I've been tagged

Like Mumbaigirl, I had no clue what being 'tagged' meant. I had a notion of what 'tags' meant through a sojourn among the pages of Technorati. But that was that. MG tagged me and I checked with her to understand what it meant. Now that I am a little wiser (ha!), here's my response to the tag questions.

1. What is the total number of books you've owned?

Once upon a time, I had a vague idea of how many books I had. In Bombay, I had a spreadsheet which told me the title and the author of the books I owned. But that was before the books spilled out of the bookshelves and into storage space under divans and beds. In the UK, I have Mr R to keep me company and together we have managed to turn every available flat surface into a book shelf.

Someday when we have the space to have an independent study with wall-to-wall bookshelves, I will have a fantastic inventory. I'll update this post then.

2. What is the last book you bought?

I think it was 'The Right to Write' by Julia Cameron, author of the Artist's Way.
Also, Mr R and I have jointly picked up several books in the past few weeks including Indian Cooking by Mridula Baljekar and a host of books on watercolors. We go out to buy groceries and come back with books.

My most extravagant book purchase in recent times has been the Writers and Artist's Yearbook 2005. I treated it like an investment into my writing career - most of the details in the book will still be valid years from now. I just have to check a website to verify.

3. What is the last book you've read?

I've just finished 'Living with Writers' a collection of essays about the joys/problems of living with a wordsmith. Because some of the essayists are prolific writers themselves, this book was an enthralling glimpse into their lives and how writing has affected their relationships.

Before that I read three thrillers by James Patterson. I am a big fan of detective fiction and I enjoy Patterson's and Patricia Cornwell's books. Whodunits appeal to my dark side :)

For work, I've been devouring books on fundraising and the voluntary sector in England. I wish such a system/strong lobby were in place in India.

4. What are you currently reading?

Don't laugh now.

I've finally got my hands on 'Harry Potter and the half blood prince'. I have been on the waiting list for J K Rowling's latest installment, since December. I love the Harry Potter books - all of them. I love the ones that are yet to be written, as well. I love books which make you quiver with excitement when you get them. You turn the first page and are greeted with characters so familiar that they seem like old friends. You can't wait till you reach the last page and find out how it all ends, but at the same time, you pray that the book goes on forever because you can't bear to have it finished. And because you suspect the next one is a long time away.

This book makes me feel all of the above. I'm on page 5 of the 606 page tome and unlike my usual speed-reading-finished-in-two-hours, I'm taking my time with this one, savoring every word like a delicious morsel of ice-cream. I wish I had Rowling's imagination to come up with something so fantastic.

5. What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to you or that you particularly enjoyed?

Five will not do justice to the many books I have loved and re-read till I knew whole passages by heart. For the purposes of this post, here goes :

1) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand : I can't even begin to explain how much this book influenced me. I first read it in my early 20s and I skipped through many pages of long speeches and philosophy. For those of you who have read it, or seen a copy, this is not a small book! The hundreds of pages in small print make a difficult read and the subject matter is not very easy either. I read the book again , and then again and again in the past ten years. I took the time to read every sentence and enjoy every character. By this time, I was identifying very strongly with what was being said in the book because I was facing (almost) the same kind of work ethic at my job. Atlas Shrugged helped me deal with some of that frustration and I have loved it since. I also enjoyed The Fountainhead by Rand, but Atlas Shrugged has had more of an influence.

2) The Bridge Across Forever and other books by Richard Bach : From my all time favorite author, this autobiographical book made me aware of how we call things into our lives. I believe in so many of the things that Bach talks about. I enjoy RB's books because he shares his love of flying and of planes so eloquently. Give me a book about flying and I'm in heaven. Leaving Earth by Helen Humphreys was another book which I loved.

3) Talking it over by Julian Barnes : I read this book in college and was so enthralled by it that I made copious notes, writing down paragraphs, words and passages that I liked. I still have those pages somewhere. I haven't seen a copy now, for over 10 years. My local library doesn't have it, nor does the exchange ring on Bookcrossing.com . For some reason, this book, read once, has stayed with me for so long. I'd like to re-read it again just to see if my memories of a great book remain unchanged.

4) The Road Ahead by Bill Gates : I love computers and I admire what the man has done to revolutionize the way we live. This book gave me so many ideas that I then implemented at work. I was very pleased with how the book made me think.

5) Paula- My story so far by Paula Radcliffe : My adventures with running began with the 2004 Mumbai Marathon where I participated in the Dream Run to raise awareness about the Samaritans Helpline, with whom I volunteered. Last year, spurred on by the available opportunity to run and not be heckled by the general male public in Bombay, I joined a running group for women. A year later, I have registered for my first race in London. Paula Radcliffe's story is an inspiring one. We all see her as this famous marathon winner, but in reality it was many, many years before she won a major title. Her book spells out the frustration she had over those years, of injury and training, of relationship issues that cropped up because of her running. I used to think that I would like to run a marathon some day, but for now, I'll gratefully settle for the stamina and enthusiasm for a half. I'll never be a Radcliffe, but having such a role model is enough to keep you going for a few kilometers more.

Books I would liked to add:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  Roots by Alex Haley. This was supposed to be autobiographical, but has been denounced as a fraud. I loved it when I read it and it's a fine piece of writing. Hence it's place in this list.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. (Also coming out as a movie in 2007. Not sure if I want to see it.)
• Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss (Mr R's gift)
• Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch
• On Writing by Stephen King. (The only book by King that I have been able to complete. Without wanting to throw up.)
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Enough for now.

6. What book(s) would you wish to buy next?

We have an excellent library here and most of my fiction needs are met by borrowing, rather than buying. If I find something really excellent and worth having a personal copy, I'll buy it. I'm looking forward to reading :

1. Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss
2. The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
3. A Million Little pieces by James Frey (because it was on Oprah's book club)
4. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (Loved 'The Tipping Point' and am eager to read this much acclaimed work)
5. Q&A by Vikas Swarup
6. The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
7. How Language works by David Crystal

7. What book(s) caught your attention but you never had a chance to read?

1. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
2. The Lord of the Rings by Tolkein
3. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

8. What book(s) that you've owned for so long but never read?

I've read mostly everything I have ever bought. This excludes the hundreds of books bought by Mr R - am still going through those slowly.

9. Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why ?
Hmmm. Most of my blogger-friends have already been tagged... So I'll ask

1. Mr R because he is much better read than me and enjoys a wide range of subjects.
2. H&F because they are keen travelers, dancers, bird watchers and runners. Oh yes, they also have full time careers as well.
3. Hope because I enjoy her writing and newsletter.
4. Boo because I like her. But she's, ahem, a little busy these days, so may not have the time to reply.

If Miss V, PO or Ray were around, I would have asked them too.