Random Musings

Fellow 2012 debut author and writer buddy, Stephanie Lawton has nominated me for the Booker Award. The award targets literary and book-centered blogs (snort…I know where I fall). The rules are simple: post my top five books of all time, post the Booker award icon, and nominate other bloggers to do the same.

Plucked fresh from today’s musings, which have varied wildly over time and even day to day, and in no particular order:

1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: This dystopian tale spurred my early love for the genre. You never forget your introductory stories.

2. I’m going to quote / copy Stephanie on my second pick as a great big “ditto”: “Call it cliché, but I adore Jane Austen, particularly Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read all her works, but this one stands out … and not just because of the leading men who have portrayed Mr. Darcy in film versions.” It’s the perfect swashbuckling sword fight of manners and words.

3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Oh how I adored this book when I was a teenager. I think I read it twice nearly back to back. I rarely reread books, no matter how awesome they are…GWTW and P&P are the exceptions. Jane Eyre too, which duked it out with P&P for a spot on this list, but Elizabeth is of far more ferocious stock than poor Jane. As is Scarlett.

4. Outlander by Dianna Gabaldon is an epic tale of time travel, adventure, historical intrigue and most of all, despite NOT being billed a romance IS, in fact, a romance. There’s a reason my pen name is Claire and she’s the main character and narrator of the Outlander series.

5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Another dystopian pick. I particularly liked this one because it explores gender roles and enslavement and class consciousness all in one nifty little tale that has been oft-imitated but never duplicated quite as memorably. Margaret also shares a birthday with me, November 18th, so I am always reminded of her when I see those “Also born on this day” lists. She gets extra points for that.

And now to pass the baton to either thrill or annoy:

All book links are to Amazon from whom I receive no compensation, but since I used their icons, credit given where it’s due.

Ok, I’m a sucker for these blog quizzes in which you discern your literary similarities with fictional characters or famous authors or you determine your biker chick name, fairy name, porn name, gangster name…you get the idea.

As to which Austen heroine I am most like, the quiz says:

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

No shock at my result. Anyone familiar with the possible answers (Elinor Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse, Catherine Morland, Anne Elliot) could pretty much tell which heroine would claim which multiple choice answer. Whilst (NOT “while”) taking it, I thought I’d be dubbed Jane Bennet, mistakenly thinking this a Pride and Prejudice quiz at first, but substitute Anne Elliot for Jane and I’m guessing she was probably my close second.

I’ll say though that Elinor Dashwood does seem apropos for me, especially as brilliantly portrayed by Emma Thompson. The scene in which she snapped at Marianne who accused her of having no heart when they thought her love interest had married another still guts me when I watch it.

Hmm, it may be time to read some Austen…or at least whip out one of my many Austen dvds.