Q&A at StetotheJ

Despite being elusive around here of late, I was very kindly nominated for an award by Irena over at Books and Hot Tea and whilst I’m not one for awards these days I thought it would be nice to mix up my usual posts with a little Q&A with some pleasingly eclectic questions.

If you could choose your theme song, which song would it be?

John Murphy’s Surface of the Sun is something I very much like, not exactly a song but it is a mighty fine tune with just the right amount of epic in it and if it gets more people to watch the underrated film Sunshine then that is all to the good.

People often ask about favourite characters, but I would like to know who are your favourite villains?

There are plenty of great villains, the list is almost too long, villains always seem to have more depth about their motives than the good guys ever do so I would have to pick The Phantom (from that opera), Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Randall Flagg from The Stand amongst other Stephen King books is also a good choice but does Gollum count?  He was a victim of circumstance after all.

What would be your dream trip?

I would love to do a whistle-stop tour of bloggers in their home countries, it would take in a lot of the world and would involve lots of new foods and blog posts which is always a bonus as well.  My interests aren’t in the popular spots so much as meeting people in real settings and seeing a country without its clichéd tourist trappings is always more preferable to mine eyes.

If you could own a fictional/fairy tale/fantasy pet, what would it be? Why?

Kiki the parrot from Enid Blyton’s Adventure series would be awesome, she was really clever and could mimic loads of voices to scare away criminals.  Whilst neither of these next two are strictly pets, Shinto the donkey from the travel book Spanish Steps was a great pilgrimage companion and provided plenty of comedy relief as did The Luggage, a wooden chest with hundreds of little legs – once described as half suitcase, half homicidal maniac – that was bodyguard to Rincewind the wizard,  if that counts?

What was the first book you read on your own?

I think that was each Peach Pear Plum, at least that’s the first one I remember reading by myself and I still love that book to this day, the fun is spying all the characters on each page.  There may have been a few others before that but none has stayed with me, I may have to review it at some point.

Do you read multiple books at the same time? Or do you prefer to read just one book at a time?

I once read seven books at the same time which was a mistake so I try to stick with one now unless I’m behind with my blog commitments.  I do find it easier to write focused reviews if I have a less crowded mind these days which is why I usually wander around with a glazed look on my face especially when working.

Why did you decide to start blogging?

I wanted to find like minded people to chat about books with and share my passion.  I never expected to find such a plethora of fascinating book and non book blogs but through each one, I have learnt things and bettered myself through all the inspiration which is awash around Bloggaria and is one of the many reasons I continue to carry on posting.

What is your favourite month? Why?

Probably December as I am filled with Christmas spirit and all the romance of that season manifests itself in my mind and makes me hum tunes on the way home.  It also allows me to surreptitiously glance into people’s houses like a Victorian urchin and see all the flashing lights and such traditional stuff. I find it a good month to write, not prolifically as it’s a busy time but it always brings out the sentimental side of my many sidedness.

What is the last film you’ve seen? Did you like it? Would you recommend it?

I was watched a classic, Labyrinth…so it goes without saying that I recommend it wholeheartedly, it’s great it’s got the titular huge labyrinth, a great soundtrack, lots of comical characters, a bit of a moral and a reference to Escher’s Relativity.  What’s not to like?

Name some of the (small) things that make you happy.

A tree in the breeze, a pint and a book in a quiet pub, getting the seed of an idea to write about, dinner with people I like, blasting out some music and just getting lost in, be it cheesy one hit wonders or layered classical music or anything in between.  At the moment I’m listening to summer hits from the mid 90’s, my taste in music is as eclectic as my books, watching a film I know and love,.