Monthly Archives: January 2011

(Ed. Note: For mysterious reasons unknown to you, citizens of the world are suddenly panicking because the time of the Apocalypse has indeed come. You have been offered a place in the official Bonjour, Cass! bunker, sponsored by the Bonjour, Cass! Book Apocalypse Protection Agency (BCBAPA™). In order to secure your spot, you are required to submit a form listing the ten books from your to-be-read list to bring with you. Today, ever-prepared Bookish Butch shares her Official Application.)

I have been giving this some thought. What would I bring to the bunker? Do I want comfort in what may be my last days, hours? No, I know those of us in the bunker will find a way to save the world. So I want challenges and stuff to keep the synapses firing.

This is what I have come up with:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: I love Jane Austen but I don’t do gothic. This is the only Austen I have never read. In the Bunker, I would have no choice which would, perhaps, help me get through it.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: Again, same problem, brooding gothic, but with the end of the world looming…

The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky: I have attempted this mammoth sized novel three times. Twice in English and once in French because I was told the translation would be easier; no go. With nothing but time on my hands maybe I could learn to decipher Russian names.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville: One of the Great American novels. Some might even say THE Great American novel– as a lover of American Lit, I must.

Son Of The Circus by John Irving: Irving is one of my favourite contemporary authors. I have read everything he has written, all but Son Of The Circus. I have always been a little bit spooked by the circus–here is my chance to exorcize those demons.

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein: Who needs paragraphs and punctuation anyway?

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham: I have read ten or twelve of Maugham’s works. Novels, short stories, essays and some travel pieces. I have not read this work, his most popular novel. Weird.

Dracula by Bram Stoker: As much as I dislike gothic, vampires are even worse. Still, I figure all the critics can’t be wrong.

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes: A feminist classic, a queer classic. Must read list for years.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: Again many attempts. I admire Ellison the man, the least I can do is read his masterpiece.

Most of these have been on my TBR for years and always seem to be put off until next year. The Apocalypse means there might not be a next year but…I’m hopeful.

BONUS! Questions:

• You’re given matches, playing cards, and gum drops. What will you create?

Um, very weird combo. How about, somebody sneaked in vodka and, we make flaming gum drop shots… while playing poker. Works for me!

• You can have either a flashlight or a blanket, but not both. Mark your choice:

Flashlight, I would rather read than be warm, besides , I never travel without a plaid flannel shirt, Butch Oblige.

• Which blogger would you like to bring with you?

I pick, Amy of Amy Reads, because she is young, smart and resilient and when we finish our books, she can tell me all about those great Nigerian books.

APPLICATION STATUS:

If you’d like to participate, write up your list and email it to me at bonjourcass @ gmail . com. You can check my post announcing the feature for further details. Be prepared for a follow-up email containing a few random (and odd) bonus questions regarding your stay in the bunker.

(Ed. Note: For mysterious reasons unknown to you, citizens of the world are suddenly panicking because the time of the Apocalypse has indeed come. You have been offered a place in the official Bonjour, Cass! bunker, sponsored by the Bonjour, Cass! Book Apocalypse Protection Agency (BCBAPA™). In order to secure your spot, you are required to submit a form listing the ten books from your to-be-read list to bring with you. Today, ever-prepared Anastasia of Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog shares her Official Application.)

Giant Book of Exploration edited by John Keay So I can remember what the outside world was like (admittedly about 100 years before I went into the bunker).

The Once and Future King by T.H. White So I can get my King Arthur fix and finally finish the series while I’m at it!

Captain Alatriste by Arthuro Perez-Reverte, because AP-R is one of my favorite authors and I want to have something of his in the bunker.

The Quincunx by Charles Palliser I tried reading the first page of this when I first got it (five years ago?) and didn’t understand most of it, so I figure being in a bunker for the rest of my life would give me plenty of time to work through it!

Rex Stout: Seven Complete Nero Wolfe Novels by Rex Stout I really love the Nero Wolfe television show, but I haven’t read any of the Nero Wolfe books except for one tiny one a few years ago. This omnibus would give me the chance to correct that, and to also think fondly back on the time when I had a working television.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas I’m planning on reading The Count of Monte Cristo this year, but The Three Musketeers will probably languish a bit longer on my shelf. Into the bunker it goes!

God Is an Englishman, To Serve Them All My Days, and Theirs Was the Kingdom by R. Delderfield These are seriously huge books, but they’re also big epic family history stories and I figure I will have AGES to read and digest them, right? In the bunker? So I might as well bring them there, because right now, outside of a bunker, I’m super intimidated by them (and so on the TBR shelf they stay).

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke Since I can’t take Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell with me in the bunker, I might as well sneak in this short story collection! It’s got a JS&MN story in it, plus some other magical tales that might cheer me up in my bunker.

I sort of wish I had more “how to have fun when you’re all alone and it’s the apocalypse and there are probably zombies waiting to eat you outside of your bunker door” books, but then again I never thought I’d need them. Also, can I just say that I’m REALLY TERRIFIED now that this will happen for real? And that I’ll regret my choices and/or go insane– because isn’t the real question how rereadable these books are?

BONUS! Questions:

• Which canned meat will you be bringing with you? If you refuse to eat meat, which kind of beetle do you think would look nicest on your dinner plate?

I think I’d bring Spam– not because I particularly enjoy Spam, but because it seems like the thing one SHOULD be bringing into a bunker. I’d also try to get in some cans of tuna and salmon (because I love fish) and oh! Corned beef! I’d bring LOTS of corned beef.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to be eating this stuff uncooked. Because that’s gross! Can I have a fireplace and wood and matches in my bunker, please? (Or some sort of everlasting propane tank and a grill?)

Cold Comfort Farm would definitely have to be with me in my bunker. It’s got action, romance, comedy, and humor– perfect stuff for when you’re stuck in a tiny room for who knows how many years.

Also the Granada Sherlock Holmes TV series, with Jeremy Brett as Holmes, would have to be there! I can’t live without that series, for real. It’s AMAZING! (While we’re at it, stick in the recent Sherlock series as well. And the Russian adaptation, because I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. Actually, just put ALL the Sherlock Holmes adaptations in my bunker, please. I’ll need them!)

Aw, I can’t pick favorites! My preference would be to have all our bunkers linked by tunnel systems, or for us to have one giant bunker! Then we could share books and keep each other company and it’d be great!

I’m totally picturing my bunker looking like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s subway station home in the second movie (The Secret of the Ooze), by the way. Can I have a fancy old train station as my bunker? Please?

APPLICATION STATUS:

Official Application Comments: Cheating is discouraged! An omnibus?? Because this application was submitted before, uh, the more official rules were decided upon, it is considered ‘pending’ (instead of “denied”) until further notice. Perhaps until Anastasia eats some cold SPAM.

If you’d like to participate, write up your list and email it to me at bonjourcass @ gmail . com. You can check my post announcing the feature for further details. Be prepared for a follow-up email containing a few random bonus questions regarding your stay in the bunker (if you’ve already submitted your application but haven’t yet received these questions, they will be coming shortly).