10. Book tag!

No triggers.

Hello, dear world! Today is book tag day! And yes, I do get to decide that. I do. Trust me, I do. Thank you to http://geekygirlonline.blogspot.co.uk/ for tagging me :)

1. Favourite book

Umm, yeah right :D I’ll give you some of my favourite books: The Stars’ Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry (16 and up, I would recommend), Overheard In A Dream by Torey Hayden (also 16 and up), Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (just read it), Far From The Tree by Andrew Solomon (non-fiction. Age recommendation for some of the last chapters. I don’t know 18 and up? I’m still shocked by some of the things I’ve read. But, you know. It’s real. It happened.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (read it! :) ), Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, the Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones (children’s books, but everybody should read them! :D I’ve always felt like her books were constructed like dreams. Truly, like dreams!)…

2. Favourite author

All the ones who’ve written my favourite books! :D Actually, with every author who’s ever published a book I have a sort of love-hate relationship in my head: I admire them, I am grateful for their work, I’d love to meet them, write to them, ask them questions… But I’m also, you know, insanely jealous.

3. What genre do you prefer?

I think I like most genres. I rarely read crime novels or romantic novels, but I’ve read some wonderful books in both of these genres as well. When I was like 15 I found it really difficult to know what to read, because I felt I was too old for the children’s books and too young for the adult books and didn’t really know about the YA genre. Now I just read everything, children’s books, YA books, adult books. Don’t miss out on reading children’s books just because you’re not a child and don’t have an alibi child to read them to!

4. What is your favourite book series, trilogy?

Some of my favourites are Harry Potter, Bartimaeus and the Chrestomanci series :)

5. What book did you hate reading in school?

‘Awful End’ by Philip Ardagh. We had to read it in 5th or 6th grade. Either way, I was eleven. The teacher gave us a bunch of books to choose from and vote on and my class chose THE ONLY one I really didn’t want to read. It’s actually quite an interesting book but I really hated it as a child. My parents and teacher and friends (god, I was annoying EVERYONE :D ) said that once I started to actually read it, I would like it, but I really didn’t. Which in no way means that it’s a bad book, I just didn’t like it.

6. What is one of the first books you remember reading?

By myself? I don’t know. I think it was a story with a red-haired little witch, but I know it wasn’t the first book I read, I just remember it because I read it for my grandma :)

7. Bookstores or libraries?

Libraries. They’re like book stores without the guilt of having spent too much money on books. Some of my happiest childhood memories are in libraries. I love book stores and I love owning books, but there’s nothing like sharing the love for a book with lots of people who’ve read it as well. I like used books. And I’ve recently started putting little notes inside library books, just to let people know they’re loved :) You’ll probably be able to guess where the inspiration to do this came from :D

8. How many books do you own?

I have absolutely no idea. My dad’s awesome, he bought me at least a trailer full of books as a child, most of which are still in our basement. I have very clearly inherited the book buying gene. I might be able to tell you a vague number if I’m at home and REALLY bored :D or I might just wait until a kid walks into our house who wants to show off her/his awesome counting skills :D

9. Do you read before you go to sleep?

If I’m not too tired, I either read, write, or write in my diary (or all the above) before going to sleep.

10. Most comfortable reading position

Sitting. Somewhere. In an awesome chair. Or bean bag. Or sofa. Or floor.

11. Most recent book you read

I’m currently reading ‘Rooms’ by Lauren Oliver and ‘A Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams. The book I read before that was ‘Ghost Child’ by Caroline Overington.

12. One quote from a book that you love

Re-quote from the Dalai Lama found in Far From The Tree: “(...) the quest is never to lose compassion.”

13. Science Fiction or Fantasy?

Both. Combined. Please.

14. What book do you regret reading?

Apart from ‘Awful End’ it’s a book I read as a young child, called ‘Heute bin ich ein Elefant’ (=Today I am an elephant). I thought the title was intriguing, I thought it was about someone actually turning into an elephant. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that it was actually about a child pretending to be an elephant, and then a tiger, and then I don’t know what! Like in front of her friends and parents all day long! She would NOT have been fun to play with.

15. How large is your book case/ shelf?

I used to have a really large book shelf in my room, but I threw it out because it was impossible to keep neat in any way, and it was annoying me. Now I have several quite small book shelves around my room, and I just put books all around the room as decoration!

16. On average how many books do you read a year?

I have no idea! I can tell you at the end of this year because I’ve started using goodreads! Also I used to not read very much for some years because my eyes started tiring after a few minutes, but thanks to my awesome eye doctor (the other one just said: “Have you tried reading without the glasses? Is that better? No? Well then you should read with the glasses.”) I now have new glasses with which I can read a lot longer, so now I’m back in the game!

17. What books do you read a hundred times without getting bored?

Harry Potter and ‘Witch Week’ by Diana Wynne Jones and anything by Torey Hayden.

18. Do you like to read outside?

I do! :)

19. What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learnt from a book?

That I’m not alone.

20. What is the best book you’ve read so far?

I don’t know! Stop asking me all these impossible questions!

You have? Oh. Now I’m kind of sad.

I tag everyone who has seen a book today :)