Thursday, September 5, 2013

A to Z Bookish Survey

I saw this on Bibliotropic (although it was originally from The Perpetual Page-Turner) and thought it looked like so much fun!

Author you've read the most books from:
Probably Agatha Christie. Since I've been keeping track, though (since fall 2011) it's been J. K. Rowling.

Best sequel ever:
Hm... this is a tough one! Probably The Riddle by Alison Croggon. It was my favorite book of the Pellinor series.

Currently reading:
The Bible, of course (always!). I just started Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I'm also working my way, very slowly, through The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin and The Song of the Nibelungs.

Drink of choice while reading:
I much prefer water. So refreshing! Only if it is cold and/or dreary out (or if I'm sick) will I prefer tea.

E-reader or physical book?
Physical book! I love having a real book in my hands, and I love the physical act of turning pages. It is also so much easier to flip back and review sections you've forgotten in a physical book. Oh, I also love the smell of the paper in a book, and the different textures of the pages. The physical book, for me, shapes the feel I have going into a book. My copy of The Neverending Story, for instance, was gorgeously illustrated, and that made it so much easier to start reading it with such a sense of wonder.

The one exception is long classics. While I still prefer reading from a physical book, it's easier to read a digital copy if I don't actually own one, since reading a book like Anna Karenina in the three week loan period is not possible while I'm in school (although I gave it a good go!). I mention classics specifically since most of them are available for free on Project Gutenberg. :)

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:
I have absolutely no idea. I didn't date in high school!

Glad you gave this book a chance:
Divergent. I was feeling very anti-YA lit just then, and it seemed like just another YA book. Thankfully it wasn't!

Hidden gem book:
King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild. I say it's a hidden gem not because it's an obscure book (it's pretty well-known, I think) but because it doesn't sound nearly as good as it is (it's a book about exploitation and genocide in the Belgian Congo. I know it doesn't get much more depressing than that, but it was also inspiring. Hochschild told the stories of those who fought against the injustice, and always clearly condemns the horror of the regime).

Important moment in your reading life:
Definitely the moment that I realized that reading could be done for the glory of God and to know Him better. It wasn't a moment so much as a long, slow realization, however.

Just finished:
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. As always, she was a masterful writer, and thankfully it was much better than the second one.

Kind of book you won't read:
Most romance books. Horror novels, math books.

Longest book I've read:
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

Major book hangover because of:
I'm not sure what a 'book hangover' is...

Number of bookcases you own:
Three, but such a small number is only possible because so many of my books are away from home with me at seminary.

Okay, I also prefer to get a book from the library before committing to buying it.

One book you have read multiple times:
Since it's impossible to pick only one (I love rereading good books!), I'm going to pick the ones that I've reread the most often. I've reread the first three Harry Potter novels easily twenty times each (I used to get super into them when I was eleven and twelve), especially Prisoner of Azkaban. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is probably the next closest, with probably ten rereads. For whatever reason, every spring for at least eight years I would have the very strong desire to reread it, plus I reread it a few times to write a paper on it.

Preferred place to read:
Sitting on my bed, or perhaps a couch or armchair. I love to read sitting cross-legged, which is easiest to do on my bed.

Quote that inspires/gives the feels:
"For the Lord stood by me and gave me strength" (2 Timothy 4:17) has been really inspirational for me lately.

Reading regret:
That I have read very little true science fiction (just Star Wars novels and I, Robot). I would love to read more of Isaac Asimov, and start authors like Ray Bradbury and Douglas Adams.

Series you started and need to finish:
I honestly can't think of the last series that I started. I've been pretty into stand-alone novels lately.

Three of your all time favorite books:
Ahh!! Okay... The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling, Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.

Unapologetic fangirl for:
Star Wars, both the (original) films and the book series set in the twenty or so years after the (original) films. Star Trek (the original series and Deep Space 9, mostly). Harry Potter!

Very excited for this release:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth. The two earlier books in the series, Divergent and Insurgent, were probably my favorite YA books of the year, and Veronica Roth is probably my favorite author as a person. She is Christian without shoving it down her readers' throats and without writing anything Christian, but also a good witness.

Worst bookish habit:
Definitely my unreasonable expectations of myself. There are twenty-two books on the list I made of books I'd like to read in the next year (not including seminary readings).

X marks the spot: Start at top left and pick the 27th book on your shelf:
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie.

Your latest book purchase:
Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality by Bradley P. Holt, but that was for school. My last purchase for myself... wow, I'm not sure I can remember (I rarely actually buy books). Oh yeah! I bought All About Birds: A Short Illustrated History of Ornithology by Valérie Chansigaud and A Single Swallow by Horatio Clare at an overstock sale.

Zzz-snatcher book:
Any Harry Potter book, especially the last two. Recently also God at War by Gregory Boyd and the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer. Really, anything that's well-written and gripping will keep me up, especially if I'm feeling rebellious and don't feel like sleeping.

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