I'm Kidnapping What Naomi Has Rightfully Stolen

Yup.  I am.  She did a splendiferous post about books, books, and more books, and I've stolen it to answer here (I did warn her, though XD ).


1.  Favorite childhood book?  Ha.  What?  I'm afraid I couldn't answer that, m'dear;)

2.  What are you reading right now?  I'm currently rereading North and South.

3.  What books do you have on request at the library?  Well…I have the second book in a fantasy series on hold for my brother.

4.  Bad book habit?  Mustn't ask us, precious!  Not its business! :D

5.  What do you currently have checked out at the library?  I unfortunately have not really been checking out actual books from the library recently.  I stick with those readily available to me, since, what with school and such, I haven't as much leisure for reading as I'd wish *sob*.  

6.  Do you have an e-reader?  I have Goodreads, and sometimes I read classics on there if they're available and if I'm "in a bind."

7.  Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?  Technically, I'm usually reading several at once:  a devotional (as well as the Bible, of course), my assigned school reading, and a pleasure-read.

8.  Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?  Maybe…my to-read list may have grown, I'm not exactly sure:)

9.  Least favorite book you read so far this year?  Ha.  Ahaha.  Robinson Crusoe.  We shouldn't go into it…

10.  Favorite book you've read this year?  As in…this actual year, 2015?  The Princess Bride by William Goldman.  Definitely a new favorite; it did not disappoint:)  "How are you?"  "I am in something very close to agony, but we can talk about that later."

11.  How often do you read out of your comfort zone?  I pretty much stick with my few and favored genres; occasionally I'll be assigned a book in schoolwork that I'm not thrilled about, but it generally falls under my genres anyway.

12.  What is your reading comfort zone?  Mainly historical fiction, devotionals, a little fantasy, and legend-type books (like Ivanhoe).  

13.  Can you read in the car?  The stinkin' laws of motion sickness make me nauseous when I try to read in the car, and thank you so very much for bringing up such a painful memory.  While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? ;)

14.  Favorite place to read?  Curled up in a cushioned armchair or on the couch:)

15.  What is your policy on book-lending?  Pretty lax…as long as I can be sure of getting it back when needed:D

16.  Do you ever dog-ear books?  Not really.

17.  Do you ever write in the margins of your books?  Nope, I tend to highlight more often.

18.  Do you break/crack the spine of your book?  Unfortunately…yes:-/

19.  What is your favorite language to read in?  Merry olde English!

20.  What makes you love a book?  Excellent writing style, humor or pathos (as the story may be), well-developed characters and a fleshed-out plot line.  (Though that's just a general set of guidelines - sometimes I like a book that doesn't fulfill all of those, and vice versa.)

21.  What will inspire you to recommend a book?  If it inspired me;)  As a matter of fact, I recommend books a bit too easily.

22.  Favorite genre?  Historical fiction!  Though I use that broadly - including Middle-Ages kinds of tales.

23.  Genre [author] you rarely read but wish you did?  Um…dare I say it?  Jane Austen.  I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

24.  Favorite biography?  Hmm…I'm sure I have one but I can't place it just now.

25.  Have you ever read a self-help book?  No, not strictly a self-help book, though I've read lots of devotionals, and those were certainly therapeutic!

26.  Favorite cookbook?  Um…

27.  Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?  Probably Mere Christianity by my beloved C. S. Lewis:D

28.  Favorite reading snack?  Lunch;)

29.  Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.  So. many. times.  Let's see here…Robinson Crusoe, The Hunger Games and Divergent (though to be fair I really just skimmed through those two), Jane Austen in general…

30.  How often do you agree with critics about a book?  Critics and I don't really have the same views, shall we say, in regard to most things;)

31.  How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?  I don't think I'd write a blog review of a book if I really hated it…but when discussing it with my co-op class - that's a whole other issue.

32.  If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?  I can read a little in Latin, but I'd love to be able to read in French!

33.  Favorite poet?  I suppose people would start telling me such silly folly-rot as, "He doesn't count," if I were to respond with J. R. R. Tolkien (to which I would say, "Go read his poetry in The Lord of the Rings), so…I'll say that I'd like to read the poetry of John Keats, Mrs. Hemans, and Sir Walter Scott.

34.  How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?  See my answer to question number 5:(

35.  How often have you returned books to the library unread?  A fair number of times, couldn't give an exact estimate.

36.  Favorite fictional character?  *chokes*  Excuse me?  Prepare yourself for quite a list:  Faramir, Frodo Baggins, John Thornton, Margaret Hale, Molly Gibson, Aslan, Westley, Mac Campbell, Rose Campell, Dustfinger, Elinor (from Inkheart), Rebecca of York (I think that's her name), James Hook (yes), Gandalf, Galadriel, Rudy Steiner, Liesel Meminger, Jace Buckley, Coral Kendall…I could go on, if you wish:D

37.  Favorite fictional villain?  James Hook.  Or Brian Bois-Guilbert.

38.  The longest you've gone without reading?  I guess…whenever I've been really sick, I probably haven't read that much.

39.  Name a book that you could not/would not finish.  Hmm.  I know there have been those cases…Northanger Abbey (I will read it eventually!), The Hunger Games, Divergent, A Passage to India…etc.

40.  What distracts you easily when you're reading?  Noise, hehe.

41.  Favorite film adaptation of a novel?  Need I answer this?  I think you guys know;)

42.  Most disappointing film adaptation?  Probably Ella Enchanted.  I mean, the heck.  Okay, okay, sometimes I like it, but it's really nothing like the book, and the book is, overall, so much better.

43.  The most money [you've] ever spent in the bookstore at one time?  Somewhere between $20 and $30, I think.

44.  How often do you skip a book before reading it?  *cough cough*  Ahem.  About that.

45.  What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?  If it bored me.  Or if I felt that I really shouldn't continue, ya know, for moral reasons, whatever they might be.

46.  Do you like to keep your books organized?  Yup!  Though there are usually a few lying around my room, instead of in my book case/chest, where they belong.

47.  Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?  Keep.  Unless, of course, I didn't like it, and know of someone else who might enjoy it more than I did.

48.  Are there any books you've been avoiding?  Oh, dear.  How many times must I use the smallest print to conceal the shameful fact?  Jane Austen, again.  With the exception of the wonderful Pride and Prejudice, of course.  

49.  Name a book that made you very angry.  Ohhh, darlin', trust me - you do not want to go there.

50.  A book that you didn't expect to like but did?  Let's see.  Beowulf, perhaps?

51.  A book you expected to like but didn't?  Robinson Crusoe.

53.  Favorite guilt-free pleasure reading?  I assume you mean books you still read from childhood?  One Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith.  Totes adorbs;)

That tag was way too much fun.  Thanks for letting me steal borrow, borrow it without permission, Naomi!:D



Comments

  1. Reading in French is on my list of to-dos as well. I actually completed the first level of Rosetta Stone in French, and was surprised I could actually read pretty basic French...and understand it! My goal is to get good enough to be able to read The Hunchback of Notre Dame all in French. Someday. But I have to actually continue to learn French to get that good.....and I haven't kept up. I also love Beowulf. I searched and searched for the perfect edition before buying and indulging, and absolutely love it. I am pretty picky about translations with old things. I like it to have that old language feel. Like Charles Dickens or Jane Austen. I haven't been able to read through Austen either. I start, but she is so bland of a writer for me. My favorite story of hers though is Sense and Sensibility.

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  2. You can read in French?? You lucky thing, you!;) Yes, I'd like to be able to read Victor Hugo's books and the original book "The Phantom of the Opera."

    I really liked Beowulf! I love the old-fashioned feel of the writing, too:D

    About Jane Austen. Ho, boy. I feel like a disgrace to the period-drama-loving community, but…with the exception of P&P, I've never finished one of her books. I just can't seem to get into them as I can their movie adaptations. Weird. I love Sense and Sensibility! Lovely tale:)

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    1. If it's any consolation, I didn't like Austen when I was a teen either. Or a twenty-something. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I started to really like her writing, so... you're not the only one :-)

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    2. Whew, I'm glad I'm not the only one!;) And like I said, I love her stories, just not her writing style (I did enjoy reading P&P, though). XD

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  3. I'm sure many Jane Austen lovers will disagree, but I don't think it is weird. I think her writing style is extremely bland. Love her stories. But in the novels, it is basically all narration with some talking. I love beautiful writing, and though her tales are wonderful, I need detail! Her books are really just saturated with social etiquette, and everything else within the story is given the least amount of detail as possible. I read through MOST of Sense and Sensibility, but that is all I have done with her novels. I have read through almost all of them in children adapted versions!

