Saturday, September 23, 2017

#IDareYou Book Tag

I stole this tag from Cait at "Paper Fury" (with her permission, of course). Feel free to take this for yourselves later, for your own blog or to do in the comments. Have fun!

1. What book has been on your shelves the longest?

If we're talking about a TBR shelf, probably something like Legend by Marie Lu. I bought it during my dystopian craze, but now that YA fiction is completely saturated with that genre, I'm waiting to read it until I gain interest again. I'm sure it's great, but I read so many dystopian books, I can't even think about reading another one right now.

2. What is your current read, your last read, and the book you’ll read next?

Current read: Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven (I like it okay so far, but All the Bright Places is so much better.)

Last read: History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (A little long, but oh-so-very good!)

Book I'll read next: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (A "Breakfast Club"-esque murder mystery? Yes please!)

3. What book did everyone like, but you hated?

I won't say I hated these books, but I disliked them enough to either not finish or barely finish them: The Book Thief, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Catcher in the Rye, The Maze Runner, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.


4. What book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?

Demon Road by Derek Landy, but only because I CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE. Not a single bookstore nor library I've been to has carried it. Grrr.

5. Which book are you saving for retirement?

Why save any book for retirement when you can read it now?

6. Last page: Do you read it first or wait until the end?

What kind of monster reads the last page first???????????????

7. Acknowledgements: Are they a waste of paper and ink or interesting?

SO fascinating! I never used to read them, but I read them all the time now. I mostly scan them, but it's super fun seeing which authors are friends with each other, because it makes them seem like real people as opposed to a pair of disembodied hands at a keyboard. I also like to see which agent represents them if it's a book similar to one I'm shopping around, because I can query them.

8. Which book character would you switch places with?

Um, none of them. All of my favorite characters either end up dead, watch their friends and family die, or have to save the world and that is wayyy too much pressure.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life?

I have tons. I love how books evoke emotions so strong, I'm instantly able to recall where and when I read them and what was going on around me when I did. It's super fascinating.

I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone countless times on the stairs at night after my brother had gone to sleep. We used to share a room, so if I wanted light to read, I'd have to sneak out of my room and sit on the stairway. It was closed off from the downstairs, with a door leading to the living room, so sometimes I'd pause my reading and try to listen to what my parents were watching on TV.

Both Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli will always remind me of my birthday, because I read Simon on my sixteenth and Upside on my seventeenth.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver was read in the car on long rides to and from string orchestra when I was about eleven or twelve.

I read Starflight by Melissa Landers at a writer's camp. All of the kids there loved horror movies (I have no real interest in watching them), so at night when they camped out in somebody's room to watch, I'd hang out in my room and read until they were finished and we moved on to a different activity.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum was the exact fluffy read I needed when I was lying on the couch, super tired and very sick.

Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon were books I read on the train to New York City to see Broadway shows.

Cress by Marissa Meyer and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart were the only books not packed away in boxes when my family moved, so when I was in an empty house with no internet, I didn't have a hard time finding things to do. Both books were excellent.

Books I vividly remember reading over the years during my family's annual beach vacation: Paper Towns by John Green, The Krillitane Storm by Christopher Cooper, Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, and Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia.

On the topic of beach vacations, we always made a trip to the indie bookstore on the boardwalk before leaving. I remember one year I bought a copy of Divergent by Veronica Roth and read at least half of it, if not more, on the car ride home. I was instantly sucked into that world and the trip flew by.

I read most of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas when extended family came out to visit. It was a great way to snatch up a few minutes here and there of much-needed introverted recharging.

We Know It Was You by Maggie Thrash was read while the "Beauty and the Beast" soundtrack played in the background so I could memorize the songs for the show I was in.

I distinctly remember finishing The Catcher in the Rye one morning in bed, slamming the book shut with a groan, and tossing it across the room.

I read most of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken during slow shifts at work (I work at a movie theater and it is dead on school days).

My family went to Washington D.C. for the cherry blossom festival, and since there was so much traffic on the way home, I was able to read most of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

I read The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong in every spare moment during a homeschool group trip to Colonial Williamsburg.

This past Halloween, I went out on the front porch with a bowl of candy to hand out to the neighbor kids while I read Misery by Stephen King while the sun went down. It was an excellent way to spend the holiday.

My brother and I volunteered to help out at our local library's book sale, but it was so slow, I ended up spending most of my time reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

10. Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way.

Nothing comes to mind right now. My books come in pretty usual ways: gifts, bookstores, giveaways/contests, etc.

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?

I buy my friends books I think they'd like for most birthdays and Christmases.

12. Which book has been with you the most places?

Definitely any of my Harry Potter copies. I used to take paperbacks with me on every long road trip.

13. Any "required reading" you hated in high school that wasn't so bad two years later?

Since I'm still in high school, I can't answer this question yet. But I have a feeling some of the classics I felt pretty "meh" about I'll end up liking once I'm older.

14. Used or brand new?

Both! Brand new is nice and shiny, totally yours, and handy when you want to read a new book. Used copies are cheap and sometimes it's interesting wondering who underlined that quote or who wrote that message on the inside cover?

15. Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

I'm reading The Da Vinci Code now.

16. Have you ever seen a movie that you liked more than the book?

If I have, I don't remember it. Most books are wayyy better.

17. A book that's made you hungry?

Anna and the French Kiss. I wanted so many crêpes! Also Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda for Oreos, The Upside of Unrequited for cookie dough (Becky Albertalli is on a mission to make me crave desserts), and The Inexplicable Logic of My Life for homemade tortillas.

18. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?

Cait, Lara Liz, and my mom.

19. Most read authors?

J.K. Rowling, Rainbow Rowell, Cassandra Clare, and A.S. King all come to mind.

20. Ship from two different books?

This is too hard to answer because most of my favorite characters who are extremely shippable I end up shipping with another character in the same book!

Tag, you're it! If you don't want to do the whole tag, you could always answer a couple questions I'm especially curious about in the comments: What are your answers for #9 and #20?

10 comments:

Boquinha said...

Okay, I'll bite. (By the way, love reading about you reading on the stairs and sneaking a listen to what Daddy and I were watching on TV.)

I remember reading "Wonder" with you and Max and Daddy and laughing and crying our way through it (on a road trip to Florida?).

I remember reading "Holes" together on a road trip (to Colonial Williamsburg maybe?).

I remember reading "Little Women" here at home with you and Max and then visiting Louisa May Alcott's house in Massachusetts together.

I remember reading "The Fault in our Stars" in Lititz while you were at writers' camp. I generally went down with Max and hung out with him. But there was one day he spent with Daddy and I went down by myself. I finished the book on a bench under a tree by the duck pond and I was crying in public. No shame in that, of course. I simply remember those details.

I remember reading "We Were Liars" at the beach. Perfect!

I remember reading (and being fascinated by) Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code" during residency. I got Daddy into it and when he would go to work nights at the hospital, he would call me after the patients were all rounded on, and we'd read together over the phone.

I remember reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray" in college. I had to finish it for a class, but I kept falling asleep, so Daddy read to me and I fell asleep anyway. He was so hooked that he stayed up and read it all. We both really like that book.

I know it's cliche, but I read "The Notebook" as a newlywed and I positively BAWLED. Like ugly cried. We were lying in bed next to each other and as the wave of tears/sobbing came over me, I knew there was no way I could hide it. I was a mess.

I will always cherish reading "Harry Potter" with both you and Max. SUPER special times. I remember hiding spoilers from Max so that it wouldn't get ruined. Neither of you could get enough. So much fun to read together. And, of course, I remember reading it myself for the first time. Daddy suggested it to me and I thought I wouldn't be interested in it. Boy, was I wrong. I remember reading the 4th one in bed next to a sleeping Daddy during a windy night (tree branch shadows in the window kind of night). I got to the graveyard scene and I was FREAKED OUT, so I kept moving around restlessly so Daddy would wake up. It worked! He was so sweet to stay up with me and read it with me (plus he was excited to read it again).

I remember reading "Little Women" in a tree when I was a kid. I remember reading "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys" and "The Secret Garden" and all kinds of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books, too. We didn't have near what kids have today, but they were beloved nonetheless.

The Magic Violinist said...

@Boquinha

I did that for years. I couldn't hear much, but I felt super sneaky.

I definitely remember Wonder, Holes (especially how grossed out we all were when the characters had to eat onions to survive), Little Women, and Harry Potter. I think I might have accidentally screeched at a few people when they started talking about Harry Potter spoilers around Max. I took his reading of the series very seriously.

I remember you telling me about TFIOS when you finished it and thinking "yeah, I probably should've warned you about that." Then again, it's always better when you see the ending coming yourself.

Jimmy said...

This response will have to be in two parts. I keep getting an error saying it's too many characters:

1. Been on your shelves the longest? Don Quixote. I got a second major in Spanish and the Spanish-speaking world is so proud of that book. So I asked for it on hardback one year as a college student and I just haven't been able to get into it.

2. What is your current read...? Well, as you know my New Year's Resolution was to read the entire Harry Potter series. I'm on Book 6.

3. What book did everyone like, but you hated? Man I loved The Book Thief. So you're going to think I'm saying this just to get back at you, but I didn't see what the hype was on the Rainbow Rowell book I read. So there!

4. What book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't? Rough Stone Rolling. But maybe. I haven't completely given up on the idea.

5. Which book are you saving for retirement? I'd never considered this. If I can retire young,like in the next two years, then the answer is any and every book you author!

6. Last page: Do you read it first or wait until the end? Sometimes, but not all the time, I'll jump to the last page, but not before getting into the book.

7. Acknowledgements...? I read the dedications to books, that's for sure. But if the acknowledgements are the stuff at the end of the book, I don't really make it a point to read those.

8. Which book character would you switch places with? Repeating myself, but Travis from Sara, Whenever I Hear Your Name is still my all time favorite literary hero and I'd love to feel like I had his integrity and goodness at such a young age.

