Okay, so I prolly should’ve written about this three or four days ago, since our Canadian Thanksgiving was on Monday, but I just never got around to it on the weekend. We were too busy apple-picking and playing with friends and eating turkey and visiting the Farm in the glorious autumn sunshine. I’ll have another too-late post full of pictures, if I can ever remember to upload the darn things.
But I had to comment on this article in last Friday’s Citizen. Some things just beg to be blogged. Indigo books commissioned a national survey asking which author Canadians would most like to host for Thanksgiving dinner. The answer surprised me, even though it would have been one of my top-three choices: Stephen King! The rest of the top five were, in order, Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Bill Bryson and Alice Munro.
So you know what my next question is. If you could invite three authors to dinner, who would you choose? It’s not so easy as you might think. Do you consider the compatibility of your guests? (I would dearly love to be seated across from Margaret Atwood and Stephen King and listen to them go at it for a couple of hours.) Do you choose exclusively from your favourite authors, or the most colourful personalities?
Okay, after very little deliberation on my part, I’d invite: Will Ferguson, Nick Hornby, and Stephen King.
You?
I love this question. Yes, Nick Hornby. And hey – Bill Bryson! I love him. That would be cool. I would also have suggested Christopher Hitchens – but then I met Robert Wiersema, and he was so fun to talk to over a bourbon or three a couple of weeks ago that he’d be invited over Hitchens. My husband would want Nick Tosches and maybe Peter Guarlnick.
But do they have to be alive? I mean, if we could either re-animate corpses without the decaying stinking and festering parts, or have spirits over, I’d like Damon Runyan and Raymond Chandler, along with one of the other guys.
And yes, I’m considering compatibility, as well as thinking for the first three, I’d like to invite their families too.
Judy Blume, John Irving and Dr. Seuss.
J.K Rowlings
Mordecai Richler
And Dan Brown just to add some punch.
Billy Bryson, Robert Munsch, and even though it is way to trendy – (but because I am a former economics major) – Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner (co-authored Freakonomics, so they count as one). Personally I think its freaky enough that they are both named Steve.
Compatability wise, I have no idea, but I am pretty sure the conversation would never drag….
By the way, I dropped the idea of dead authors cause they never hold up their end of the conversation, although its cheaper cause they don’t drink alot.
Jane Austen–I bet she was amazing and very good conversation.
Wallace Stegner–for a “Teach me O Great One” conversation
and
John Donne–favorite poet and interesting mix for the other two.
What would I serve? Wild mushroom pizza. That would rock Jane’s world.
Hmmmm, Iain Banks, Janet Evanovich and Ian Rankin. Although it could result in a bit of confusion when I say, “More scotch, Ian?”.
Dean Koontz, JA Jance, Stephen King… only I think I’d have to invite them for the weekend – not just dinner.
Bill Bryson, Stephen King, and Arthur Golden (he wrote Memoirs of a Geisha)
What would I serve? I’d ask Emeril Legasse to come over and cook, because I don’t cook!
Annie