Saturday 5 July 2014

The A-Z Book Quiz

Right, so I've been super addicted to book blogs lately (just wrote bloogs.. could that be some sort of punny name?? I THINK IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN PEOPLE! Ahem). Anyway, I saw on my fave book blogger's site (that's right, Black White & Read Books) that she'd done a post featuring an A-Z Bookish Quiz, originally taken from a post by The Perpetual Page-Turner. Now, I'm too much of a fresh-faced newbie blogger to actually get tagged in one of these, but I thought I'd just throw caution to the wind and just do it anyway. I'm kinda crazy like that. So yeah, without further ado, here's my booky quiz:



Author you've read the most books from:


I'm struggling to come up with an author I've read more books by than J.K. Rowling's 7... Ooh, actually I've read 7.5 ish by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (got distracted halfway through The Lost World)... And come to think of it I've read quite a lot of Agatha Christie's too. Let's call it a draw..!

Oooh, actually it's just occurred to me that I was shamelessly addicted to Jacqueline Wilson books and K.A. Applegate's Animorphs series during my early teens, so those win hands down. Not exactly Conan Doyle but there you go ;-)

Best sequel ever:


Stealing this answer from my inspiration for this post blackwhitereadbooks.com, but it's gotta be all the Harry Potter sequels! I particularly love the 3rd, 6th and 2nd, but I'm also kinda partial to the 7th, 5th and 4th books... Decisions are hard!

Currently reading:


A LOT (if you want to take goodreads' word for it). But if you want a list of ones I've opened recently, as opposed to ones that have been temporarily abandoned, I'm currently reading:

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (review coming soon!)

A Travers Paris by Victor Eugene Geruzez

Harry Potter et la Coupe de Feu (that's The Goblet of Fire in French) by J.K. Rowling

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens (this one is borderline off the list.. definitely need to remind myself of the beginning before carrying on this one)

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (it's waiting when I get home)

and as always,

The Bible

Hmm, can you tell I'm a French student?

Drink of choice while reading:


Tea or coffee are always welcome!

Ereader or physical book?:


Ooh, this is a tough one. I love the feel of a real book in my hands; it's just not the same experience with an ereader. But there is soo much to be said for the ability to carry around multiple books on a small and light device, particularly when travelling abroad with limited baggage space/weight. I have vivid memories of lugging a year's worth of clothes and books to Paris in my pre-ereader days, and it's no picnic I can tell you! I just love to have a choice, and ereaders can give you that without taking up extra space.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:


I have actually no idea. I'm a sucker for a shy but funny nerd so if anyone can suggest one of those I'm all ears!

Glad you gave this book a chance:


Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. I haven't actually seen the film, but I've heard it described as a romantic comedy, which led me to believe that the book would just be a fun bit of light reading, with nothing too deep or thought-provoking. But instead I found this book to be so sweet and sad and funny and melancholy and poignant and heartbreaking and light and dark and so much in between. I don't know... It was just so much more than I thought it would be and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

Hidden gem book:


Greenery Street by Denis Mackail. A beautiful depiction of the life of a pair of young newlyweds in the twenties, told with wit and flair. I can definitely imagine re-reading or just dipping back into this book in the future because it just left me with such a lovely feeling. Simply perfect.

Important moment in your reading life:


Probably getting a kindle. I'd never even thought about reading Sherlock Holmes before getting one, and now it's one of my favourite things to read ever! It opened me up to an amazing world of (free!) classics that I hadn't considered before.

Just finished:


The Villa by Rosanna Ley

The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (nostalgic re-read)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Kind of books you won't read:


Not really interested in erotic books. Even romances kind of annoy me. As do religion-bashing ones. And I'm not that keen on horror. But what really matters to me is if a story is done well. A book might seem exactly right on paper (excuse the pun), but if it's not well executed it ruins the whole thing.

