55 QUESTIONS ABOUT BOOKS | PART TWO

I came across this on The Notebook Sisters‘ blog (if you don’t know the blog you should devote the rest of your day to reading up – it’s one of the best and funniest blogs out there). Cait and Mime’s answers are much funnier than mine, so please read theirs after you finish this post, but here’s part one and part two. (There were a couple of questions missing here and there, so I went to The Literary Lollipop’s post for the original list to fill them in.)

This is part two – check out part one here!

 28. Favourite reading snack?

I don’t really have one. But I’m always game for chocolate. And beer. And chips.

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

These Broken Stars. Ugh.

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

If by “the critics” you mean other book bloggers, then pretty often. But then again, I’ve carefully selected a virtual family of bloggers to follow who  have similar tastes and opinions to me, so I’m not sure that’s particularly accurate.

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

Okay, maybe that’s a bit strong. But this is pretty accurate:

Seriously, I am so aware that a ton of time and effort has gone into every single book, even the bad ones. I also know I could never write one. So tearing one down? Pretty much the absolute shittiest part of book blogging.

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

French. And Spanish. Actually, both of them. Whatever, I’m fine with cheating and picking two. 

33. Most intimidating book I’ve read?


Does reading all of Jane Austen’s books count? I don’t think I’m a particularly impressive reader. Though I did read the whole Twilight saga in a week. You can bow down to me now.

34. Most intimidating book I’m too nervous to begin?

War and Peace. Les Miserables. The Odyssey. Ulysses. Crime and Punishment. Anna Karenina. Moby Dick. Oh, tons.

35. Favorite poet?

Emily Dickinson was my favourite growing up, because of the name thing. But I love spoken word and hip hop. Which you can try to argue as much as you want, but to me good rap lyrics are poetry, and I’m not changing my mind on that. So, that being the case, I’d go with Slug from Atmosphere, Saul Williams, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Latryx, etc. Oh, just listen to this.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94jc9NHm8EQ?feature=player_detailpage]

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

Don’t use the library (see last set of questions for details).

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

Back when I did use the library, all the time. I’d check out any books that appealed to me and try them, but often set them aside. I mean, that was kind of the point. No commitment.

38. Favourite fictional character?

Oh, this old chestnut. Augustus Waters. Hermione Granger. Holden Caulfield. Boo Radley. And oh, so many others.

39. Favorite fictional villain?

Loki? Does that count? *swoon*

41. The longest you’ve gone without reading?

I have no idea. I went for a while without reading regularly – i.e. I would sometimes not really be reading anything, other times I would re-read Harry Potter. But I don’t think I’ve ever gone for any length of time without reading anything at all.

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

Bleak House, The Historian,On the Road, the Divergent trilogy, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, a few of John Irving’s books and a few of Hunter Thompson’s books.

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

If it’s a good book, not much.

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?

Harry Potter, hands down. Also liked Perks of Being A Wallflower, though I never finished the book. Fight Club.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?

Hmmm. I tend to block these. I haven’t read the Vampire Academy books, but thought that movie wasn’t up to much.

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

Maybe like 50 bucks? I tend to book shop online or used in store, so not a huge amount.

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

*blinks*

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?

If I hate the writing or characters and if the plot is boring.

49. Do you like to keep your books organised?

I would like to if I had a library so they were all in one room. But as it is they’re too scattered to be able to really re-arrange them without it getting overwhelming.

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

Keep unless I don’t like them.

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

The rest of the Beautiful Creatures books.

52. Name a book that made you angry.

Insurgent, These Broken Stars and Shatter Me. UGH. Annoying characters and poor or irritating writing. Inconsistencies. Inadequate world building. Just… ugh.

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

The Razorland Trilogy, which turned out to blow my mind.

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

These Broken Stars. I’d heard such amazing things about it and it just totally bombed for me.

55. Favourite guilt-free pleasure reading?

I’m not sure how guilt comes into it. I don’t feel guilty for reading anything I enjoy. If I’m in a really bad mood and want to re-read something I know I’ll love, generally it’s Harry Potter, Helene Hanff, TFIOS or one of my childhood faves like Adrian Mole.

That’s it for all 55 questions! Phew. If you’ve been following along, don’t forget to link-up with your own posts in the comments or just pipe in on any questions that strike your fancy!  //<![CDATA[ var sc_project=10144299; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_security="82f610c9"; var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://secure." : "http://www."); document.write("”); //]]>