9. Reminds you of something specific in your life? Like you, there are several. But I'm going to fess up to the first book I read from Oprah's book club. I read Where the Heart Is on a plane trip back from Washington D.C.. I was in my mid thirties and similar to your mom's story, I hit a part and I could not stop myself from crying. Fortunately, I was sitting towards the back of the plane, but I was so choked up and holding back tears that I'm sure someone noticed. And now I can't even remember what that part was!

10. Book that you acquired in an interesting way. I kept a chewed up teen novel I picked up at a hostel in San Francisco, CA that turned out to be really good. And right now I can't remember the title or the author.

Jimmy said...

11. Given away a book for a special reason to a special person? My cousin one time said he wanted to read War and Peace so I bought the hardback and gave it to him the next year for Christmas. I don't think he ever really read it though. He wasn't all that nice to me when we were younger. He was older and thought I was a pest, but I've grown to appreciate him more as we've aged.

12. Which book has been with you the most places? The BOM.

13. Any "required reading" you hated in high school that wasn't so bad two years later? Of Mice and Men. Oh, and The Grapes of Wrath. I didn't appreciate Steinbeck enough in high school. I knew there was something there though.

14. Used or brand new? Brand spanking new!

15. Dan Brown book? Never figured out why DVC was such a hit. It's the literary equivalent of pop country music. No real substance or artistry.

16. Movie that you liked more than the book? Yes, and I'm so glad you asked. Harry Potter Book 5! I thought the director of the movie did a great job of getting to the interesting parts much more quickly then the books, but still tied it all in so well. No seriously, I think the movie was seriously well done. I drudged through that book so I wasn't expecting much from the movie and I ended up loving it. Great special effects, too!

17. Made you hungry? Can't think of anything but that's probably because it doesn't take much to make me hungry.

18. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take? I don't have that kind of person in my life.

19. Most read authors? Philip Roth and JK Rowling is inching her way up there. I've also read quite a few John Grisham books but only some of them are good.

Paul Zindel, Robert Cormier, Roald Dahl, and Jack Weyland in my youth.

20. Ship from two different books? I'm not getting this? What does this mean?

Hannah said...

All my favourite characters die too. :( Also, you can't find Demon Road?? Huh. It's in all the bookshops over here. WAIT. I just remembered that he's Irish so maybe that's why it's over here but not over there. Still, I would have thought they'd stock it what with Skulduggery Pleasant having been so big. Huh.

The Magic Violinist said...

Despite how long the last two Harry Potter books are, I have no doubt you'll finish the series with plenty of time to go before the year is up. It becomes impossible to put down after a certain point.

Now I'm curious which Rainbow Rowell book you read! Some are definitely way better than others.

Dedications are super fascinating, too. I love reading all these snippets into the author's life.

Ha, maybe I'll appreciate Of Mice and Men more later, too. I didn't like it at all.

The fifth Harry Potter movie is one of my favorites. Crazy how the longest book is the shortest movie!

#20 refers to "shipping," which is something fans do with two characters they really want to end up together in a romantic relationship. Those characters may or may not ever end up getting together, but the fan thinks they'd be a good match. So for example, I "ship" Luna and Neville. But a ship from two different books would be like shipping Luna with a character from another book entirely.

@Ivy

It's the curse of the bookworm. *shakes fist*

Ohhh, that explains it. I knew it wasn't published in the US, so I figured it had something to do with that. Maybe there are limited copies and my small town can't get any?

Jimmy said...

@The Magic Violinist

It was Eleanor and Park. It had some nice elements, but just overall her writing didn't work for me.

Cool that you liked the fifth movie, too! I want to watch it again.

Shipping. Ok, now I get it. BTW, I though the movie did a better job than the book of helping us understand Luna's character. She was perfectly cast. But maybe that's because the director had the luxury of reading the whole series before he made the movie? And I still need to learn more about Neville. Anyway, I can't think off hand of any characters I'd like to ship. I'll start giving that some thought though.

Anonymous said...

Ahh you have such a cool blog!!! this post was so fun to read. :D as are the rest of your posts ;D
love love love!!

sophy of lavender + blue

CG @ Paper Fury said...

Awww i'm sO HONOURED you like my bookish advice!! :') I do have fantastic taste. (And am obviously so hugely humble it's amazing.) Also I absolutely ADORE how you connect so many books to so many memories!! That's really amazing honestly. I barely remember what I read at any time of the year or what I was doing at all.😂 Except for Royal Bastards. I read that while camping and realised just how freaking convenient kindle books are for camping with no power.😂

So glad you did the tag! This was so fun to read!

The Magic Violinist said...

@Sophy Noelle

Thank you!! :) I just checked your blog out, too, and followed it. Can't wait to get to know each other!

@Cait

Of COURSE. Like 90% of our bookish tastes match up, so it makes sense.

My memory is only great at random times. xD And usually it's just snapshots or maybe a really specific feeling when i comes to things like this.

Ooh, kindles would be perfect after the sun goes down! But I'd be terrified of draining my battery, especially if I'd gotten to a really good part . . .