Friday, February 13, 2015

Book Tag

I went ahead and snagged all these question that are floating around in the blogging world right now. I thought it might be fun to answer them!

1.  Favorite childhood book? I really loved reading Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary, but I also very specifically remember the book Behind the Attic Wall.
 
2.  What are you reading right now?  Writing Detective and Mystery Fiction
 
3.  What books do you have on request at the library? I have never put a book on hold for myself at the library. I have at a bookstore though...

 
4.  Bad book habit?  Buying too many.
 
5.  What do you currently have checked out at the library? Nothing. We are overdue for a library visit.

6.  Do you have an e-reader?  Yes, I have a Kindle Fire.
 
7.  Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?  I prefer to read one book at a time, but I find that books lately don't hold my interest enough. So I book hop.
 
8.  Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?  Most definitely.
 
9.  Least favorite book you read so far this year?  This year, I don't even think I have finished one. But so far my interest in Writing Detective and Mystery Fiction waning.
 
10.  Favorite book you've read this year?  I have not yet completed it, but I have been really enjoying Letters of E.B. White.
 
11.  How often do you read out of your comfort zone?  Almost never. Not really sure if I have a "comfort zone" at the moment. I am in the midst of discovering what my taste is in books, so I do try books I wouldn't normally. But generally speaking, when I know what I like, I stick with it.
 
12.  What is your reading comfort zone? Hmm. Question 11 answers this kind of. But I do think that I am enjoying reading books filled with letters written by people. In general I have most enjoyed fairy tale retellings, poetry, classics, and some Star Wars.
 
13.  Can you read in the car?  I can, but I never get to. Either I am driving, or my husband is driving and wants me to keep him company.
 
14.  Favorite place to read?  In bed at night, before I fall asleep.
 
15.  What is your policy on book-lending?  I never really lend out my books. People that I would trust to return them to me don't live near me.
 
16.  Do you ever dog-ear books?  Never!
 
17.  Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Again...Never!
 
18.  Do you break/crack the spine of your book?  Sometimes it is unavoidable, but not if I can help it.
 
19.  What is your favorite language to read in?  English.
 
20.  What makes you love a book?  Beautiful writing. Creative story dealing with something that interests me.
 
21.  What will inspire you to recommend a book?  I usually don't recommend a book to people I know, as most people I personally know don't read much, and if they do I already know their tastes are much different than my own. But on my blog, I will recommend a book if I really enjoyed it.
 
22.  Favorite genre?  At the moment, I kind of have no idea.
 
23.  Genre [author] you rarely read but wish you did?  I would have to say Charles Dickens. I have only read his Great Expectations, which was one of my best reading experiences ever. A story that has stayed in my mind since. I really should give his other novels a try.
 
24.  Favorite biography?  I really enjoyed Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, though I didn't read the entire thing. What I read of it I did love.
 
25.  Have you ever read a self-help book?  Yes. I guess. Not 100% sure what all falls under that genre.
 
26.  Favorite cookbook?  I am not much of a cook, but I do love crock pot cook books.
 
27.  Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?  I do not have an answer for this. : (
 
28.  Favorite reading snack?  Tea.
 
29.  Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.  I don't generally let popular hype ruin my liking or disliking a book. But I have t say people did rave way too much about the Twilight saga books. I did like the stories (except for that last book...what?!), but she was not the best writer. I actually struggled reading through her mistakes at times.
 
30.  How often do you agree with critics about a book?  I think my taste in books is not the norm. I usually find that a book I am writing a good review about has a ton of bad reviews.
 
31.  How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I give honest reviews either way. I think it helps people know if buying the book is worth their money. Not that the reader of my reviews has to agree with what I write, but at least hearing what people think and WHY helps readers to find good books in general. I read reviews all the time.
 
32.  If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?  I would love to read The Hunchback of Notre Dame in French.
 
33.  Favorite poet?  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. And Shakespeare for sure. Shakespeare write so poetically, I love it.
 
34.  How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?  A ton. I have 2 girls....so a ton.
 
35.  How often have you returned books to the library unread?  Plenty.
 
36.  Favorite fictional character?  Hmm. This is tough. I will have to say I am always amused reading the parts about Pip's Aunt in Great Expectations. Or Miss Havisham. There are a lot of great characters in that book.
 
37.  Favorite fictional villain?  I don't know. I don't think I really read many books with "villains" in them. Unless I have a very specific idea of what a villain is...
 
