Book Survey

Amber from Just Your Typical Book Blog posted this reading survey earlier today, and I thought it would be fun! Let me know your answers, or leave me the link if you decide to fill it out on your blog.

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1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?
Probably my Precious Moments Stories from the Bible book... I've had it since I was really little and it's still there in the corner.

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you'll read next?
I'm just finishing up 'Sleight' by Jennifer Sommersby for Indie Author Week, and I think I read 'Dirty Blood' for Indie Author Week right before that. Next I'm probably going to read 'The Gathering' by Kelley Armstrong because I have the eBook checked out from the library.

3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
'Shiver' by Maggie Stiefvater. Everyone loves it and are still so excited about the series, and my gosh this book made me cringe. It was so slow and boring, filled with flowery romance language, and had no real exciting plot beyond Sam and Grace's relationship.

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?
Oh man, I'm not sure. My first thought was 'Pride and Prejudice' because I don't really care for any of the classics I've read, but I really do want to get around to it at some point. But I've been saying that for years, so who knows.

5. Which book are you saving for "retirement?"
It seems like I'm saving "The Host" for retirement because I bought it at Costco when it first came out but I still haven't read it.

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
Oh my gosh, wait 'til the end!!! I am always shocked when I hear that people read the ending first, especially fellow bloggers. I don't know why you would want to wreck the whole story like that.

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I love them! Especially since I've been blogging and I know more authors... it's fun to see people mentioned that you "know".

8. Which book character would you switch places with?
Hmm, tough call. One of Amber's answers was Anna from "Anna and the French Kiss" and I think that's a pretty darn good choice. A year in Paris and Etienne? Don't mind if I do. Most of my other favourite characters tend to have people trying to kill them, so Anna is definitely a good choice.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' reminds me of Christmas because I got the first three books for Christmas the year the first movie came out. After seeing the movie I was so excited to start reading the books, and when I got them I was totally psyched. After we finished opening presents I started reading even though all our family was still there, and my Mom told me to stop reading and I said "I'm not reading... I'm just looking at it with my eyes." (Which is kind of 'duh' because of course you look at things with your eyes, but for some reason we all thought it was hilarious).

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I have two books that I haven't read ('The Thief Taker' and 'Death at La Fenice') that I got a couple of years ago. I ordered Season 2 of 'Criminal Minds' for me and the mini-series 'Taken' for my Mom from Barnes & Noble, and we got those two books instead. We talked to B&N and they had sent us someone else's order by accident, so we got to keep it, and then they sent us our proper order as well.

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I've given my Mom a couple of special ones, and pretty much every book I give I give thoughtfully... so they're all special too.

12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
Good question, I'm not sure. A lot of books have been with me to school, to my friend Mistee's house when I stay there, and a few went with me to England... but I'm not sure there's one particular title that's been the most places.

13. Any "required reading" you hated in high school that wasn't so bad ten years later?
Well I've only been out of high school for 7 years and I don't think I've re-read any of the assigned reading. Reading I loved from high school: 'Macbeth' and 'The Chrysalids'. Reading I hated from high school: 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Lord of the Flies'.

14. What is the strangest item you've ever found in a book?
A sort of dried skin from an insect type thing fell out of a library book once. Blech!

15. Used or brand new?
I don't care if a book is used as long as it's in somewhat decent condition. There's nothing like new books, though... even new ones from the library. Whenever I'm the first person to check out a book it's pretty exciting, I gotta say.

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
I don't know, and it's not really fair for people to judge. He seems like a really intelligent person. I've never read anything by him, and I don't want to. But to call him the "opiate of the masses"? That doesn't even really make sense, does it? If you wanted to make that metaphor I could think of a lot more likely candidates. But even then, who cares. People should like whatever they want, and not be judged for it.

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
The Lord of the Rings. Oh gosh yes, The Lord of the Rings. I adore 'The Hobbit' but getting through the first two LotR books was painful. I can only take so many tree songs. I still haven't read the third book. But the movies? Man, they are awesome.

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
I'm pretty sure this question really doesn't make any sense. But if it's asking which books never should have been brought out for public consumption? It's gotta be 'Breaking Dawn'. I'll freely admit that I was a huge fan of the series before that book came out. I was totally Team Jacob though, so I do feel a bit superior to the average Twihard. ;) But really, you know a book is bad when people from all sides of the fandom were shaking their heads and literally burning their books. It totally wrecked the whole series for me. At least the first three books were fun and entertaining reads. BD was just horrendous.

19. Have you ever read a book that's made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question?
Hmmmm, not really. But you may recall I mentioned how you would definitely be craving ice cream after reading 'Sixteenth Summer'. I still want to somehow try pineapple ginger ale ice cream.

20. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?
I'm not sure if there's one person whose taste I trust completely outright, because we're all different. But if my Mom or my friend Mistee recommends a book I'll definitely read it. And I obviously trust you lot (sorry, I've been watching a lot of 'Doctor Who' so I'm sounding a bit English) or I wouldn't be into blogging and reading other people's reviews! ;)