Monday, January 23, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: How I'm A Liar

This week's Top Ten Tuesday (as always, hosted by the lovely Broke and the Bookish) is a free category; meaning you can make up your own or grab one from their long list of past topics that might have missed. As I was scrolling through, one definitely caught my eye that I decided to do a bitty version of:

10 Bookish Things I Lie About

1. A Game of Thrones. I've yet to read the series (or see the show), but one of the baristas at Coffee Bean was trying to defend the series to this obnoxious customer who was so resistant against it. Come to find out, the customer hadn't ever even read a synopsis of the series!  As I have read the first 50ish pages of the Game of Thrones (which obvs makes this ok), I chimed in really quick that the series is awesome and that I was in agreement with the barista. I'm not sure why I felt I had to, but I do want to read it eventually and was quite enthralled with the pages I have read. Plus, the barista is one of my favourites!

2. 1984.  People seem to assume I've read this for some reason, but I have not. It's my brother's favourite book and I always mean to read it - just haven't gotten around to it.

3. I don't read romance books.  Total lie. I've never read harlequins or those that are on the bookshelves near them, but I love me some Susan Elizabeth Phillips at least.  Read all of hers (exception: Call Me Irresistible, which is in my TBR stack!) and intend to keep doing so.

4. I've read the entire Gossip Girl series. I always vaguely say that I've read a few of them, but truth is I read the entire series as fast as I could get my hands on them from the library. It wasn't necessarily that juicy/interesting, it was just one of those things where I had to know where it was all going!  I'm not sure why I lie about it.

5. My feelings about Kurt Vonnegut.  Most of the time I'll say "I just wasn't into his books...I respect him and I get why he's a classic, but it's not my style."  Which is mostly true, I'm just not saying that I could not stand Slaughterhouse Five. It was probably the most I've ever had to push myself to finish a book - and I'm not sure why. I've always wanted to reread just because maybe I'll understand it better now, but...ugh. I really didn't like it. HOWEVER, I do say "so it goes" quite often.

6. Likewise to 1984, I've never read the Narnia series or The Lord of the Rings series. I've started both, but can't quite get into it more.

7. The Little Prince. This lie is different than the others because I have said before that I've read both the English and the French version of this.  I've read parts of both, just never in it's entirety.  But it's on my nightstand, ready to have it's turn one day!

8. Speaking of French, this one is more of a...twist. I count The Count of Monte Cristo as a book I've read, but in actuality I've never read it...in English.  I have, however, read Le Comte de Monte-cristo in it's entirety.  I should probably read the English version one day just so I'm positive I understood it all, but so far it seems I've got it!

9. Little Women is my favourite book of all time. In 9th grade, a bunch of people in my Honors English class made fun of me when I said so. They told me it was a childish, lame book and that I needed to grow up.  For YEARS after, I was so ashamed to say Little Women was my favourite, often claiming Pride & Prejudice, Catcher in the Rye, or Brave New World to be my favourite (all of which are some of my all-time favourites, but not THE favourite).  It's only been recently that I've stopped being ashamed and reclaimed Little Women as my favourite.

10. E-Readers. I lie about this in multiple ways. Mostly, I can't stand them. I adore physical books, the smell of them and being surrounded by shelves and stacks and how yellowed pages can tell as much a story as the words within it.  Given a choice, it will always be a real book.  BUT...without meaning to be spoiled, I was given an iPad from my boss as a gift - so I do have an e-reader. And I see the value in it, I read ebooks and take it with me on trips so I can have a whole library at my fingertips. So I'm lying when I say I would never have an e-reader, but I'm also lying when I say I don't use mine.

Any bookish fibs you tell?

16 comments:

  1. Loved this list. I've done a few of these things myself. Lying about romance. Check. Book that everyone thinks I've read, but I haven't. Check. (My book was Pride and Prejudice, I finally read it 2 years ago). My biggest bookish lie - a friend who reads very little loaned me a copy of a book that she read that was "the best book ever!!" and I didn't like it. But since she doesn't read much I told her I loved it cause I didn't want to turn her off reading. (What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman)


    The Bookie Top Ten

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  2. Oh my goodness! You win for most original TTT topic! I love it! I always prefer the book to the e-book as well. In some instances after I've purchased and loved the e-book, I want a physical copy to keep, too. It's a disease, I tell ya. I think it's so awesome you stuck up for your barista. At least you had an IDEA of what the books were like/about. The other person? Just ignorant. ;)

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  3. Great list lol. I'm totally with you on the romance book thing...I hate 98% of romance books, but every once in a while...hahaha

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  4. Lol! Great list. I love this. I've never outright lied, but people talk about a book and I find myself nodding along and sometimes making comments about what I've heard and then they say have you read it? No. And then they stare at me blankly.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  5. wow great theme! and right there with you on the ereader.. i got an ipad for christmas as well and have begun reading on it too!

    following back!

    Taylor

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  6. LoL, love your subject! :) I feel the same way about the E readers.. I always prefer getting the actual book.

    However, I have been reading on my friends old kindle lately, and I LoVe it! I'm not quite ready to admit to everyone about that.. since I often go on tingents about how I wont ever use an e reader until it comes with a button to spray the scent of a book in my face..

    when March comes around though, I'll have to suck it up and admit my love since I'll be getting one for my bday. lol

    Still going to buy regular books though, at least the pretty HC books I really want on my shelf. :)

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  7. I love this list, too!

    My lie about e-books is the opposite of yours. As a librarian, I defend the physical book and say all of that about the feel and smell of the books. In reality, I would be happy to just read e-books for the rest of my life. I love them.

    I defend the "real" books because I know other people adore them so much!

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  8. Ooh what a list! I don't think I lie much on the books I read - but I do like cheesy romance novels. I don't read them much but when I do, I will NEVER let the book leave my house - those covers are muy embarrassing!

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  9. Great topic! And a brave one at that! There are a NUMBER of classics that are assumed to have been read by everyone. I never read 1984 in school, then never got to it. Same with Vonnegut, and Lord of the Rings.
    I USED to cover up the fact that I read YA lit and romance titles. But now, I just don't care what people make of it. And I am a librarian, specializing in children's and YA lit! And my closest friends and I openly love the romance titles.

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  10. I lie about some of the cheesier books, like Gossip Girls, I've read too. I have read that entire series as well, but I just don't tell people. Great Top Ten!


    Here's my Top Ten.

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  11. This is an awesome list! I am guilty of a few little bookish lies as well

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  12. Hehe great topic choice!! I don't remember reading 1984.. and I'm positive I haven't if it weren't for my list I've kept for the last 9 years or so of the books I read.. and 1984 is on there.. lol.. but I swear I don't remember reading it!

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Michele | Top 10

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  13. Never be embarrassed of a book you love, or an author you don't like. None of these "white lies" make anyone think any less of you. :)

    I'm glad you're planning to read The Little Prince -- it's a good one. You can skip 1984, though. Not a comedy.

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  14. Awesome list, such a great one. Loved some of your lies. Thanks for visiting my Top Ten. Followed you back. =]
    -Michael
    My Top Ten

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  15. Also you should read Game of Thrones really soon. Both the HBO show and the book are excellent. =]

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  16. Thanks for stopping by my blog! Great list. My big one isn't a lie so much as an omission. People tend to be pretty open when I recommend YA books and tell them about what I read, until they find out I love vampires. Once I say "Twilight" you can see the look on their faces change skepticism. So, I don't lie about my love of the blood suckers, but I don't really offer the info unless it's brought up. :)

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