A book-themed Liebster Award

The hilarious and insightful Em of Backlist Books nominated me for a Liebster Award, and so I have some questions to answer for you! As part of the Liebster Award I’m also supposed to offer eleven random facts about myself, and since Em’s questions are all book-themed, I thought I would offer some book-themed random facts as well.

1. I read about 100 pages per hour, depending on print size and how interesting the book is to me (sometimes I zone out and have to reread a passage).

2. I initially refused to read A Song of Ice and Fire because I thought it looked boring. Boy, was I wrong.

3. I usually have anywhere from two to six books going at once.

4. I do most of my reading on my lunch break at work. I have to wear my earbuds to drown out other people in the lunch room so I can concentrate!

5. I can’t remember the last time I “read” a book on tape. It just isn’t the same. (And yes, I’m so old school I say “book on tape” instead of “audiobook”.)

6. I get almost all of my books from the library and only buy the ones I really love. Saving money + saving space = total win.

7. I have burnt food and gotten sunburned before because I was too focused on my book to notice what was going on around me.

8. The only thing that will cause me to postpone dinner is a good book. Sometimes I skip dinner and eat Cheerios out of the box just so I won’t have to put down my book.

9. A book must be read with a mug of tea at hand, or else it just isn’t quite perfect.

10. My cat Jiao also loves books…she likes to roll all over open books and rub her face on the paper.

11. Some of the first books I remember reading were the classic Nancy Drew mysteries, thereby sparking my lifelong love of mystery novels.

And now on to Em’s questions!

What’s your favorite part of book blogging? Connecting with other book lovers–I don’t have any local friends who also love books, so I’ve got to find my fellow bookworms through the internetz.

Have you found people in the book blogging community that you really connect with? Anyone you talk to outside of blog comments? Yes, besides Em I chat with my friends Katrin and Celeste!

What’s your favorite genre (or genres) to read? I really love anything to do with time travel–it can be science fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery, whatever. I know that technically doesn’t count as a “genre” but it’s my post and my rules, so there!

Your least favorite? I’m going to go with romance. For starters, the plot usually just doesn’t hold my attention. Secondly, I usually find the sex scenes to be really poorly written. I’m making a huge exception for the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, which gets pretty steamy at times–but it’s also a historical adventure with (drum roll!) time travel, so maybe that’s why I found it easier to read.

Which book do you think everyone should read? The Art of Happiness, by the Dalai Lama, because it will amazingly reset your thinking about what it takes to make you happy; and anything by Bill Bryson, because he’s hilarious and intelligent–my ideal mix!

What books are on your TBR list for the summer? Nikola Tesla’s autobiography, A Dance With Dragons, Good Omens (which I’ve been saving aside since winter to savor on the deck–Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors of all time), the new Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, and hopefully some more Scandinavian crime thrillers.

Which book cover would you be most likely to frame and hang on your wall as a piece of art? Um, I can’t think of one. Sadly a lot of the books I’ve picked up based on the covers have turned out to be not-so-hot.

If you could ask the author of your favorite book two questions, what would they be? I would ask George R.R. Martin about his writing process, how he plots out his books, and whether he knows ahead of time where the characters are going or whether he makes it up from one chapter to the next! I would also ask Arnaldur Indridason about writing mysteries–is there a secret to coming up with such good ones?

Which fictional world do you wish you could move into? I don’t think I have one. I like this one just fine. I do think I’d like to visit Erin Morgenstern’s Night Circus though–it sounds truly magical.

What’s your favorite literary adaptation? (Movie, TV Show, etc.) I loved the film version of The Lord of the Rings, and the BBC miniseries adaptation of Pride & Prejudice is awesome. Also, I loved the movie version of The Time Traveler’s Wife more than the book.

When you’re not reading, what else are you doing for fun? Writing, playing Nancy Drew mystery games on the computer, watching movies, and cooking. And sometimes, more than one of those things at the same time!

Now I have some nominations and questions of my own! I am continuing in a bookish vein and nominating Jasmine from Green-Eyed Monster, Amanda from Sew Much to Say, Amanda from Embracing Adventure, Celeste from Rebel With a Cause, Katrin from Land of Candy Canes, and Em right back because I want to see her answers to my questions! :P Again, my post, my rules. Anyway, here are my questions:

1. What is the most overrated book you’ve ever read?

2. What about the most underrated? Anything other people hated that you loved?

3. Do you have a special reading “spot” or ritual, or are you an anywhere, anytime reader?

4. Do you like book clubs? Why or why not?

5. Do you have a favorite book to gift to other people?

6. Who is your favorite literary character?

7. Ever read a line in a book that really blew you away? What was it?

8. If you could rewrite the ending to a book, which would you rewrite, how, and why?

9. Any favorite book blogs to recommend?

10. If you get partway into a book and just aren’t feeling it, do you give up or push on to see if it gets better? At what point does it go into the “unfinished” pile?

11. Which POV do you prefer–first or third? What are your thoughts on multiple POVs in a book, especially when both are written in the first person?