By The Book

*insert the obligatory introduction post here*

I've opened this fresh blog a while ago but coming up with a first post turned out to be more challenging than I thought. So I decided to sod it. I will not give myself stress over a first post. Have a book tag instead, one I've been meaning to do for a long while. I intended to post nice photos along with the answers but the photos will also have to wait, while I talk about some books and drink too much tea. (Probably the reason why my iron levels are next to non-existent.)

The tag is actually a New York Times feature, in which the questions are asked to celebrities from various fields. I am neither a celebrity nor on any field, but if you're still interested in my answers, keep reading.

What book is on your nightstand now?
I don't have a nightstand but I have several books by my bed, mostly because I don't have any other space left for them. (I also intend to read them in the near future but the pile keeps getting larger.)

The Closed Door And Other Stories - Dorothy Whipple (Persephone Books)
Almost finished with this one. I will probably leave a review on Goodreads, since for once I have opinions other than "yay I like this" or "nope not my thing".

Book of Fairy Tales - Angela Carter (Virago)
Yet to start reading it, despite the disturbingly long amount of time it has been staring at me.

On Writing - Stephen King (Hodder)
Next on my list. 

Stories To Get You Through The Night (Vintage Classics)
Occasional read, instead of a continuous one. Also it has a pretty cover; very nightstand appropriate. 

What was the last truly great book that you read?
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
This book has my heart. I'm not entirely sure if it's a truly greatly written book or I have great feelings for this book because I feel so strongly about monsters and a healthy dose of magical touch in the real world. 

If you could meet any writer – dead or alive – who would it be? And what would you want to know?
Neil Gaiman. He seems like a very pleasant man to be around and I like the way he talks. I would like to take a walk with him and pick his brain. I would like to have some personal encouragement about life in general.

J.R.R. Tolkien. I'd like to go to Oxford and visit him and have cream tea. I have a hunch he wouldn't want to have tea with me (WWI and all that jazz) but it's my answer and I do as I want. I'd like him to tell me a story. I'd like to see his favourite pair of comfortable shoes and what his slippers looked like.

What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves? 
I don't have very surprising shelves; almost all of the books are relevant to what people know about my interests. Maybe you wouldn't expect anything from the 'Self Help' section but I have a couple Osho books that I've bought during a not-so-bright time in my life, as well as a book called Restful Mind. Yet to read it properly.

How do you organise your personal library?
I have a small space for books so any organisation doesn't last much as new books keep getting added to the pile. Top shelf is the read-and-done, old-and-good section. All my Tolkien books, all my Gaiman books, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, classics. Then there are a bunch of Maugham books, Hemingway, some London related fiction and non-fiction. Then WW2-Blitz related non-fiction. Then crime books, then a mess of fiction. Bottom shelf is mostly non-fiction/reference, bottom two drawers are the hidden ones. Old guilty pleasure/cringe teenage year books that I couldn't get rid of and all the Anita Blake books I own. (Shh, it's okay.) The very top has big or weirdly shaped books that won't fit in the shelves. My to-read pile is on my desk and my very big hardback big girl books are under the nightstand that does not serve as a nightstand.

What book have you always meant to read and haven’t got round to yet? Anything you feel embarrassed never to have read?
Anna Karenina. I always lie about having read it but I have not. And I don't think I will any time soon.

Disappointing, over-rated, just not good: what book did you feel you were supposed to like but didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
The Sleeper and The Spindle - Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
It was a bit dull. I expected to love it and the art was beautiful but the story itself didn't strike me much. Meh. 

I have definitely thrown away a book without finishing it but I can't remember which.

What kinds of stories are you drawn to? Any you stay clear of?
I have a very soft spot for old fashioned stories, the kind that reminds you of the morbid fairytales with lots of creepy elements, uncencored monstrosities and heroes and adventures. Magical realism is one of the things I'm drawn to, as well as historical fiction. Fantasy fiction was my first love, it came with Tolkien, stayed with Harry Potter and turned into a life long need with Pullman. I also used to have a thing for vampires but the whole concept is pretty bastardised after that horrid Twilight phase that nobody wants to talk about. *shakes fist* I do love monster stories though. I'll try to read more modern fiction and get out of my small and comfortable little history-and-creepy-things nook. I've realised that I don't yet have a woman writer that I truly truly love and that is a disgrace.

I stay clear of the bright-cover books, the ones that are the bestsellers for about two weeks than forgotten for the rest of our lives. I am not very interested in shitty paranormal-romance craze that is still going on and I will not touch the book of someone who has slapped their name on a ghostwriter's book and made bank because of their readily existing follower/subscriber count. Mostly because they have garish covers and I'd be mortified to be caught reading them, but also there is neither hard work nor talent in said books and nobody needs to finance that sort of cheap (and overpriced) popularity.

What do you plan to read next?
On Writing - Stephen King (Hodder) and Tell It To A Stranger - Elizabeth Berridge (Persephone Books). I have an everlasting love affair with Persephone Books; their shop is my comfort zone, my happy place and an area where all things are pleasing and nothing hurts. I love their books and what they choose to publish, so I try to buy a few new books when I'm lucky enough to visit London. They make experimenting quite easy with their catalogue, both online and printed.

I also have an enormous book called The Penguin History Of The World by -yes- Penguin. I intend to study this book and become a slightly more informed person. It was my February project but then distractions and other books happened. Hey ho.


Now I'll post this without proofreading because my laptop is a tired beloved friend and the freezing screen is making things like editing and writing very difficult.

Later. x