The Books of My Numberless Dreams

Wow. This blog quiz, like, totally knows me.

You Are a Question Mark

You seek knowledge and insight in every form possible. You love learning.And while you know a lot, you don’t act like a know it all. You’re open to learning you’re wrong.You ask a lot of questions, collect a lot of data, and always dig deep to find out more.You’re naturally curious and inquisitive. You jump to ask a question when the opportunity arises.Your friends see you as interesting, insightful, and thought provoking.(But they’re not always up for the intense inquisitions that you love!) You excel in: Higher education You get along best with: The Comma

via Charlotte’s Web and loose baggy monster.

*****

Here’s my February book haul. Being ill is good for something — there purchases experienced a downturn.

My Àntonia - Willa Cather

The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot

This may be the exact same edition that’s in Jamaica — one of my first classics purchases. I think it was bought along with The Lord of the Rings and Nicholas Nickleyby all of which appealed to me because they were nice and thick. This time around it was the A.S. Byatt editorial role that got me excited. I have this mental list of writers whose brains I’d like to have preserved in a personal collection and she’s on it. Is that weird?

 Rogue Male - Geoffrey Household

Sarah Weinman said it was great and she’s never steered me wrong so far. Btw, NYRB Classics is having a ridiculously good moving sale, offering up to 60% off. Do your part to help bolster the US economy by March 9th!

Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale

I know, I know. But I don’t have to read it this year. In any case, what with Sarah Hall’s The Carhullan Army currently on my plate I’ve already broken my year-long moratorium against F/SF books. I even considered getting that “free” copy of Neil Gaiman’s book American Gods.

He’s an author that millions have recommended to me and I’ve accepted them graciously but with silent scepticism. So, I thought the HarperCollins freebie would be an opportunity to try him out. Until I went to its website and saw the horrible monstrosity they expected me to sit down at my computer all day and read because I couldn’t download it. Didn’t even read the first page; I mentally flipped the bird and went on my way.

Tor, on the other hand, was kind enough to give me a spankin’ mobile copy of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War. Tor: 1 HarperCollins: don’t make me laugh.

 Old Man’s War - John Scalzi

Well, this is it. An honest to god novel with a spaceship on the cover. How do you think I’ll do?

Muriella Pent - Russell Smith

Thank god for campus book sales. Picked this one up for four bucks and a song. I ignored the “columnist” (writer) and “post-colonial” (book) label and allowed myself to be taken in by the “Caribbean-born” protagonist. It’s a Canadian novel but it isn’t about an outsider stuck out into the prairies or a typical “immigrant” narrative (yawn). Most importantly, the first page made me smile. Although the front cover proclaims its “National Bestseller” status, only 20 copies appear on LibraryThing. Weird.

The Carhullan Army - Sarah Hall

Well. I don’t want to shoot the book out of my hands (yet?). That must count for something.