≡ Menu

Friday Fun: A to Z Bookish Survey

AtoZsurvey-1017x1024Earlier this week I stumbled across the A to Z Survey on Megan’s (Leafing Through Life) blog, and it looked like fun. The survey is the brainchild of Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner, so thanks for coming up with this idea. Happy Friday, everyone!

Author you’ve read the most books from: I think this is a tie between J.K. Rowling and Margaret Atwood.

Best Sequel Ever: I’m not sure if it’s the best ever, but I really loved The Magician King by Lev Grossman

Currently Reading: Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon

Drink of Choice While Reading: Generally, I like tea. But I’ve been trying to drink more water recently.

E-reader or Physical Book? I still like physical books, but I’m starting to like reading egalleys on my tablet because it’s pretty convenient.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School: I think Iwould have gotten along with Wade/Parzival from Ready Player One — I was into nerds.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance: I didn’t think I would like epic poetry, but I really enjoyed The Odyssey by Homer.

Hidden Gem Book: My favorite hidden gem from this year was Ten Letters by Eli Saslow.

Important Moment in your Reading Life: I read Heart of Darkness my junior year in high school. That book changed my ideas about what great literature could be.

Just Finished: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read: Generally speaking, I don’t read horror — I’m not that interested in being scared!

Longest Book You’ve Read: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Major book hangover because of: The City and the City by China Mieville

Number of Bookcases You Own: Five

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Preferred Place To Read: By the lake at my parents’ cabin

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read: I just finished reading Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, which is full of good quotables. This one stuck with me: “You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding.”

Reading Regret: I wish that I hadn’t wasted time listening to the audio book of Twilight

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series): I never finished reading all of the Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Downby Anne Fadiman, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Unapologetic Fangirl For: Harry Potter!

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others: The third book in Lev Grossman’s The Magicians trilogy

Worst Bookish Habit: I tend to buy way more books than I have time to read. At last count, I own enough books to have reading material for the next 2.5 years.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: I have many book shelves, so I decided to pick this one from my unread nonfiction shelf: The Lifespan of a Fact by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal

Your latest book purchase: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vandenkam

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late): Night Film  by Marisha Pessl — I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish this one because it was awesome (and because I was too scared to go to sleep).

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • tanya September 13, 2013, 5:15 am

    I love this!! I think I’m going to do it too.

  • Amy September 13, 2013, 7:20 am

    Fun! I’m going to do this too.

  • bermudaonion (Kathy) September 13, 2013, 8:10 am

    I’m with you on the physical books. There are times I wish I would embrace ebooks but, so far, it hasn’t happened.

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:06 pm

      Now that I can read egalleys on my tablet, I’ve started to read a few more ebooks — they’re really easy to get on there, and the ebook format is nice for reading at lunch at work. But I’m still a physical book girl at heart (as demonstrated by overflowing TBR shelves).

  • Meg September 13, 2013, 8:35 am

    What fun! And I can totally fangirl over Harry Potter, too. How excited are you about the movie news that’s just broken?! WOO!

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:07 pm

      So excited!! I think those are going to be fun movies.

  • Danielle September 13, 2013, 11:17 am

    I am not a fan of horror books either! I just don’t understand the appeal of being scared! Then again, I don’t get the appeal of being heartbroken, and a good heartbreak in a book is great! I guess everyone has their own style! 😉

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:07 pm

      I sometimes like to be scared — example: Night Film — but in general I avoid scary books and scary movies 🙂

  • Rebecca @ Love at First Book September 13, 2013, 12:58 pm

    I laughed out loud at your Heart of Darkness answer because that book sticks in my mind as mind-numbingly dull for me! I could not get through it. I mean, I did get through it, but it was a toughie!

    I love this A-Z post! It’s nice getting to learn some more about you!

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:08 pm

      It is kind of dull, but it was the first book I read in high school where I finally got what symbolism and all of those English-y things really meant. It sticks out because of that 🙂

  • Katie @ Doing Dewey September 14, 2013, 12:02 am

    I finally started The Handmaid’s Tale today and I’m so excited to read it! I’m only about 20 pages in but I can tell all ready that I love the way it’s written 🙂

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:08 pm

      Atwood writes beautifully, no matter what style or genre she’s writing in. I love her!

  • Sheila (Book JOurney) September 14, 2013, 8:39 am

    What a fun post! Would you believe I have yet to read Margaret Atwood? I have several of her books… just never got to them. I would be scared to fill out this form…. hee hee…. I am pretty sure I have more books then I could read in my lifetime.

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:09 pm

      Read her! Let me know if you want a recommendation for a place to start.

  • Sigrid September 14, 2013, 8:52 am

    So glad I came across your blog. Your giving me great ideas for my next reads. I look forward to following.

  • Laurie C September 14, 2013, 11:28 am

    Your “Reading Regret” made me chuckle! I remember the audiobook edition of Twilight being that bad! (Although I did read the rest in print so I could read them fast, so maybe that says something.) The A to Z survey looks like it would be fun to do, but I have a major project I’m supposed to be working on this weekend.

    • Kim September 15, 2013, 5:09 pm

      It wasn’t that bad… I’m just annoyed I wasted time listening to it when I could have listened to something good!

  • Laurie C September 14, 2013, 11:28 am

    Oops, I meant to say I DON’T remember the audiobook of Twilight being that bad.

  • Susan September 26, 2013, 10:00 pm

    I just did this survey! I enjoyed your answers, Kim. It was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? I drink a lot of tea, too, while reading. It seems alot of readers really like Harry Potter, which I think is so cool. I read them all when my son was reading them as they came out, and had so much fun reading them. Now my other children are getting ready for them.

    I didn’t know you didn’t read horror, since Abominable is kind of a horror novel, I think! I’m anxious for it to come out, too.

    • Kim October 1, 2013, 6:17 pm

      I got an unsolicited copy of Abominable, so it’s sitting on my shelves but I’m not sure if I’ll read it. I did manage to get through Night Film, which I thought was legit scary, but I know I’m kind of a wuss about those things 🙂