HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!First of all, yesterday was my birthday. As many of you know, my sweet sweet man compiled a book of tributes, memories, compliments, etc. from my family and friends. All in all he was able to get 64 individual contributors! I was especially touched that he took to the time to seek out some of my blogger writing buddies. Thank you to those who included your thoughts and well wishes. It was the most amazing gift I've ever been given. What a superb day. I wish I could bottle that feeling. I need a bumper sticker that says "My Man is Sweeter than Your Man."
We're in. The house is put together and we are finally feeling normal again. Soooo, that means Hoodie's back in business. I'm having honest to goodness withdrawals. I miss my associations in the blogosphere and my creative juices have gone rancid with no outlet. My NaNoWriMo book which was pushed even further back than just the back burner has been niggling its way back into my mind, with fresh ideas in tow, and I find myself feeling excited about returning to that project. I've got some plotting to do, but leaving the idea to stew a while has been beneficial.
So, to celebrate my return, I'm having a contest. It's very easy. In the comment section leave me your answer to this question.
If you had only one fiction book to lend to family and friends, what would it be AND WHY?
My answer would be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I really like Science Fiction, but have a hard time with hardcore SciFi that seems to focus more on the Sci than the Fi. Heinlen and Asimov are too much for me, no matter how hard I try to enjoy them. I'm always drawn to character stories over idea or milieu stories. Of all the books I've ever read, this is the one I come back to over and over again. Card's writing style appeals to me greatly. There are some of his books I like more than others, but I've enjoyed them all. He has an ability to interject humanity into the most outrageous of circumstances. It really draws me in.
So, if you leave me a comment with your answer by this Friday, May 2 at 7 PM, you will be entered in a drawing. Winner comes away with your choice of a spankin' new paperback copy of Ender's Game or $5 at Amazon.
Okay, GO!
14 comments:
Welcome back! (My other comment was gobbled, so hopefully this won't post seventeen million times!)
Happy birthday, you lucky gal! Missed you!
Angelique
Welcome back! And Happy Belated Birthday! Looks like you had a perfect day. :-)
I like very much Ender's Game and others of Card's books.
My choice though would be "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. This book holds a weird spell on me...
Angelique - Thank you! But you have to answer the question to be entered into the drawing.
Vesper - I very much enjoy Dracula as well. I read it in college for a class and found myself very much surprised that it wasn't a chore to read at all.
Happy Belated Birthday!
I did not know you were that young!!
The book....?Let me think about it...
For younger readers it would be one of Madeleine L'Engle's books.
For adults, it would be Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake.
I chose English ones, so my range of choice was quite limited.
If I am to choose among Hungarian ones, I'd say Gárdonyi Géza's Egri csillagok (Stars of Eger), a historical fiction book about the attack of the Eger castle in 1552. It depicts real heroes, patriots who fought bravely for their country)
Welcome back, Hoodie! And yes, you do need that bumper sticker. :)
If I had to recommend one book, I think it might be Ann Patchett's Bel Canto. I think it's likely to appeal to the greatest number of readers, as it is a bit of a thriller, romance, and literary novel all rolled into one. I couldn't put it down.
It would depend on who the friend or family member is:
For the ladies, I'd hand out Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank. She has such an amazing gift for character and her books make me both laugh and cry, which is hard to do.
For the gents, I'd probably give American Pycho by Bret Easton Ellis or Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. What does that say about the men I know?
Hi Hoodie,
You share your birthday with my sister and my friend and it's also my wedding anniversary. Happy Birthday and much happiness in your new home.
No need to enter me in the competition (I'm in England) but I think the book I'd choose is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee because I'd re-read it again and again. I just think it's one of the most perfect books ever written.
Szelsofa, Sarah and Jaye, those sound like great reads. A couple of those are on my must read list, but I think they'll get bumped up.
JaneyV - Welcome to the Hood! I love To Kill A Mockingbird. I had a friend whose son's name was Addicus and I named my own son with a name from that book.
Wow, that's a tough one.
I guess I would say The Kite Runner. Not only is it full of universal human lessons, but also a window into some of the cultural complexities which weigh on the world today.
Good question. I'm torn a little.
My first answer would be Orwell's 1984, because never has a book so got to me and changed me.
However...I don't know if I would want to really bring down my friends and family.
So, maybe I will go with Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. So good and so funny.
Happy birthday! (from me,too-- I knew Jason was sending his wishes last week.)
You know, you've got one hell of a fine hubby there. (And of course, he did a fantastic job in choosing you, too!) We need more of that kind of love in this world!
I must confess the first book that popped into my mind (and this is becoming a broken record for those that know me) is Harry Potter. It's just so entertaining, and the characters are so warm and relatable to anyone. It's a perfect escape from the stresses of real life.
Jason - Kite runner is also on my list. Whenever I start thinking I'm pretty well read, I get reminded of all the ones I've not yet gotten to.
Struggling Writer - I read 1984 with high hopes because it was so greatly revered. Thoroughly freaked me out.
I've read some Terry Pratchett and really enjoy Neil Gaiman, so a marriage of the two would be quite interesting.
Aine - Thanks for stopping by. I held off reading Harry Potter for a number of years because I was afraid of hopping on some little bandwagon. Thank heavens I dropped that silly notion. I've realized that if you've got a bunch of people telling you to read a certain book, you should probably get to it.
I love Ender's Game. I've read most of Scott Card's stuff and no matter what the setting, no matter what the theme, the characters always suck me in.
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