I have to thank myzanthropik for passing to me this very interesting erm... stick.. or thread if you'd rather. I've always considered myself to be a bookworm of sorts but when confronted with some of the questions in the thread, I find myself a wee bit befuddled. Truthfully, I haven't been reading much these past few years (I only read newspapers now) and have no clue as to what are the current bestsellers in the market or the works that are making waves in the literati world. On this note, I shall rack my brain and attempt to answer the questions to the best of my ability...
1) Total number of books I’ve owned:
I've lost count! They're stashed in my wardrobe, drawers, stored inside boxes, been given to my nieces, etc etc. I don't own enough books to open a mini-library but I think I definitely have a sizeable number~!
2) The last book I bought:
This is the most difficult question because I seldom buy a book unless it's absolutely necessary; I'm a faithful member of the library, you see. I think it was last year, Alice In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. It was for my niece, Nora, but she didn't find it very stimulating. I've always had a fascination for children's classics and have been trying to foster the same interest in Nora but unfortunately, the books I grew up with aren't able to hold her attention for very long. She thinks they're ultra-dull and boring when compared to her Mary Kate & Ashley series of books(!!!).
3) The last book I read:
The Unabridged Journals Of Sylvia Plath but I was only halfway through it. I gave up on it after two renewals (it was a library book) because I just couldn't find the time to sit down at home and read with no disturbances. Moreover, the only time I ever read it was during train-rides... In my defence, it WAS a formidable eight-hundred page book and Ms Plath's wordings are not so easily comprehensible. Nonetheless, I enjoyed basking in the glory of her vivid writing...
4) 5 books that mean a lot to me:
THIS is the most dificult part; I know that there've been a number of books which have touched me significantly throughout my life but right now, I have some problems remembering what they are!!! So here's a list, in random order, of the books that (as far as I can recall), have affected me in more ways than I can imagine --
a) Animal Farm & 1984 by George Orwell
Simple enough for adolescents to read yet with very elegant and sophisticated themes that only adults can truly appreciate.
b) The Witching Hour & The Queen Of The Damned by Anne Rice
These are just a couple of books I read as a teenager which had greatly shaped the way I write and given me loads of ideas during creative writing. Although I did also read alot of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Sidney Sheldon and John Grisham stuff back then, I don't think their books had much significant influence...
c) The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Definitely one of the best books of fiction ever to be written, disguised as a book meant for children.
d) The Catcher In The Rye by J.D Salinger
A book about nothing much in particular but I was astonished (and enthralled) by Salinger's forceful writing style and delivery.
e) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I could read this repeatedly, but will never get tired or sick of it. A true classic that has meaningful lessons deeply entrenched within it...
(eh... looks like I cheated abit and listed more than 5! I still can think of some other books worth mentioning but that would make this list much too long... Furthermore, a majority of the books here are basically books meant for younger readers; which therefore means that I'm pretty much still a child at heart~! )
5) Tag 5 people and have them fill this out on their blogs:
Adez
Ungu
and maybe Eddie (only if you want to lah, since you don't read books much ;p)
er.. I don't have much friends to pass this to.. (*sob!sob!*)
