Dating, Dinner Parties, and Book Meme Days 10-12

[apple_pathways]

Went on THE DATE this afternoon, and it was nice: he's a good conversationalist so I didn't have to spend the whole time babbling at him like a fool. (Though I will admit, there was *some* of that; hey, it's what I do!) It went well enough that I've agreed on a second date, but I'm still on the fence for anything beyond that. I'm just happy that it's over, so now I can relax. I seriously thought I was going to have to pull over to puke on my way out there.

(The last first date I went on was a DISASTER. Well, the date itself wasn't that bad, other than being incredibly awkward: we had zero chemistry, and I had to carry the conversation the whole time. Also he kept staring at me. When he called me for a second date, I explained that I didn't think it was going to work between us and wished him well. He wanted specifics as to what was wrong with him. I politely refused, and then hung up when he persisted. He then called me FOUR OR FIVE TIMES in the next few weeks after that to try to get out of me why I wouldn't go out with him anymore. It was rather traumatic, and left me a little wary; so I'm glad I can at least put today's date in the "win" column.)

My dinner party was a lot of fun. I made roast chicken, green beans, and a potato and leak gratin; dessert was peach crisp. The potatoes and the leeks came from my garden, and the dish was a big hit! I was very glad as I'd never made it before. One for the books!

We also played Trivial Pursuit, and I totally dominated. (Father of modern frozen foods? Why, Clarence Birdseye, of course! How/Why do I know that? Beats me.)



Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving

Pride and Prejudice. Honestly, I resisted getting into Jane Austen for SO LONG! I just had this image in my mind of the kind of women/girls who read Austen, and wanted nothing to do with it! (Prissy, weepy-eyed girls who wear floral cardigans and name their cats after Disney characters.) I've since accepted my inner romantic, and have read her entire canon.

Day 11 - A book that disappointed you

I honestly can't think of one. I tend to give up on books that I don't find myself enjoying, and I can't think of a book who's publication I've awaited only to be disappointed in the result.

Day 12 - A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Good Omens
A Room With a View
Lord of the Flies
Alias, Grace
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Pride and Prejudice
Nine Stories

Comments

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

YAY DATE! Glad he was not crazy and that you didn't puke. TRIUMPH!

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Some might say I keep my standards too high, but it's results like these that prove those people wrong! He's not crazy and I didn't vomit on him: DARE TO DREAM, LADIES!

[evilhippo.livejournal.com]

Glad the date went well! Goodness knows there are some crazies out there that make the whole thing daunting. You're a braver person than I! (-:

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

It is so, SO daunting! I've had too many disasters to count. Thanks for the commisseration. ;)

[sabriel75.livejournal.com]

Oh Nice! The date was good then. :D

Oh dear heavens but your list of more than five times:

Oh yes Good Omens, A Room With a View, Lord of the Flies, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (recommend this book to anyone who will listen to me go on and on about it), Pride and Prejudice... uhm... yeah... that's a lot of overlap.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

(MAJOR icon love!)

I know there are more books that I've read over and over again, but I'm having trouble thinking of them. It's funny, because I rarely enjoy watching a movie more than once, but I'll read the same book until the spine falls apart.

Just more proof that you are an AWESOME human being! (I still make friends like a five year-old: "YOU like Rainbo Brite? *I* like Rainbow Brite!")

[jacknjill270.livejournal.com]

Glad that the date went well for you! Also I totally agree about Pride and Prejudice. I kept hearing about how it was really good but I was convinced I would hate it...until I finally broke down and read it, and it was amazing.

Our list of books we've read over and over is pretty similar! You have excellent taste. :) I think if I was stranded on a deserted island, Good Omens would be the book I would want to have with me. I love it so.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Oh man, everybody has these awesome Good Omens icons! I'm gonna have to track some down.

It's definitely a good choice for a desert island read! I've read it half a dozen times, and love it more each time. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud more reading any other book. My greatest wish is for the BBC to adapt it into a mini-series.

[housemaid79.livejournal.com]

I so understand your Austen-reluctance. For the longest time I thought of myself as a Bronte-only girl. I don't know, I think I had the impression that Austen was "weak" or something (like you said, prissy girls with Disney-named cats, etc.). Of course, once I actually got into Austen, I found myself pleasantly surprised.

And "YAY" for the date going well! That's always a very nice thing. :)

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

BRONTES! YES! I haven't read Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights as many times as I've read Austen, but they are still much-loved treasures. (In fact, I probably should read them again!) Have you read any other Bronte novels, and would you recommend them?

I'm really glad to hear other women were reluctant to read Jane Austen! All of my friends were into her in high school (this was around the time of the BBC miniseries of P&P and the movie version of S&S), and I just REFUSED to give her a try! Far too sentimental, I thought! Then in college I had to read Mansfield Park for a class, and I ended up liking it. (We won't go into how much I disagreed with the ending, though.) After that, I was hooked!

[creativeaminot.livejournal.com]

Hello recently added friend! Glad the date went well!

I used to think the same thing about Austen until I read P&P. And then I read Emma, Mansfield Park, etc...

And I totally have all of those books except for Alias, Grace. Awesome list! I heart Good Omens so; I own the Aziraphale edition as well as the Crowly :).

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Hola new friend! Thanks for coming out to comment. :)

I can't say I love all Austen equally, but she is fantastically addictive. There's just something about the subtle wit of her writing, and the subdued romance...

You should read Alias, Grace! (I love Margaret Atwood. Read anything by her?)

I own an old, battered paperback version of Good Omens I purchased to replace my OTHER old, battered copy of Good Omens that got dropped in the bathtub!

[creativeaminot.livejournal.com]

I've read the Handmaid's Tale (I heart dystopias)and I started the Blind Assassin, but haven't had the time to finish it. :-(

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I was never really able to get into The Blind Assassin; I feel that way about some of her books.

But if you like dystopias, you have to read Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood! Two of my favorite books ever.

[arnoldthepigeon.livejournal.com]

Aww, glad your date went well. :)

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Me, too. :)

[ladylovelace.livejournal.com]

Prissy, weepy-eyed girls who wear floral cardigans and name their cats after Disney characters.

:P

I'll have you know that I wear more leather than floral and have a spiked collar. And I love Austen and Brontë.

Glad to hear the date went well!

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I have since revised my opinion! I also love Austen and Bronte, and I'm more the jeans and cowboy boots kinda gal. And my cat is named after a J.D. Salinger character! (Which makes me an entirely different kind of nerd...)