Second order of business: NPR’s annual summer reading poll concerns fantasy and science fiction.  You can help them whittle down the field to the top 100.  Carl V. covers the flaws of the list pretty well, [...]]]> First order of business: today is International Beer Day. I trust you are all intent on doing your part.

Second order of business: NPR’s annual summer reading poll concerns fantasy and science fiction.  You can help them whittle down the field to the top 100.  Carl V. covers the flaws of the list pretty well, and also turns it into a meme of sorts, which I will indulge in.  Play along at home if you’d like.

The entries I’ve read are in bold, with an * to indicate where I haven’t read all the extant titles in series. Anything underlined means the book in question in sitting in my vast to-be-read pile.

1632, by Eric Flint
1984, by George Orwell
2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
The Acts Of Caine Series, by Matthew Woodring Stover
The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks
Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers
Armor, by John Steakley
The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson
Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard
Beggars In Spain, by Nancy Kress
The Belgariad, by David Eddings
The Black Company Series, by Glen Cook
The Black Jewels Series, by Anne Bishop
The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Bridge Of Birds, by Barry Hughart
The Callahan’s Series, by Spider Robinson
A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
The Cat Who Walked Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein
Cat’s Cradle , by Kurt Vonnegut
The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
The Change Series, by S.M. Stirling
Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Children Of God, by Mary Doria Russell
The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny*
The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The City And The City, by China Mieville
City And The Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
The Coldfire Trilogy, by C.S. Friedman
The Commonwealth Saga, by Peter F. Hamilton
The Company Wars, by C.J. Cherryh*
The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
Contact, by Carl Sagan
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks*
The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
The Day of Triffids, by John Wyndham
Deathbird Stories, by Harlan Ellison
The Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy, by Elizabeth Moon
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
The Deverry Cycle, by Katharine Kerr
Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany
The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
The Difference Engine, by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
Don’t Bite The Sun, by Tanith Lee
Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
Dreamsnake, by Vonda McIntyre
The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
Earth, by David Brin
Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart
The Eisenhorn Omnibus, by Dan Abnett
The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock*
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Eon, by Greg Bear
The Eyes Of The Dragon, by Stephen King
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
The Faded Sun Trilogy, by C.J. Cherryh
Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser Series, by Fritz Leiber
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
The Female Man, by Joanna Russ
The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
The First Law Trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie
Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
The Foreigner Series, by C.J. Cherryh
The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
The Gaea Trilogy, by John Varley
The Gap Series, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The Gate To Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
The Gormenghast Triology, by Mervyn Peake
Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper
Gravity’s Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World, by Haruki Murakami
The Heechee Saga, by Frederik Pohl
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
The Hollows Series, by Kim Harrison
House Of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski
The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
The Incarnations Of Immortality Series, by Piers Anthony
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
Kindred, by Octavia Butler
The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss*
Kraken, by China Mieville
The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Last Call, by Tim Powers
The Last Coin, by James P. Blaylock
The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey
The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
The Lathe Of Heaven, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore*
The Lensman Series, by E.E. Smith
The Liaden Universe Series, by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
The Lies Of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
Lilith’s Brood, by Octavia Butler
Little, Big, by John Crowley
The Liveship Traders Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
Lord Of Light, by Roger Zelazny
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord Valentine’s Castle, by Robert Silverberg
Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson*
The Man In The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick
The Manifold Trilogy, by Stephen Baxter
The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Memory And Dream, by Charles de Lint
Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn Trilogy, by Tad Williams
Mindkiller, by Spider Robinson
The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
Mordant’s Need, by Stephen Donaldson
More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon
The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov
The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy, by Robert J. Sawyer
Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
The Newsflesh Triology, by Mira Grant
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton
Norstrilia, by Cordwainer Smith
Novels Of The Company, by Kage Baker
The Number Of The Beast, by Robert Heinlein
Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
On Basilisk Station, by David Weber
The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
Oryx And Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Otherland Tetralogy, by Tad Williams
The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
Parable Of The Sower, by Octavia Butler
The Passage, by Justin Cronin
Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson
Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
The Pride Of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh
The Prince Of Nothing Trilogy, by R. Scott Bakker
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
Rainbows End, by Vernor Vinge
Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Replay, by Ken Grimwood
Revelation Space, by Alistair Reynolds
Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban
The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist*
Ringworld, by Larry Niven
The Riverworld Series, by Philip Jose Farmer
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
The Saga Of Pliocene Exile, by Julian May
The Saga Of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman*
The Sarantine Mosaic Series, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
The Scar, by China Mieville
The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
The Shattered Chain Trilogy, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Sirens Of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem
Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
Song for the Basilisk, by Patricia McKillip
A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin*
The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
The Stainless Steel Rat Books, by Harry Harrison*
Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner
The Stand, by Stephen King
Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Stations Of The Tide, by Michael Swanwick
Steel Beach, by John Varley
Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
The Swordspoint Trilogy, by Ellen Kushner
The Tales of Alvin Maker, by Orson Scott Card*
The Temeraire Series, by Naomi Novik
The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
Tigana , by Guy Gavriel Kay
Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein
The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
To Say Nothing Of The Dog, by Connie Willis
The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell
Ubik, by Philip K. Dick
The Uplift Saga, by David Brin
The Valdemar Series, by Mercedes Lackey
VALIS, by Philip K. Dick
Venus On The Half-Shell, by Kilgore Trout/Philip Jose Farmer
The Vlad Taltos Series, by Steven Brust
The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Vurt Trilogy, by Jeff Noon
The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
The Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan*
When Gravity Fails, by George Alec Effinger
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi
World War Z, by Max Brooks
The Worm Ouroboros, by E.R. Edison
The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony*
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon

