Tomorrow Elephant

I’ve been pretty busy working on my thesis, so it’s taken me a long time to get around to answering this blog meme challenge that Tero sent me…

You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?

Uh… the clay tablet version of The Epic of Gilgamesh? Doesn’t burn at 451 Fahrenheit, and a rollicking good story besides.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Yes, several. I had a teenage romance with Rose and Death, both from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. I tend to get pretty attached to my own characters as well, although that’s more like parental affection than romantic feelings.

The last book you finished is?

River of Gods, by Ian McDonald. (See my review.)

What are you currently reading?

Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson; I originally started this mammoth over the Christmas holidays, but got distracted. The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks. Body of Secrets by James Bamford (a history of Echelon and other Big Brother setups of NSA and GCHQ). Le Scorpion and Blacksad, both French comics; pretty slow going since I only started learning French last year.

Five books you would take to a deserted island?

• The Colossal Book of Mathematics, by Martin Gardner. Brain teasers galore.
• Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. Even reading the footnotes of this postmodern classic would take a while.
• The Mammoth Book of Erotica, for those lonely nights.
• The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe. Gotta get through it sometime.
• A thick, blank book, for writing. I guess I’d have to improvise a writing implement. Bound to be useful even if inspiration doesn’t strike. For lighting those emergency beacons, or if the palm leaves run out in the desert island toilet…

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Darren, because he’s bound to be reading something interesting; Isabelle, so she can get some content for her new blog. Ismo, because I haven’t bugged him for a while.