Tag #11

Sigh, yes this is what we have come to. Its 3:20 am and I find it hard to go back to sleep. I check out my blog at this ungodly hour and realise posting has been irregular and sparse. No, its not the usual- "I've been busy" routine. Well it is, but the actual reasons are that I've not been able to a. find good topics to write about b. not been very enthused to write. Ha! I know, neither of them are good and unusual reasons. So we have come to that stage where taking up tags, any tag, seems like a good reason to write a post.

And Archana offered this on a silver plate to me, for exactly the same reason as mine...what could be a better deal?

Sidenote : Did I mention I met up with her and SK on my Bay area trip over Halloween? Dont they say, good conversations go well with good food? Where there's one, there's bound to be the other, no kidding. Food at Saravana Bhavan- what can I say? I indulged in some terrific dosa and ended it with Badam halwa. With this kind of ambience, there was no doubt that the company was pleasant and enjoyable.

A Sunday morning well spent - Check.

Now, on to the tag.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
If I didnt say- it was thanks to mom- she'd probably kill me :-). But honestly, yes-it was my mom who introduced me to this wonderful world called books and reading. My earliest memories are of her reading to me, taking me to British Library near Koshy's in Bangalore(Bus Route 34 and 37, right across our house), feeling the colorful books in the shelves, that high of the prospects of many lazy afternoons enveloped in the warm bubble of words......yes it was very early on, and it was thanks to mom.

What are some books you read as a child?
Enid Blytons- the Amelia Jane series etc, Noddy, Ramona the pest series by Beverly Cleary, Rumer Godden, Amar Chitra Katha, Grimms Fairy tales, Aesop's fables.. then I graduated to the Famous Five, Five Find Outers etc. The usual Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew...hm I know I am missing quite a few...and Oh, that Magic Geranium book- that which I wrote about some time ago.


What is your favourite genre?
I'll have to say Fiction- but more specifically- I enjoy humour, any author that has a wonderful style of writing, fluid, those that create magic out of words. I am generally less inclined towards science fiction, horror, mush(M&B kind- ok confession time- I never read a single M&B) and wordy-heavy fantasy stories(another confession- I have only read the first 2 of the Harry Potter books and none of the Lord of the Rings :O).

Do you have a favourite novel?
Its hard for me to pick "a" favorite novel. Let me list 5 of my all-time favorites..

Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier
Blanding's Castle- PGW
The Lost Continent- Bill Bryson
The Sherlock Holmes series
Mrs Harris goes to Paris- Paul Gallico

There are so many others which can make it to the all-time faves and faves list, but then since I said I'd list 5 ...as in these I'd go back and read a million times and still enjoy them just as much as I did on my first read.

Where do you usually read?
It doesnt matter...I can read on flights, at the airport, at home...anywhere just so long as the book keeps me hooked.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
Hm, no. This isnt my style. I only read a book at a time.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
I do, unless the non-fiction book is mind boggling and spell binding- I have less patience for this genre. Hence I get distracted very easily. I generally dont carry non-fiction for travel.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
I very rarely borrow. But the rest depends. Sometimes, the wait in my library for a book I want to read is too long. Then, I buy - either online or at the store. Usually I buy in-store if I have to travel some time in the near future and I dont have the time to wait for the online shipment to arrive.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?
I ONLY keep the books that I have absolutely fallen in love with and would want them to go in my lifetime collection. If I've bought a book that I am not particularly inclined to keep- I give them away at the library, or sell it at a used book store or I sometimes use paperbackswap.com to swap for something else.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?
N/A

What are you reading now?
Nothing :). My reading cart is empty and I've lost my reading habit(in addition to the writing habit, as you will note)

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?
Not really. If I hear of a good book, I would have already put it on hold at the library or ordered it or bought it. Its all very instantaneous.

What books would you like to reread?I guess the answer to this would be what I said earlier...my all-time favorite collection is of books I want to and I do re-read many many times over.

Who are your favourite authors?
Actually, a few of those that Archana listed are mine as well....PGW, Bill Bryson, Agatha Christie, Dave Barry... and like she says, my profile page lists most of them...but let me go ahead and list them anyway. Its also hard to list authors as opposed to specific books by these authors. Most times I dont like ALL of a particular favorite author's works. Daphne DuMaurier, the Botswana series(by Alexander McCall-Smith), some of CBD's books(Chitra Banerjee Diwakaruni), Khalid Hosseini, Gerald Durrell...

Alright, thats it :). So, anyone that wants to take up this tag, please go ahead.

I see the pink hues of dawn are just around the corner. A brand new day and 24 hrs to do the best you can with it. Have a great day everyone.