ArtsWom recently contacted me asking for a contribution to their continuing series of "scare the blogging world silly with random questions out of nowhere". They've now completed scaring the movie crowds with their acting theme and have moved on to those "interested in literature to respond to the question: 'if the world was going to end and all you could do is read one last good book - what would you pick and why?'"
They introduced the new series thus:
"Admittedly, this is something of a morbid topic, but when the end comes and this fragile orb finally cracks, it may be too late to panic buy, too inappropriate to copulate, and just too ironic to pray – so what else is there to do other than settle down and read a quality novel."
As panic buying seems pointless given the timeframe, copulation unlikely within the timeframe for one without another body conveniently on hand, and praying possible in staccato doses should I feel the need, you will find me spending my last hours reading this favourite friend of a novel. They thought they could scare a crime fiction blogger? I knew immediately which book I'd grab. It dates back to 1995, but for me it's a classic, so please take a peep.
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skyARTS The Book Show has returned for a new series and is running two competitions. Each week the interviewed author will be asked which novel they wish they'd written. A shelf of books will be collected during the series and the whole lot offered up as a prize in the competition to end the series. One lucky entrant gets all...
Also, each week they'll be picking one weekly winner from all the entries received (the question changes each week), who will win signed copies of the guests' own books from that week's show.
You can find some interesting takes on "the book I wish I'd written" here.
It's worth following the site and the show - if you have access to Sky's channels. (Unfortunately, I'm with Virgin and we all know what happened there...)
I got that ArtsWorm question too, CrimeFic, and hadn't a clue what to answer, so I didn't.
I suppose it would be "next one up on my TBR pile, whatever that may be".
Your choice looks a good one and is on my reading list due to your past recommendation, so chances are it might be the same as yours. Mutual destruction!
Posted by: Maxine Clarke | 03 February 2008 at 14:13