback, and why?

I prefer to read paperbacks. Mainly because they are easier to take into work. Also when reading at night they are more comfortable to read with. I do like hardbacks. Especially when it is signed or a limited edition. I am so conscious of possibly damaging it (more so than I am normally) that I never feel totally comfortable reading them.


2: If I were to own a book shop, I would call it…

Just Books. I would have a cafe in there but other than that and some seating it would be filled with just books. No games or gadgets or stationery to distract people. Wall to wall books.

3: My favourite quote from a book (mention the title)

"A plague a' both your houses" Romeo and Juliet. I always thought it was a great curse (providing of course you're not taking it seriously). It just always made me laugh. I know it's not supposed to but I guess I just have a sick sense of humour.

4: The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be…

Meeting authors doesn't really work well for me. I get too embarrassed. If I could get over that then Haruki Murakami. Going by his interviews and biography he seems so well mannered and relaxed. I would imagine you could have a normal conversation with him.

5: If I was going to a deserted island and could bring only one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be…

To be honest I'm not sure. Maybe the complete works of Shakespeare as there are so many plays in there that I have wanted to read. I am sure that I have answered this question before and each time it has been different.

6: I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…

would protect a book no matter what happened to it.

7: The smell of an old book reminds me of…

going to the library with my mum. Most of the kids books didn't have that old book smell. When I moved on to you adult and fiction they did and I loved it.

8: If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title) it would be…

My answer to this changes a lot too. Maybe Lyra from Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy. She goes through a lot for someone so young but she also has lots of adventures and you get the impression from the end that there are a lot more to come.

9: The most overestimated book of all times is…

So many people are going to hate me for saying it but..."The Lord Of The Rings". I loved it. I loved the movies but there are so many better books out there. Plus all the songs got on my nerves after a while. Do love those Ent's though.

.10: I hate it when a book…

Doesn't go anywhere. It shows so much promise at the start. You really get involved in the story line. The characters are great. Then it doesn't do anything else until right at the end.

I tag everyone who would like to answer them.

BSG: Season 3

The third season of Battlestar Galactica came out a few weeks ago and I have now watched all but the extras. The end of season 2 saw the last of the 13 colonies on New Caprica a year after they had settled there when the cylons once again attacked. This time Admiral Adama ordered both Battlestars to retreat as they had no way of beating the cylons and protecting the people scattered over New Carpica. This season starts a few months after that. The Battlestars are endlessly training their crew for a rescue mission while the people of New Caprica are having to cope with a Cylon occupancy. Colonel Tigh, Anders and the Chief are part of a large group of dissidents making life difficult for the new cylon regime. While Baltar is being held by the cylons and made to carry out their bidding. The first few episodes are based on the fight to free the people of New Caprica.



After that the Battlestar continues almost as normal. They are following a path to Earth while constantly on the look out for the Cylons. There is a divide amongst the people. There are those who remained on the Galactica and those who were left behind. Once that is sorted out another divide appears later. One that divides the officers and the manual workers. The most interesting part of this series are all the episodes which focus on the Cylons themselves. Thanks to Baltar being taken prisoner by the Cylons we see more of their ships and learn much more about them. It does mainly leave more questions which can only be a good thing as it leaves you wanting to learn more. Especially at the end of the season.

I did enjoy the first and second season more than this one. I think that might be a reason why the producers have decided to end it on the fourth season. When I first heard about this I was disappointed. Why would anyone want to end a perfectly good show? Now I can see why. End it before the fans get bored and are frustrated from not learning more about the cylons. For me the first and second season are the best because I feel that the season two cliffhanger is a difficult episode to beat. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the third season. There were a lot of great episodes in there which are definitely worth watching. Now though I will have to wait impatiently for season four to come out on DVD and try to avoid reading about what happens at the very end.

For all you book lovers out there I read a very interesting post on the way people organise books on Craft. The idea is to organise your books by colour. Seeing the picture on the Craft website it does look very pretty. An artist in San Francisco organised an independent bookshop in San Francisco this way. With a couple of helpers it only took him the one night. In a book store it would be total chaos as you would never find anything. Although I did hear about one bookseller who organised the area she looked after by colour and after she was told off about it she changed it to size order! It would be interesting to organise books at home like that. I don't have the space to organise all my books anymore. They are all packed into my bookcase in a way that will allow me to get as many in there as possible. I would maybe consider it once I did have the space though. Not sure how long it would last though.

Lili, I liked Menolly too but my favourite character was always Master Harper Robinton. I Just liked the idea of this old man who was so accepting of people, had a great sense of humour and fun but was pivotal in the events that took place. I think your daughter might be glad about changing your mind on naming her Menolly, lol. Thanks for the offer of the chart but I already have it somewhere. I had actually planned on stitching it at some point but it was one of those things that I would be lucky to get round to doing. Makes your gift of it all beautifully stitched all the more precious.

