"Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick"

Jennifer from Inside My Head conked me over the head with this big stick. Because my head is so hard, I barely felt it. In retaliation, I wrestled her to the ground and took possession of this meme. That's how I remember it, anyway. Her version of the story may be drastically different.

• You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

I, much like Jennifer, do not quite understand how to answer this question. My first thought was "Stuck inside Fahrenheit 451? No book deserves that fate!" Then for some reason, Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell popped into my head. Now if that book went up in flames, would anyone even miss it?


• Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Why yes, yes I have! I know, I know. Hard to believe. However it is not unusual at all for me to become enamoured with characters crafted in other people's minds. Two (relatively) recent ones I remember fondly:


• Kinsey Millhone, the detective from Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series. The crush intensified while listening to a few books from the series on audiocassettes read by Judy Kaye (that woman so brings characters to life!)


• Ophelia, from Robin Hobbs' Liveship Traders trilogy. Ophelia is a liveship. I'd like to go sailing on her.


• Longest lasting crush?

It is also the earliest I can recall: Harriet the Spy from the book of the same name. (Ummm... have I mentioned I'm a lesbian?)


• The last book you bought is:

Ghost of a Chance by Linda Crawford


• The last book you read finished:

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn


• What are you currently reading?

I'm one of those who typically has several books going at once.
Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
The Florida Review (Volume 29.2)
The Liars' Club by Mary Karr


• Five books you would take to a deserted island:

I'll assume I'm stranded indefinitely on the island. The list would be quite different if I was just visiting.

Being a dedicated suburbanite, I would definitely benefit from having this book along: Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness

For memories of my pre-desert island life, I'd want these two books. One was written by my father, Modern Marine Salvage, and the other, Advanced Bluewater Cruising, by my step-father. This may sound completely off the wall to a non-book-lover, but I could hug those books to my chest and my mind would flood with family memories and all the comfort held therein. Better than food. I'd be much less lonely. Plus my dad's book would make a good pillow in a pinch.

I also think matches would come in handy, so I'll bring two books of those. Heh.

Yes, I have a practical streak three miles wide.


• Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Dara. Because I owe her one.
Sam. Because she's evidently feeling uninspired of late.
Gina. Because I'm curious. (Yes I know. Curiosity killed the cat. But I'm not a cat so I'm not afraid.)

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