38.  The longest you've gone without reading?  Looong time.
 
39.  Name a book that you could not/would not finish.  There are too many to count. I am way too picky.
 
40.  What distracts you easily when you're reading?  Life in general.
 
41.  Favorite film adaptation of a novel?  Great Expectations, this version. I think my mind may just be stuck on Great Expectations right now! LOL. I do also love Sense and Sensibility, this version. Oh! And I really love A Christmas Carol, this version.
 
42.  Most disappointing film adaptation?  There is probably too many to list. I am generally very critical. I have tried to shift my thinking and just watch them with the understanding that they are truly just another retelling of the tale so I am not so disappointed.
 
43.  The most money [you've] ever spent in the bookstore at one time?  I don't keep track, but I am sure way too much. Especially considering whenever I go buy books I let my girls get books too.
 
44.  How often do you skip a book before reading it?  Skip a book before reading it? I am not entirely sure I understand the question. ? Skim through it? If that is what is meant, never. Unless there are illustrations. I might skim to peek at the pictures.

45.  What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?  If I don't like it, I don't read it.

46.  Do you like to keep your books organized?  Kind of. I'd like to, but I don't really have room to.

47.  Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?  I prefer to keep. But seeing as books weigh a lot, and we are military, I try to go through and weed out books every now and then. I try to only keep my favorites, or ones that I know I will reread.
 
48.  Are there any books you've been avoiding?  Not necessarily.

49.  Name a book that made you very angry.  I can't say that I've ever really gotten angry at a book?
 
50.  A book that you didn't expect to like but did? The Official Quotable Doctor Who, and I love it!
 
51.  A book you expected to like but didn't?  Probably a lot.
 
53.  Favorite guilt-free pleasure reading?  Hmmm. Again, I am not entirely sure what this one means either. I would imagine most books discussed in all these questions I've claimed to like, are guilt-free. I don't think I would feel guilty for like any specific book?

5 comments:

  1. Haha! I love your answers to numbers 4 and 22! XD

    I'm so glad you did the tag! (Oh, about question number 44: I think the original tag did say "skim" a book, but I mistyped it:-/ Oops!)

    I haven't yet read Great Expectations. To be honest, Dickens isn't my favorite author (that's not to say that I have any technical problems with his writing; he was a genius, I just don't particularly care for his style. Kinda like how I am with Jane Austen.); however, I would definitely recommend "Bleak House." It looks super long and sounds super depressing, but it's actually not. If you get caught up in the story, you won't really mind the length (plus there are always little bits you can skim and get the general idea), and it surprisingly isn't that bleak;) I love Dickens' ending to "A Tale of Two Cities" (even though I have never cried so hard because of a book), but other than that…I don't know. I guess he's just not my favorite. But I should give "Great Expectations" a try! :D

    And how you answered question number 40: "Life in general." It's so perfect! XD

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    1. I've seen the Bleak House movie with Gillian Anderson as Lady Deadlock. It was a good story, but I have never read it. I love Charles Dickens' writing style. He writes so profoundly from a child's point of view, it amazes me. He is also very descriptive (there are a lot of people that don't like his forever descriptions, but I do). It honestly took me several goes at the book to complete it. The first few times I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. Then one day I picked it up and tried it again and was just hooked. This is probably the one book that I will forever rave about. I didn't cry, but it does open you up to viewing things from different perspectives that is much needed in a lot of people nowadays. You should really give it a go. Maybe I would give re-reading it a try if you did. Maybe we could set up some kind of a read along thing through blogs. That would be fun! (But I'm pretty sure I am a slow reader in comparison to others). Have you seen any Great Expectation movie versions? If you do, I think they are all pretty terrible representations of the novel, other than the one with Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham. I absolutely LOVE that movie. (It is on Netflix). I am seeing a theme here with Gillian Anderson....

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    2. I just looked...I don't think that version of Great Expectations is on Netflix anymore. I can't seem to find it. : (

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    3. His descriptions are amazing! He was a very profound man. You should read "Bleak House" :D

      I love the idea of a read-along! We should totally do that. I might be doing a read-along of "Little Women" with Hamlette at "Edge of the Precipice" in March, but maybe in April? What do you think? I doubt I'd be able to finish it in a month, as I'm a bit of a slow reader too, but I think it'd be great fun! We should plan this…maybe some other people would join in as well!

      Hmm…well, my sister has the Gillian Anderson adaptation, so I can always borrow it from her:D

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  2. I have never read Little Women. I might give that a go. You will have to let me know when you guys will start that to see if I am able to join in. And yes, watch that adaptation. Gillian Anderson is always wonderful in this classic films.

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