Books

Books are the subject of this week’s Sunday Ramble. Here are the questions.

Do you prefer digital, paperback, or hard bound books?

I like all three. It depends on where I am and what I’m doing. It’s much easier to take a Kindle on a journey, lots more books and it doesn’t take up much space in my bag. It’s easier to hold one in bed although it hurts more than a paperback if you fall asleep and it hits you on the nose. I like Audible too, but not in bed. I fall asleep. It’s handy when I’m doing something with my hands like knitting or cooking though. I prefer hardbacks for their illustrations, nonfiction books in particular. They don’t look as good in black and white on a tiny screen.

Do you have a library full of books or just your favorite tales?

I have a library. Most of it is packed away in boxes in the garage and I haven’t had access to it for a couple of years. David and I were both readers and we had a lot of books between us. When we lived in Adelaide, we used to go to a big book sale twice a year and by stacks of secondhand books for a couple of dollars each.

After he died, I did give away or sell some of his books but I kept a lot of them because I liked them as well. I also have a collection of books I used for identifying dolls and outfits. There are websites for this of course but sometimes I just prefer a book.

Harry Potter, Narnia, or Twilight? (You can choose all three or pick and choose.)

I read the Narnia books when I was young and I liked them very much. I’ve started to read the Harry Potter books but haven’t finished them yet. I have them on Audible read by Stephen Fry. I have never read the Twilight books; I’ve just seen the movies. I think I’d probably have to pick Narnia because that’s the only series I’ve finished currently.

Do you like when books are turned into movies? Why or why not?

Not really if I’ve read the book first. Sometimes the movie strays so far away from the story that I just don’t like it. I can accept a bit of artistic licence of course. A two-hour film has to pack a lot of story into it. What I don’t like is when the characters are completely different from the way the author described them or the plot strays from the original story or the ending is changed. I’m not saying all movie adaptations of books are bad but I am wary of them if it is a favourite story.

What is a book that you have read over and over again?

“Pride and Prejudice” is a book I’ve read over and over since I first read it as a teenager. Probably at least once a year. I like to read “A Christmas Carol” every Christmas or at least watch one of the movie adaptations that I like of it. I have an Audible version read by Patrick Stewart. I love his voice.