The Bookish Tag

I recently started following Annie Hawthorne at her new blog: Curious Wren. She posted this tag for anyone who is following her to do...So I will:) I confess that I've been wanting an excuse to do a tag, but I haven't specifically been tagged by anyone yet. So, yes, I did jump on this opportunity.

1. What was the last book you read, and would you recommend it?

That would be Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. Yes, I would definitely recommend it. It is a children's book, but it didn't feel like one. I loved its style. Novels in verse are some of my favorites.

2. Describe the perfect reading spot.


I can read just about anywhere. But - this may come as a surprise - I have always loved reading in the car. I don't know what it is, but I feel more involved in the book when I read while we're driving somewhere. Maybe it's because I'm more focused on the book and not getting distracted by the internet (yes, I am guilty!), or by little siblings coming into my room and asking for things;) That's the only thing I don't like about being able to drive on my own now - I can't read while I'm driving. Like, what will happen when I move out and have to drive myself everywhere?


3. Favorite book beverage? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Tears of your readers?


I love that last question, but my answer is coffee. It's warm and a little sweet with a bit of earthy flavor mixed in...And if you're propped up on the bed with fluffy pillows...And if it's a rainy day...


4. Share favorite quotes from four books.


Pretty sure that this is the hardest question. Don't do this to me:P

(All quotes were found on goodreads)


“Sometimes I come up here at night...just to look at the city. I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” - The Invention of Hugo Cabret


“...there would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing.” - The Book Thief

Howl said, “I think we ought to live happily ever after," and she thought he meant it. Sophie knew that living happily ever after with Howl would be a good deal more hair-raising than any storybook made it sound, though she was determined to try. "It should be hair-raising," added Howl.

"And you'll exploit me," Sophie said.

"And then you'll cut up all my suits to teach me.” - Howl's Moving Castle


“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” - Alice In Wonderland


5. What is your most loved fantasy read? Dystopia? Contemporary? Sci-fi? Classic?


I'm going to say fairytale fantasy. I haven't read many books in the other types of fantasy.


6. List three authors you’ve collected the most books from.


Well, I confess that I...don't really...collect...books. There, I've said it. I love books; I am a book nerd. But I don't collect books. The thing is that I feel like if I own a book, it won't be hard to get, and therefore, it will make my interest in it dwindle. It's the same about a lot of the things I love, like TV shows and movies, for instance. If I can have something at my finger tips, it seems less special to me, somehow. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? So, I don't have a large collection of books that I can hold in my hands, BUT my kindle does have a pretty wide collection...the fact that I haven't read all of them yet is irrelevant. 

• Charles Dickens (19)

I have only finished three of his books (A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations), and Oliver Twist is one of my favorite books ever. In all of Dicken's works, I love his characters; how he has an abundance of them; and how he ties them all together somehow in the end, in a way you didn't expect.

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (11)

Oh, I love Holmes. I love his brilliance and the suspense that he puts us all through. The Hound of the Baskervilles... Oooh, I was actually scared. And I liked it. 

• Mark Twain (7)

I've read Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the abridged version of The Prince and the Pauper, and I read most of Joan of Arc. I love his humor, and just his storytelling ability.

7. What are your thoughts on magic in literature?


I've actually been wanting someone to ask me this question.  

I love magic in literature - if it's used in a fantasy world. If an author uses it in our world, I usually won't read the book. Why? Because the only way anyone in this world would be able to work magic is if they got the ability from the devil. In another world, if magic is a part of their culture or their everyday lives, it could only be that way because God would have set it up that way for them. Or maybe not "could only be", but that's usually how I feel it is presented in that genre.

So, that is my thought on that.

8. What types of book covers capture your imagination most strongly? Feel free to include images.


I think that when I choose a book at the library, or any book anywhere, it is usually for the title. I have picked up a few books before because of the cover, though. The two that I can remember having done so to are:


                    

And these are some that I didn't read for the cover, but I do love the covers, anyway.

                            

                                                   

9. Mention the first book character that comes to mind. Elaborate on this.


Can I cheat? Some characters have come to mind, but I don't have much to say about them; mostly because I've watched the movie and haven't read the book. Hmmm.... Dencey. Dencey Coffyn from Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedcker. I read this book a few years ago, and reread it this year with some friends and my sister. I love this book. I love Dencey's stubbornness, and how she is usually that way because she thinks she is doing the right thing. I love her care for Jetsam, and how her passions are what get her into trouble - she usually is not trying to be bad, but is trying to do what she thinks is right.


10. Do you lend out your books? Or is that the equivalent to giving away your babies?


Actually, I don't think I have ever lent out a book, ever. No one's ever asked to borrow one of mine because, like I said, I don't really have any. I would probably lend you a book if you asked me, though. Just as long as I'm not currently reading it, and I know you'll give it back;)


So, do you agree with me about magic in literature? Do you like the book covers I chose, too? Should I create my own tag? This was really fun to do! If anyone wants to tag me for another one, go for it;)


auf wiedersehen, darling

-Maddie