Here are the answers to the second six questions Goldstein asks on his podcast. To read the first six, see last week’s post.
What is the sexiest book? — I guess I would have to say Bittersweet by Lavyrle Spencer. My mother gave it to me read when I was eleven years old because it took place where we lived (and the author had come to the area for research), even mentioning the intersection just up the road from us. Let’s just say that I was too young for this book, and I learned a lot of new words. For a long time, I thought this was her way of having “the talk” with me.
Which book do you most relate to? — Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I wish I knew back in college (and, honestly, before that) the term introvert and what it meant. I literally felt (and was quite often made to feel) that I was somehow broken for many reasons. I was, as the title indicates, quiet in certain settings. I would have a hard time coming up with things to say to new people. I’d be called a buzzkill when I’d ‘what if’ about a proposed situation. And on and on. My first ex in college said I ruined their good time when we were around their friends because it seemed like I wasn’t having a good time (I was – I just didn’t know what to say to all these people I didn’t know). Turns out – I’m an introvert, and there’s NOTHING wrong with me. I’m just wired differently. Now, I know that I don’t like small talk and prefer to get to the deep conversations (which new folks don’t always like). Now, I know that I like to be prepared for all the ‘what if’s because I need to know how much energy to conserve (and I know that energy is something I need to conserve). Now, I know that my brain is wired to be an internal processor rather than talking something out, so when I’m struggling to answer something, I can verbalize that I just need a second to think it through. This book was full of SO MANY (science-backed) “ah ha” moments for me. I just wish it had landed in my lap about a decade earlier.
Which book is objectively the greatest ever? — Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Also, The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe. I’ve only read this in translation (by Lilit Thwaites), but it was beautifully done.
Which book is the one you’ve read the most? — Practice Magic by Alice Hoffman. I first read this book not long after it was published and LOVED it. I read it every single year, and I was so excited when Hoffman wrote three new books in the series. I love the relationships, the magic, the writing itself. All of it.
What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? — I don’t really have an answer for this one. This isn’t me taking the easy way out – just that I have a crappy memory, so if I’ve read crappy books, I don’t remember them. The only thing I can say is that there is one book I’ve never finished, which was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It was assigned in high school, and I just couldn’t get through it. I’ve been meaning to give it another try now that I’m an adult, but I haven’t yet. It just feels like it’s hanging out there – the ONE book I’ve never finished reading. (Ok, I’ll add the Twilight series to this, too. I think it could have been much better if it hadn’t been so rushed. Definitely need a few more rounds of revision.)
What is the book that’s literally made you laugh out loud the most? — I don’t really read ‘funny’ books, meaning those that are advertised as such, so it’s generally the little jokes that are snuck in that get me. I remember chuckling a bit through Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (and I certainly laughed a whole lot when I saw him read in town this last spring). I’d also include Christmas Bitch by Jack Lelko because I appreciate the snarky sass of the narrator and MC.
At the end of the podcast, Goldstein tells his guest that there is only enough room in the casket to take one film with them into the afterlife – so which one would they take? This is probably the hardest one because there are so many lovely books out in the world. So I’m going to take the cop out and say my own, Wherever Would I Be, simply so I can show it to my nana and papa.
Ami Maxine 