Yet Another Reading Meme

Lehmunade's tag is my command.

Book that changed your life – Um. Literally speaking, something by Ayn Rand, I suppose. I can no longer remember which book or essay of hers I read first, but here's a link to one short essay I think should be required reading for every human being. Even if one does tend to outgrow Rand, her writing's moral foundations and clarity of thought are lasting gifts to her readers. Which is why I'll never be ashamed of having once been a crazy, rabid Objectivist. :)

Book you’ve read more than once – I'm an obsessive re-reader; there is almost no book I've really liked that I haven't read ten times. So the first five Harry Potters, all the Jeeves books, just about any Bill Bryson you care to name, Stephen King's "Rose Madder" and "Different Seasons".. you name it, I've reread it. I think the one exception to the rule is Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections". You'll see why.

Book you would take to a deserted island – An empty one. With a pencil and an eraser. DOH! :D

Book that made you laugh – Wodehouse's Jeeves books. Unparalleled.

Book that made you cry want to kill yourself – Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections". Was there ever a book so masterfully written, a book I loved so much, that also made me want to slit my wrists and DIE, because OMG the world is such a shitty, shitty place? Aargh. Wonderful book. Read it. Just... hide your knives and take some anti-depressants after.

Book you wish you had written – Oh boy. Jealousy is an occupational hazard of (aspiring) writers, so this list is endless. I'll limit myself here to naming just the top three: Daphne Du Maurier's novel "Rebecca"; Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"; and Mark Twain's short story "What Stumped the Bluejays". Though that last story? Just wishful thinking on my part. Nobody but Twain could possibly have written that one. I recommend it strongly. It's beyond amazing.

Book(s) you wish had never been written – Dominic Lapierre's "City of Joy". Good heavens. You'll look forever if you want to find a worse piece of white supremacist disease-porn.

Book(s) you’re currently reading – Uh, too many? "Introduction to Poetry" (Kennedy; very good); "A Prayer for Owen Meany" (Irving; excellent, but for some reason I am reading this SO SLOWLY); "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Twain; rereading); "India After Gandhi" (Guha; paaathetic book, have more or less given up); "Building Better Plots" (Kernan; decent stuff).

Book you’ve been meaning to read – Anything by Tolstoy is on this list - "Anna Karenina", "War and Peace".

Book you have been meaning to finish - Like I said, Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a great read but I've been dragging my feet (eyes?) on that one for two months now. Also Dostoevsky - same issue, I really *liked* the first few chapters of "Crime and Punishment", but for some reason couldn't finish the book. Sigh.

I'm tagging the usual suspects: Juice, Sayesha, TWM (if he's reading this), Venkat over at RibbonFarm, Saurabh and Sushil (WAKE UP DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE).