The Random Number Survey

Jean @ Howling Frog Books shared this fun survey on her blog back in September.  You can find its origins @ Harley Bear Book Blog.  

How to participate:

1. Pick a number.  (I picked six)
2. Go to your bookshelf and count that many books until you reach your number.  Answer the first question with that book.
3. Count the same number of books from where you left off and answer the next question.   4. Repeat until you finish the survey (If you land on a book you haven't read yet pick the closest book to the left that you have read and then count on from there for the next question.)  
Here are the questions and my answers:

1. What do you think of the cover?

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

I do not like the major close up of the woman's face.  I want to pull the book further away from my eyes to see more of her, though that won't help. 

2.  Write a review in 140 characters or less.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

A bizarre and reckless love story that ends in tragedy after tragedy.

3.  How or where did you get this book?

Don Quixote - Cervantes

During a used book sale, my library sold several untouched classics donated by a local high school.  I bought this one for a quarter.

4.  Who's your favorite character in this book, and why?

1984 - George Orwell

The only option is Winston Smith, the main character.  He just wants to feel human again.  Poor guy!

5.  Recommend this book to a fellow blogger you think would like it.

Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

I cannot imagine anyone who has not read Uncle Tom's Cabin, but anyone interested in American history, African American history, slavery, and Christianity should read this book.

6.  How long ago did you read this book?

The Portable Emerson - Ralph Waldo Emerson (Ed. by Bode)

I took Intro to Architecture in college, and Emerson was required reading.  That was approximately twenty years ago, give or take a year or two or three.

7.  Name a favorite scene from this book (no spoilers).

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

A favorite scene is after the war when Anne's father learns that Anne had kept a diary, and it was preserved.  Bitter sweet.

8.  Open to page 87 of this book and pick a random quote to share (no spoilers).

The Pearl - John Steinbeck

(Whew!  There are only 94 pages in my copy.)

"When they go up," he said, "we will slip away, down to the lowlands again.  I am afraid only that the baby may cry.  You must see that he does not cry."


9.  How did you hear about or discover this book?

Animal Farm - George Orwell

After reading 1984 by Orwell, and really liking it, I thought I would give Animal Farm a try.

10.  If you could redesign this cover, what would you do?

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury


I would give the entire cover a look of being burnt - like it may disintegrate into ashes in your hands if you touched it.

11.  Name your least favorite character in this book, and why.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass

It has been awhile since I read this one.  There are several unfavorable characters in the author's life who are cruel slave owners and masters, but I cannot remember which one is worse.

12.  If you like (fill in the blank) then you should try (your book).

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand's novels are really difficult to read, and I have not met very many Ayn Rand fans.  But I suppose if you like provocative ideas about society and challenging your vocabulary, then you should try The Fountainhead.

13.  Name one cool thing about this book.

The Ugly American - William Lederer/Eugene Burdick

There is nothing cool about this book.  In fact, I do not even know why it is still in my bookcase.

14.  Where is it set, and would you ever want to visit that world or place?

The Five Thousand Year Leap - W. Cleon Skousen

This is a non-fiction book in which the author demonstrates that the founding of the United States is based upon 28 fundamental, righteous, God-fearing, liberty-loving principles.  Yes, I'd love to visit that place...if it still exists.

15.  Who is it dedicated to?

Common Sense - Thomas Paine

My copy does not include a dedication page, but given that Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense as a plea to the American colonists to rise up and demand independence from Britain, that would be appropriate enough to assume he dedicated it to the American people.