Random Things Meme...

I've been tagged by Magic27 with a random things meme (thanks, Magic!), which she tells me is an easy one and won't take very long. But, you know, finding 7 random things about yourself that might be in any way interesting for other people to know isn't really that easy! But, here goes anyway.

First off, here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I can often be found sitting on the sofa eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon.

2. I've never read any of the Harry Potter series.

3. I was once deported from Canada.

4. I've been driving for 21 years and have never had a speeding ticket.

5. I used to be a roller-skating waitress in a 50's diner.

6. I have several bowling trophies.

7. The song that always makes me smile and happy to be alive is 'The Duke of Earl'.

So, the next lucky 7 recipients of this meme, should they wish to do it, are: Carol, Ya Ya, Gabrielle, Meredith, Olga, Dominique, and Mouse.

Second half of my reading meme.....

Sorry this has taken me so long, Betty, but here's the second half of the interesting meme you tagged me with months ago!

Total number of books owned: Somewhere near 1000. Far too many, although I just can't seem to ever get rid of any. I worked at a bookshop in England for 3 years and horded like crazy, knowing someday I'd be in deepest, darkest France, unable to buy English books as easily.

Last book read and bought: A couple of weeks ago in the Village Voice bookshop in Paris I came across John Steinbeck's A Russian Journal that he wrote in 1948 and which features photographs by Robert Capa. What a great find! Not only does it feed my Russia obsession, but what a joy to read Steinbeck again and know he wasn't just about Cannery Row!

Five meaningful books: This one is quite hard for me, as at the time of reading, all books seem to have a special meaning for me. I guess I should slightly rephrase the question to 'Five books that have made a lasting impression'.

Fugitive Pieces : by Anne Michaels. This was a stunning book for me, not only in the story, but the lyrical way in which it was written. Inspiration for writing, inspiration for living.

The Gulag Archipelago : by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The courage, the insight, the wisdom, the tragedy, the strength. If only I could have a tenth of all of these that this book represents. Very haunting, but infinitely inspiring.

American Pastoral : by Philip Roth. One of my favorite authors, who I may not always understand, but who gets me in the gut everytime I read him. This book just resonated with me, as in my own writing I'm always interested in exploring the worlds of dysfunctional families, inner turmoil and forces outside our control that define who we are. I think this is Roth at his best.

Ethan Fromme : by Edith Wharton. Another quite haunting book, such a good example of the use of setting to set the tone of a story. One of those stories that makes you feel a little subdued for days after reading it. For me a great classic.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning : by Laurie Lee. This almost feels like a coming of age story to me, full of wonderment and discovery. The landscape, the narrative, the desire to travel, this book really affected me an my view of the world outside the States. And in much the same way as Kerouac's On the Road, it stills excites me to read it because I get something new from it every time.

My first meme.....

Okay, I admit I had to look up the word 'meme', but Betty C was kind enought to tag me with one, so now I know!
And it's about my favorite things, books......

My reading: I have been a steady reader since about the age of 8, when the worlds of Harriet the Spy and Nancy Drew were first introduced to me. And one of my most fond memories of school has always been story time, a time when the teacher came alive and took us on an adventure. I clearly remember Where the Red Fern Grows and Superfudge from this time.

Through most of high school and university, I read a range of things. I had a Holocaust period, a Hemingway and Kerouac phase, as well as phases that switched from Danielle Steele to Mary Higgins Clark.

I studied French literature at university, so my reading became filled with Sartre and Hugo, de Beauvoir and de Musset. Prevert was a particular favorite, as well as Stendhal. I tried to read as much as I could in French, paricularly with authors like Flaubert who you knew worked so hard, so precisely in French, it seemed wrong to read the translations.

After university, I had already moved to Europe, so depending what I could get my hands on in English, that tended to be what I read (Grisham, Ludlum, le Carré).

While living in the UK I started working for a bookshop, which actually for a reader is a bit of a nightmare. Way too many books. Where do you start? If one book doesn't hold your attention for long enough, there's another one waiting in the wings to take its place. I had a permanent leaning tower of Pisa next to my bed for four years. I became a book whore, and my memory is so blurred, I've probably forgotten most everything I read. Except for a few, which will stay with me indefinitely, and I'll get to those later.....

Now with the small ladies, I still find I'm flitting between books, but I've lately found my groove again and have been able to do some good quality reading. The last few books I've read have filled me with that feeling you get, the one that's hard to describe, when you are in the middle of a good book, your mind is consumed with it, and you don't want it to end.

What I love about reading is that it doesn't have to be fiction to transport you, non fiction can open up another world too, and sometimes it's all the more interesting because it's based on reality. So I find I probably read a 50:50 ratio of fiction to non fiction.

So, now that this post is long enough, I'll continue with the rest of the meme in my next post!