Book quiz

These are my responses to a survey a friend sent via the Internet. It was a fun and interesting project to think about, so here are my answers (and some of the questions).

1. What was the last book I bought? Hmmmm. Tough question because I run the bookstore; if I want a book, I just take it home. The last one that I bought specifically for me was “Oral History for the Local Historical Society” by Willa K. Baum.

2. A book I have read more than once: “Bridge of San Luis Rey” by Thornton Wilder, “The Snow Goose” by Paul Gallico and I re-read sections of “Old Friends From Far Away” by Natalie Goldberg. The Bible and the dictionary.

3. “Braided Lives” by Marge Piercy, and I can’t tell you why. It just affected me; maybe because when I read it, I changed from wanna-be grown-up to real grown-up.

4. How do I choose a book? By reading a review (Denver Post, Bloomsbury Review, Woman’s Day--or similar such thing) or the dust jacket or knowing the author or the genre, and once in a while, I see what sort of endorsements it has received.

5. [Fiction or non-fiction] Non-fiction, except for certain kinds of murder mysteries which I will suck up like a vacuum.

6. In a novel, writing or plot? Beautiful writing because it usually suggests an author who can craft a gripping plot.

7. Most beloved character: Pearl Buck, but she’s an author, not a character.

8. On my nightstand: “ Cold Coffee and Hot Truth”, “Home Land”, “Vagina Monologues”, “Impulse”.

9. Last book read and when: “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen—last night. Another recent book read was “Confessions of a Pagan Nun.”

10. [Have you ever given up on a book halfway through?]I have no problem leaving a book anywhere along the way. I read the beginning and end of “Bonfire of Vanities”; I read “Pigs in Heaven” from back to front, and gave up on “Ascent of Rumdoodle” because it was stupid. Sometimes, I just never go back and pick up a book that I started—it just didn’t catch my attention.