I've been tagged

Awhile back Erin tagged me for a book meme. I'm a bit slow in replying, but here goes.

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

Well, the point is it has to be memorized, right? I am terrible at memorizing, so I wouldn't have a chance unless it was in verse. It should also be something worthy of becoming part of the oral tradition. This is a great responsibility, and I take it seriously. I'd like to choose The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, so the plays would live on, but I'd just feel silly doing all those different characters. Am I thinking too hard? OK, The Canterbury Tales. I already have the first 100 lines of the General Prologue memorized anyway.

The last book you bought is:
I've been trying hard to use the library more, and the bookstore less, due in part to lack of funds, and in part to lack of bookshelf space. Here is what I brought home from the library last Thursday:

• High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
• The Lecturer's Tale, James Hynes
• No Idle Hands, The Social History of American Knitting, Anne L. Macdonald
• A History of Hand Knitting, Richard Rutt
• Knitted Embellishments, Nicky Epstein
• Shadow Knitting, Vivian Hoxbro
• Sally Melville Styles, Sally Melville

Also some videos - two Elizabeth Zimmerman Knitting Workshop videos, A Star is Born (the one with Judy Garland), and a bunch of kids books.

The last book you read:
How to be Good, Nick Hornby - excellent.

What are you currently reading:

• Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood
• High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
• Saul and Patsy, Charles Baxter

Five books you would take to a deserted island:

• A very comprehensive survival guide, with sections on building shelter, first aid, wilderness cooking, you get the idea.
• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (a decent edition that all comes in one volume, so that it only counts as one book).
• The Oxford English Dictionary (the one volume version, with magnifying glass).
• The Norton Anthology of English Literature: the Major Authors, 7th edition in one volume (my full-length edition is two volumes, so I can't take that).
• The Norton Anthology of American Literature, shorter 6th edition (my full-length edition, at five volumes, would completely blow my book budget)

Rationale - I am not approaching this as a "five favorite books of all time" question - that would be a completely different list (mostly fairly light, contemporary fiction, plus Bleak House, Emma, and Tom Jones). My strategy, instead, focuses on the most pages of worthwhile reading I can fit between 10 covers. Although my emphasis on the traditional canon reflects an unfortunate bias for the works of dead white men, it lends itself to some really enormous anthologies, so if I am stuck on the island forever, I'll be all set for reading material.

Once again, thinking too hard.

What three people will you pass the stick to, and why?
First of all, I am limiting myself to people I have actually met, because I am shy (can't you tell?)

• Kate, because of her impeccable taste in and voracious appetite for books. Here's her recommended book list.
• Jennie, also a book geek. Here's her book blog.
• Denise, because I'd like to get to know her better, and because she used to be a children's book editor. She also blogs about her reading.