In Which I Try the One Book Meme

Marg tagged me for this one, but Boswell being the publicity hound that he is, he insisted on my posting his interview first. Anyway, without further ado:

One Book....That Changed Your Life

Probably A Tale of Two Cities. I'd read classics before that, but more out of a sense of obligation and without ever becoming very emotionally involved in what I was reading. The book made me realize that a book could be both entertaining and enduring, and it ended up taking me in a lot of directions--educational and literary--that I might not have gone in otherwise.

One Book....That You've Read More Than Once

I've read a lot of books more than once, though these days I tend to re-read snippets of books rather than whole books. I'll say Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, one of my favorites.

One Book....That You'd Want on a Desert Island

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. A bit of everything--tragedy, history, comedy--to keep me going while I wait to be rescued.

One Book....That Made You Laugh

Anne Tyler's Saint Maybe. The scene where Ian's nieces and nephews try to fix him up with one of their teachers is hilarious.

One Book....That Made You Cry.

I can't think of a book that's made me actually shed tears, but there are many that have made my eyes well up, especially at the end. The last paragraph of Middlemarch is one that always does this, even though the book as a whole isn't one of my all-time favorites.

One Book....That You Wish Had Been Written

The book Charlotte Bronte was working on at the time of her death.

One Book....That You Wish Had Never Been Written

Can I count Anais Nin's diaries as one book? One of the most tedious evenings of my life was spent at a poetry reading where one of the presenters, for reasons best known to himself, decided to read from them instead of from his own work.

One Book....That You Are Currently Reading

Anne, the Rose of Hever by Maureen Peters. A very odd book which ties Anne Boleyn's death to the Old Religion.

One Book....You've Been Meaning to Read

Nigel Tranter's The Bruce Trilogy. I toted this book to the UK and back in 2004 but never read it (the atmosphere in tourist class just isn't conducive to long tomes), and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since calling my name. I guess sooner or later I should answer it.

I never was good at tag, so anyone who wants to join in can do so.