Literary Meme Part 1

Do you know what a meme is? Lately I have seen "memes" everywhere. At first I thought it was just another hip thing that I did not understand. I rely a lot on my much cooler friends to keep me in the loop. Then I discovered that a Meme is nothing more than an idea, behavior, or style which passes from person to person in a culture. Memes have been around forever. I remember writing "memes" in letters for my pen pals. Anyway, I thought I would finally jump on the band wagon of 21st century memes. I have one of my favorite blogs to thank for this exercise, but I am going to split it up since I am sure I am the only one who likes to read about reading this much.

1. Favorite childhood book?
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
2. What are you reading right now?
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez and Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Tale
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None at the moment, but I am expecting a surge in the following week.
4. Bad book habit?
I read some books over and over and over, just reading the parts I like to relax because I know they will satisfy me.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Approaches to Teaching Gothic Fiction and The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Not yet; I am holding off until the perfect one arrives and until all the books I need are digitized.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I prefer to read one book at a time, but in my profession I often have several books going at a time – some for teaching, some for working, and, if there is time at the end of the day, one for pleasure.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I would not say that they have changed drastically, but writing about what I want to read and what I will read definitely inspires me to move ahead with the actual reading. I guess you could say that if I had not written about OneHundred Years so often, it would still be gathering dust on the shelf.
9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Much of the literature anthology that I must teach from for my Introduction to Lit class – I find myself rarely using its “analytical” sections because they are too elementary for my taste.
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
That would probably be Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies, although One Hundred Years is shaping up to be an all time favorite.
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not very often. I read so much for my two jobs and for my personal gratification, that it does not leave a lot of time to read books that I either do not like or do not spark my interest. That being said, I read a wide variety of texts all year long, so my comfort zone is quite large.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
The center of this zone would definitely be British Literature and specifically 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st century Brit Lit.
13. Can you read on the bus?
I can read just about anywhere.
14. Favorite place to read?
I like curling up on the couch or in my reading chair.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
I do not mind lending books at all.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Yes, I highlight, underline, and dog ear some of my books – I prefer active reading if it is a book that I will work with or teach. However I have many books that are in pristine condition.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
I do more highlighting or underlining than writing in the margins, but I will often have a notation or two – many of the books I read and work with are extremely long and complex with winding narrative structures, so it helps me to use colored tabs and notes to mark significant moments.
18. Not even with text books?
Actually, I am less likely to mark in textbooks – at least this is how I worked in college. I was more likely to return textbooks than my novels and anthologies, so I rarely marked them up.
19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English – and linguistically/culturally hybridized versions of English.
20. What makes you love a book?
I love books that transport me out of myself; that make me want to write entire dissertations on them; and that inspire me to live the life I want to be living.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
As many of my family and friends know, I often recommend certain books that I think they will like. Most people ask me for these recommendations because they have never read anything in my field before – so usually my recommendations are driven by the desire to entice them with the best selections.
22. Favorite genre?
The Novel
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Poetry. Let me clarify: I read a lot of poetry compared to most people, but most of it is excerpted in novels or for the classes that I teach. I rarely read poetry for pleasure or intellectual curiosity – this is not for a lack of desire to do so, but I often feel adrift in a sea of poetic works and authors with no guidance. Since I am limited on time and already have to read so much, poetry often falls by the wayside.
24. Favorite biography?
Queen Noor’s biography – I typically like reading about extraordinary women; although I have enjoyed many fine biographies of men.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
When I was younger I read self-help books all the time – mostly things like SARK and Spilling Open which are self-help, but artistic responses to those needs.
26. Favorite cookbook?
Cat Cora’s Classics With A Twist – I love this woman’s approach to cooking and to life in general. Cat Cora organizes my ideal type of cookbook – with just enough anecdotes and serving tips to make me dream about all the ways I want to use her recipes.