The Bookish Q&A Tag

Usually, this is the time of month where I post a book review. But March has been a rather slow month for me (I’ve only read six books), and I haven’t quite found a book to recommend. Other than Bridge to Terabithia, of course. That. Book. Is. Brutal! And beautiful. But oh, so brutal.

Instead of a book review, I’ll be participating in a book tag, more specifically the Bookish Q&A Tag! Thanks for the tag from the lovely S. M. Metzler who writes over at Tea with Tumnus. If you’re looking for book recommendations, feel free to take any from this post unless otherwise specified. And even then, feel free to read them if you want.

1) What books do you remember reading that kick-started your bookworm habit?

I was fortunate enough to be influenced by several readers as a child, and there are too many books to name. So I can’t say if a particular one got me hooked on reading. Here are just a couple:

My dad likes to listen to Focus on the Family audio dramas in the car, from Adventures in Odyssey to The Chronicles of Narnia. He also read The Hobbit to my brother and I over the course of a couple weeks while we watched our triops (three-eyed fish) grow and assert dominance over one another until one remained. Animals are brutal.

My mom introduced me to the Anne of Green Gables audio drama, often took me book shopping, and ordered the books from the school catalogue that interested me.

My third-grade teacher used to read to the class a lot. I remember listening to Junie B. Jones, Methuselah’s Gift, and A Wrinkle in Time. The first book I remember picking up on my own was The Black Arrow. Even though third-grader me didn’t understand most of it, I liked the title. I still have yet to finish it.

2) What genre, or genres, would you normally choose?

In no particular order, I like to read fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, poetry, and various nonfiction. For a complete explanation, check out my posts 7 Reasons I Enjoy Fantasy Novels, 7 Reasons I Enjoy Sci-Fi, and 7 Reasons I Enjoy Historical Fiction.

3) Do you eat while you read and if yes, what exactly?

If I didn’t eat while I read, I would probably starve to death. Okay, that’s probably an exaggeration. I’m not always reading! I like to write in the mornings, and when I do, I refuse to eat. In this sense, I’m like Sherlock: “Digestion slows me down.” Come lunchtime (anywhere between noon and three), I like to settle down with a good book and some food, usually some pasta or a salad.

4) Are there any scenes from your favorite novels that you remember vividly?

Code Name Verity: when Verity is flying with Maddie over England, and they see the sky alight with green, a rare but beautiful occurrence.

The Scorpio Races: anytime the characters are standing by the water and the narrative description is just so pretty!

The Silver Chair: where Puddleglum tells the Lady of the Green Kirtle that he’s on Aslan’s side no matter what and then proceeds to stomp on her magical fire.

I’m going to stop now because there are too many scenes and too many books to describe.

5) Were there any least favorites?

Are we talking about least favorite scenes or least favorite novels? One particular scene from This Present Darkness where the demons were attacking one of the main characters has haunted me for years.

Or is it least favorite scenes from least favorite novels? I’ve tried so hard to delete those memories. *clears throat* We do not speak of those. Moving on.

6) So, as you’re a bookworm, what are you reading currently today? (Optional)

I am currently listening to Cornelia Funke’s Dragon Rider in the car. Brendan Fraser is a great narrator. I didn’t know he could do so many accents and sound effects!

I’m also reading A Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric Gros, which is fascinating. It makes me want to take to the woods and mountains and never come back.

Wednesday I started reading Nikki Katz’s The Midnight Dance. Basically, it’s a fantasy story set in Italy based off the twelve dancing princesses, and so far, it has a Phantom of the Opera feel.

A Philosophy of Walking
Yes, the title is tiny. But it's a pretty cool book!

7) How’s it getting along for you? (Optional)

Dragon Rider: progress is slow. There are, like, ten discs, and I don’t drive a lot because it stresses me out.

A Philosophy of Walking: slow progress. I can only read a couple of chapters a day, and sometimes I don’t want to read it that day. But that’s okay. The book is about leisurely paces anyway.

The Midnight Dance: quick. I read 40 pages the first day, 60 the next. By the time this post goes up (I schedule most of my blog posts at least a day in advance), I may have even finished it!

8) Have you then got a large bookshelf, or do you plan to?

Do I have a large bookshelf! Hahahaha! I may have absconded all the bookshelves in the house and deemed the room The Library. Here are just the big ones:

The lawyer’s bookshelf (above). My grandpa on my mom’s side built this one. 

It’s fun, but the top shelf doesn’t sit properly. Maybe I put it together wrong?

We’ve had this monstrosity forever (above).

My mom bought this one (above) at a bazaar, and I claimed it.

The landlord owns this one (above), but it’s the perfect kid lit shelf.

Technically, this is the only bookshelf I bought (above), 

but I like to imagine that the others are mine as well.

9) Do you have a liking to indie or traditional books?

I typically read traditionally published books, but as an indie author, I try to read indie books as well. It’s hard living abroad in a country where the native language isn’t English.

Whenever I want free books, I either check them out from my local library, which only carries traditionally published, or I wait for free e-books.

When it comes to buying books, I’m terribly picky. I don’t like to buy books (unless it’s an e-book) that I’ve never read because my spontaneous buys tend to be the worst. So I’m pretty hesitant about buying print indie books. That and they take three to five months to ship. Not fun. Every now and then, I’ll take a chance on buying a print indie book, though I buy more traditionally published ones.

10) And lastly, do you plan to promote reading in some way, or already are?

Considering I run a bookish blog, I’d say I do a good deal of promoting books. For those unfamiliar with my schedule, I typically post a bookish post on the second Sunday of the month and a book review on the fourth, with some exceptions like today.

And now for the tagging:

Faith Boggus (A Boggus Life)

Cait (Paper Fury)

Daley Downing (The Invisible Moth)

If you haven’t been tagged and you want to take part, consider yourself tagged. Thanks for sticking with me to the end. Happy reading!

Let’s chat! What are some of the best books you’ve read this March? Any least favorites? When’s the last time you participated in a book tag?

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Similar posts: Infinity Dreams Award, 7 Reasons I Enjoy Fantasy Novels, 7 Reasons I Enjoy Sci-Fi, and 7 Reasons I Enjoy Historical Fiction

Literary references: Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey, C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and The Silver Chair, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Barbara Park’s Junie B. Jones, Mary Elizabeth Edgren’s Methuselah’s Gift, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Black Arrow, Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity, Maggie Steifvater’s The Scorpio Races, Cornelia Funke’s Dragon Rider, Frédéric Gros’ A Philosophy of Walking, and Nikki Katz’s The Midnight Dance