50 Bookish Questions tag

Good morning bookworms!
The loveliest Sam @ Fictionally Sam wrote this AH-MAZING tag, which is FIFTY bookish questions. FIFTY!! We might be here for a while today, so grab a drink and snacks, and strap yourself in!

1. What was the last book you read?

The last book I finished was Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman.

2. Was it a good one?

Yes, I loved it!!

3. What made it good?

One of the characters had this beautiful growth throughout the story, so even though the end of Volume 1 left me slightly heartbroken, this one more than made up for it!!

4. Would you recommend it to other people?

Absolutely!! Alice Oseman did the art AND the story for these. She is ridiculously talented, and I cannot scream about these books, Radio Silence or Solitaire enough!!

5. How often do you read?

Usually every day.

6. Do you like to read?

Uhhh, is this a trick question? (Yes, I like to read!)

7. What was the last bad book you read?

Oooh… well, I don’t think any books are ‘bad’, but the last book I read that wasn’t for me, was No Fences in Alaska by Glen Sobey.

8. What made you dislike it?

There was talk of a lot of subjects that made me uncomfortable and it just didn’t gel with me. I wish I had seen more content warnings for it.

9. Do you wish to be a writer?

Some days. I have some WIPs, but I’ll be ok if they don’t go anywhere. I just enjoy it for now.

10. Has any book ever influenced you greatly?

Umm, 100’s. Far too many to list here!!

11. Do you read fan-fiction?

I have done, yes.

12. Do you write fan-fiction?

I have done, yes (but never shared it).

13. What is your favourite book?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

14. What is your least favourite book?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

15. Do you prefer physical books or ready on a device (like Kindle)?

My preference is physical, but I do read on an iPad as well.

16. When did you learn to read?

When I was five years old.

17. What is your favourite book you had to read in school?

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard. We studied it in my final year of high school as it’s a play that is woven through the events of Hamlet (and features the same characters). It is so well done, and my favourite part is tennis.

18. What is your favourite book series?

(Sam, I feel like you’re just being mean now!!) I don’t know. This might depend on how The Folk of the Air by Holly Black ends in November!! I also think I’m going to do a Witches of Eileanan series reread by Kate Forsyth early next year to see how they have held up over time.

19. Who is your favourite author?

Maggie Stiefvater

20. What is your favourite genre?

Fantasy

21. Who is your favourite character in a book series?

In a series? Probably Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

22. Has a book ever transported you somewhere else?

Yes! All the time!

23. Which book do you wish had a sequel?

Umm… I probably would have said Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, but there actually will be, and it’s a very anticipated book for me (whenever it drops).

Or The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black.

24. Which book do you wish DIDN’T have a sequel?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Look, this may discount as a HP fan, but I don’t like Cursed Child. I don’t even like the epilogue in Deathly Hallows. Just … leave them be!)

25. How long does it take you to read a book?

A couple of days. Sometimes a couple of hours (if it’s about 300 pages, I’m comfortable and there’s no distractions!)

26. Do you like when books become movies?

Sometimes. It depends on who makes the movies and what the adaptation is like.

27. Which book was ruined by its movie adaptation?

(More unpopular opinions…) The Mortal Instruments / Shadowhunters. I actually preferred the movie over the tv show.

28. Which movie has done a book justice?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It’s my fave of the movies.

29. Do you read newspapers?

No, but I used to.

30. Do you read magazines?

Not very often, but I used to.

31. Do you prefer newspapers or magazines?

For entertainment purposes I prefer magazines (even though I know 99% of the stories are trash and lies).

32. Do you read while in bed?

Yes I do!

33. Do you read while on the toilet?

Yes, I do…

34. Do you read while in the car?

Yes, I do!

35. Do you read while in the bath?

Yes, I do!

36. Are you a fast reader?

Not ‘fast’, but probably above average.

37. Are you a slow reader?

Only if I have poor concentration… or the book is slow.

38. Where is your favourite place to read?

Probably the bath. Or the armchair in my study.

39. Is it hard for you to concentrate when you read?

Only if the cats are fighting or I’m stressed about something.

40. Do you need a room to be silent while you read?

Not at all.

41. Who gave you your love for reading?

My parents, but also my next door neighbour when I was a smol child was a librarian. She definitely put me on the path to reading amazing fantasy books, and I will be forever grateful.

42. What book is next on your list to read?

I think I need something light… maybe American Royals by Katharine McGee or Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi.

43. When did you start to read chapter books?

I started reading Babysitter’s Little Sister (yes, that annoying Karen girl) by Ann M. Martin when I was eight, so probably around then.

44. Who is your favourite children’s book author?

Mem Fox and Jill Barklem for young children, and Enid Blyton for school-aged children.

45. Which author would you most want to interview?

Maggie Stiefvater (but I would die)

46. Which author do you think you would be friends with?

C. S. Pacat (she’s so nice in person, like, just the loveliest human being)

47. What book have you reread the most?

Back After the Break by Anita Notaro

48. Which books do you consider “classics?”

All Austen books, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Louisa May Alcott, King Arthur, etc. In terms of fantasy though, I would add Magician by Raymond E. Feist, and The Belgariad by David and Leigh Eddings.

49. Which books do you think should be taught in every school?

I was really fortunate. My school was really focused on English classes so they ran lots of electives where we could choose from a reading list and then do the associated class. One semester I had an English class where we read and discussed books on animals, so we read things like Charlotte’s Web and Black Beauty. And if we got through the required reading list we got issued a secondary list with suggestions, like Redwall by Brian Jacques (I read the first 8 books in this series when I was in year 8 – I was obsessed, but then the library didn’t have any others in the series so I never finished it).

But I think my school was on the right track – let kids read books that they want to read, if only so they enjoy it. I had an advantage because I loved reading anyway, but those first 4 years of high school before the reading curriculum is set for exams are so beneficial in teaching kids the enjoyment of reading. I did classes on poetry and classics and fantasy. I also did a class on dystopian societies and social studies, which I didn’t love (I still hate Lord of the Flies), but I learnt a lot and I enjoyed that.

50. Which books should be banned from all schools?

Maybe erotica… and really gruesome horror books. Or just put an age limit on them. But I was reading epic, high fantasy for adults when I was 13. And I’m loaning them to my niece now (although, there is a much bigger market for YA and MG books now than there was 20 years ago).

Tagging

I’m going to be lazy and not tag anyone (I’m so sorry!!), but PLEASE, if you want to do this tag, do it!! It’s really fun, and I highly recommend it. Also, please feel free to say that I tagged you!! (I normally would tag people, but I looked after my nephew all day today and I am so. damn. tired.)