My votes? Well certainly Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), Howard, Martin, Leiber and Heinlein (Starship Troopers). Still undecided about my remaining five votes. Some work I would consider essential to the genre (Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword) is missing from the field, and as Cal pointed out some authors have multiple works listed.

1. The book I’m currently reading.

My current fiction read is Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin. I bought this book several years ago, when John Scalzi praised it on his [...]]]> I found this meme at the Boston Bibliophile, although it apparently originated at Stuck In A Book. Play along if the spirit so moves you.

1. The book I’m currently reading.

My current fiction read is Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin. I bought this book several years ago, when John Scalzi praised it on his site (he refers to it again here). Sheila’s review moved it up in the queue; I started it last night and forced myself to put it down only when sleep began to steal over me.

My current non-fiction read is Between the Woods and the Water, by Patrick Leigh Fermor. It is a sequel to A Time of Gifts, a book which saw me through much of my recent convalescence,  and together the two books recount the first two thirds of Leigh Fermor’s 1933 journey – on foot – from Holland to Constantinople, which he undertook at the age of eighteen after being tossed from boarding school. Really these two remarkable books deserve their own post. Leigh Fermor himself is quite the character, still kicking today at 96 years of age, who after his walk went on to kidnap a German general in Crete while seconded to the SOE from the Irish Guards and become, post-war, a distinguished travel writer.  Anthony Lane’s profile of the man in the May 22, 2006 issue of the New Yorker is worth your while if you wish to learn more.

2. The last book I finished.

Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household. A very British thriller from 1939.

3. The next book I want to read.

Joseph Epstein’s biography of Fred Astaire is currently sitting on my nightstand; it’s a  toss-up between that and Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon for my next non-fiction selection. As far the next fiction read, I’m leaning towards The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon.

4. The last book I bought.

Facing Violence, by Rory Miller.  Essential reading for the practicing martial artist, or anyone else with an interest in or pretension to preparing for self defense.

5. The last book I was given.

I was gifted with several books while recuperating from surgery, but  since I can’t recall the exact order I list them all here:
Running the Books – Avi Steinberg
A City So Grand – Stephen Puleo
Mark Twain: Man in White – Michael Shelden

1) Copy this list into your [...]]]> This particular meme has been floating about for a while now. The Intended pointed it out to me when it popped up at C. & Z., and now I see Heather’s gone and done it. So here’s my own version of the VGT Omnivore’s Hundred (after the jump).

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (Foie gras, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

My apparent lack of omnivorousity is shocking.

1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why?

Easy-peasy, it’s J.R.R. Tolkien. The first author to hold me captive through his prose.

2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him [...]]]> Still trying to disguise the lack of original content with a meme, this time about authors, stolen from here.

1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why?

Easy-peasy, it’s J.R.R. Tolkien. The first author to hold me captive through his prose.

2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favorites?

In second grade I read The Black Stallion and I can remember my teacher telling me that the author, Walter Farley, had written a whole bunch of books featuring ‘the Black’ and his kin. I think this was when I first started paying attention to the authors of books. I have memories of Farley’s books – I think I read his book about Man o’ War at least ten times (to my school librarian’s amazement) – but I wouldn’t call him a current favorite.

