Thursday 12 September 2013

A-Z bookish survey

I've seen this questionnaire doing the rounds on several blogs lately, and couldn't resist having a go myself. I personally "borrowed" it from Susan, Laura and Sarah, but it originated from Jamie the Perpetual Page Turner. And now it's my turn:

Author you’ve read the most books from: In my lifetime, almost certainly Enid Blyton. Her books take up most of a crate under my spare bed: Famous Five, Malory Towers, Secret Seven, etc. etc. As a teen or adult - probably Terry Pratchett, though I haven't even read all of the Discworld series.




Best Sequel Ever: Um... most of my favourite books are stand-alones, or series which I love equally. Perhaps Catching Fire.


Currently Reading: Quiet by Susan Cain and The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. One is a psychology book about introverted people and how we are going to stealthily take over the world, and the other is a thriller about a time-travelling serial killer.


Drink of Choice While Reading: Coffee, in a big mug, though lately I've been switching to tea as an attempt to cut down on caffeine.


E-reader or Physical Book? Physical book all the way. I can see the uses of e-readers, but I can't love them.


Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School: You think anyone would have dated me at high school? Maybe Neville Longbottom?


Glad You Gave This Book A Chance: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Everyone was telling me to read it, but I wasn't convinced... till I started reading it.


Hidden Gem Book: Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. A book I picked up because I liked the cover; it just happened to be the book I needed to read at that time.


Important Moment in your Reading Life: Being given a copy of Anne of Green Gables for my eighth birthday. Anne Shirley was the first person I encountered in a book who just seemed to get what it was like to be me: to be scatty and accident-prone and living more in the world of the imagination than reality.



Just Finished: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - though "just" is stretching it a bit. I've been on my current books for a while.


Kinds of Books You Won’t Read: Romance (except occasionally), misery memoirs, any of those books with black and grey covers.


Longest Book You’ve Read: Les Miserables or Gone with the Wind.


Major book hangover because of: A Tale of Two Cities. First time I read it, I was in a coffee shop, and then I went into Borders (RIP) and just wandered around in a daze.


Number of Bookcases You Own: 3: One small, one big, one fancy one with glass doors. (Plus all the books that are packed into cupboards, boxes, piles and wherever else I can stash them.)




 One Book You Have Read Multiple Times: Lord of the Rings.


Preferred Place To Read: In bed!


Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read: "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" - Dumbledore.



Reading RegretSo far I have been unable to get into the Gormanghast stories, though I keep the book on my shelf in hope that one day I'll manage it.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series): Probably the Sherlock Holmes books - I've read them all except the last one or maybe two.


Three of your All-Time Favorite Books: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman


Unapologetic Fangirl For: Neil Gaiman!





Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others: I may or may not have done a Gollum impression when I opened up a box at work to see Mr Gaiman's latest kids' book: Fortunately the Milk. Also, I love Cecelia Ahern (my exception to my fluff aversion) and am very much looking forward to her new book, despite its title How to Fall in Love.


Worst Bookish Habit: Reading in the bath.


X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: Pink by Lili Wilkinson


Your latest book purchase: Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg


ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late): The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft.

11 comments:

  1. I believe this survey started from Jamie's blog:

    http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2013/08/some-friday-fun.html

    I have never read Anne of Green Gables books and I must. Some time. Absolutely must.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Riv! :)

      And yes, you absolutely must read the "Anne" books.

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  2. I love seeing people's answers to this survey. Why is your worst habit reading in the bath? That sounds like an awesome habit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because I am notoriously clumsy and have dropped more than one book in the tub. :D :D Also I lose track of the time and might have impatient family members wanting to go to bed.

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  3. Loving your answers, the one thing that really sticks out for me is the number of bookshelves people have. That and the fact that we also all seem to have books stashed away in other places as well.
    Such a fun meme to join in, I know I loved it.

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    Replies
    1. I am running out of places to hide my books. They are also starting to spread into my sister's old room too...

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  4. Reading in the bath is the best. Although I've never dropped a book in the water yet. And now I've probably just jinxed myself.

    The bookshelf with the glass doors is PRETTY.

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    Replies
    1. It was my Grandma's, and it's particularly special as it was apparently the first piece of furniture she bought for herself, back in the 1940s. She gave it to me when she sold her house and moved into a small retirement flat, along with a complete set of Charles Dickens books.

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  5. A - I used Terry Pratchett for my answer too. Thinking about it though, you've probably hit the nail on the head with Enid Blyton. I liked The Magic Faraway Tree and Mallory Towers best :)

    F - This made me snort in a very unladylike way. This would be fine, were I not on a crowded train.

    M - Hmm. This is interesting. I have a very love/hate relationship with Dickens - I either fall completely in love with his books and can barely stand to finish them! I'd heard that A Tale of Two Cities was one of the most difficult, but maybe I'll give it a go if you say it's worth it.

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    Replies
    1. It took me a long time to get into A Tale of Two Cities, but once I did, I was absolutely hooked. Also, it's one of the shorter ones (mine is in a volume with A Christmas Carol and other Christmas stories.)

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  6. A - Enid Blyton frickin' ROCKS. The proper versions, not the new ones. *shudders*

    C - Quiet is DEFINITELY on my TBR list for over the winter...

    D - Oh hell yeah.

    F - Yup, I had this issue. I made it 'people I might have crushed on', because there is no way I was dateable material in my teens. :P

    G - Hopefully one of my holiday reads this year, roll on October!

    Q - That's a bloody good quote. Apt for me, as well. :)

    R - I really want to read them, but they're so intimidating! Maybe I should watch the series first?

    S - I have most of the books, but I still haven't read any more than The Hound of the Baskervilles. Again, maybe this winter I should make an effort! They're so good, I don't know why I keep skipping over them.

    U - Nooooo, really? *ducks to avoid Katie-thrown missiles*

    Z - THAT IS ON MY R.I.P. SHELF. Maybe I'll leave it for a day off if it's that amazing! :)

    ReplyDelete

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