Thursday, July 03, 2014

M is for meme

It's a meme and it goes like this:
"Here's something that should be fun — and do get involved in the comment section! — I'm going to kick off a meme where we say our favourite book, author, song, film, and object beginning with a particular letter. And that letter will be randomly assigned to you "by me, via random.org. If you'd like to join in, comment in the comment section and I'll tell you your letter! (And then, of course, the chain can keep going on your blog.)"
Via Bookpuddle I've been assigned the letter M (because X just wouldn't've been fair). (Although, M is almost too easy.)

Favorite Book:
Middlemarch, by George Eliot, which I read with a wonderful group of people during March through May of 2006. It's vast and rich and life-affirming and complicated, a lot like real life. Jo Walton loves it, and Eliot is revered by genre aficionados everywhere for her skilled world-building. Quite apart from just being wonderful and romantic and having great insight into human nature, reading it taught me not to be afraid of big books and that I could read carefully while still having fun.

Favorite Author: China Miéville. I've read most of what he's written, and he never ceases to astound me with his inventiveness, weirdness, learnedness. His stories can be frightening, trippy, and truly alien. To date, my favourite remains Embassytown.

Polynia, his latest short story, is available at Tor.com. I haven't read it yet; I'm saving it up for a lazy Saturday morning in bed.

Favorite Song: It being jazz festival, I'll go with The Man with the Golden Arm, which was written as the theme song for the movie of the same name starring Frank Sinatra, which was based on the novel by Nelson Algren. I picked up this album in 1988, before I ever became acquainted with the excellent movie.

Favorite Film: Moonrise Kingdom, because it's so naïve and absolutely not naïve at the same time. It's not funny the way some of Wes Anderson's other films are, but it is whimsical, and I find it heartbreakingly beautiful.



This clip does not appear in the movie. But it explores a main character's book collection. Which is something essential. (Sadly, these books don't actually exist.) I'd like to know more about the book collections of characters in other movies I see.

See also Bill Murray's tour of the set. Oh, and the official trailer, or any of the other featurettes.

Favorite Object: My mattress. Mmmm.

[Let me know if you'd like a letter of your own.]

1 comment:

Stefanie said...

That was fun! I'm currently reading Perdido Street Station. Such and odd book but I am enjoying it very much. I love that your object is your mattress. Do you read in bed a lot? :)