A to Z Bookish Survey

 

So I'm currently 18 reviews or so behind. I accept that this is hardly the end of the world as I am up to date with all ARCS and review copies, so nobody will really notice what order my reviews are posted.

That said, I have got my motivation back to actually write them, but as I don't want to bombard you all with reviews after reviews after reviews... here is a survey, stolen from Laura, to mix it up a little. 

Authors you've read the most books from:

It must be Terry Pratchett. I don't think I've ever actually reviewed one of his books, but I've been reading them since I was about twelve and I love them. The earlier ones are better and I've read them all multiple times, but I still pick up his new ones when they come out.

Best sequel ever: 

Uhh... I'm not good with sequels. I usually read the first book, dislike it, and then naturally don't bother with the second. Cathing Fire, though, maybe. I liked that one just as much as The Hunger Games, although Mockingjay was dire.

Oh oh. I forgot about Crown of Midnight. That was awesome.

Currently reading: 

*sighs* A Prayer for Owen Meany. I don't want to talk about it.

 
Drink of choice when reading: 

This isn't really a thing for me. I rarely bother with food or drink when I'm reading because I use both hands to hold me book, so if I want to life my cup then I have to actually put the book down, which I'm not good at.

 
E-reader or physical book:

I read way, way, way more physical books, but that's mainly because I want to finally clear them off my TBR shelf. I do like my Kindle, but due to the over-abundance of paper books I actually own, it rarely sees the light of day. Poor thing.

 
Fictional character that you probably would have dated in High School: 

I really don't do the whole Book Boyfriend thing, and most of the male characters I do like are older and therefore would have met with severe parental judgment if I'd brought them home for tea... I'm still going to go for K-Something (I've forgotten his name!) from Crown of Midnight. He's all manly but loving too - what more can a girl ask for?

Glad you gave this book a chance: 

Ohhhhh 11.22.63. *clasps it fiercely to her chest*

I picked it up on a whim from The Works and then started it, also on a whim, because I had literally nothing else to read at my boyfriend's. I was blown all the way to next Tuesday and back again. I loved this book. I loved it so much, I still get that little tight feeling in my stomach a year later. 

So 'glad I have this book a chance' is a slight under-statement considering I genuinely cannot imagine having not read it. 

Hidden gem book: 

I like this survey - I get to hit you all over the heads with my favourite books all over again!

I haven't seen The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder anywhere else, but it is truly amazing. It's the best book of 2013 so far and it's just not getting the attention it deserves.

Fix that. Go read it.

Important moment in your reading life: 

I was going to start talking about the first time I read Pride and Prejudice, because a) that taught me that classics are called that for a reason and b) it turned out to be the first of my 65-book strong collection.

However, Laura talked about her blog in her answer and... yeah, that's better.

I love my blog. I love the books, the friends and the skills I've found and I'd never give it up now. It's inspired me to read more widely than before and to be honest, I never thought Booking in Heels would catch on the way it did!

 
Just finished: 

The 100 by Kass Morgan, which I was sent to review. It seems like ages ago, A Prayer For Owen Meany is taking THAT long...

Kind of books you won't read: 

There aren't many. I won't read misery memoirs because I just don't understand why anybody would want to a) read them or b) write them. I don't read a whole lot of chick-lit, but I'm quite picky about which I read. There are certain ones that I ended up absolutely adoring though.

Longest book you read: 

Anna Karenina, maybe? Sounds about right. I have bought War & Peace though, which is even longer. Anybody up for a read-a-long? :)

Major book hangover because of: 

11.22.63. Hell, I'm still hungover from that book.

Number of bookcases you own: 

None actually. I don't have enough books to need one...

LIES. One wall of my bedroom (and it's not a small room) has wall-to-wall, floor-to-floor shelves and then there's a pile on the floor as well.

But the point is - NO BOOKCASES.

One book you've read multiple times: 

Just one? I've probably read Pride and Prejudice the most, but also Little Women, The Eyre Affair and Bitten by Kelley Armstrong.

Preferred place to read: 

I can read absolutely anywhere - it's really not a problem. That said, I prefer to read where I can really settle into a book and know I'm not going to be disturbed. On my bed or in the comfy chair in the living room.

Oddly, I do like reading on trains. I find them really soothing.

Quote that inspires you: 

I'm better at noting down amusing quotes than inspiring ones (because I'm that much of a philistine, clearly), but I liked this one from The Alchemist:

   “My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. “It doesn’t want me to go on.”
   “That makes sense," the alchemist answered. "Naturally it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”
   “Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?”
   “Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be inside you, repeating to you what you're thinking about life and about the world.”
   “You mean I should listen, even if it’s treasonous?”
   “Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you’ll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them. You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to fear an unanticipated blow.
   “My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.
    “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

Reading regret:

Do I have any? *thinks* I don't think I have any.

Series that you started and need to finish: 

The list of series that I started is very different to the list of series that I need to finish. Seriously.

Let's see... I really want to finish the Throne of Glass series. Oh, and that's it. God, I'm worse than I thought.

  
Three of your all-time favourite books:

Least fair question in the entire world. So three of my all-time favourite books are:

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2) 11.22.63 by Stephen King
3) The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ironmonger by J.W. Ironmonger

Bet that came as a surprise to you all, didn't it? 

 
Unapologetic fangirl for:

Well I don't really do authors. I mean, obviously I like their books, but there isn't a particular author I have a thing for. To be fair, I'm the same with everything else - I can like a song without knowing a damn thing about the band and I can like a film without needing to see everything else an actor has been in.

I know it's odd. I have been Told already.

Very excited for this release:

I'm looking forward to the new Terry Pratchett, the Steam one. I know his last few haven't been great, but I really liked the previous books that feature this character, Going Postal and Making Money, so I'm hoping this one will be similar.

  
Worst bookish habit:

Taking forever to review them! I was always so good at keeping on top of them, but this year it's all gone to pot. A combination of studying for the Bar, measles, relationship issues and a new job all combined into a complete and utter lack of reviews and now I'm struggling to catch up.

Once I manage, I swear to God I'm never letting this happen again :/
 

X marks the spot! Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: 

Garrrgh. I can only see my TBR shelf clearly, so you can have the 27th book from that (which is therefore my 27th oldest) and it is...The Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb.

 
Your last bookish purchase: 

Well. I'm actually planning on spending my £90 in book vouchers on Monday, so that's going to be quite a haul. I feel like a little girl on Christmas Eve, I'm that excited.

I made a deal with myself in August that I wasn't going to spend my birthday vouchers until I'd culled a decent amount of books from my shelves. I kind of have, and I feel like cheering myself up, so Monday is the day!

As of now though, my last purchase was A Little Course In Knitting, which is a D.K. book about... golf. Obviously.

  
Zzz snatcher- which book kept you up way late?: 
Many. Many many many.

Most recently was probably The Lies of Locke Lamora though. It took forever to get into, but by three quarters of the way through, I absolutely had to know what happened.