55 questions about books

I found this list thanks to Katrin’s and Emily’s blogs, and being a reader of course I had to fill it out! If you decide to answer these questions on your own blog let me know, I’d love to see your answers.

1. Favorite childhood book. Probably the Nancy Drew mysteries or James Herriot’s books on vet life in England.

2.What are you reading right now? The Aquitaine Progression by Robert Ludlum,  My Inventions by Nikola Tesla, and Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

3. What books do you have on request at the library? Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. It’s the latest in the Outlander series.

4. Bad book habit? Reading past my bedtime. Not, like, a little bit. Like hours and hours past.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? The Strain by Guillermo del Toro.

6. Do you have an e-reader? I have the Kindle Beta app on my old Touchpad, but I only use it once in a while. I prefer paperback books. There’s just something about holding a real book in your hands.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? I usually have more than one going. One goes in my lunch bag for work, one waits on the coffee table, one is by my bed…

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? I guess I think more critically about what I’m reading, since I’m writing reviews for the books now.

9. Least favorite book you read this year so far? Probably I Hate Everyone…Starting With Me by Joan Rivers. She does have a few funny things to say but mostly she’s just mean. I prefer humor that’s witty and smart, not mean for the sake of it.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was amazing.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Rarely.

12. What is your reading comfort zone? I rarely read romance or “chick lit”. There’s nothing wrong with those genres per se, I just don’t find them compelling. So those are pretty far outside of my comfort zone.

13. Can you read in the car? As a kid I read constantly on long road trips, so yes.

14. Favorite place to read? Curled up on the couch with my electric blanket. But I’ll read almost anywhere–outside, in a waiting room, standing in line at a store…still, I prefer to be home alone, so I can read in peace. People tend to talk to you and ask a hundred questions about what you’re reading. “Is it good?” “I might find out if I was left alone to read it.”

15. What is your policy on book lending? I’ll lend books to people if I know they’ll take good care of them.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books? Break the spines? No!

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? No.

18. Not even textbooks? I don’t own any textbooks, so no.

19. What is your favorite language to read in? I only speak/read/write English, so…

20. What makes you love a book? I like anything well-written with strong female characters, antiheroes, a sense of atmosphere, or excellent use of language and imagery. This can encompass mysteries, fantasy, crime, etc. I know that saying “it just has to be well-written” is kind of a cop-out, but it’s true! That said, I’m drawn to fantasy elements, either in a fantasy story or in a real-world book. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) features time travel, Night Film (Marisha Pessl) featured a strange fantasy pall over the whole story, and The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern) is set in a magical circus. The real world can be kind of depressing at times; I love escaping into a story that’s so completely unconnected to reality.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? Again, the cop-out: if it’s really amazing. Actually, if I love a book, I’ll pester people to death until they read it.

22. Favorite genre? That’s a toss-up between fantasy and mystery.

23. Genre you rarely read but wish you did? Non-fiction in general. I think it would be great to be brainy and read highly informative books about history or science, but I keep going back to time-traveling Scottish love stories.

24. Favorite biography? I don’t have one! I rarely read biographies.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book? I suppose The Art of Happiness (The Dalai Lama) counts? But I don’t really go for self-help books.

26. Favorite cookbook? Anything by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Her vegan recipes are badass and delicious.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? Probably The Art of Happiness again.

28. Favorite reading snack? Tea and something really yummy like pitas & hummus or banana bread.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. I think all of the hype around the Divergent trilogy ruined it for me. I loved the first book (and the movie), but the second and third really went downhill in quality.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? I think it’s 50-50. Sometimes people go gaga over something that I just can’t connect with. But I guess it depends on whether you mean professional critics or popular critics; I rarely read professional book reviews, but I do read lots of reviews from book lovers with blogs or Goodreads accounts.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I will say so if I don’t like a book, but I won’t trash it without a good reason. If it’s just not my taste, I’ll leave it at that.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Probably Italian or Latin.

33. Most intimidating book you have read? When I was twelve I picked up Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace. It took me three months to read but I stuck with it.

34. Most intimidating book you are too nervous to begin? I’d love to read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, but the sheer size of the book is off-putting.

35. Favorite poet? Edgar Allan Poe.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? Usually around a dozen in the winter, maybe more. I like to be well-stocked. (And I read fairly quickly, so I don’t like to run out of books and have to go back too soon.)

37. How often have you returned books to the library unread? I do it fairly often, actually–either I pick up a book and it doesn’t hold my interest, or I run out of time to read everything I’ve checked out.

38. Favorite fictional character? Katniss Everdeen, Daenerys Targaryen and Arya Stark are my all-stars.

39. Favorite fictional villain? I don’t know if Tyrion Lannister is a “bad” or a “good” guy in A Song of Ice and Fire, but he’s definitely my fave. And also, he loves books, too.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation: Probably something I know I won’t be able to put down. I tend to save up those books for vacation days so I can read uninterrupted. So right now, for example, I’m saving Good Omens (Neil Gaiman) and a handful of mystery/horror novels given to me over the past year.

41. The longest you’ve gone without reading? It’s rare that I’ll give up reading altogether, but for a while I forgot how much I loved books and just kind of read magazines and didn’t spend a lot of time at the library. This went on for a few months. I think I was just burnt out after wrapping up a really long series and needed a break, but didn’t know what other books to dive into. This was before I discovered Goodreads and its lovely shelving system.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. I really struggled with Frankenstein and Steppenwolf–I know they’re classics and have a lot to say, but the writing was just too dry for me.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? The need for food. That’s about the only thing that can break my attention, though.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? The Lord of the Rings, which I thought was actually better than the books.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation? The Host was terrible and I’m not impressed with how The Hobbit films are progressing.

46. The most money you have ever spent in the bookstore at one time? I do most of my buying at used shops, so not much…maybe $40?

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? If I’m debating buying something, I’ll skim it to see if anything grabs my eye. A few choice lines can quickly tell me whether the book is something I’d enjoy or something I’ll find tiresome.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through? If it bores the hell out of me, or if I find the author to be expressing really repugnant opinions that just disgust me.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized? I try. They’re semi-organized by genre on a bookshelf.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? If it’s something I might read again, I’ll keep it. Otherwise I like to pass on books to others so they can also enjoy them.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Honestly I still can’t get myself to read The Fault in Our Stars, even though everyone is talking about it and I do love John Green. I know I’m just going to feel all the feels so I’m waiting for a day when I have no other engagements and the husband is busy at work so I can just sit and cry into some ice cream or something over it. It’s just not something I can read a chapter at a time on my lunch breaks! I need the right atmosphere!

52. Name a book that made you angry. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I felt physically ill and angry after reading this book. (You can find my full review here.)

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury. I read this in the spring for a lit class and expected it to be dry or dated, but it was incredibly well-written and haunting. I will probably re-read it in the future, which is the highest praise I can give a book.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? I really expected to like The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, but the characters did such stupid things that I gave up on the series.

55. Favorite guilt-free pleasure reading? Anything by Bill Bryson. I can read his books again and again. They’re funny, witty and smart. I don’t feel bad spending hours reading something that makes me laugh and teaches me a thing or two along the way.