These are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover
3. Answer the questions below
4. Tag a few people to pass the Q&A on to: I have a few ‘booky’ people who follow my blog and I’d love to hear their thoughts :)
Favourite book cover:I don’t think I have one. There’s nothing jumping out at me off the top of my head. Instead I offer you this- I have a very small collection of books with me and this is the one I like the best.
What are you reading right now?
I’m reading ‘Heart’s Blood’ by Juliet Marillier . It’s just what I need right now. A nicely written, easy to read YA fantasy novel. Pure escapism.
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
I put ‘Black Out’ by Connie Willis down to read the book I’m currently reading. ‘Black Out’ has amazing reviews and has won a ton of awards… but I just can’t get into it. But I will persevere!
What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got round to?
The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are
“The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusack (thanks for the reminder Suzy!)
“Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel García Márquez
What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?
I never buy magazines as I think they’re such a huge waste of money. But I think there’s a copy of Frankie in the living room courtesy of Girl Roomie.
What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?
Um… the worst book I’ve ever read..? I can’t think of one but I can tell you a story about one. I was reading this book (‘Affinity’ by Sarah Waters) and it was SO boring and weird and there seemed to be so much subtext going on that I didn’t understand (and I hate feeling stupid!). I nearly put it down… but then it became the BEST story ever! Beautifully written and an amazing ending. And then I read it when I wasn’t a naive 17 year old and it made a whole lot more sense, haha!
What book seemed really popular but you actually hated?
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series. Not that I ‘hated’ it exactly. I read all the books and they were ok. Just ok. I don’t see why they were SO popular. I read a lot of crime/thriller books and I didn’t think the plot or characters or writing set this series apart from any other book in the genre. Don't understand why the entire world went gaga for this particular series.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
'The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman. It’s a hundred times better than the movie. And the movie is the best.
What are your 3 favourite poems?
I really like ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling. And I tried to learn ‘Seal Lullaby’ by Kipling off by heart. I’ve never been a big fan of poetry though.
Where do you usually get your books?
I’m quite cheap when it comes to books. They are SO expensive over here in Australia compared with elsewhere. $19 compared with something like $7 in the US. I nearly died when I went to the US recently and saw how cheap the books were!! I very rarely buy books and if I do, I’ll get them cheaply online or from a second hand store. I am a HUGE library girl!
Where do you usually read your books?
In bed.
When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?
Not really. My dad used to read to me when I was about nine or ten before I used to go to sleep. I could read for myself but it was a nice bonding experience.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
The Hunger Games trilogy. I just *had* to know what was going to happen! I really fell hard for Katniss’ character.
Have you ever “faked” reading a book?
I originally said no but then I remembered. I have faked reading ‘Little Women’. I’ve tried but it’s just so boring! I love the movie and so I can talk knowledgably about the storyline. And so people believe I have read the book and I just haven’t corrected them…
Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
I’ve also *not* brought a book because of the cover too. I like fantasy books but some of them have really silly covers! A book I know that I bought for the cover (and by ‘bought’ I mean, saw it for sale, fell in love with it and then got it out from the library') was.
Wow, it’s even lovelier than I remembered! It makes me want to read the book/series all over again!! It’s so gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t you just want to be an archer and wear a red dress and swan about whilst the wind blows through your hair?!
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
Anything that had a horse in it. I really loved the Narnia series and there was a book where the main characters were horses, ‘The Horse and His Boy’. I’d say that one was a favourite for quite some time. And also anything by Jacqueline Wilson. She was the best!
What book changed your life?
I remember having a ‘wow, you can do that?!’ moment when reading ‘Catcher in the Rye’. It was the first book I’d ever read that was written in that informal style and I loved the freedom it offered, both as a reader and a writer.
What is your favourite passage from a book?
I can’t think of one exactly but my favourite parts of books are always those parts where you realise you’ve been totally blindsided. Here I go referencing a movie whilst talking about books, but I love those moments in books which are like the final moments in ‘The Usual Suspects’. Everything comes together and your world shifts. You realise that the writer is a master and you have been played a fool and you are reading so fast that you’re skimming words and you *HAVE* to know what’s happening right this very second. As a reader, I just love those moments!
Who are your top five favourite authors?
These are five authors that I like, in no particular order, off the top of my head:
1. Dean Koontz
2. Kate Morton
3. Kate Robinson
4. Val McDermid
5. Peter Goldsworthy
What book has no one heard about but should read?
Oh, I don’t know… um… “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. Such a good book. I know a lot of people dismiss her but she is the bee’s knees and this book is such a good thriller. I have been dying for a good movie or BBC adaption or similar of this book for YEARS!
What are your favourite books by a first-time author?
I was so stuck on this one so when I saw Sarah’s answer, I knew I had to steal it because I wholeheartedly agree with it: ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer. Beautiful book. And so sad that the author died just as the book was being published and never got to see how many people loved her story.
What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?
Ah, I can’t think of any. I’m definitely an “evangelist” for “The Princess Bride”. Also probably anything written by Kate Morton because she’s a local girl and I love her books.
What is your favourite classic book?
Since I got this from Suzy and she said ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ which would be my usual answer, I’d like to pick something different, ‘Jane Eyre’. I think it’s fairly easy to read for a classic and I love Jane as a heroine and her story. And I think Mr Rochester has a lot to answer for when I consider the type of men I like!
5 other notable mentions?
I have absolutely run out of steam and MUST go to bed. My eyes are falling out of their sockets, I’m so exhausted. Therefore I am bypassing this question. BUT knowing myself as I do, I will think about this question and probably come out with ten or fifteen other books that I am kicking myself that I didn’t mention. So I’ll probably edit this later :)
I hope you made it all the way to the end and I doubly hope you fill this out yourself!!
5 comments:
I can't believe how expensive books are there! That is just crazy to me.
I might have to give Black Out a try, since I love time travel stories... let me know if you start liking it any better. I definitely agree that magazines are a waste of money... I only buy them if there's, say, a giant picture of Chris Evans inside that I can hang on my wall or something. (More realistically, that I would save in a drawer somewhere, so as not to outwardly appear as the obsessive teenager that still lives inside me.)
I really liked "Love in the Time of Cholera," but it was also a little difficult to get through. Totally with you on "The Princess Bride" book. Also, yes to staying up all night to read "The Hunger Games."
You should check out "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairy World in a Ship of her own Making" by Catherynne Valente. SO GOOD. Also, anything by Neil Gaiman.
I am reading "Angels Gate" by authors Andrew J. Rafkin and Louis Pagano. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! My favorite kind of books are action thrillers, and this one is the best one! This a true crime story based in Los Angeles in 1983 about the largest monetary drug heist in history. It is very suspenseful and full of mystery. http://www.andrewrafkin.com/
I'm not sure I can think of a favourite book cover, but I certainly can remember one that puzzled me for ages. The two main characters were depicted mid-action, but it was impossible to work out which was the the guy and which the girl. Every now and then, I'd flick to the cover and change my mind about who was who. I don't remember the title of the book or even what it was about, but I have never forgotten that cover!
P.S. I have passed on a blog award to you!
Ohhh so many of the books you mentioned loving are on my Book Challenge list, so now I'm super excited to read them! Also, you are one of many people to say they didn't get the furore around The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy. I am yet to read it so I'm not holding much hope now haha! Also, Little Women is good haha!! And SO excited to read Hunger Games :)
Post a Comment