SEVEN DEADLY SINS of the LITERARY WORLD

 

One of my CP’s -- the sneaky Crystal Collier -- sucked me into the Seven Deadly Sins Tag and because I had never seen this particular tag before…and in piqued my interest…I’ve decided to participate.

So here it is, the SEVEN DEADLY SINS of the LITERARY WORLD.

The questions and answers:

Greed – What is your most inexpensive book? The one I never buy! Ha!! I usually have a pretty eclectic taste when it comes to my literary choices, but I’m also not one to follow fads or trends.  I’ll never buy a book just because everybody and their brother seem to be reading it.  I guess you can say I’m greedy with both my time and my money.

Wrath – Who’s the author with whom you have a love/hate relationship? Hands down…Stephen King.  The man has written some truly amazing books that I absolutely loved (Salems Lot, The Dead Zone, The Stand, IT, On Writing), but along the way there have been some real dogs as well (Pet Semetary, Tommyknockers, Needful Things, The Dark Half).  It’s curious how his most successful film adaptations have come from his short stories and not his novels.

Second place would go to Thomas Harris – who let a secondary character in one of his earlier books hijack his career and in my opinion, ruin it.  That character was Hannibal Lecter.

Gluttony – What book have you devoured over and over again with no shame? That’s funny.  Just two blog posts ago I revealed the fact that there’s only one book that I’ve read more than once (other than my own and those of my CP’s), and it happens to be the first book I read…BAMBI. 

Sloth – Which books have you neglected reading due to laziness? It’s not so much laziness as a need to prioritize. There are so many books in my TBR stack and so little time to read (especially when you’re trying to write). The ones I feel most guilty about not getting to yet are the ones written by authors I’ve met right here in the blogosphere.  Until I've actually read the book, buying it feels like an empty gesture -- and that's not what I want.

Pride – What books do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader? I’m not an intellectual reader (most literary novels bore me) and I frankly never feel the need to sound like one.  I prefer to talk about the authors who shaped my own writing style...like Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, Peter Straub, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Ross MacDonald, and most recently...Jonathan Maberry, Harlen Coben and Jo Nesbo. I don't think any of those would classify me as an intellectual reader. However, I will say that one book I read in my youth that probably could be be placed in that category -- and I mention it only because it had a big impact on me -- was ALL THE KINGS MEN by Robert Penn Warren.

Lust – What attributes do you find attractive in a male or female character? We’re not talking about picture books, right? J I guess my perfect male character would be a cross between Lee Childs strong…silent…drifter in ‘Jack Reacher’ and the easy-going smart-alec that is more serious than he lets on in Dean Koontz’s ‘Odd Thomas’. What they have in common is they both would cross a busy street to help a damsel in distress. As far as a female character, she is an equal with any of the male characters that surrounds her, she uses her looks as a tool just like her intellect, and like most of us, she has a soft spot that she guards like Fort Knox.

Envy – What book would you like to receive most as a gift? The most valued books in my collection are the ones that have been signed by the author. I love that personal connection.  So I guess the book I'd like most like to receive as a gift is one that's signed.

Phew...that wasn't so hard. There is no limit to the people you can tag for THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS TAG. So, I’ve decided to tag…

BishDenham, J LenniDorner, EliseFallson, SKAnthony, Dani Bertrand, Tammy Theriault, & SarahNegovetich

(I know that everybody is super-busy, so if you decide not to play along there will be no ill-feelings.)