Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want My Future Children to Read

Hello again! Imagine, two posts back-to-back, in the same week?! This is insanity! ;)

Well, I'm back again with another Top Ten Tuesday (a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish). This week's theme is Books I Want My Future Children to Read. Let's dive right in.

1. Canadian classic. Everyone should read this one!



2. Literally anything by Roald Dahl - love him! But Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a must! Also, James and the Giant Peach! :D

3. I was "not allowed" to read Harry Potter growing up, but I wasn't that interested anyway. Reading the books as an adult, I loved them. I've got my younger nephew reading them, and I certainly wouldn't force them on a child, but if my kids wanted to read them, I wouldn't discourage them!

4. The Little House series is another must, for sure!

5. Anything by Robert Munsch. In all honesty, Love You Forever is more for the moms, but it's a good one for the little kids, as well, I think! (P.S. Do not read the reviews on Goodreads, they will ruin it for you...)

6. I read Wonder this year, and I'm pretty sure this will be a forced read for my kids. This should be required reading in every middle school.

7. I loved Amelia Bedelia and her antics :)

8. My brother and I both enjoyed these as kids. For some reason, we were allowed to read these... I'm thinking my dad didn't  know what they were about... lol

9. Who doesn't love that silly little monkey?

10. Absolutely, definitely, without a doubt, the Magic School Bus series. If not the books, they will have to watch the shows, because these stories were entertaining, educational, and got our minds working and asking questions!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall-ish Covers

Hey hey! I'm attempting another one of these things, we'll see if it gets posted today or not!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created/hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week's theme is Fall/Autumn Covers/Themes! I love all seasons and am so thankful to live in a part of the world that has 4 beautifully distinct seasons. This, right now, is probably one of my favourite times of the year. The temperature is cooling down, but you can still go without a jacket, the leaves have changed colours... Of course the colours are a big part of fall in Canada: yellow, gold, orange, red, brown... So that's primarily what I used to pick books for this week, but some are for the themes/feelings they give as well.

Sorry, for the slideshow... I was having issues adding the photos individually, and I can't find a way to edit the animation to be a bit slower... *sigh* Technology.... Just in case you miss some:

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth
• Everland by Wendy Spinale
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Sweet Misfortune by Kevin Alan Milne
• I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
• The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonassen

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab | Product Review: Green Leaf Baby

Hey guys! This is actually a combined review post, because the only pic I had on hand of A Darker Shade of Magic was with my new book sleeve (haha!). I pre-ordered this sleeve on Etsy from a Canadian seller (gotta support small Canadian businesses!) called Green Leaf Baby, and it arrived a couple weeks ago. It doesn't seem to be a product that she normally sells, but I really like mine, and I would definitely request another one from her in the future.

This one is made with an adorable Harry Potter print. It has these cutesy images of the four house mascots (lion, badger, snake, bird) and little wands doing spells. It's super cute! The lining is made of a soft grey minky material - so soft!

My only "issue," if you can call it that, is that I kind of think that book sleeves should have some sort of closure (zipper, Velcro, a button...) just to make sure the book doesn't slide out, especially with that super soft lining. This sleeve is big enough for all the books I've put in it so far, it's even a bit roomy (hence the need for some sort of closure).

Ok, now, on to the book review! :)

A Darker Shade of Magic

by V.E. Schwab

Source: Bought a paperback copy online

Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Review:

I seem to start all my reviews the same way, but how many ways are there of saying, "I really enjoyed the book" or "This was a really good book"...?

I was excited to read this book. I've been hearing (good) things about it for over a year. It was the book featured in OwlCrate's first box (which was several months before I started subscribing). When it was chosen in one of my Facebook groups as the book to read and discuss for June, I was super excited! I kind of missed the discussion that happened, but anyway... I'm so glad I read the book.

I did find the story a tad slow at times, but I was never uninterested in what was happening, or in the characters. I really liked the character development - I loved the protagonists and hated the villains, as one is expected to do. I felt like I was supposed to like Rhy's character, because everyone loves him, but I really didn't. There's just something off about him. When he was flirting with Lila, my skin crawled. Ew. Just, no.

