Pick-a-Shelf discussion

So - here we are in March already. I have to admit March totally snuck up on me, so I am a bit late at getting the threads up. I hope you all are enjoying the discussion threads. "Nuff said....here are the questions for March:

1. Do you have a favorite British author? If so, who and why?

2. What is the best British book that you have ever read?

3. Many people say that British books have a distinctly different voice. Do you agree?

If you could visit any place in the British Isles, where would it be? What about a time period?

Have fun with the discussion!

1. Does Shakespeare count? Otherwise, definitely Jane Austen.

2. Something from either of the above authors.

3. I think that many of them deal with the particular class system/way of life that is unique to Britain (or at least has become so because of it being such a big part of literature).

I would want to meet Queen Elizabeth I because she's my idol!

Fun questions, thanks for posting!

1. No one favourite author or novel, but since I've read it more than any other fictional book, I usually say that Pride and Prejudice is my favourite. Is it the best one I've ever read (#2), I can't say that, because there isn't one best British book I've ever read.

Well, what is British voice? I think it varies by author. location within Britain and by era. I can't say that Defoe has a voice that's anything like Austen and neither are anything like Dickens, et al. But, yes, there are things that are more British most of the time, just not something always easy to pinpoint.

When I turned 6 I planned to meet the Queen when I was 16, marry Prince Andrew and then become the Queen because, of course, he was/is a prince. But now I can't say that I have one person in particular I'd like to meet there, nor would I want to be queen even if Andrew were next in line (which he never was, but when I was in kindergarten I didn't understand that).

1. Do you have a favorite British author? If so, who and why?
My earliest favorite author was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with his Sherlock Holmes short stories. As an adult, my favorites have been P.D. James and Dorothy Sayers, also a mystery writer.


2. What is the best British book that you have ever read? Definitely Winnie the Pooh. Impossible to choose among adult books.

3. Many people say that British books have a distinctly different voice. Do you agree?
I'm not sure they do, other than dialect, for books that take place in current times. But certainly, for books set in the past, the different class structure certainly stands out. That's not really "voice," but it does make those books distinctive.

4. If you could visit any place in the British Isles, where would it be? What about a time period?
I've been to England, Ireland, and Wales, and I really love both Ireland and Wales. I'd still like to visit Scotland as well.

1. Do you have a favorite British author? If so, who and why?
Thomas Hardy probably tops my list, not because I have read so much by him, but simply because when I do read him, there are so many moments with which I find myself in complete concord with his agenda. It drives me a bit crazy when I read literary criticism claiming he doesn't like women, because I actually find him deeply empathetic toward women. His work seems all about how society should f--- off with their rigid and outdated expectations and let women do their own thing. Even when a woman is neurotic or does something of questionable morality, he shows that the artificial limitations society places on women and their ambitions are to blame.

2. What is the best British book that you have ever read?
I don't know about "best," but I quite enjoyed Jane Eyre and The Collector.

3. Many people say that British books have a distinctly different voice. Do you agree?
I think it has more to do with time period and audience, though it seems like modern books, especially pop fiction, have often had their Britishisms edited out for publication in the US and we end up with a pasteurized version.

4. If you could visit any place in the British Isles, where would it be? What about a time period?
I have no romantic notions about other time periods. I went to Scotland in 2004, and that was "nostalgic" enough for me. Virtually no central heating, and you're expected to bring your own washcloth? I'd love to go back to Scotland and revisit most of where I've already been and then see the rest of it, maybe visit the Shetland Islands. I'd also like to go to Wales and find the village my great-great-grandfather came from.

CluckingBell wrote: "2. What is the best British book that you have ever read?
I don't know about "best," but I quite enjoyed Jane Eyre and The Collector."

The Collector used to be my favourite book of all time! - all through my late teens and twenties. It's still on my favourites shelf and has been since I joined Goodreads, and I still have the copy I bought at the age of 17. It's unusual to find somebody else who rates it quite so highly :)

Rosemary wrote: "The Collector used to be my favourite book of all time! - all through my late teens and twenties. It's still on my favourites shelf and has been since I joined Goodreads, and I still have the copy I bought at the age of 17. It's unusual to find somebody else who rates it quite so highly :)."

It made me think and wonder, which is a rare treat! :-) I'm planning to read The French Lieutenant's Woman for Wheel of Bookshelves, so I'm hoping everything John Fowles writes intrigues me as much.

1. Do you have a favorite British author? If so, who and why? Old time author would be Charlotte Bronte but current time Probably Jasper Fforde. I just love his play on words and his world building is so different.

2. What is the best British book that you have ever read? This is easy Jane Eyre

3. Many people say that British books have a distinctly different voice. Do you agree? Definitely. They tend to be a bit snarkier at least the newer books seem that way.

If you could visit any place in the British Isles, where would it be? What about a time period? I think I would like to visit Wales as I am part Welsh. I think in this current time period because I think I would be hanged as a witch otherwise.