#BookADayUK October 2014 Update 1

#bookadayuk is an event taking place on Twitter. During October it is being hosted by Books Are My Bag.

Here are the book I thought of for the prompts from days 1 to 15. I will make another post at the end of this month.

1st: A book to curl up in front of the fire with – The Thorn Birds. It’s my ultimate comfort read. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve re-read this book over the years, and I think another re-read is due very soon.

2nd: Favourite fictional dog – When I was young I absolutely adored Shadow the Sheepdog by Enid Blyton. I read that book many times because I loved it so much.

3rd: A book from one of the Cheltenham Literature Festival 2014 authors – Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood. I liked the book so much it’s made me determined to check out more of her work.

4th: One with a beautiful spine – The Diviners by Libba Bray. My photo is over on my Twitter.

5th: Favourite cinema/film reference in literature – I was almost beaten by this one. What a tough category. In the end I settled for Bridget Jones referencing Pride and Prejudice. Once I’d tweeted my suggestion, movie reference after movie reference came up in The Bone Clocks. Such is life.

6th: First book I bought in a bookshop – I can’t recall for certain but I would imagine it would have been something by Enid Blyton, as I was a big fan when I was young.

7th: Last book I bought in a bookshop – The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, and I’m really looking forward to reading it.

8th: Best bookshop find – The very first Jeeves omnibus by P G Wodehouse is my most memorable find. I adore those books and already wanted to collect the whole set, so these lovely omnibus editions were a revelation.

9th: Favourite book about a bookshop – 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. I may have named this book when asked a similar question last month, but it really is a wonderful read. I’ve since found two other reads – The Collected Works of A. J. Fikry, and Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore, which I hope to read soon, but I can’t imagine any book surpassing 84 Charing Cross Road as my favourite bookshop book. We will see…

10th: One with an orange cover – I went for my copy of Gone With The Wind for this one. I posted the photo over on my Twitter.

11th: Bought at a BAMB bookshop party – Can you believe I’ve never attended one?! I must try and find a local shop hosting an event.

12th: Favourite bookseller recommendation – The last bookseller I spoke to was a massive fan of Murakami, and had high praise for his latest novel, which I really must read.

13th: Changed meaning when I reread it later in life – I first read Jane Eyre in school, and whilst I did enjoy it I found it had a much greater impact on a recent reread, and it’s now one of my all time favourite classic novels.

14th: I adore the title of this novel – The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It sounds so mysterious, just like the story itself.

15th: Best home in literature – The Burrow, AKA home of the Weasley family in the Harry Potter series. That’s one home I would love to visit!