this little old book shop
Thanks to Dan who has passed this tagthing along to bookworms everywhere, and those that went before him!
1. Total number of books in your house:
umm... the thought of counting them all is too daunting. Here I have maybe 3 or 4 bookshelves full of books, one in my room, one in the living room and one in the hall, so maybe a couple of hundred! does this include books in storage at the houses of my parents? We tend to use them instead of wallpaper, which isn't that far from the truth really, as it is only in the last few years that we've invested in enough bookshelves to hold them all (enough? What am I saying? There are STILL books lining windowsills and available table-space, even along work-surfaces in the kitchen. I can see my words sending shivers down the spines of all those NSPCB activists amongst you)
2. The last book you bought was:
Well I picked up a free copy of H.G.Welles' The War of the Worlds today on my ambles through the college sweet shop, supposed to come free with The Guardian, but I guess people are too intent on the realities of dissertations and pending exams to want to visit realms of alien invasions. So there was a whole pile of them without the newspapers, ripe for the plucking, which the girl behind the counter very kindly pointed out to me - Perfect for me, I had that itch to spend money I don't have on some literature, so it was my gift from the cosmos :) The last book I technically bought, however was a hardback copy of Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore . . . now given the choice I would always go for paperback, they're more comfortable, more tactile, unless it has pictures. Words soft, images hard. Makes sense. But I didn't have the choice. I love Murakami, I first came across his work on the stage, Theatre de Complicite— had a multi-media production of The Elephant Vanishes at the Barbican and it sparked my interest enough to buy The Wind Up Bird Chronicles. Thank you Simon Macburney! So yes, I bought that together with a book on Theatre Under the Nazis which was written by one of my tutors, John London, and may be helpful for some of my research… However, that was a while ago, and I still haven't opened up London's writings, so maybe it won't be so much help after all, at least not this time round.
3. The last book you finished was:
not theatre under the Nazis, but to be honest I have words streaming out of my ears, eyes, mouth, it is getting hard to remember where one book ends and another begins, such is the enviable toil of a student. I think I am a bit perverse though in that I would much rather be reading something that I'm 'not supposed' to be reading, however interesting the books that I'm meant to be reading are, contrary-wise. However, I have been diligent and good of late, so the last book I finished (not including those that I have selectively dived into) was Ozu, a book on the Japanese film-maker, Yasujiro Ozu; (films such as 'Tokyo Story', and 'An Autumn Afternoon', 'Early Spring', etc.) The last novel I finished was Sputnik Sweetheart by Murakami, really he is the first new (relatively) writer that I have got excited about for a long time. There's an extract from it, and several other reads, in the archives of this blog.
4. 5 books you often read or that mean a lot to you:
Dare I mention Murakami again? There is a book I love from my childhood called Gypsy, which I have on my bookshelf here - a beautiful hardback with stunning illustrations and poetic tale of a young gypsy boy that I am sure is partly responsible for my wanderlust and imaginings of freedom today! The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is the first book I ever remember reading myself, and that when I was four. I used to sit on a little stool and read anything I could get my hands on - newspapers, books, carton packets, - to old Les as he worked with us on renovating my dad's house. He was partially deaf so I'm sure he didn't hear half of what I was saying anyway. I loved Narnia, though poor Aslan strung up on the stone table gave me a few nightmares to unravel for a while! Theodore Zeldin's An Intimate History of Humanity was a treasured companion to my travels through Morocco, an inspiring book for an amazing journey that will be forever entwined in my memory with my reawakening to nature and raw sensuality. I really recommend it, and if you can get the chance to read it whilst you trek through North Africa then so much the better! The Old Man and the Sea from Earnest Hemmingway has been good to me. Again this has accompanied me on my travels, this time Spain, and is the perfect size to slip in to your bag, and read in a small cafe— in the sun. . . . . . . to be continued (I need to sleep). . . .
5. Who you're going to pass this along to and why:
I am going to pass this to Noah, cause I'd like to know what he thinks, and hopefully it might inspire him to pick up Heart of Darkness again and start work on his play. And Karl, because I know he'll have an interesting collection of stories and I haven't spoken with him for a while, maybe he will even change his mind and start a blog (?). Likewise Ananda, I know she will enjoy thinking about these things and I look forward to sharing our ideas and reading the things on her list. Others too, will share them with you tomorrow maybe, must post this and go to bed. Anyone, it's all good... must . . c lo s e . . .. . e y e s . . . . . . . . . . . ..
