I'm always on the late side doing up these memes. I found this at BooksPlease and thought it would be fun, though I think I've answered some of these questions before. Still, it seems like a nice mindless Tuesday afternoon activity.
What was the last book you bought? I've bought a few recently, but I can mention one I got in the mail since then. I am getting ready to read Charles Dickens's Bleak House, so I ordered the newly designed Oxford University Press edition as I am taken with their clean, crisp, new covers.
Name a book you have read MORE than once. I've got a few that I return to over and over again, but a favorite that I read nearly every year is Joanne Harris's Chocolat. I especially like reading it in February when the book is set. Her combination of plot and prose has be hooked. Now I need to read the sequel.
Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it? I don't think I have one of those in my past to be honest. Lots of books have made strong impressions, but I don't think any of them have fundamentally changed me. Maybe I've not found the right book?
How do you choose a book? e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews? I think before blogging I used to fall into the cover design/summary category, but now I depend much more on recommendations or reviews from other book bloggers. Of course a nicely designed book with an eye catching cover will still at least make me pick it up when I am in the bookstore. Before I bought any book that sounded in the least appealing, but I tend to be more selective now.
Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction? I really enjoy reading non-fiction and would love to read more of it, but I usually am more apt to pick up a novel before a non-fiction book. As a matter of fact I really do need to get back to the biography Emily Post that I started a while back. I'm slowed down by the fact that I can easily juggle several fiction books, but I can usually only handle one non-fiction at once.
What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot? I'm not entirely sure which is more important, but I think I prefer a gripping plot. That said I don't like bad writing, but whenever I am feeling so-so about a book it's usually because the plot has not grabbed me. A really good book is a combination of the two.
Most loved/memorable character (character/book). I really like Anne Elliott from Persuasion. How often does a plain, spinsterish heroine (left too long on the shelf) get a second chance at love (and with a handsome, rich captain no less)? I also really like Maisie Dobbs. She's a nice combination of intelligent and independent, though she still has her own problems to work through. A really memorable character, though I can't really say loved, is Lydia Gwilt from Armadale by Wilkie Collins.
Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment? I'm still working through this pile at the moment. I'm concentrating mostly on The Law and the Lady, Murder on the Eiffel Tower and I think it's time to get back to Shirley. I also have this book to read for my postal reading group. It's a bit slow going to begin with, but I am hoping it picks up soon (see....plot, plot, plot!).
What was the last book you read, and when was it? Hmm. See this post! But I hope to finish something else this week!
Have you ever given up on a book halfway in? Yes. I've been better this year, but in the past I set aside any book that was slow going. I sometimes have this "must finish" attitude once I have started a book, even if I am not enjoying it, but I am getting better at moving on to something different. I often think if I stick with a book that it will get better, but that's not always the case, is it?!