Tag–I’m it!

Addicted to Romance had this fun book tag on her blog and I wanted to join in.

RULES:

You must be honest

You must answer all the questions

You must tag at least 4 people (I’ll be breaking this one and tagging the whole internet. Go big or go home!)

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

I assume this means unread - There are a few. I have 6 books from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs - but haven’t read past book #1 yet, all of Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series – all bought at a Borders closing sale I also have a signed copy of Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.






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


I just finished reading Moving Maverick, a M/M romance, by Lucy Lennox. My next read is Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, and who the heck knows what my next read will be. I’m a mood reader so whatever grabs me at the time.

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

Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Hate might be too strong a term but EiB bored me to tears and for the life of me, I don’t understand The Hating Game love. It was cute enough but I found the heroine to be super annoying and unprofessional.

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

The Fault in Our Stars. I feel like I SHOULD but I know I won’t. I’ve met John Green several times at cons and book events and I’ve loved his talks but I know (after sampling a few of his books) that his writing and quircky characters aren’t for me.

5. What book are you saving for retirement?

My entire TBR shelf. I WILL finish all these books one day. I. Will.

6. Last page: read it first, or wait ’til the end?

READ IT!

I read books to unwind and relax. Finding out the end first doesn’t ruin a book for me at all. I still don’t know how it gets tot hat point but I can relax and get into the book instead of freaking out the whole time.

I only do that with certain types of books though. Not romances where you are pretty much gaurenteed a HEA and no cliffhanger.


7. Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside?

I LOVE acknowledgments and dedications! They can be funny or heartwarming or tell you a lot about an author.

A funny one I just read from Moving Maverick by Lucy Lennox (see just finished reading above):

The book takes place on the South Carolina coast and she starts out by thanking her parents for the “gift of summers on the beach…” but then says this…

“This book is not dedicated to the sister who made me grip the hull in terror as she crossed the channel on a Fucking tiny sunfish, threatened to “hard to lee” in a maniacal cackle, and almost got me killed in a capsizing event. Multiple times. May you rot in hell. But I love you anyway. I guess.”

LMAO

8. Which book character would you switch places with?

Honestly? None. Book characters live too much drama. I’m happy where I am.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life? (Place, time, person?)

Not specifically a time or place but I really love books that have characters that overcome anxiety and fears. I suffer from panic attacks and can be pretty phobic so I find inspiration and motivation from books that have someone pursue their dreams despite their fears. Especially in YA because I was never able to find that strength during the time.

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

Ok so…. I used to read The black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. If you read the series you know about Layla and how she cock blocked Qhuay. For many, many reasons I hate Layla. HATE. A friend of mine was at a romance con where Ward was having a signing and got me a copy of her upcoming book a the time, Lover Reborn, signed by Ward – “To Karen, Layla’s #1 fan!” for my birthday. I think that’s the funniest thing ever! lol

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

I gift books to friends all the time but I can’t recall a special reason or book. Hmmmm

12. Which book has been with you most places?

None, really. I can’t read away from home. Weird right? So I don’t bring books when I travel. I have special books that I would never leave behind if I moved but I don’t bring them with me just to travel or anything.

13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad two years later?

School is a blur to me (& a very long time ago!). I don’t remember reading anything. lol I wasn’t even a big reader back then. This whole blogging thing started when I made a New Years resolution to try to read one book a month. A MONTH! Now I read a minimum of 150 books per year.

I’ve tried reading the classics a few times but I glaze over and probably did the same in school.

14. Used or brand new?

Brand new and here’s why. I was reading Laurel K Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series years ago (a series with a LOT of sex). I was new to starting series at the time and tried to find cheaper used versions or borrow from the library instead of buying them all. I also didn't own an e-reader at the time.

Then I was perusing her website one day and several readers talked about how they read her books and practiced some of the sex stuff in bed while reading and I’ve never been able to read a used book again. lol

15. Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Nope. Don’t think I ever will either.

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

I try not to read books and then see the movie. It totally ruins the book for me. Even if it's good. I can’t un-see the actors as the characters and I like my imagination better.

One that I did see and thought was better than the book is Me & Earl & the Dying Girl. The movie had more heart than the book did.


17. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks included?

Laura Florand’s Amour et Chocolat series The way Florand writes so passionately about food and France it's hard to resist.

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

 Jen Ryland from YA Romantics. Her reviews are so thoughtful, honest and well written, that I can tell whether a book is for me based on what she says. I jokingly beg her to read ALL THE BOOKS for me so she can tell me what to keep or pass on.

I will always take her life advice too! lol She's the best!

19. Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g., outside your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving? 

Very few. I keep trying to read outside my comfort zone but I guess they call it a comfort zone for a reason. I tend to like fluff and romance. I do like darker, creepy books but I still need that touch of romance in them.

I keep trying fantasy. I love the depth of character development and darkness of fantasy but I can’t get past the sprawling scope of the world building and endless descriptions of grass etc. I get bored.

Sci-fi is another genre where I really enjoy the action and edginess but only if it has a romance or relationships I can root for.

I need relationships in my books or else I don’t feel a strong connection to anyone. *shrugs*