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?

Tim Powers, for his fantastical ‘secret history’ novels. I mentioned Powers earlier, and I still feel you should run right out and read Declare.

4. If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection?

I would call the following my immediate favorites: Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, Patrick O’Brian and Dorothy Dunnett. On reflection I’d add Hemingway, H.P. Lovecraft and P.G. Wodehouse as well.

5. Tagged:

You. Or anyone else who feels like answering these questions.

1. Name the singer/band/performer you are most embarrassed to admit you actually paid good money to see in concert.

I saw Motley Crue with Whitesnake opening. And I think I may have been more jazzed about seeing Whitesnake. Sad, so sad.

1. When/how did you become an avid reader?

Second grade. The school library. The astounding revelation that I could get any book about any topic I chose. So I read Guadalcanal Diary about a [...]]]> Hope springs eternal, as do book memes. Found this one here, and as always, feel free to play along at home.

1. When/how did you become an avid reader?

Second grade. The school library. The astounding revelation that I could get any book about any topic I chose. So I read Guadalcanal Diary about a million times. Yeah, I was a strange kid.

2. What is your favorite genre for adult/young adult books?

I like genre in general, and read in all of them, excepting romance. Doesn’t matter if it’s an adult or YA book – it’s all about the story for me.

3. What was the most recent book purchased/given to you?

Thanks to the afore-mentioned Barnes and Noble gift card, this past Sunday I picked up a copy of Some Golden Harbor by David Drake, and A Fighter’s Heart by Sam Sheridan.

4. Which book would you like to have that you don’t own?

I’d like to find a copy of the second volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to go along with the copy of the first volume I found at the Harvard Bookstore.

5. What book did you think you would never read, but found yourself reading it after all?

This question has rather stumped me. I’m pretty wed to my literary prejudices.

6. Which do you prefer, libraries or bookstores?

This is a trick question, right?

7. What’s the longest you’ve never picked up a book (to read for pleasure, excluding all school material – unless that’s really what you enjoy reading)?

I pick up a book daily – even it’s only for five or ten minutes in the early morning or late in the evening. I get all antsy-in-the-pantsy otherwise.

According to LibraryThing, the following books are those most often marked as unread. So just for s. and g. bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish, and strike through [...]]]> Which it’s another book meme, borrowed from this here site, and you may participate, or not, as you like.

According to LibraryThing, the following books are those most often marked as unread. So just for s. and g. bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish, and strike through the ones you hated. Add an asterisk to any books you read more than once.

Jonathan Strange & M. Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion*
Life of Pi: a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveller’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Miserables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Dune*
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Aeneid
Watership Down*
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit*
In Cold Blood
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

List some of your favourite words:

Cull. Aeroplane (I love the anachronism). Pockets.

What’s your favourite maxim or proverb?

Is this required to be a literary maxim or proverb? I’ve never been much for quoting proverbs. What’s your favourite quotation?

“Among the tales of sorrow and [...]]]> Which it’s another bookish meme, that I found here.

List some of your favourite words:

Cull. Aeroplane (I love the anachronism). Pockets.

What’s your favourite maxim or proverb?

Is this required to be a literary maxim or proverb? I’ve never been much for quoting proverbs.
What’s your favourite quotation?

“Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that come down to us from the darkness of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures.”

From the Tale of Beren in The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.)

What’s your favourite first line of a novel?

“He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad, and that was his only patrimony.”

(From Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini.)

Give an example of a piece of description that’s really pleased you in your reading::

Jack Aubrey, framed for stock fraud, is placed in the stocks in Patrick O’Brian’s The Reverse of the Medal:

He still had this detached grey expression on the following Wednesday, as he stood in a bare dirty room on the south side of Cornhill waiting to be led out to the pillory. The sheriff’s men and the constables in charge of him were all clustered together at the window: they were intensely nervous and they kept up a continual flow of talk.
‘It did ought to have been done days ago, right after the sentence. The news has had time to go down to the Land’s End and up to John o’ Groats.’
‘And every fucking port in the kingdom: Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth, Plymouth. . .’
‘Sweeting’s Alley is quite blocked up.’
‘So is Castle Alley, and more is coming in. They ought to have sent for the soldiers long ago.’
‘We have four constables, four scavengers and one beadle in the ward. What can we do with such a crowd?’
‘If we get out of this alive, I shall take my wife and children down to live the other side of Epping.’
‘They keep pouring up from the river. There are the chaps from the press-tender itself, with their bloody cutlasses and bludgeons, Christ have mercy.’
‘They are blocking each side of the Change with carts. God help us.’
‘Why don’t he give the word? Why don’t Mr Essex give the word? They are growing outrageous down there. We shall all be scragged.’