I totally fell in love with Kell, and I feel no need to explain or justify that. I wonder if anyone else would agree with me on this, but I felt a pretty strong Newt Scamander vibe (as portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) from Kell. He just has that same tall, lanky, kind of shy thing going on, the magical aspect, the smuggling, plus his coat... Newt's coat wasn't as magical or as significant to the story as Kell's, but it's iconic of him, and that's what I kept thinking of when I imagined Kell and his coat. In fact, I'm pretty sure Eddie Redmayne would be a good Kell... There is a Darker Shade of Magic movie in the works, by the way, so that's pretty exciting! :D

In my Goodreads review, I mentioned that I wanted to be Lila when I grow up: Lila is one of those characters (spunky, full of life, knows what she wants and how to get it, etc) that is the polar opposite of myself and just makes me wish I could be more confident and adventurous like her. Granted, she didn't have any real attachments to begin with, but when she packed up everything and ran off with Kell to a foreign world - not even knowing if the magic would take her - I just wish I could be so brave.

 

*sigh*

Anyway... I think there might have been something else I wanted to say, but I waited too long between writing sessions, and I forgot. Typical. So, suffice it to say that I really enjoyed this book, I highly recommend it, and I am looking forward to reading the sequels soon! :)

My Goodreads rating:

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Floral/Botanical Covers

Hey guys! I'm participating (on time??) in this week's Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. The theme this week is a cover theme freebie: anything to do with covers! I took a look through my Good Reads To-Read list and saw a bit of a trend... gorgeous botanical covers!

Of these books, I have only read Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden, but sadly not these beautiful versions. The rest of these books are all on my To-Read list, and primarily piqued my interest because of their beautiful dark floral/botanical covers! Yes, I judge books by their covers!

So, without further ado, here are some of my favourite covers:

1. Wild Beauty by Anna-Maria McLemore

2. Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane

3. And I Darken by Kiersten White

4. The Muse by Jessie Burton

5. Wicked Like A Wildfire by Lana Popovic

6. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

8. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

 

9. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

10. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - this is not an official cover for purchase, this illustrator (Charlotte Day) just made her own beautiful covers for three of Jane Austen's books, and this one in particular fit well with my theme so I included it! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Liked More/Less Than I Thought I Would

Hey! It's been a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), so I'm happy to be doing one again!

 

 

This week's prompt is "Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would" or, alternately,  "Books I Liked Less/More Than Everyone Else." I'm going with a combination of books I liked more/less than I thought I would. I have probably mentioned most of these books at one point or another on the blog, whether in a Top Ten Tuesday post, or a book tag, or a review.... Sadly, the number of books I've read that I actually remember enough about to say anything about them is pretty limited... So I apologize for any repetitiveness!

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Books I Liked More Than I Thought I Would

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this book. My best friend's mom highly recommended it, but my best friend herself said while she liked it, it wasn't a favourite. I had absolutely no preconceived notions about it beforehand, aside from these recommendations and the many, many people online who recommended it. I wanted to read it, but kind of wasn't sure if I'd like it because high school romances aren't really my thing anymore... but it turns out that I loved it! Current favourite love story, actually!

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

This one's a bit of a cheat. When I first heard about this book, I thought it sounded awesome and I was super excited! Plus Divergent is one of fave series, so I had some pretty high expectations. The doubts started when all those crazy bad reviews went shooting around the internet and I got kind of scared, because I had preordered the book. I don't typically buy new releases, and rarely pay full price for a book, so I was worried that in pre-ordering I would be paying more than the book was worth. I didn't read any of those reviews, but I had heard the gist of the supposed offenses, and tons of people saying they couldn't get past the first few pages, or swearing they would never read it, on principle... But I got my preorder, devoured it pretty quickly, and really enjoyed it! I only wished that it wasn't the first in a series because now I have to wait a super long time to know what happens!

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

I received this book in my OwlCrate box a few months ago, and just read it last month. It sounded interesting, but I wasn't actually that compelled to read it. I had heard lots of good reviews, but for whatever reason I wasn't that intrigued. However, once I read it, I loved it, and I can't wait for the sequel! Here was my review post.

 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Going way back... I had to read this book in school. Generally speaking, the books we're forced to read in school aren't all that interesting, or maybe it's just because we're forced to read them that makes them less interesting. Anyway, I actually really loved this book. I don't typically re-read books, so the fact that I have re-read this one means it's pretty special, and I really liked the movie that came out a few years ago as well.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

This book... it was highly recommended to me by a family member, and while it did sound interesting, I wasn't expecting to be as impacted by it as I was. Not that I loved it, but it's one of those books that sticks with you, leaves an impression on you. And those books that leave an impression on us, make us feel something, are the ones we recommend the most to others, and recommend it I have done.

