Found at fearthainn's LJ a while ago...

[quidditchgrrl]

1. What books are your comfort reading -- the ones you slink back to in times of stress?

Pride and Prejudice. It sits beside my bed. I also pick up Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban if I'm feeling blue or stressed.

2. What was your favorite book as a child, and why?

There are so many! I love Judy Blume, and re-read her books many times. I still have broken and tattered copies of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess downstairs. But I think my two very favorites were The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and The Velveteen Rabbit. Unconditional love, right there.

3. What was your favorite book as an adolescent, and why?

I really didn't do that much (by that much I mean I came down from 12-15 books a week at 12 to 6-8 per week at 14) pleasure reading during my middle and late teens; I mainly read stuff for my advanced English classes. I remember liking stuff like Lois Duncan and Lurlene McDaniel and reading the Sweet Valley High stuff (urg). I loved A Tale of Two Cities, The Merchant of Venice, Grapes of Wrath and so on. Read lots of cheesy stuff meant for teens; quality of young adult fiction is much better today, IMO.

4. What is the most-unread category of books gathering dust on your bookshelf -- the books you've bought but just never got around to reading?

Hm. I have some Dickens short stories that I've never gotten around to reading. I've gotten rid of a lot of the stuff I haven't read/don't intend to read because it got to be such a PITA to move it around.

5. What kind of books would you like to say you read, but never do?

Mysteries/Suspense. Everyone keeps telling me to read Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell - because they are/deal with forensic pathology and forensic anthroplogy - but I just can't get into them. I don't know why, I think I would rather read non-fiction on subjects like that. Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Tyler. I guess I'm shallow (reading Barbara Delinsky and Jenny Crusie) or snobby (clinging to my Shakespeare and Austen).

6. What's the oddest book you ever read?

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Truly disturbing. So strange I kept wanting to quit it, but I couldn't stop until I was done.

7. What book were you never able to get through, despite the recommendations of people you respect?

The Lord of the Rings stuff. I have tried and tried, and I just can't do it.

8. What's the book it took you a couple of tries to get into, but was as good as promised once you finally made it?

I don't know - LOTR has been the only thing I've not conquered on the first go-round.

9. What's your favorite short story . . . or do you even have one?

I think "Tackling Jim Brown" by Drew Carey. It's hilarious. I love Stephen King's short stories, especially "Rage."

10. The desert island. Three books (and collected works don't count; if you want *Lord of the Rings* it'll cost you all three slots). Go:

Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss <--- cheesy historical romance

The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker <--- so I won't feel so paranoid

Wuthering Heights <--the angste, the paine, the sexy Heathcliff!