The Ultimate Book Tag

I am finally finished uni. And when I say finished, I mean for a whole YEAR. I don’t step foot back in a lecture theatre or tutorial room for a whole twelve months. I probably should go back next year, but I feel like I’ve earned a bit of a break. Anyway, I only just finished More Than This last night; I have a bit of a literary trade-off going with a friend of mine (he writes a story, I write a song); I’ve been wanting to write a particular story for a few months; and I have a story I have to edit that was | | this close to getting published a few months ago.

So, because of all of this writing that I have get to do, my blogging’s fallen a little by the wayside. Luckily, the lovely Holly over at NutFreeNerd posted The Ultimate Book Tag and she tagged all of us to take part in it. I’m taking up the challenge, and so should you! It’s going to be fun.

Without further ado, here is The Ultimate Book Tag:

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Yes. Horrifically. I can last about 10-15 minutes and then I start to feel really nauseated. And that feeling doesn’t go away when I get out of the car, it persists for at least a few hours. It SUCKS.

2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?

Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief. Some of  his turns of phrase blow my mind. He’s just amazing. And he’s Aussie!

3. Harry Potter series or the Twilight Saga? Give three points to defend your answer.

Hermione: making reading cool since 1997

Harry Potter!. I feel like this is self-explanatory but I’ll give you three points anyway:

• The female characters in Harry Potter actually have substance. They are more than their relationships. They can stand up for themselves, they’re smart, and self-reliant! Plus, they have personality. I’m pretty sure it’s the general consensus in some literary circles that Bella was written as a hollow character specifically for the purpose of allowing female readers to imagine themselves as Bella.
• The amount of detail that JK put into her novels! You know when Harry’s picked up by the Order in Order of the Phoenix? One of the guard was named Hestia (Hestia Jones, I think). She was next to the toaster in the kitchen of Privet Drive. Now, why is that important? Because Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth. Let that just sink in for a minute.
• Without Harry Potter, I wouldn’t be the reader that I am today. So, you know, there’s that.

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what’s in it? (besides books)

I don’t know if this counts, but I make sure that any handbags I buy are big enough to comfortably carry my biggest books. I will never have a tiny purse. There’s just no point to a bag that won’t carry books!

5. Do you smell your books?

Um, of course! I actually recently bought book scented candles from one of my favourite Etsy shops, Frostbeard. You definitely should check them out! There is a Dumbledore’s Office scent!

6. Books with or without little illustrations?

Usually without. But that’s not on purpose, I just seem to pick books without illustrations. If some of the books I’ve read had illustrations, I would still read them.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later that it wasn’t quality writing?

I was a Twihard, so there’s Twilight. But there are also so many more. There’s the Hush, Hush series, Looking for Alibrandi, and probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting to name.

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

Does high school count as childhood? Because I have one! My Twilight books got passed around like party drugs in high school. And one day, I was walking with a girl (to whom I’d lent the books) to class, and we were crossing the road. She had her nose in the book the entire time. I mean, we were on a pedestrian crossing, but still.

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

My books aren’t currently on shelves because I’m moving in a few months, but the thinnest book, I think, is Run by Gregg Olsen. A truly wonderful book that you all need to read.

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

Hmmm…probably the His Dark Materials trilogy. I have all three as the one book. It is MASSIVE.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?

I’ve wanted to be an author since I first started reading. I actually did an undergrad in Creative (and Professional) Writing to get better at writing. I can see myself as an author in the future, but probably not as a day job. I feel like I’ll write my manuscript by night and have a regular 9-5 type job. I’d probably give up my day job if I ended up being the next Cassandra Clare, but I can’t quite see it happening.

12. When did you get into reading?

I got into reading as a kid. We used to have reading homework, to improve our skills, and I just kind of picked up the habit. I really got into reading when I first read Harry Potter. That series sparked an addiction that has lasted over a decade by this point.

13. What is your favorite classic book?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I loved it! I didn’t have to struggle through it like I have with other “classics”. Like Austen. And Frankenstein.

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?

It was one of them, but I actually did best in a computing subject. Not because I was particularly gifted with computers, but because I was the only person in my whole class to actually study. There were definitely better computer guys in my class, but they actually knew so much about computers that their knowledge contradicted what we were supposed to learn. Weird, huh?

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated… what would you do?

“Oh, wow! Thanks so much, I can’t wait to read it!”
A few days later…
“Excuse me, where is your ‘donated books’ pile?”

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or The Hunger Games?

Err, nothing quite like Harry Potter. And I’ve shied away from most of the series that sound like Hunger Games. I’m not too fussed on the whole dystopian genre. I like my stories to be a little bit hopeful.

17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while blogging?

If I really like a book, I kind of start gushing about how awesome the book is and forget to be unbiased. And in one instance, I actually forgot to review the book and just went on and on about the effect it had on me. The best way to get someone to read a book is to critique it honestly, not simply say “OMG OMG OMG THIS BOOK IS AWWWWEEEEESSSSOOOOMMMEEE!!!!”

But I’ll probably keep doing it, just so you know.

18. What is your favorite word?

“Obstreperous”. Yes, this is actually a word. I first read it in To Kill a Mockingbird and thought that it was so ridiculous sounding that it had to be made up. But nope, it’s real. Check it:

 Obstreperous
adjective
noisy and difficult to control.
“the boy is cocky and obstreperous”

19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?

I prefer nerd. Because, well, Dr. Seuss invented that word! Plus, I wear glasses so there’s that.

20. Vampires or fairies? Why?

Have you read The Mortal Instruments? Vampire may suck your blood and turn you into one of them, but at least they won’t twist the truth or enchant you so that you you dance until you die.

21. Shapeshifters or angels? Why?

Angels. Because the werewolves in Twilight were technically shape shifters and I think that’s lame. And besides, angels are badass. have you read The Infernal Devices? Tessa’s clockwork angel. ‘Nuff said.

22. Spirits or werewolves? Why?

Werewolves. Because they’re more awesome. Ghosts kinda suck. Unless we’re counting Peeves. But he was a poltergeist, wasn’t he?

23. Zombies or vampires?

Vampires! I really, really don’t understand the whole zombie thing! Vampires, well modern ones, have magic (Vampire Academy), they’re super strong, live forever, and there’s something darkly seductive about them. Plus, in Mortal Instruments there’s the whole thing about vampires becoming more physically attractive when they’re turned so that they can “lure” their prey. Meyer touched on that a little too, which I actually thought was clever.
Zombie are gross, undead things that are basically humanoid (loosely) garbage disposals. They eat and eat and can turn you with a single bite. Sounds a little like vampires, but zombies are so goddamned ugly!

24. Love triangle or forbidden love?

I feel like both are overplayed. If the author can make it fresh and exciting, then either can be good. The Infernal Devices does it perfectly. The resolution is amazing, even though some may argue that it’s a cop out.

25. Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

I hate romance novels. There’s more to life than just “getting the girl/boy”. Plus, I think romance is way more intense when it all happens in the midst of other stuff. Again, see The Infernal Devices for a prime example.

And now it’s your turn! Take on this tag, because it’s fun!

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