Booking Through Thursday: Pet Names

This week’s Booking Through Thursday asks:

“Do you have any pet that has a name inspired by your readings?

If not, what would you pick if you DID?

Do any of your friends have book-based names for their pets? (Or their children?)”

I do not have a pet. If I had one it would have to be a cat as I am a cat person. I think I would name it after Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights or Pip from Great Expectations.

I don’t know of anyone giving their children book based names. I have heard that one of my mom’s great uncles fell in love with his wife because her name was the same as one of his favourite literary heroines.

Booking Through Thursday: Siblings

This week’s Booking Through Thursday asks:

“Do you have siblings? Do they like to read?“

I do have a baby sister. She isn’t a bookworm like me but she does enjoy reading. She was (and is) more into playing sports and watching reality shows like The Amazing Race, Fear Factor ; etc. When she showed an interest in books (as I was always lazing around the house with one tome or another) I gave her books that I thought would appeal to her nature.  I recommended books like Wuthering Heights and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and she seemed to enjoy them all. She has actually become quite addicted to Agatha Christie! She has already devoured more than a dozen titles and has currently taken away my ‘only’ copy of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. So, I think I have managed to ‘infect’ her a bit with my love for reading!

Musing Mondays (Apr.9)

This week’s Musing Mondays from Should Be Reading asks…

“This week’s musing asks…

What do you think are the top 5 books every woman should read? “

Oh this is a tough one! Most of my life, save for my body which is more Seyfried than Knightley, I have felt quite ‘unwomanly’.  Especially when it comes to things like social behaviour, relation with the opposite sex and fashion; etc. When I read a book this attitude remains. So, picking books that every woman should read is a bit difficult for me. Anyway, I have tried and have come up with the following ones,

 Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – A lot of heartache could have been saved if Maxim and his new bride had been open and honest with each other. In a relationship, keeping everything bottled up and assuming the worst can only lead to trouble.

 Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie – In this play (*spoiler*), a woman incriminates herself to save her husband (*end spoiler*). No one should become so blinded by love that they forget what is right and what is wrong. In the end, needless to say, it turns out badly for all concerned.

 The Art of War by Sun Tzu – The most important lesson The Art of War gives is that it is important for everyone to be really conscious of their surroundings and of other people’s intentions. Having experienced first hand how traumatizing something like stalking can be, I am more than aware of the need to be alert all the time. Every woman should take this lesson to heart.

 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë – This is one of the most well known fictional love stories so picking this one for female readers was obvious.  Some say that the people in Wuthering Heights are unpleasant. Some are destructive, some are stubborn and some are weak. In my opinion the characters are close to our  real world, Emily Brontë just upped the melodrama a bit. None of us in the real world are perfect. Just like many of us, the characters of this book make bad choices and suffer the consequences.

 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – No, not for the romance, not even for Mr. Darcy (blasphemy, I know) but read it for Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth is one of the very few literary characters I aspire to be like, strong, assertive but also loving and tender.

Musing Mondays (Mar.12)

This week’s Musing Mondays from Should Be Reading asks…

“This week’s musing asks…

What book do you wish you were reading right now? Where would you take it to, if you could go anywhere to read for a while?“

I wish I were re-reading Wuthering Heights right now.

I would take it to where the book is set, the Yorkshire Moors.

It would have to be a rainy or at least a cloudy day. The gloom of the weather and Heathcliff and Cathy’s doomed love would suit my current mood.

January – Charles Dickens Month: My First Charles Dickens

7th February 2012 is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens. To mark the occasion Amanda at Fig and Thistle is hosting January – Charles Dickens Month. As Charles Dickens is one of my favourite authors, I couldn’t resist plunging into it.

Today’s post is about My First Charles Dickens book and how I came into the world of Charles Dickens.

It was my birthday. I was now ten years old. As the birthday girl, I got to have a treat. I could buy any book I wanted. I was pretty excited. But then trips to the bookstore always were (and still are) exciting for a bookworm like me. I wanted Wuthering Heights but my mother wouldn’t let me have it. So, I picked A Tale of Two Cities instead. I had no idea what the book was about but I knew who Charles Dickens was and I wanted to read his more ‘grown up’ books.

I breathlessly finished the book and mostly failed to grasp what was going on. All I knew was that I had fallen in love with the prose. I knew this was something special. Thus began my life long love for the prose of Charles Dickens.

Since then I have re-read A Tale of Two Cities several times. I have understood it far better with time and have grown to deeply love and appreciate it. Sydney Carton has become my all time favourite tragic hero. Each time I find another layer of meaning within it. Even after all this time A Tale of Two Cities remains as fresh as ever. My first Charles Dickens remains close to my heart.