Week 7: One of the shelves in our bedroom
Mike has a pretty serious collection of Stephen King first editions, mostly Christmas gifts from my parents over the years. I've started collecting a few first editions of my own favorite author, John Irving. These books hold pride of place on their own shelves in our bedroom.
- I'm not a big Stephen King fan, but I have to admit that I've only ever read The Stand (at Mikey's insistence). King is the Moo's favorite author, though, and his favorite story of all time may be the Dark Tower series. My parents were lucky enough to sit down to dinner with Mr. King himself many years ago, when my dad was department head at our local university and partly responsible for the wining and dining of visiting authors. Because Stephen King is a Maine author, his books are always in demand at local bookstores and flea markets, and it's become a bit of a game for my parents and us to track down first editions or signed copies of his work.
- My favorite author is John Irving, my favorite book A Prayer for Owen Meany. Have you read any Irving? Mike and I always talk about the ways a favorite author can reward readers, and Irving is great at it--there are lots of repeated themes and occurences and symbols throughout his books, that always seem like a little tip of the hat to his continued readership. If you haven't read any Irving, I would recommend Owen Meany, along with The Hotel New Hampshire, The Cider House Rules, and of course The World According to Garp. If you're a continued reader of his work, make sure you check out A Widow for One Year and the 158-Pound Marriage.
Who are your favorite authors? Do you collect books, or is that just our weird thing?
Who are your favorite authors? Do you collect books, or is that just our weird thing?
Maybe it's an English major thing? I collect books as well, and there is a first edition of "A Prayer for Owen Meany" in a place of honor on my bookshelves. Aren't used bookstores wonderful for making such finds?
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the opportunity to see what's on your bookshelves. I can't read horror without nightmares, so sadly I won't be picking up Stephen King, but your fantasy collection is neat to see. Have you tried Scott Lynch?