Bloggers Read & Tell (1)

We're starting things off with Mikael from the inimitable bike blog Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Try spending half an hour reading his sometimes lyrical comments and looking at all those seriously stylish cyclists and tell me you're not itching to dig out your own set of wheels!

I hope everyone will enjoy the series!

Do you like to eat while reading? What's your snack of choice?
I don't eat while reading. Never have. Never even thought about it until you asked the question.

What conditions do you find most conducive to reading? Describe your ideal reading moment.
I read literature in bed before I go to sleep these days. I also read quite often in the kitchen.
In the Days Before Children I would often read in the sofa in the evenings. I often read magazines [Monocle, Wallpaper, The Economist] at cafés or on planes and, in the summer, in the yard.

Do you have a guilty literary pleasure (a book, writer or even genre you love but are just a tad embarrassed about)?
No real literary guilty pleasures but I do read my wife's fashion magazines.

Is there a book you feel you really ought to have read by now but just can't seem to bring yourself to start reading/a book you really don't want to read, ever? And why is that?
I should have read the collected works of James Joyce by now but damnit they are dull.

Books are full of words (simply put that is), is there a word in the English language you're particularly fond of?
I love the word 'fuck'. It is so rich in diversity and can be pronounced in so many different ways. It is originally an Old Norse word for 'erection' or 'copulation' but it has evolved to have so many nuances. I love the fact that the word is an accepted part of the language in many countries. In the UK it has lost the strange taboo associated with it and here in Denmark it is a common word. There shouldn't be any words that are taboo. They are all human language and were all invented/developed because of a need for them.

Have you ever run into a fictional character that annoyed or enraged you to the point you wanted to scream 'snap out of it already!' or made you want to throw the book away in disgust? Who and why?
Many of Shakespeare's characters are so stupid that they can't see what is happening around them. They're irritating sometimes. But still good reading.

How do you mark your page?
I just fold the corners to mark my pages. I'm not a purist. Books should be organic and dog-eared. I don't even keep books in the house, apart from 10-15 must-haves. As soon as I accumulate ten or so books that I've read, I give them to the library.

Is there an image of someone reading a book that you have never forgotten (painting, picture, movie scene, book passage, real life...)
I remember reading a passage in a Paul Theroux book, one of his travel books, wherein he is on a train and sitting across from a woman who is reading one of his books. He is completely fascinated by watching someone read one of his books and studies her every facial expression. I think Paul Auster wrote something similar too.

You're in a bookstore and can buy just one book for just one person. What book would you buy and for whom?
I'd buy The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins for everyone I know. Alternatively, I would buy Atomised by Michel Houellebecq for whatever friend was turning 40 next.

Finish the sentence: 'Reading is...'
Reading is my secret garden of hate, pleasure, pain and joy. Please close the gate on your way out.

By the way, Mikael actually suggested I ask another question: 'What are you reading right now?'. This is so obvious to me that I had completely overlooked it. Here's his answer:
I have three books on the go. The Secret Language of Film by Jean-Claude Carriere [for the 100th time], The Rain Before it Falls by Jonathon Coe and God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens.

Thanks very much Mikael!

Comments

[Geplaatst door: Mikael]

My pleasure! Thanks for the interview. Now you need to take photos of you on your new bike... you know where to send them! :-)

[Geplaatst door: Plankje Ongeregeld]

You've got yourself a deal Mikael:-) And thank you for mentioning the new series on your blog, I really appreciate it!