The Friday Five for June 5th

[raptureofthemoon]

Time for the thefridayfive

 

 

1. Do you enjoy reading?

Yes. I have for as long as I can remember. Over the last two decades, between undergrad and graduate school and life, I've fallen in and out of the reading habit, but as soon as I find something that speaks to me, I will wallow in words.

2. What is the first book you remember reading?

Katie the Kitten. It was A Little Golden Book, I believe. My dad read it to me many times and then I learned to read it myself...and he actually had me read it back to front to test that I hadn't just memorized it. (When I started school, my teacher told him he didn't need to do that. That I was in fact reading.) 

3. Who is your favourite author?

That's a tough one. I've had several over the years. One I always return to is Patricia McKillip. She had such a lyrical writing style. Poetic prose. She was a big influence on my own writing style. 

4. What is your favourite book?

Two come to mind.

Something Rich and Strange by Patricia McKillip. It was part of the Froud Faerielands books of the early 90s and between the story, the lyrical prose and the environmental themes, it just hit all the right spots for me the first time I read it and it's stayed with me for decades. 

Then there's Phantom by Susan Kay, which is a biography of Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. In the late 90s, I got very into Leroux and Webber and went on a bender reading different takes on Leroux's novel or additional stories set in that universe. And Kay's is probably the most poignant. It's actually time for another re-read...it's been about a decade. 

5. What is the last book you read and the first you'll read next?

The last book was Garden Spells by Sara Addison Allen. I've also been re-reading Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite. (I often re-read that one when I'm struggling with writers block. It always helps me get out of my own head.) 

I'm already onto my next new read, which is The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss. 

After that, it might be Wild Space by Karen Miller. Or I may jump back to the "To Read in 2026" list I created at the end of last year, in which case, I'm not sure. Maybe Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff. It's been on my active list for the last couple of years now, ever since I watched the movie (which I watched because I wanted to see more of Temuera Morrison's work. Yep. Star Wars led me there.)