Sunday Salon: A-to-Z Book Survey

Hi everyone!

Not much to relate as I am still quite busy these days. I am still not finished with Anne Bronte’s novel, but perhaps by next weekend I’ll have started something else!

I saw this book survey on Planet Millie. It’s been awhile since I did a survey about books and one that I like.

Author you’ve read the most books from: According to GoodReads, it’s Neil Gaiman (26) followed closely by the very prolific Georgette Heyer (25). She will exceed him easily when I get back to her novels eventually.

Best Sequel Ever: Err.. this is rather difficult. I like a few series to be sure, and often the sequels to the first book are better because they can conclude things.

Currently Reading: Usually, I don’t have a book on the go, but due to my hectic last few weeks, I’ve been slowly crawling through The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte.

Drink of Choice While Reading: I drink water and hot water most of the day. Then there’s tea.

E-reader or Physical Book? While I will always love physical books, I do really like my Kindle. Reading is reading after all.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School: Well, it’s more like which fictional character would have dated me in high school. I find a lot of characters attractive, but usually they are ones which do find their true loves. It’s hard picturing myself with fictional characters.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance: I tried reading Jane Eyre when I was 15, it didn’t take. I picked it up four years later, and it was much better.

Hidden Gem Book: I think graphic novels on the whole are still underrated. Sandman is an obvious one, but I also like Persepolis, Maus, and probably the most obscure of this list: Blankets and the work of Craig Thompson in general.

Important Moment in your Reading Life: Definitely a few of these, but I always feel that Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy marked a change in my reading life. While I had many books including adult fiction and classics, something clicked with Tolstoy.

Just Finished: Sadly, the last book I finished over a month ago was Neil Gaiman’s books including The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read: There aren’t any genres, I truly dislike. I do avoid certain nonfiction groups such as religious and very political books (I did as a student though). I am not a horror or scary story person. I also read some romance, but not the “kind the drugstores sell” aka bodice rippers.

Longest Book You’ve Read: Probably War & Peace. I’ve read a number of books over 750 pages. I like big books and I can not lie.

Major book hangover because of: Probably the last couple of Harry Potter books. It was mostly the finality of it. Gilead is another one.

Number of Bookcases You Own: One sortof, but I have enough books for three.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times: The Harry Potter series and the His Dark Materials series both have merited rereads for a couple of reasons, longevity is one of them since I started both series about 15 years ago.

Preferred Place To Read: In a nice comfy leather chair.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read: There are many, but here’s one from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird:

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin and you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.

Reading Regret: The Fifty Shades trilogy. Yeah, I did it to make fun of it, but oh, the horror.

Series You Started And Need To Finish (all books are out in series): I use to think I did need to finish series, but life is too short. If a series doesn’t hold my interest anymore, I can drop it.

Having said that, I do need to finish Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series. After reading mixed reviews on the last couple of books, I’ve been distancing myself and reading other things. I will finish it eventually.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books: I’ve noticed that I love series, but here are just three one-off books that I loved when I read them: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

Unapologetic Fangirl For: A number of series, but I think the Harry Potter one is most notable. I use to be in that fandom. I’m not really a fangirl kind though. I do “fangirl” certain authors like Jane Austen.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others: I guess that would have to be Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series books.

Worst Bookish Habit: The classic: buying and taking out books which I have room for and am unable to read in a relatively short period of time.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: My shelves aren’t that well organised and hard to count because I double it up, but the 17th book from the front of the top shelf is Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence. These are my unread books.

Your latest book purchase: I think it was Daniel Deronda by George Eliot at a charity used book sale.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late): I don’t tend to read in bed or close to bed, but I remember a few years The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo kept me up.