Timewarden, it surprised me you choosing "Crime and Punishment". Simply because I assumed that everyone would choose a light book for comfort. I guess though whole point though is not just comfort but to find a book you can really lose yourself in. Not sure what music I would chose though. To be honest I haven't been in that situation or much like it. If I am feeling a little bit down though I tend to listen to songs that are more upbeat. The Zutons first album is a good one for that (for me anyway).

Crazee4books, like you I never got past the first Wheel Of Time book by Robert Jordan. I found the first one to be repetitive and dull and so didn't bother with the second. Such a shame since I know of so many people who love them. I was more disappointed for myself than in the book. I didn't realise that the author very recently passed away. 58 is such a young age too. There will be many fans out there who will be upset. I don't think he even finished his series.

It's a shame about Madeline L'Engle too. I read "A Wrinkle In Time" for the first time not that long ago and very much enjoyed it. It's one of those books I wish I had read when I was younger. I hadn't heard of the author or this book until a few years back and I was reading about books that had been banned. That's what made me want to read this book in the first place. It always surprises me when I see how many children's books have been banned at some point.

You're right it is two great losses to the sci fi book world.

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

Well, after last week’s record-breaking number of responses (92 last time I checked–an all-time BTT record), I was tempted to use this week’s question to ask what you all thought about Harry Potter 7–but since a decent proportion of you weren’t going to be reading it at all, that seemed unfair. So instead . . .

Who’s the worst fictional villain you can think of? As in, the one you hate the most, find the most evil, are happiest to see defeated? Not the cardboard, two-dimensional variety, but the most deliciously-written, most entertaining, best villain? Not necessarily the most “evil,” so much as the best-conceived on the part of the author…oh, you know what I mean!

These days I read very few books where there is an absolute villain. I find this question quite difficult. Most people I know have fictional characters that they love to hate but I find it difficult to feel that passionately about most bad characters. Out of some classics that I have read in the past I can think of Dracula, Uriah Heep and Heathcliff. While I disliked their characters as the reader was supposed to I don't think they were the most entertaining of villains and I'm not sure how I would class a character as such. Of course if I was talking sci fi it would be the easy choice of possibly the Daleks or the Cybermen. I am sitting here looking at my piles of books and although there are a number of classics, horror and fantasy amongst them nothing springs to mind. Maybe I have the discovery of my favourite villain to look forward to.

Still speaking of books I got the cutest craft book on how to make soft toys. All it takes is a little felt, a little stuffing and some hand stitching. I am going felt shopping today and hopefully make a start on at least one. Once I have made my first I will show you an image of the book with a mini review. On an aside here is a word of advice. Never say (however innocently you might have meant it) "I need to get felt" amongst a group of people who clearly have dirty minds. The comments I got after I said it would make anyone blush.

Harry Potter Mania

With the end of Doctor Who and not much going on where my crafts are concerned I don't really have much to say on my blog just now. Or so I thought. I've decided to talk about one of the many things that is gripping the world right now. Harry Potter! Yes, I am excitedly looking forward to the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book at midnight at the end of this week. I will even be dressing up (my excuse for that is it's for work).

Had anyone mentioned it to me a few weeks ago my response would have been very different. It was more of a nuisance than anything else. Harry Potter means even more work and lots of planning. Being surrounded by people who are excited about this it is hard not to get caught up (unless of course you generally dislike the books which I don't). So in the run up I have been reading the books again. The first three are a joy to read. Not because they are the best written children's books. Far from it since I did spot possibly the longest sentence in the world in the first one. Reading them takes me straight back to being a child again. Had I read them then I know I would have loved them more so. What child wouldn't love the idea of going to a school to learn the use of magic? The first three are also the best of the lot (so far anyway). The later ones seem to get bogged down in too much detail. School hadn't even started yet by page 100 of the fourth book and if I remember correctly book five was the same. Not to say I didn't still enjoy them though.

The films I have also enjoyed although I have been disappointed by the things they have missed out. The third book is my favourite and I was very much looking forward to the film release. It was a bit of a let down going to see it although I have since gotten over it. It's funny how much I dislike Harry in the films since he is the main character. I think that has more to do with the actor than the character though. I just never warmed to him. Unlike Emma Watson's Hermione and Rupert Grint's Ron. Of course I am planning on going to see "The Order of The Phoenix" and is supposed to be the best one yet. Reviews have been fairly positive so far.

Do these books deserve all the hype they have been getting? No not really. As I already said they aren't the best written children's books on the market. However, what they have done is gotten so many children out there to read. Surely it's worth it for that?