Saint Paul’s and the City churches had tolled twelve some five or ten minutes ago and the crowd in Cornhill was becoming impatient. ‘Eight bells,’ cried some. ‘Eight bells, there. Turn the glass and strike the bell.’
‘Bring him out, bring him out, bring him out and let’s have a look at him,’ shouted the leader of another group. He was the leader of a band hired by some disappointed stockjobbers, and like his fellows he carried a bag of stones. Bonden turned sharp upon him and said ‘What are you doing here, mate?’
‘I’ve come to see the fun.’
‘Then just you go and see the fun at Hockley in the Hole, that’s where, cully. Because why? Because this is for seamen only, do you see. Seamen only, not landsmen.’
The man looked at Bonden, and at the many closed, dead-serious, lowering faces behind him; brown, tough, often earringed, often pigtailed; he looked at his own people, a pale and weedy crew, and with hardly a pause he said ‘Well, I don’t care. Have it your own way, sailor.’

Davis, a very big, ugly, dangerous man who had sailed with Jack in many commissions, had an even shorter way of dealing with Wray’s gang of genuine bruisers, who stood out most surprisingly in their flash clothes and low-crowned hats among the now almost solid naval mass – most of the citizens, even the apprentices and the street-boys hawking pails of filth had withdrawn beyond the barrier or to neighbouring buildings. Davis, with his four uglier brothers and a dumb Negro bosun’s mate, went straight to them and in a thick voice, choking with fury, said ‘Bugger off.’ He watched them go and then shouldered his brutal way through his shipmates to where Stephen was standing by the steps of the pillory with the few pugilists his thief-taker had managed to engage – men equally conspicuous. To them he said ‘And you bugger off too. We mean you no harm, gents, but you bugger off too.’

There was white spittle at his mouth and he was breathing very hard. Stephen nodded to his men and they sidled away towards St Michael’s. As they reached the church its clock struck the quarter, and Mr Essex gave the word at last. Jack was led out of the dark room into the strong light, and as they guided him up the steps he could see nothing for the glare. ‘Your head here sir, if you please,’ said the sheriff’s man in a low, nervous, conciliating voice, ‘and your hands just here.’

The man was slowly fumbling with the bolt, hinge and staple, and as Jack stood there with his hands in the lower half-rounds, his sight cleared: he saw that the broad street was filled with silent, attentive men, some in long togs, some in shore-going rig, some in plain frocks, but all perfectly recognizable as seamen. And officers, by the dozen, by the score: midshipmen and officers. Babbington was there, immediately in front of the pillory, facing him with his hat off, and Pullings, Stephen of course, Mowett, Dundas. . . He nodded to them, with almost no change in his iron expression, and his eye moved on: Parker, Rowan, Williamson, Hervey . . . and men from long, long ago, men he could scarcely name, lieutenants and commanders putting their promotion at risk, midshipmen and master’s mates their commissions, warrant-officers their advancement.

‘The head a trifle forward, if you please sir,’ murmured the sheriff’s man, and the upper half of the wooden frame came down, imprisoning his defenceless face. He heard the click of the bolt and then in the dead silence a strong voice cry ‘Off hats’. With one movement hundreds of broad-brimmed tarpaulin-covered hats flew off and the cheering began, the fierce full-throated cheering he had so often heard in battle.

Which five writers do you particularly admire for their use of language?

Patrick O’Brian, P.G. Wodehouse, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway and J.R.R. Tolkien.

And are there writers whose style you really dislike?

Well, I can’t say for sure if it’s their style but you are unlikely to find me reading anything by John Updike or John Irving.

What’s the key to really fine writing, in your opinion?

How the hell would I know? I like too many writers with differing styles to be able to offer up ‘the key’ to anyone.

UPDATE: Sheila did this meme as well – and has some more cogent thoughts on really fine writing to offer than I.

What are you reading right now?

