Book Meme

Have been tagged by Sherdy to do a book meme.
The hardest bit in deciding was limiting myself to 'one book' as I love reading serials. Here goes...

1. One book I've read more than once.
Daughter of the Empire by Janny Wurts (what a name) and Raymond E Feist. A girl who I did a Youth Theatre production with (lets call her Darby) gave it to me in year 11. A girl that Darby went to school with (who she didn't like) had borrowed it from the school library and then left it at Darby's house. She said I could have it in the hope this girl would get a big library fine. I loved it and bought the following two books.

2. One book I would want on a desert island.
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding is one of those comforting books that I love, is funny, taints my speech when I'm reading it, reminds me to lust after Colin Firth, and always gives me a sense of 'at least that isn't me'. Oh, and has a happy ending.

3. One book that made me laugh.
Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams which I read in Indonesia in year 9 - thanks to Lan for lending it to me!

4. One book that made me cry.
Down by the River by Edna O'Brien. I read this in year 10 when I was doing Irish Lit and produced my major work for Art based on it. The story of a 14yr old Irish girl who is raped and becomes pregnant by her widowed father in the first two pages. Suffice to say the rest of the book is pretty dark and focuses on the abortion debate.

5. One book I wish I'd written.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling. I want to be rich too! Plus I love Harry and am going to marry him one day (he'll just have to take an aging potion or something).

6. One book I wish had never been written.
The Little Book of Farts which is, yes, all about farts. It includes interesting facts, historical fart stories, fart astrology, names and descriptions of farts, and more. It even makes fart noises when you open the cover (as I discovered in the quiet book shop). I purchased this as a joke Christmas present for husband. He thought it was hilarious and regularly gets it out for a giggle, or shows it to people visiting. The worst is when someone notices it on the shelf and I have to explain why we own a book about farts. I was hoping the batteries for the fart noises would run out quickly. They didn't.

I wish that David Tench was a book so that I could mention it here. I wish that show had never been written. Just dreadful.

7. One book I'm currently reading.
Poirot's Early Cases by Agatha Christie. I tend to go through phases - if I'm not reading Pratchett, I'm reading Christie.

8. One book I've been meaning to read.
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith. I've read the first two in his The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collection and fully intend to read the last two once I'm out of my current Christie phase. I was given these for Christmas and have enjoyed them so far. They somehow got put on the back burner though.

9. One book that changed my life.
The Midnight Marauder which was from the Trixie Belden books. I read it in year 3 and it was the first novel I ever read. This book made me realise that I could read 'chapter books' and began my love of reading. I read the whole book mis-pronouncing 'antique' (anti-kew) and not knowing what a 'marauder' was.

10. One book that made me think.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Described as 'childhood fable based on the Holocaust'. I couldn't put it down. It was the sort of story where you can see the inevitable ending, but you keep reading in the vain hope it doesn't happen.