The Book Tower

Jack Pickard has tagged me for this bookish meme. I realised we did something similar almost a year ago with Jack’s Literary Meme, although it’s always good to revisit old themes (I mean memes).

Total Number of Books Owned

Jack estimates his own book collection as bordering on 1500. I’ve arrived at my own estimate based on the number of books on a typical shelf in my house which is 50 (possibly even more because we have taken to double-stacking our books). Using this as a guide I calculated roughly 200 books on the shelves at the top of the kitchen stairs alone. Add another 200-300 for the rest of downstairs and allowing for the books in the bedroom and those packed into the two spare rooms in the loft I could also comfortably estimate 1500. This is shelf space on three sets of floor to ceiling shelves put up by my good self and five bookcases.
Disclaimer: this meme does not equate for the amount of books in my daughter’s bedroom, which probably also fits the 50-on-a-shelf rule, and the boxes of old comics and papers that also fill our spare rooms.

Last Book Bought

As mentioned a few posts back, this was Darkmans by Nicola Barker. It’s an 800 page hardback, so will take up more shelf space when I’m done with it. The rucksack I take to work with me, which usually contains some bits of paperwork, a mobile phone and two pairs of specs, has just increased in weight tenfold.
Darkmans is part comedy part weird ghost story. I really can’t say any more than that at this stage because it’s taking its time to develop.

Last Book Read

One I can guarantee you’ve never heard of: Portrait of Soper by Donald Purcell. Researching my family tree last year I dicovered I was related to the socialist and pacifist Donald Soper. He caused some controversy when he accused Margaret Thatcher in her heyday of being un-Christian in her policies. Ian Paisley also famously threw a Bible at him.

Four Books That Mean a Lot to Me

I recently discovered the fiction of Cormac McCarthy and have read a few of his books this year, although the one that has had the most affect on me was his latest novel The Road. It’s a very dark and thought provoking story about a man and his young son on a journey across a post apocalyptic landscape. Not quite science fiction or horror, although many readers have certainly found it horrific. I was quite moved by it, and can’t really add much to my original thoughts.

This year I also reread Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut when I heard that he’d died. Don’t call me a meme cheat, but my original thoughts still stand on this one too. Sci-fi elements again, but not really sci-fi.

Mentioning Sebastian Faulks earlier brings Birdsong to mind, and this is a book I find myself always mentioning to people both online and off. This book couldn’t be more different to Slaughterhouse Five, although its anti war message is just as strong.

Another book I ought to recommend to people but forget to is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It has one of those endings that creeps towards you, punches you in the chops and then saunters off. It’s all been so brief but yet so dense and multi-layered. You’re left in a daze, thinking “eh?” or “but..” and have to go back to read it all again.

Four People to Tag

I don’t normally tag because the people who always spring to mind never do memes. So if you’re reading – and fancy a go – consider yourself tagged!