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    1. Oh, and you might find it weird that I am not much of a Pride and Prejudice fan.

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    2. Yes! I mean, obviously, she wrote well, but…I just…I don't like it:-/ It was just…dry.

      No, I understand! Personally, I don't really like the characters in that story (yeah. I don't like Mr. Darcy. Go ahead, throw the rotten tomatoes), but I do like the storyline itself:D

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  4. I don't get all the love Mr. Darcy gets from Austen fans. I love Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, but he never seems to be on the list of men everyone goes on and on about. And her writing is dry. It is good, just different, specific. I think you have to like that kind of blunt narrative writing like that. Obviously her stories are wonderful, I believe they are the most adapted/retold stories in film and books.

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    1. I don't get it either. I just don't. Yes, I love Brandon! He is a wonderful man:) Have you seen any of the film adaptations of S&S?

      Yes, you're probably right. It needs just a little more "oomph" to it, for me;)

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    2. Yes. I really love this one: http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Sensibility-Miss-Austen-Regrets/dp/B0012OVCE6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424065271&sr=8-2&keywords=sense+and+sensibility+dvd

      They are the perfect people for the roles! It is one of my favorite movies.
      By the way, I was thinking about some books I use to read years ago, and remembered some of your answers in this post and thought they would be books you would really like. Have you ever read anything by Janette Oke? She is a Christian Historical Fiction writer. Her books are really good. Specifically, I think you would like her Love Comes Softly series. I read several of them (I think there are 8 books in the series), and I own all the movies as well. My favorite series of books for many years was her Song of Acadia series.

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    3. Aargh I love that adaptation so much! Brandon is just amazing in that one! I love it.

      Yes, Janette Oke is great! I love the first book in the Love Comes Softly series, but wasn't nuts about the rest of them. The Song of Acadia series, though! Oh my flipping they are just SO GOOD. My favorites of her books are those ones I just mentioned, as well as "When Calls the Heart," "When Comes the Spring," and "A Gown of Spanish Lace." They're all really good!

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    4. I figured you probably read some of hers, but just in case I thought I'd mention her! I absolutely loved Song of Acadia series. I reread that first book so many times when I was living in Alaska. Have you seen the Love Comes Softly movie series? I own the whole set, love them. They are not really much like the books at all, the timeline is all messed. They show them in a marathon type of way on TV every now and then.

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    5. I'm glad you did! The Song of Acadia series is amazing. I love the first book the best, probably--I seem to remember also really enjoying the third one. I like the Love Comes Softly movies:D That is, I have to be in the right mood, but ordinarily, yes. My favorites are probably "Love's Enduring Promise," "Love's Unending Legacy," and "Love's Unfolding Dream." What about you? Have you seen either of the prequels they made a while ago?

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    6. I own the entire collection of the Love Comes Softly DVDs. I can't remember how many movies there are? Its been a while since I've watched them. But I know there is more than the 3 you mentioned. And I know what you mean, you have to be in the mood to watch them. I think the first book in the song of acadia series was the best too. I also really liked the one where one of the daughters once grown traveled by ship...I don't remember which one that was. That one was really good too. I wonder if that was the third one like you mentioned?

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    7. I think there are eight in the original movie series. Oh, yes, that was another one I really liked! I think that's the fourth book…"The Distant Beacon," maybe? Oh, well. I know which one you mean:)

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  5. Yay, you did this! Thank you for the link-up to my blog, and the lovely praising words. :-) Yup, you warned me. But hey, I stole it too. :-)

    Yes, since I started blogging, my to-read list has DEFINATELY grown A LOT bigger. Definitely, definitely, definitely. :-D
    Loved reading this, Arwen! Your answers are delightful!

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    1. Yes, I did! And I had a lot of fun!;) Of course! They were very well-deserved:D

      Haha, thanks! Yes, my reading horizons have probably broadened a good bit!

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  6. I can relate to your answer for #13. Love your movie references!

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    1. I feel ya, sister, I feel ya. It's so aggravating to be a book lover and unable to read in the car, isn't it? Haha, thanks! I was kind of in a "Princess Bride" mood that day (though, to be honest, when is anyone ever NOT in a PB mood? =D)

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  7. Do you mind if I take my favorite of these questions (aka all of them) and do this on my blog?

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    1. Of course not! Let the legacy of stealing continue!;) Seriously, I have no idea where the original post even came from, so...plus, I'd really like to read your answers:D

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