1. Total number of books in your house:
umm... the thought of counting them all is too daunting. Here I have maybe 3 or 4 bookshelves full of books, one in my room, one in the living room and one in the hall, so maybe a couple of hundred! does this include books in storage at the houses of my parents? We tend to use them instead of wallpaper, which isn't that far from the truth really, as it is only in the last few years that we've invested in enough bookshelves to hold them all (enough? What am I saying? There are STILL books lining windowsills and available table-space, even along work-surfaces in the kitchen. I can see my words sending shivers down the spines of all those NSPCB activists amongst you)
2. The last book you bought was:
Well I picked up a free copy of H.G.Welles' The War of the Worlds today on my ambles through the college sweet shop, supposed to come free with The Guardian, but I guess people are too intent on the realities of dissertations and pending exams to want to visit realms of alien invasions. So there was a whole pile of them without the newspapers, ripe for the plucking, which the girl behind the counter very kindly pointed out to me - Perfect for me, I had that itch to spend money I don't have on some literature, so it was my gift from the cosmos :) The last book I technically bought, however was a hardback copy of Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore . . . now given the choice I would always go for paperback, they're more comfortable, more tactile, unless it has pictures. Words soft, images hard. Makes sense. But I didn't have the choice. I love Murakami, I first came across his work on the stage, Theatre de Complicite— had a multi-media production of The Elephant Vanishes at the Barbican and it sparked my interest enough to buy The Wind Up Bird Chronicles. Thank you Simon Macburney! So yes, I bought that together with a book on Theatre Under the Nazis which was written by one of my tutors, John London, and may be helpful for some of my research… However, that was a while ago, and I still haven't opened up London's writings, so maybe it won't be so much help after all, at least not this time round.
3. The last book you finished was:
not theatre under the Nazis, but to be honest I have words streaming out of my ears, eyes, mouth, it is getting hard to remember where one book ends and another begins, such is the enviable toil of a student. I think I am a bit perverse though in that I would much rather be reading something that I'm 'not supposed' to be reading, however interesting the books that I'm meant to be reading are, contrary-wise. However, I have been diligent and good of late, so the last book I finished (not including those that I have selectively dived into) was Ozu, a book on the Japanese film-maker, Yasujiro Ozu; (films such as 'Tokyo Story', and 'An Autumn Afternoon', 'Early Spring', etc.) The last novel I finished was Sputnik Sweetheart by Murakami, really he is the first new (relatively) writer that I have got excited about for a long time. There's an extract from it, and several other reads, in the archives of this blog.
4. 5 books you often read or that mean a lot to you:
Dare I mention Murakami again? There is a book I love from my childhood called Gypsy, which I have on my bookshelf here - a beautiful hardback with stunning illustrations and poetic tale of a young gypsy boy that I am sure is partly responsible for my wanderlust and imaginings of freedom today! The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe is the first book I ever remember reading myself, and that when I was four. I used to sit on a little stool and read anything I could get my hands on - newspapers, books, carton packets, - to old Les as he worked with us on renovating my dad's house. He was partially deaf so I'm sure he didn't hear half of what I was saying anyway. I loved Narnia, though poor Aslan strung up on the stone table gave me a few nightmares to unravel for a while! Theodore Zeldin's An Intimate History of Humanity was a treasured companion to my travels through Morocco, an inspiring book for an amazing journey that will be forever entwined in my memory with my reawakening to nature and raw sensuality. I really recommend it, and if you can get the chance to read it whilst you trek through North Africa then so much the better! The Old Man and the Sea from Earnest Hemmingway has been good to me. Again this has accompanied me on my travels, this time Spain, and is the perfect size to slip in to your bag, and read in a small cafe— in the sun. . . . . . . to be continued (I need to sleep). . . .
5. Who you're going to pass this along to and why:
I am going to pass this to Noah, cause I'd like to know what he thinks, and hopefully it might inspire him to pick up Heart of Darkness again and start work on his play. And Karl, because I know he'll have an interesting collection of stories and I haven't spoken with him for a while, maybe he will even change his mind and start a blog (?). Likewise Ananda, I know she will enjoy thinking about these things and I look forward to sharing our ideas and reading the things on her list. Others too, will share them with you tomorrow maybe, must post this and go to bed. Anyone, it's all good... must . . c lo s e . . .. . e y e s . . . . . . . . . . . ..
posted by tara at 3:18 am
1 Comments:
Very cool collection - I'm really curious about that "Theatre Under the Nazis" title you were talking about.
I actually read a truly fascinating book a few years back dealing with the plight of musicians living and working under the Nazi regime.. I wonder if they're somehow related?
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