Joseph meme-clobbered me with a book meme awhile ago. This is a serious thing as I love books. Fiction, Non-Fiction, prose, poetry – love it all. I had to think long and hard about this.
One book that changed my life
Fiction: Lord of the Rings. My mum read it to me and my brother when we were kids and I was utterly captivated by the depth and strangeness of it all. It sparked a life long (so far) deep abiding affection for fantasy, sci-fi and horror novels and films. Its one of the books I re-read at least once a year.
Non-Fiction: HTML 4 For the World Wide Web by the wonderful Liz Castro. Up to this point I’d been flashturbating like crazy. This book changed my whole approach to web development.
One book that you’ve read more than once
Fiction: The Dune series (not the shitty new ones just the Frank Herbert ones). These are the only works of fiction I know that even approach Tolkien for depth and pure story telling. The first in the series is as close to perfection as a book can get.
Non-Fiction: Simon Schama’s History of Britain Book II: The British Wars – It’s Tudor-tastic!
One book you’d want on a desert island
Sorry, this is silly. One book? I refuse to divulge anything less than a top five. I would recommend everyone has these books.
1) Koko by Peter Straub (probably the best chiller/horror ever written. Classy, reserved, menacing).
2) Flashman and The Dragon by George MacDonald Fraser (if you ever need cheering up Flashy will do it. He’s a literary character – from Tom Browns School Days – placed in Victorian Britain at the height of the Empire. Coward, bastard, rake, hero, poltroon).
3) Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith. Better known for his ‘Straw Men’ series of chillers, this is an innovative and witty sci-fi. His first published novel.
4) The Shining by Stephen King. His best book IMO. I still can’t look at the numbers 217 without shivering.
5) Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. A book of empathy. I gave it to my wife to try and explain why football matters. She loved the book but still thinks footy’s crap.
One book that made you laugh
All the Flashman book by George MacDonald Fraser. Seriously, buy one. Read it. You won’t regret it. Oh yeah – Catch 22 as well.
One book that made you cry
OK, here’s where I reveal my inner big girls blouse: Little Women had me in bits.
One book you wish you had written
None really. Pleasure is in the reading.
One book you wish had never been written
Can’t think of anything bad enough to warrant never having been written.
One book you’re currently reading
Fiction: The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow. Great book for skeptics ;o)
Non-Fiction: Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques by Kevin Mullet
One book you’ve been meaning to read
The Design of Sites: Principles, Processes and Patterns for Crafting a Customer-centered Web Experience by Douglas K.Van Duyne is top of my Amazon Wish List :o)
Left Brain Right Brain 
Kevin –
If you love fantasy, you must try George R.R. Martin’s Dance with Dragons. It is one of the few fantasy series I have read that is not entirely predicated on the foundatin that Tolkein built. It is action-packed, simultaneously spans several continents, has a tremendous amount of characters, has some of the most compex, intertwined polt lines I have ever come across, and is almost more of a political thriller than anything else. Very unusual, very awesome.
Also, if you have never read any Gary Jennings, you must read some. I read Aztec around age 13, and every book I have read since I must measure up against it. The only one that has been close is another Jennings book – the Journeyer (about Marco Polo and travelling the Silk Road to China. Superlative historical fiction – nobody does it better.
And, most recently, the dry British humor in Jonatahan Strange and Mr. Norrell had me in stitches.
Ah yes, George Martin. For some reason I have total brain-fart about him and Dan Simmons who my brain has decided are the same person. No idea why, except they’re both excellent writers. I read a superlative werewolf novella by Martin a long time ago so I’ll definitely check that series out.
Thanks for the Gary Jennings hat-tip, I’ll order that one you mention.
JS&MN was my favourite book of last year. It came with its own attached material bookmark! Made by people who love books :o) – if you liked that you should definitely try the Last Witchfinder.
“Kevin – If you love fantasy, you must try George R.R. Martin’s Dance with Dragons. It is one of the few fantasy series I have read that is not entirely predicated on the foundatin that Tolkein built.”
I love George R.R. Martin, but the only series I know of is A Song of Ice and Fire. The latest installment is due out next month. Maybe they’re the same series as I know Harry Potter books have different titles in the U.K than they have here in the U.S. Of course, Tolkien is still king of the fantasy genre and probably always will be but Martin is an excellent author capable of creating a highly realistic fantasy world (you would have thought that would be a contradiction in terms, but it isn’t.)
Kevin –
I will definitely check out the Last Witchfinder. I look forward to it.
And Gabesmom: You are correct about the title. I think my mistake was that Dance with Dragons is the title of the upcoming book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I can’t wait.
if you have an adolescent child, or like reading the genre, Eragon and Eldest are good books. Plus Eragon will be released as a movie this November and Jeremy Irons and John Malcovich star – I hope my hopes don’t get crushed.