“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like-sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’s just me.”
Earlier this year, we were asked who were our favorite literary heroes and heroines. Put the two lists together, and you pretty much have my answer. Sadly, there’s no Yoda on this list.
Jane Austen’s couples: My favorite books, in no particular order, are Emma, Persuasion, and Pride and Prejudice. You’ve got the “life-long friends who fall in love” (Emma), the “second chance couple” (Persuasion), and “bad first impressions” (Pride and Prejudice).
The Harry Potter series: I’ve read some of the other responses and I concur with those who list Ron and Hermione as a favorite. My mother is listing to the books, on a continual cycle, as she works on a large needlepoint project. I sometimes help her, so I’ve only been hearing parts. No matter how dense and stubborn Ron is, Hermione still seems to love him. I also agree with those who listed Molly and Arthur Weasley — but then again, I think the Weasleys are one of the best families in books.
Han and Leia: the Expanded Universe has put this couple through some ringers. Yet, they’re still together.
Suggested by Miko
Are there any particular worlds in books where you’d like to live?
Or where you certainly would NOT want to live?
What about authors? If you were a character, who would you trust to write your life?
(This came to me when reviewing a Jonathan Carroll book – I’m not sure I’d like to live in the worlds of his books.)
Permanent Change of Address: A galaxy far, far away… Yes, for 30-odd years, that’s where I wanted to go — thanks to the Star Wars novels and comics. Harry Potter’s world would be a close second, since it doesn’t require, you know, leaving the planet.
A Nice Place to Visit, Wouldn’t Want to Live There: As much as I love Kate Daniels and Curran from Ilona Andrews’ books, I wouldn’t want to live with them in the magic-battered, alternate reality Atlanta. Same goes for Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series.
F2 to Post: The Life and Times of a Human Resources Specialist (Military) by Ilona Andrews — Why? Gordon was in the Army (which I work for) and he also worked in HR (but that could be private industry or civilian), which means he may have some experience with the subject matter. Either way, it would be a very dull read — unless the DOD says we have to make the mandatory move to Fort Knox, Kentucky in horse-drawn covered wagons. You think traffic is bad on 66 West now? Ha!
A Little Extra: I can tell you where my mother would like to live: anyplace that had intelligent, good-guy dragons. She devoured Naomi Novik’s Temeraire books and she’s in the middle of Eldest. When I told her I was reading a paranormal romance where the hero can shape-shift into a dragon, her eyes lit up. I introduced my mother to fantasy/paranormal genre, but she’s never read a shape-shifter book (Sirius Black and company are the closest she’s come). You could also find my mother in Middle Earth, Narnia, and Hogwarts.
address
Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??
And, no, you did NOT have time to grab your bookbag, or the book next to your bed. You were . . . grocery shopping when you got the call and have nothing with you but your wallet and your passport (which you fortuitously brought with you in case they asked for ID in the ethnic food aisle). This is hypothetical, remember….
Since the only people I would rush to see in an emergency live close by, there’s little chance I would be in this situation. For the sake of the meme, I’d say I’d be on the phone and/or pacing, if the situation was so urgent.
For me, airports aren’t always the best place to read. That doesn’t mean I won’t, or don’t, read in airports. An early flight out of Reagan National can be relatively quite. A layover in Atlanta, in the middle of the day, isn’t.
Even with a backpack containing several paperbacks, a suduko book, a couple of magazines, a deck of regular playing cards, my iPod, my Palm, and a canasta deck, I’d probably be walking around, in the shops, and people watching. If it’s going to be a long flight, it’s practical to stretch the legs: I can always read on the plane.
Another deciding factor is whether I’m traveling with someone or alone. Canasta, anyone?
Do your reading habits change in the Spring? Do you read gardening books? Even if you don’t have a garden? More light fiction than during the Winter? Less? Travel books? Light paperbacks you can stick in a knapsack?
Or do you pretty much read the same kinds of things in the Spring as you do the rest of the year?
This is only the third year that I’m tracking what I read. After looking over my notes, I can say that, generally, my reading material is not influenced by the season — except the Winter holiday season, of course. It seems strange to read Christmas stories in July. Oh, and I chose to read some paranormals I’d been curious about around Halloween. I don’t know if I’ll plan it that way again, unless it’s part of a challenge.
Having said that, I remembered (and was reminded by my notes) that I chose to read Jane Austen during the Spring of 2006 and 2007. I was also reading two books at a time, back then, and the other books were chosen (probably) based on my mood or just because they were radically different from Austen (i.e., Glory in Death, Star Wars books in 2006). This year, I haven’t done that, mostly because my goals are different. I want to read more books that were published this year, instead of being perpetually behind. Something had to be sacrificed, and I’m afraid it was Jane.
I’m not an outdoor person. I’m not interested in gardening. I don’t like reading outside and much prefer to be cool and comfortable inside, maybe with all the windows open to let a breeze in (providing that it’s cool enough). I’m fair-skinned, so beach reading would be doubly out of the question.
international
Suggested by Nithin:
I’ve always wondered what other people do when they come across a word/phrase that they’ve never heard before. I mean, do they jot it down on paper so they can look it up later, or do they stop reading to look it up on the dictionary/google it or do they just continue reading and forget about the word?
Most of the time, I try to figure out the meaning based on the context. I will look words up if that fails. Though picking up a dictionary is dangerous, because I have a habit of browsing thought it.
But what do you do when you’re reading Georgette Heyer, and haven’t taken “Regency Speak 101″? I just finished April Lady. Nell’s brother, Lord Dysart, tells his sister her owes his friend Mr. Fancot a monkey. Normally, a reader would think “small mammal with a banana fixation” — and why would Nell care if he did. And knowing Dysart’s involvement in schemes for the sake of a bet, it would have seemed logical to assume it did.
Except it doesn’t. Not in this case, anyway. In context, I knew it had to relate to money and/or gambling. “Monkey” in this case it means £500.
I’m slowly making my way through Heyer’s historicals, so I’m getting better at comprehending what the characters are saying to one another. Fortunately, there are sites like Good Ton and the Georgette Heyer fan site that lits of many of the terms. However, I’ve yet to discover what the title of the book means. I’m assuming that “April”, in this case, means more than “the fourth month in the Georgian calendar.” 
