The survey originated at The Literary Lollipop
55 Bookish Questions: A Survey
I saw this survey posted on several blogs that I follow and thought it looked like a lot of fun so just had to take part!
1. Favourite childhood book? The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
2. What are you reading right now? Sacrifice by Brigid Kemmerer
3. What books do you have on request at the library? None at the moment.
4. Bad book habit? Erm…that I buy too many? Does that count?
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? Nothing at the moment.
6. Do you have an e-reader? I do indeed. I have a Kindle Fire. I also have a Kindle Keyboard.
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 since I started blogging I usually have a few on the go.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? I definitely read a wider variety of genres than I used to. I also think a lot more critically when I am reading.
9. Least favourite book you read this year? Sia by Josh Grayson. I didn’t dislike it per se but it was not what I thought it was going to be.
10. Favourite book I’ve read this year? Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz = 💜
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Quite often – I like to mix it up a bit.
12. What is your reading comfort zone? Fantasy is definitely my comfort zone – especially epic fantasy.
13. Can you read on the bus? Yes (and on the train)!
14. Favourite place to read? My comfy armchair or in bed.
15. What’s your policy on book lending? I never lend books – had too many come back with the spine all cracked or the pages dog-eared. Or worse – not come back at all!
16. Do you dogear your books? Not a chance! Those people are monsters! 😉
17. Do you write notes in the margins of your books? No. No. No!
18. Do you break/crack the spine of your books? Are you trying to cause me pain?!
19. What is your favourite language to read? English is the only language I can read (actually I tell a lie, I know a smattering of German).
20. What makes you love a book? Characters I can get involved in – I don’t have to love or even necessarily like a character but I have to be interested in them.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? Hmm, interesting question. I actually tend to hype up more little-known books that I feel are deserving of way more attention.
22. Favourite genre? Has to be fantasy.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) I wish I read more classics.
24. Favourite Biography? I actually cannot remember the last biography I read!
25. Have you ever read a self-help book? (And, was it actually helpful?) I haven’t read any self-help books.
26. Favourite Cookbook? Yeah, I don’t even try to cook anymore!
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year: (fiction or non-fiction?) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz – again!
28. Favourite reading snack? Cupcakes! Actually, cake of any kind – I’m not fussy!
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience? The Diviners by Libba Bray – there was a lot of hype surrounding this one when it was released. I liked it but I wasn’t totally blown away. It had a few too many POV’s to keep track of and it was hard to get attached to the characters.
30. How often do you agree with the critics about a book? Not that often to be honest. There are some books that are so critically lauded and highly regarded but when I read them I am just meh.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I don’t like giving negative reviews but I try and look for the positives even in books I am not that fussed for.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose? Latin would be cool…
33. Most intimidating book you’ve read? The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – I was nine the first time I read this behemoth!
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I have tried and failed twice with this one.
35. Favourite Poet? Dylan Thomas or W.B. Yeats.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out from the library at any given time? I would normally max out my library card (30 books).
37. How often do you return books to the library unread? Not often though it would happen occasionally.
38. Favourite fictional character? The Fool from Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series.
39. Favourite fictional villain? The White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – though the movie version is even scarier!
40. Books most likely to bring on vacation? Contemporaries for the most part.
41. The longest you’ve gone without reading? When I was at university I did very little reading that wasn’t course-related – just didn’t have the brain space for it!
42. Name a book you could/would not finish? War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – this book is my nemesis! I will get through it one day.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? I don’t need absolute silence but the TV does tend to annoy me if it is on in the background (which it invariably is).
44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel? I really enjoyed The Book Thief.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation? Vampire Academy – I love the books, the film…not so much.
46. Most money you’ve ever spent in a bookstore at one time? I’m pretty sure I have spent over £100 in a bookstore…
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? I don’t skim. I usually will not even read the blurb! (I don’t like to be spoiled!)
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through? If I begin to skip over the information.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized? I would like to but they are all crammed in wherever there is space at the moment!
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once they’ve been read? I keep them all!
51. Are there any books that you’ve been avoiding? The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi – I’m scared I will not enjoy it and I really want to love it!
52. Name a book that made you angry? I still get livid when I think of the follow-up to Atom Heart John Beloved by Luke Hartwell. Nathan’s Story totally crapped all over the first book – the way it totally deconstructed everything that happened wasn’t subversive or clever – it was just plain nasty! I still haven’t been able to write my review for Nathan’s Story and I read it a year ago! It would be a never-ending rant I guarantee it.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I read Shiver years ago but wasn’t really all that impressed with it. This book sounded good but given the fact that I didn’t like the author’s earlier work I wasn’t really expecting too much from it. Well, the Scorpio Races was absolutely amazing. I am now a total Maggie Stiefvater fangirl (I am even going to give Shiver another try).
54. A book you expected to like but didn’t? Falling for the Ghost of You by Nicole Christie – so many positive reviews but I really didn’t like this book.
55. Favourite guilt-free guilty pleasure reading? I love reading more…ah…mature books on occasion. 😉
This looks like a really fun questionnaire to do. 🙂
It was super-fun and really made me think too! 🙂
Thanks for linking my post! 🙂 I loved reading your answers!
You’re welcome! I was really inspired to do this after reading your answers. 🙂
I read The Scorpio Races as my first Maggie Stiefvater book, and I loved it! And I had to go through Shiver twice before I finally finished it. I’m still a bit on the wall of my rating for the book, but I may or may not continue that series.
Great post!
It was an amazing book – I couldn’t believe how much I ended up loving it (and the Raven Cycle series even more <3).
I really want to read Sinner (the Cole/Isabel book) but I really need to read books 2 & 3 first. 🙂