Well, pathetically, I wasn't tagged on this, but want to do it anyway. I love these. Plus, I think my lovely, talented, bookish daughter will have fun with this and I do intend to tag her, so . . .
I found this the same way I find most awesome things online - through twists and turns that start on The Magic Violinist's blog. For example, I was reading her blog and saw that she'd been tagged. I went to the blog of the person who tagged her and did some exploring (they have
a terrific blog - super cute and very fun). While there, I read their original post - the one in which they tagged/awarded TMV. In those comments, I saw them squeal with delight that
someone so awesome had commented on their blog. I then went to
her blog and that's where I found this fun tag.
So I stole it. It's a compliment. Also? YA bloggers are the best.
How old are you?I'm turning 40 this year.
What book are you reading?
I'm reading
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham (love her). I'm also reading
Everyone Sees the Ants by A.S. King,
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan,
The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan,
The Giver by Lois Lowry, and
The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.
What are you wearing?
After a week of wearing jammies and sweats from being laid up with severe neck pain, today I am dressed. Jeans, black cami, gray v-neck, long-sleeved shirt, hooded black cardigan sweater, and gray/black socks. Oh, and a hot yellow rice sock around my neck.
OTP?
I had to look up what this means. According to the Urban Dictionary, it stands for "One True Pairing," meaning "
it is your favorite relationship in a fandom."
Okay, then I'd have to say based on recent reads, Eleanor & Park (from the eponymous book) as well as Augustus & Hazel (
The Fault in our Stars). The girl from whom I stole this meme mentioned one from a TV show, so I'll go with Luke and Laurelai from "Gilmore Girls."
Blogger or Wordpress?Blogger, hands down. I hate that Wordpress makes me go through a trillion steps just to subscribe to comments and if you don't do it right away, you miss follow-up comments. Also? Unlike Blogger, they don't send you your own comment via email. Yes, I've thought about this at length. Hmph.
Going outside being active or staying in and reading a book?While I love being outside in the sun and my preferred place to read is in our backyard or on the beach, I'm going to go with staying in and reading a book.
What is the last book you read?
Attachments by my current favorite author (the author I wish I were), Rainbow Rowell. And
The Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein with the kids. We've met Mr. Grabenstein. We dream of meeting Ms. Rowell.
What is the book you're going to read next?
My TBR (to be read) pile is starting to tower and splinter into several piles and doorstops. I am constantly hearing of new, great books (thank you, blogging world!), I'm in a book club, my entire family reads a ton, I find authors I like, I find covers that intrigue me . . . I very rarely find myself thinking, "I don't know what to read!" Up next after my current reads are
Looking for Alaska by John Green and
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (this one was left on my nightstand with a note from my daughter letting me know that she had read it and thought I'd like it - how great is my life?).
eBooks - yes or no?
I think I've read one, mostly because I was antsy to start it and our library didn't have it. I like the immediacy of it and I like that it has a "find in page" feature. But other than than, I prefer a real book all the way. I love covers and I love how a real book feels in my hands. Magical.
Where do you prefer to read?Wherever. I guess the couch. When I'm wrapped up in a book, it hardly matters where I am. Somewhere quiet is fine.
Who is the last person you tweeted?
I do not tweet, but I do follow my daughter on Twitter.
Whose blog did you look at last?
Technically, the ones I linked above, obviously, since I immediately got distracted from clearing out my inbox to do this meme. But aside from those, I read my kids' blogs.
Who is your favourite blogger?
Love the extra "u" in British words. The Magic Violinist and Thing 2 are my favorite bloggers.
Who is your favourite booktuber?I don't know what this is. And now I'm feeling my age . . .
What do you do when someone tells you reading is boring?
If I'm being honest, I probably start by quietly judging them in my mind ("How can they not like reading?!?") and feeling dismissive ("I'm not sure this is someone I would enjoy talking to much."). But being me, it would immediately be followed by reminding myself not to be critical ("Everyone has different likes and dislikes, and that's okay.") and that would be very quickly followed by wondering if that person had a sad childhood ("Poor thing - maybe no one ever read to them or taught them the magic of books."). But the reality is that, all judgment aside, I do enjoy talking to readers more than those who dislike reading.
