Da di dum dum....

The shape-shifter Artful Badger has said tag. Although I do not much like picking and choosing one out of a whole set of possibilities, I shall. Better to know that each answer is situated in thought and time. Cause motion in either one, and the answer changes…

Which book changed your life?
Reinterpreted as which book left a deep impression on you. I guess Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost. Lesser known than his The English Patient, and not in the awesome book category. But one that sets you thinking. Understated violence, devastation of strife, understated identity crises. Read between and beyond the lines, then lasting impact. Especially relevant today with what is beginning to re-happen on the island.

Which book have you read more than once?
Many, especially poetry anthologies. Also go back to The Prophet by Gibran a whole lot. Reading it takes you to different plane altogether.

The other book I often go back to is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, not because it’s a life changer, but mostly for its appealing visuals. I have a worn copy from an aunt I never knew, and I’ve read it so much that I think there’s a small niche of my brain devoted to Manderley—the grounds, the mansion, the water, the dogs, the cottage, everything. It’s like a favorite room I can visit every now and then and just sit and be. Ditto for Illusions by Richard Bach.

Which book would you want on a deserted island?
Tales of Suicide by Luigi Pirandello, a collection of short stories on people committing suicide. I’ve read this before without it being of any use to me, but the situation might perhaps be different on a deserted island.

Which book made you laugh?
All Blandings tales by PG Wodehouse. Never fail to make me laugh out loud. Lord Emsworth is my dear darling, and I often wish I had one of him in my life.

Which book made you cry?
Hmmm, I tear up very easily, and do so at all sorts of moments, even happy ones. But I guess Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve. An older book, one that I read after a long refreshing walk in a light drizzle, the kind that leaves your senses intensely acute for hours afterwards. I cried much during this very real book.

Which book do you wish had never been written?
Sidney Sheldon nonsense, I’ve read one and found it intensely detestable. Enough said.
Oh, and everything by Haruki Murakami, because I wanted to write them :).

Which book are you currently reading?
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Each time I pick it up, it’s like I’m drawn into this magical world of intense uniqueness, and yet it’s uncannily identifiable. Everything is ‘normal’ and yet nothing is. Expectedly, it’s also hard to put down.

Which book have you been meaning to read?
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. I once met a very interesting transitory friend and she lent this to me, but had to leave before I got very far. I mostly want to read it because it was her favorite book, and as I said, she was very interesting. Oh, and Steppenwolf are a cool band too. Okay, I’m off on my own Magic Carpet Ride for now :).

Hmmm, I believe I may have missed a question. Anyway, to tag—Govind—do it :)