Just Playin'

Dr. Pants issued a challenge, and it was passed on to me, among others.

I read Jerry's blog like it was one of my morning comics. He writes well, and observes things in an interesting way. Strange characters leave comments on his blog, including the mysterious Dr. Pants, which sounds like the name of a creature I would not wish to touch with a stick. Anyway, in his blog, Jerry answered Dr. Pants' challenge about books, and (surprisingly) named me as one of the next-challenged bloggers in the chain. Yeah, I can sort of handle this one...

How many books do you own?
About four big bookcases full, ranging from junk to calculus. I've read most of them, except for the books on math and some really funky ones about mystical spirituality. The math books were my dad's, and I keep them because they remind me of him; the ones on intense spirituality are there for research I've been putting of for a decade or so.

What was the last book you bought?
The Mummies of Urumchi by Elizabeth Wayland Barber. I was caught up in Terri Edward's essay, "Clothes of Sand," and found less than shit that was reliable on the web while I was researching for the illustration. Great book.

What was the last book you read?
The Stray Lamb, by Thorne Smith. (See a couple blog entries back.)

Name five books that mean a lot to you, and that you've read more than three times.
1. Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope. I read this when I was 13 and fell in love with the idealism, the first-person perspective, and the description of fighting.
2. Rupert of Hentzau, the sequel by the same author. I loved it for the wrongness of what the hero did, for love; the swordfight between Rupert and Rudolph was/is one of the most exciting exchanges I've ever read; and the ending was so bitter it aged me many years. (That's a good thing at 13.)
3. The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester. Great story. If you want to know how to write, this is a book to read. Lyrical and rich, intriguing and swift.
4.The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge. Extraordinary writing, just beautiful to read.
5. Watership Down, by Richard Adams. You don't get writing more exquisite or non-superfluous than this.

Challenge five people to answer this on their blog.
Uhh, I'm screwed. The only non-mentioned bloggers I know are Wendy, Terri, and Alex. Whether or not they'll play is questionable. Alex in particular will probably look at this and say, "Oh, so that's what you were fiddling with when you were supposed to be drawing a cartoon?"