Book Meme Squared

"Meme Queen Hilda" (over at The Mind Wobbles) put this one up and I couldn't help responding.

What are you reading right now?
"Giles Goat Boy" by John Barth.

Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
Definitely "Letters" by John Barth...I've decided to read (and re-read) all of his books in chronological order, partly because "Letters" (which I've never read) deals with characters from all his previous novels. I couldn't read it without going back for a refresher.

What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
"Nights in the Underground" by Marie-Claire Blais. I was stuck in a hotel room with this book and it was the most whiny, choppy, self-indulgent piece of crap I've ever laid eyes on. I couldn't finish it. I was feeling whiny and self-indulgent enough as it was.

What's the one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
I've stopped recommending books to people, but "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez would probably be the one if I started again.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
No. I like to own books, not rent them. Libraries never have books by the authors I like, and I've never found libraries to be very comfortable places to read.

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?
"Gravity's Rainbow" by Thomas Pynchon, but I'm not surprised when people don't enjoy it.

Do you read books while you eat?
Yes, especially during breakfast. Certain books can be tucked under the plate and read "no-handed," as long as you move the toast around.

While you bathe?
Yes, but never anything very meaningful.

While you watch movies or TV?
No, too distracting, and that would take away from my "nail-filing and sandwich-making time."

While you listen to music?
No, though I can play Solitaire to music.

While you're on the computer?
No, I like to touch pages.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
A bit, but it was always playful teasing, especially because I read books that their parents wouldn't have approved of, so I was kind of cool. And all of my friends were avid readers too.

What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Any book that I was very close to finishing. I get so excited at the end of a book -- either because I love the book, or because I hate it and can't wait to read a different one -- that I don't begrudge a few hours of lost sleep. But sometimes I misjudge how long it will take me to finish a book...