Blindness – Jose Saramago Paris After The Liberation – Antony Beevor & Artemis Cooper The Terror – Dan Simmons Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susana Clarke

That’s a [...]]]> This meme comes to you by way of The Sheila Variations. Consider yourself tagged if such things interest you.

What are you reading right now?

Blindness – Jose Saramago
Paris After The Liberation – Antony Beevor & Artemis Cooper
The Terror – Dan Simmons
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susana Clarke

That’s a lot of books at once, even for me, Captain Obsessive. This is probably due to my recent inability to get in a good reading groove – too much goings on ’round here – which in turn causes me to restlessly jump from book to book. This should change when the move is done and I am properly nested.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?

I think I’m going to jump into The Religion by Tim Willocks. He wrote a book, Green River Rising, about ten or so years ago that absolutely blew me away. I’m looking forward to The Religion, a historical novel about the Siege of Malta in 1565. Yes, I am a huge dork for historical fiction.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?

Nary a one.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?

Oh dear, that’s a tough one to answer. The Scarlet Letter was agony, and Catcher in the Rye was like getting kicked in the jimmies repeatedly, but Anna Karenina was akin to bare-assing a pile of hot coals.

I’ll go with Anna Karenina on this one.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?

Allright, it’s confession time: I am the world’s worst gift giver. I suspect I’m too plodding and unimaginative to come up with that super-cool yet completely unexpected gift that totally matches the occasion. However – I take great pride in my ability to match people to books.

So books recommendations depend on the person asking, although I’ve been known to try and convince people to read The Lord of the Rings, even if they’re not a fan of fantasy in general.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?

Well, they certainly recognize me. I’ve found borrowing titles from the library to be the methadone to the heroin of my book-buying habit. It’s not the same rush, but it does quell the urge for a while.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?

I’ve yet to meet anyone else who’s read Dorothy Dunnett’s historical novels. I don’t think I know anyone who’s even interested in them.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?

The Girl recently noted that while getting ready to go to breakfast one morning, I paused after putting on one shoe to read a little bit before continuing on to the other foot. So yes to all of the above, except for the sex and driving part.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?

Nope. I think there are one or two I might have converted to readers.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

Julius Winsome – Gerard Donovan. The best book I’ve read so far this year.

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.

Well the original three Star Wars films are the first that come to mind, and you can add The Terminator [...]]]> Just for s. and g. here’s a movie meme I found here. Consider it open source and do it yourself, if you’d like.

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.

Well the original three Star Wars films are the first that come to mind, and you can add The Terminator and Sixteen Candles to the list as well. I think The Wild Bunch was the last movie to cross that threshold.

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.

The Star Wars films. Again. Serenity. And um… Dirty Dancing. No, don’t ask.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.

Jean Reno. Chow Yun Fat. They have the cool.

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.

How ’bout that Ernest Goes to Camp guy?

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.

Star Wars. Spinal Tap.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs

Annie, though the I learned the words through my sister’s near constant playing of the original Broadway sound track on LP when we were kids.

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with

If by ‘sing along with’ you mean ‘sing after last call while lying down in the back seat of someone else’s car being driven out of Boston’ then the answer is see #6 above.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.

The Philadelphia Story – arguably a perfect movie.

9. Name a movie that you own.

I own lots o’ movies. I’ll go with Hell is for Heroes.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.

Either of the Wahlbergs. I thought Donnie Whalberg’s performance in Band of Brothers was excellent.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?

I sure have – Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

12. Ever made out in a movie?

Yup, during The Color of Money. Even then I was doing my level best to ignore Tom Cruise (or his android double – I get them confused).

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.

Battleship Potemkin.

14. Ever walked out of a movie?

Yes – Black Widow. The tag line for the movie was ‘She mates and she kills’ and my friends and I were sorely vexed by the lack of the promised mating and killing.

A caveat – this is the same bunch of guys who attended Mannequin under the bizarre premise that it would be a good way to ‘meet chicks.’ So really, what the fuck did we know?

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.

Bambi was pretty damn sad as I recall.

16. Popcorn?

Sometimes.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?

A couple of times a month sounds about right.

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?

Days of Glory

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?

I like ‘em all, but my first love was and is westerns.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?

Snow White or Bambi, but I’m not sure which came first

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?

The Phantom Menace.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?

I’ll take a pass on this one.

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?

How about the scariest movie I never saw?

24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?

It would be awful hard to pick just one what with Spinal Tap, Super Troopers, and certain parts of Muppets in Space.