What kind of a book are you most comfortable reading? I really enjoy eighteenth and nineteenth century British lit. I know that covers a lot of varied ground – Dickens, the Brontes, Smollet, Austen, Trollope, Conan Doyle – but, if I have a choice, those are the ones I prefer to curl up with. I also love Victorian ghost stories, sci-fi from the sixties and seventies, and books with pictures.

 

What kind of a book do you love to hate? Inflammatory political books, especially those written by Americans (I’m looking at you, Mr. O’Reilly), make me feel like maybe the human race isn’t going to survive much longer. I can’t stand modern vampire fiction after a high-school boyfriend forced me to read a bunch of Anne Rice before dumping me for a real Anne Rice fan. Also, anything by Sir Walter Scott makes me wish I had never learned how to use my eyeballs.

 

What was the last book you surprised yourself by liking? I was sure I wasn’t going to like Ursula LeGuin, but then I read The Left Hand of Darkness last fall and it blew me away, as did The Disposessed (which, frankly, should be required reading for anyone who lives in Dubai) and, more recently, The Tombs of Atuan.

 

What was the last book you surprised yourself by disliking? Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries. I kept getting lost in the descriptions. 

 

What would be the worst book to be marooned on a desert island with? Being left alone with Green Eggs and Ham would probably drive me to desperation after a few weeks.

 

What book would you take with you if you suspected you might be marooned in the near future? The Complete Daniel Pinkwater, if such a book exists. Illustrated, appendexed, and annotated, please.

 

What forces you to read outside your comfort zone? Well, being in a non-English-speaking country does tend to open one’s horizons; these days I read anything I’m lucky enough to come across, whether it looks good or not. My mom sends me a lot of books I wouldn’t read otherwise. And when I’m back in the States, I usually try to read the books my friends recommend, since they all have great taste in books and hardly ever steer me wrong. I’m also a sucker for anything with good illustrations.

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I would like to tag, if I may, the lady who bicycles; the girl with the armchair; the lady in Seoul; the lady with the chipmunk affliction; the lady with excellent etiquette; the gentleman who loves superheroes; the gentleman from New Orleans; the lady who raises rock stars; the very funny girl who always makes me laugh; and of course you, Concerned Reader, if any of the above questions pique your interest. Leave a link to your post in the comments, and feel free to borrow the illustration (or, no, make your own! That would be awesome!).