10. Reminds me of someone I love.
Danielle Steele’s books from the mid-80s. I read them for the first time from my grandma’s collection so they remind me of her.

11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
When Knightbood was in Flower. The book about Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor. There are so few books out there about them and I went in search of one and found it secondhand. It had to be secondhand since it was written in 1898

12. I pretend to have read it.
I don’t pretend to have read a book. I either read it or I don’t.

13. Makes me laugh.
I loved the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. There is always something witty in them.

14. An old favorite.
Not sure how old is old but Harry Potter is an old favorite. I want to re-read the entire series soon.

10. Reminds me of someone I love.
- "Misery" by Stephen King. In college, I played Annie Wilkes for a haunted house that our theatre department did. This book actually reminds me of all those people I loved so much at the time, but more importantly, it reminds me of one of my professors. Everybody loved Marvin. It was impossible not to. He cast me in a production of "Talking With," and one night after rehearsal, we were walking out of the building when he stopped us in front of the notice board. He started talking about fears and self-confidence, and then, out of the blue, he took down a photocopied article that had been pinned to the board, one he'd put up there for students to read. It was an interview with Kathy Bates titled, "I Was Never an Ingenue." In it, she talked about being a character actress from a young age, and how it was a philosophy that was difficult for young women to come to grips with because the industry--and much of the available work--wanted to cast ingenues. Marvin handed it to me and told me to keep it. To digest it. To believe it. Because, according to him, I had the power to create roles that were as memorable as some of Kathy Bates's. He was the first theatre prof I had that truly believed in me and made me feel better for who I was, rather than make me wish I could be who they wanted me to be. I still have that photocopy saved in my scrapbook. And I will always love Marvin for giving me that strength.

11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
- I found the first four Outlander books in first edition hardcover at a secondhand shop, long after they'd sold out and were a small fortune to buy used (if you could even find them).

12. I pretend to have read it.
- None. Life's too short to lie about unread books. Besides, who cares?

13. Makes me laugh.
- Any of Carl Hiaasen's Florida-set adult books. His sense of absurdity just sets me off.

14. An old favorite.
- "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin. Ellen Raskin was one of my favorite authors growing up, because she wrote twisty stories with odd humor and quirky female protagonists. I could easily pick this, or "The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)" or "The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues" and be okay with my choice. But I do think "The Westing Game" is the smartest of the three, and honestly, it was the first one I purchased in hardcover so it obviously holds a special place in my heart. And now I think I need to go reread it.

10. Reminds me of someone I love.
"The Tuthankamun Affair" by Christian Jacq. It's one of my early memory of a book I've shared with my Mum. We both read it and talked a lot about it.

11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
I don't often go to secondhand bookshop... But once I found a copy of the La Fontaine "Fables", illustrated by Gustave Doré for just 50 francs back then (around 1.20 euros now).

12. I pretend to have read it.
I never said I had read a book if I hadn't really had read it!

13. Makes me laugh.
The Discworld books! And more recently the "Rivers of London" series.

14. An old favorite.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"

I had "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" for 14 but then talked myself out of it because I figured it might be a popular choice and it was a chance to share something more obscure. But most definitely an old favorite!

12. Pretend to have read it
Being and Nothingness by Jean Paul Sartre. I have it on my shelf with the other philosophy books I have yet to read but someday plan to. In the meantime I just pretend to have read it when really all my existentialism knowledge comes from the internet and academic articles.

13. Makes me laugh
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is the first that comes to mind. I just love Yossarian and his group's antics so much.

Edited 2019-04-16 01:14 am (UTC)

10. Reminds me of someone I love. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. My mom and I were addicted to Julia's show on PBS and cooked many meals out of this book together. Most memorable was a Bûche de Noël one Christmas eve which found us making pulled sugar moss and meringue mushrooms well into the night and then waking up to a sticky kitchen and hours of meal prep before guests arrived. Her passion for eating and preparing delicious food and was passed on to me and my brothers.
11. Secondhand bookshop gem. I found a first edition of Suzuki Beane: A Loveable little Hipster at a Los Angeles thrift store in the 80's. I was a huge fan of Harriet the Spy and had never seen this book. Suzuki is a Greenwich Village beatnick parody of Eloise and Fitzhugh's drawings are fantastic. It's not in great shape because I had no idea it was very collectable and I've read it dozens of times over the years.
12. I pretend to have read it. Why bother?
13. Makes me laugh. A Confederacy of Dunces
14. An old favorite. All the Calvin and Hobbes books. Bill Watterson is a genius.

10. Reminds me of someone I love. - Anything by Iris Johansen reminds me of my mom. She loves her books and has read tons of them.

11. Secondhand bookshop gem. - This actually came from a used book website, but same principle, right? I ordered a used copy of Crooked House by Agatha Christie, and was sent a 1949 Red Badge Mystery first edition, in amazing condition.

12. I pretend to have read it. - I've never done this...

13. Makes me laugh. - The Martian...specifically the audiobook as read by R.C. Bray.

14. An old favorite. - The Outsiders and Harry Potter

10. Anything by Willa Cather reminds me of the best English professor I have ever had. She loved her and I actually enjoyed Cather's books myself. I still have a bunch including her bio. A friend told me we were rather alike so I thought it would be good to learn from her.

11. If secondhand counts as Alibris, then Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler. My copy was an early edition. Apparently it shouldn't have been sold because it was one of those copies they send out to people to read before they are published. I love this book and highly recommend it. It is a great story with awesome images that really help accent the story and now I want to read it again. <3

12. Any of the 'classics' that I wasn't forced to read in class. I've found almost all of them boring or disappointing so when someone references them I tend to just nod unless I trust they won't get..upset over my honesty. ;p

13. Geez..I remember laughing when reading but I don't think I've ever selected an exact category. Staring at my shelves now I guess I'd have to say the Samantha American Girl series. She always got into so much trouble but she had a great heart. Of the first five she was my favorite somehow..

14. The Alanna series by Tamora Pierce. <3 They were the first books of hers that I read. Still have them all and still love re-reading them every year. :3