Book Survey!

In case you've been wondering, I HAVE been blogging more regularly! Haven't you noticed? *sigh* Nothing ever works out exactly how I want it to. But look at me now! Fun book survey I found from Kayley Hyde's blog. xD

1. Favorite childhood book?

Harry Potter by JK Rowling,  Eloise  by Kay Thompson, Amelia's Notebook by Marissa Moss

2. What are you reading right now?

Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

Currently none. I mostly use the library for movies and buy my own books.

4. Bad book habit?

Buying more than I have time to read :/

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Nothing.

6. Do you have an e-reader?

No. I don't think I'm necessarily anti e-reader, but I just don't really have the desire to have one at the moment. I'm perfectly content with my worn down and portable paperbacks! :)

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

One at a time. I'll typically read extra books for class on top of that (like now), but I usually prefer one "pleasure read" at a time.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

By blog isn't book dedicated, but reading other book blogs and joining Goodreads has definitely inspired me to read more!

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)

Haven't read enough books yet this year to say! Perhaps The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite as brilliant as I was expecting.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Probably not often enough. There are so many books within my interests that I normally don't want to waste time reading something I might not like. But a lot of times in class I'll read something I didn't expect to enjoy, but did!

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

Young adult, fantasy/sci-fi, travel memoirs, humor/comedy, and general fiction

13. Can you read on the bus?

Yep. Though perhaps not the Ithaca bus on South Hill. I get nauseous just sitting on it.

14. Favorite place to read?

Outside on the grass, anywhere near a sunny window. 

15. What is your policy on book lending?

Sharing books is great. 

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?

Not usually. 

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

I have this weird thing about hardback books where I don't really like annotating them, so I use post-it notes instead. But with paperbacks (my preference), I annotate and underline a lot.

18. Not even with text books?

Same applies.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?

English. I could say I love to read in French, but that's a lie. (Unless it's The Little Prince)

20. What makes you love a book?

Having complex yet identifiable characters is a big plus for me. Also, the general eloquence of the writing and whether the topic or plot falls within my interests are important to me.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

Friends' recommendations, vlogs/blogs

22. Favorite genre?

So hard to choose! I read a lot of YA fiction, especially since becoming a Nerdfighter. But I've also recently fallen into love a bit with books on travel xD

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)

Historical fiction. I adore Tamar by Mal Peet and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which are both young adult historical fictions. I wish I read more in the genre.

24. Favorite biography?

I honestly have never really gotten into biographies, so I'm not sure if I have a favorite.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

I suppose Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist could be considered self-help. 

26. Favorite cookbook?

I'm not a responsible cooking adult yet, so I don't really read cookbooks for fun.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and also the book I'm reading right now (Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves)

28. Favorite reading snack?

Tea. And maybe pretzels. 

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

Twilight. The whole thing's just....ugh. It's not even worth it to explain.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

I don't read critic reviews too often. The reviews I do hear mostly come from friends or bloggers/vloggers I like, so I usually agree with their reviews (since I kind of already know whether I share the same tastes/interests with them). 

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

I don't read too many books that I don't like, probably because I don't step out of my interests a lot. But I'm not afraid to give a negative review if I don't like a book.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?

French. Arabic would be pretty cool as well.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? 

Perhaps Sanctuary by William Faulkner just because his writing is so complex and I had to read that entire book in one evening before my class. It was stressful. 

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?

Probably Swann's Way by Marcel Proust because it looks/sounds big and scary. It's also currently staring at me from my bookshelf. 

35. Favorite Poet?

I'm not a huge fan of poetry and don't read enough of it in my spare time. But I do enjoy Auden and Whitman a lot.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

Again, I don't check out books from the library that often. I usually buy.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?

Rarely, if ever.

38. Favorite fictional character? 

Woah! Difficult to pick just one! A few of my favorites: The Doctor (Doctor Who), Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter), Severus Snape (Harry Potter), Cassandra Mortmain (I Capture the Castle), Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye)

39. Favorite fictional villain?

Voldemort.

40. Books you’re most likely to bring on vacation?

Relatively small paperbacks. Regarding my current to-read stacks these include The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Atonement by Ian McEwan, or A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

41. The longest you’ve gone without reading.

Last summer when I only read about two or three books the entire break. My 24/7 job doesn't leave time for reading :(

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.

Couldn't finish the Uglies/Pretties/Specials/Extras series by Scott Westerfield. I started them in middle school so I'm not even sure if they're that good or not. Everyone raved about them but I completely lost interest after the first one.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

Thoughts, text messages, internet. 

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

Fight Club. So great.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?

There's probably so many that it's difficult to choose. I seem to remember The Series of Unfortunate Events film being pretty atrocious.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

On a Saturday a couple of months ago, I went to a warehouse book sale and bought about $24 worth in books. Then I came home and ordered $70 worth of books from Amazon. 

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?

Never. I normally know what I'm looking for, based off of reviews or recommendations. The back blurb works just fine for me.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

I suppose if the plot is moving at an excruciatingly slow pace or if I'm disinterested in the characters.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?

At home, I organize by author. At school, I mostly organize by size or more fittingly "where will this fit on my shelf?"

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

Keep books. I have no problem lending, but I don't like to give away books that are important to me.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?

I don't think so. I mean, you'll never see me pick up the Pretty Little Liars series but it sounds extreme to say I'm "avoiding" them.

52. Name a book that made you angry.

Breaking Dawn for an abundance of reasons. Mockingjay didn't quite sit well with me either.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Though I loved the film adaptation, a friend told me that he had tried reading the book and couldn't even finish it. I was weary when I had to read it in class last semester but ended up loving it just as much as the film!

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. It wasn't horrible but it didn't captivate my interest like I expected it to.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?

Almost anything! xD