Who is the last author you spoke to?
A.S. King. - we've now spoken to her several times and always enjoy our conversations with her. Seriously trying to get our families together to have dinner.
Who is the last person you texted?Sherri.
Who is your all-time favourite book character?
How can I choose just one? I love Scout and Atticus from
To Kill a Mockingbird. I love Neville and Luna from
Harry Potter. I love the never-named main character who tells the story in
Rebecca. I love Francie in
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I have recent favorites - August, Hazel, and Isaac in
The Fault in our Stars, Eleanor and Park in the book of the same name. And then there are characters that have special meaning from beloved childhood books - Louis from
Trumpet of the Swan, Ralph from the Beverly Cleary books, Jo from
Little Women . . .
UKYA or USYA?
What an interesting question! There are gems from both - I mean, who can compete with
Harry Potter? No one.
What is your preferred drink whilst reading?
I love the word "whilst." Um, chai tea or hot cooca.
If you hated reading, what would you be doing instead?I can't imagine that, but I guess I'd be watching television shows. I think the writing for many shows is to be appreciated and revered the same way books and movies are. It's a different art form. I'm not talking about stupid or cliche shows. I'm talking about EXCELLENT writing. Some shows that come to mind are Gilmore Girls (everything about it - setting, characters, character development, character flaws, character strengths, dialogue, etc.), Friends (humor and delivery and character development), Parenthood (family dynamics, the use of music and lyrics, relationships, tough issues - they have me annoyed with someone and then with ONE line, I learn something new and switch from annoyance to empathy - sure, I feel sort of manipulated, but how do they do that?!?), etc.
How many bookshelves/bookcases do you have?Oh gosh. Lots. And they're all full and overflowing to piles on the ground. We have four tall bookshelves and 2 smaller ones in our library/guest room. The kids both have one book shelf each, plus additional boxes, crates, and piles. We have a couple in our schoolroom (plus piles and crates). We have a crate in our living room specifically for library books. We have a couple in our clinic. We have books in all of our bathrooms. We have a shelf of cookbooks in our kitchen. Books, books, books! There are two things we don't mind having lots of - books and games.
If you had the choice to meet all of your favourite book bloggers or all of your favourite authors, which would you pick? You can only pick one.
I hate when questions like this add the caveat "you can only pick one." I'm not big on making decisions these days. Um, probably book bloggers. I say this for my daughter's benefit, because I would love for her to have all her blogger friends as in-person friends, too.
Insta-love: yes or no?
I'm a big fan of the best-friend-turning-into-a-relationship thing. "Some Kind of Wonderful."
Favourite author?J.K. Rowling, Harper Lee, and Rainbow Rowell all come to mind.
What is the number-one book on your wishlist?The upcoming
Landline by Rainbow Rowell!
Do you prefer books with female or male protagonists?
I love that we're getting more strong female protagonists, but I hope we don't do that to the exclusion or male ones. Both are important. I'm a mother of a son and daughter and while I'm a feminist who is thrilled to see more girl power, I'm also a feminist who doesn't believe it should be to the exclusion of boy power. In advancing the cause of women, we must not trample on our men. That would be doing to them what history has done to us. Not cool.
Which is your favourite book-to-film adaption?"Chocolat" and "The Help."
What is the last song you listened to?"Home" by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros. There are GREAT songs in the movie "Stuck in Love." Great, great flick. Also? I love the music in Parenthood. And there should be more dancing in the world. I didn't need the Bravermans to teach me that, but they certainly reinforce it.
Which do you enjoy reading more - negative reviews or positive reviews?I honestly enjoy reading both. When I'm looking up a book, I like to read a few of each to get an idea of whether or not it's a good fit for me based on what the reviewers say about it. You can learn from both. When I absolutely love a book, I sometimes go read reviews afterward and get excited when I see people with similar thoughts, and I get somewhat dismayed initially when someone doesn't love a book the way I do (though I do get that there are different tastes for everyone).
Who are you going to tag?
The Magic Violinist, Thing 2, Nevillegirl, and anyone else who would like to participate! If you don't blog and wish to be tagged, feel free to answer in the comments - it's fun!