Longest book you've read:


Probably the 5th Harry Potter book to be honest.. though I've also read almost all of the Bible and that's pretty huge!

Major book hangover because of:


Northern Lights by Philip Pullman always gives me a serious book hangover. As do the Harry Potter books. Also, I read Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve a few months ago, and the ending really stuck with me - it was so brutal! I didn't expect it at all!

Oh man, I just remembered another couple of books that majorly stuck with me/traumatised me forever... The Andalite Chronicles and The Hork Bajir Chronicles, both by K.A. Applegate. They're sort of back-story spin-offs from the Animorphs series, and they just hit me so hard in the feels I just didn't know how to recover. The power of reading, kids!

Number of bookcases you own:


Right now, my only bookcase is on my kindle, but I have a wall of books in my bedroom plus several teetering piles around the room/house waiting for me when I get home from France (in one week!). No idea how many though...

One book you have read multiple times:


I actually re-read books quite a lot. I know some people who never re-read, or consider it a waste of time, but I could not disagree more. I've re-read all these multiple times:

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

All the Harry Potter books

The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton

OK so that's way more than one, but there you go.

Preferred place to read:


I live right by the beach at the moment so I think that's my current favourite place. But I do get sunburnt pretty quickly so I have to be careful about finding some shade in case I get too engrossed in the book and end up looking like a lobster. I also love a cosy café or library, and will never say no to a comfy armchair, or my bed... Quite a lot of favourite places it seems!

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read:


So I should probably pick something super inspirational from one of the classics that has a profound impact on life and stuff, but this one just makes my eyes well up a bit even thinking about it...

“He accused me of being Dumbledore's man through and through."
"How very rude of him."
"I told him I was."
Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To Harry's intense embarrassment, he suddenly realized that Dumbledore's bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knee. When Dumbledore spoke, however, his voice was quite steady. 
"I am very touched, Harry.”


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Oh Rowling you cruel woman! Why must you bring back all these feels again! *sobs*

Reading regret:


I spent a lot of time not reading in my late teens, so I feel like I've missed out on some stuff and am constantly trying to catch up. I also wish I'd started on Jane Austen way sooner... They're just so great!

Series you started and need to finish (all books are out in series):


A Song of Ice and Fire. I was in two minds about this series, since I'm not normally a huge fan of overly detailed fantasy where it gets too wrapped up in the world's politics, which is the impression I'd got from hearing about it. But my brother's really into it, and bought me the first book for my birthday ("If you like it, then that's your birthday and Christmas presents sorted for the next few years!")... I started it, but since I was given it when home from Germany over Christmas with limited baggage space, it stayed at home. So that book, and all the others in the series, are waiting to be read this summer and in the coming years. Could be a long ride folks!

Three of your all-time favourite books:


Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton (though I love the Father Brown stories to!)

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

Unapologetic fangirl for:


As you may have gathered, I love Harry Potter. I am also a self-confessed Agatha Christie addict, and haven't read nearly as many of her books as I would like (so many books, so little time!)

Very excited for this release more than all the others:


I look forward to reading the new Rachel Aaron series, and really hope Reginald Hill writes another book.

Worst bookish habit:


Not finding enough time to read. My mum has a better one though - she often reads the ends of books before the middle, just to make sure it's going to be worth her time. I know so many people who are completely scandalised by this!

X marks the spot:  Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:


Right, well I'm not at home so I'm just going to pick the 27th book on my kindle instead. That kind of counts, right? It is...

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Your latest book purchase:


Doctor Sleep: Shining Book 2 by Stephen King

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):


I remember staying up late reading pretty much ALL the later Harry Potter books, but I also find Jane Austen really gripping! The last one I read was Emma, and I just couldn't put it down to go to sleep. I had to make sure everything was OK with the characters first.

Et voilĂ !

If anyone else fancies doing this survey thing, consider yourself officially tagged! And feel free to post your answers in the comments. I'd love to read them!

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