tagged again

Trish Wylie just tagged me for a game of ‘what’s your favourite book?’ So here goes…

1. One book that changed my life:

Empire of the Sun. Okay, so it is a book, and I have read the book, but I am sneakily talking about the movie. This was where I discovered Christian Bale, who is still to this day my favourite actor. I have seen all of his films and think him a superstar. Anyhoo, when I was a teenager, I found out he was in a movie called Henry V by Kenneth Branagh, and though I had never read much Shakespeare before apart from a litte Twelfth mnight in high school english, a friend and I went to see it. I looooved that movie so much I then went onto read more of Shakespeare’s work to find that I loved the guy’s stuff. This directly led to my doing a double English major at University focusing on Shakespeare both in the literary and theatrical sense. On the flipside, my top subjects at Uni were creative writing and film and this led me to write screenplays for many years before one day thinking, “I adore reading, why don’t I try to write a book instead…’ And here we are!

2. One book that I have read more than once:

Enemy In Camp by Janet Dailey. This was a Mills and Boon from two decades ago at least. My copy has lost its cover. The binding is coming apart. And I am never ever going to let it go. I just adore this book. So much. I love the set-up. I love the heroine. I loooooooooove the hero. I love the secondary characters. It is a superb romance. And now I think I'm going to have to dig deep inot my treasure chest and find it and read it again!

3. One book I would want on a deserted island:

One? Just one? So what would I do after I had read that one? Hmmm… Something big and meaty. The Prince in Waiting trilogy by John Christopher perhaps. I own it as one volume so surely that counts as one book? Please!!!!!!! I adore this trilogy. I read it first as a 13 year old and I think it has the best, most poignant, most heart-breaking, most truthful final line in a book ever. As a side note, JC is also the only author to whom I have ever sent a fan letter and I still have his first response framed on my desk.

4. One book that made me laugh:

Most recently Wife For a Week by Kelly Hunter. This was Kelly’s first Modex and when reading it in bed a couple of months ago I had to slap my hand over my mouth so as not to wake my hubby. Another one is Surrender the Pink by Carrie Fisher. She has a turn of phrase that precisely hits my funny bone.

5. One book that made me cry:

HMS Ulysses by Alistair Maclean. This is my Mum’s favourite book. I remember reading the final three chapters through a serious haze of gulping, sobbing, can scarce draw breath type tears. High drama on the high seas. Brilliant stuff.

6. One book I wish I'd written:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. This is my favourite book, if I am allowed to say I have one without being stoned ;). The humour, the subject matter, the poignancy, the humour, the characters, the twists and turns, the genius, the coining of a term, the humour… I just adore this book and wish I were anywhere near that sharp, and witty, and brilliant.

7. One book I wish had never been written:

Firstly I thought this was meant to be ‘one of your books you wish had never been written’ ;). I’m sure some of us have those collecting dust in our bottom drawers. As to a book written by another hard-working soul which I wish had never landed in my eager hands? I do remember a couple of books which I literally threw at a wall I disliked them so much. Others I read that I couldn’t get past the first chapter. But that doesn’t mean that somebody else, or even a lot of somebody else’s didn’t adore them. If it wasn’t for a broad range of tastes out there in the big wide world, then there wouldn’t be as many great books in the marketplace, and I ain’t gonna complain about that!

8. One book I am currently reading:

Family Blessings by LaVyrle Spencer. I could well have put this book I a couple of categories – books that made me cry, and books I have read more than once ;). Re-reading this for the first time in a few years, I was in tears by page 2. Yes, page 2. Half way through page 2, in fact. The way she could create a hero who was so likable, so empathetic in such a short time that when we find out that his best friend has just been killed in a motorbike accident we actually cry for him…amazing.

9. One book I have been meaning to read:

On the flipside of Trish Wylie’s answer ;), I have been meaning to read Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom as I have already read The Five People You Meet In Heaven and enjoyed it muchly. But for some reason it keeps getting moved down the TBR pile. Hmmm, I don't know why.

10. Who's next?

Tagged! Med author Fiona Lowe and Romance author Fiona Harper!