 

*BONUS*

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

This was another book I had to read in school, and much like Still Alice, it's not so much about a love of the story, as it is the impact it left on me that makes me say I liked it more than I thought I would. Part haunting, part intriguing, this was probably one of the best books I ever read, merely for the way it makes you think and the impression it leaves. I mean, what are the limits/capabilities of the human brain? What is the inner dialogue of a mentally disabled person actually like, vs what we think it must be like? I think I'm due to read it again, if I can get my hands on it... I have been hesitant to recommend it to others, but I do think it's a good book.

 

Books I Liked Less Than I Thought I Would

Worlds Of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

I got this book in one of my first OwlCrate boxes, and I was actually really disappointed in it. I thought it sounded great and I was excited to read a historical fiction about the Bronte siblings, but it just fell a bit short for me. Maybe it was the fantasy bit, I'm not sure, but it was just wasn't as good as I had anticipated. I reviewed it here in this post, along with another book.

 

Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

I didn't like the looks of this book when it came in my OwlCrate, and I waited nearly a year to read it. I didn't even want to then, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt because OwlCrate generally makes good recommendations (with the exception of the one above...) But I really didn't enjoy it. It was kind of interesting, and I didn't hate it, but I was expecting to like it more simply because it was recommended by the OwlCrate crew. The theme here is historical fiction, maybe it's just not my genre... Here was my review post.

 

 

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

I'm pretty sure I read The Secret Life of Bees once upon a time, but I can't quite remember... In any case, I was expecting a really compelling story from this author, but it was not what I was hoping for, and I didn't enjoy it all that much. I wrote a review in this post, along with another book.

 

 

Paper Towns by John Green

I was expecting this story to be really interesting. And, to be honest, the adventure, the meat of the book was; it was the ending that fell short for me. It felt very anti-climatic. I was expecting/hoping for a much more interesting and exciting ending. So that kind of ruined the whole book for me, unfortunately. Here was my review post.

 

 

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

There was quite a bit of hype surrounding this book and lots of rave reviews, but it didn't have the same effect on me as it apparently had on others. It wasn't that impactful, I barely remember the story, and I only gave it a 2-star rating on Good Reads - and I'm a pretty easy grader, so I really wasn't that impressed by it.

Q&A: Flawed featuring Paige From Book Club

Hello again friends! Today we're doing things a bit differently. My best friend Paige (Paige From Book Club) and I decided way back in April that we would read Flawed (by Cecelia Ahern) together, and possibly do something together with our blogs. It took us until the end of December until we were both in a position to read it, and then a couple weeks to come up with a plan & question set for our blogs, so this has been a long time coming. What we finally decided on was to each answer the same 12 questions on the other's blog. So, below you will find Paige's answers, and you can find mine on her blog, right over here. Please also check out my full review of Flawed, which I posted last week.

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How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it? It did take me a while to get into this book actually.  The whole “Perfect” system really bothered me, and I found myself putting the book down in frustration a lot.  I was about two thirds through before I found myself truly getting into the story.
How did you feel reading it - amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored? This book made me so angry and frustrated.  The injustices and unfairness of the whole story really affected me.  There were only rare moments where I could settle and simply read.  The majority of the time, the themes of the book would not let me rest.  Each time I picked up the book the frustration came back with a vengeance.  It was a continuing feeling, right up to the end.
What are your feelings regarding Celestine, the main character? Do you admire her? Disapprove of her? She never intended to take a stand.  She just reacted out of basic human decency and compassion, and for that I admire her.  Beyond that I didn’t have much respect for her character or her way of thinking.  She was narrow minded and naive and arrogant, even as the story progressed.  I did like that she didn’t have a complete change of character just because this big event happened.  It was realistic in that her base character remained the same, even as her world views shifted. Over all though, I didn’t care for her too much, except for in those few moments that she chose the right thing.  In those moments she endeared herself to me.
What did you think of her family’s reactions to her stand, and then her sentencing?

When something is happening to my family, it is happening to me.  We tend to stick together and stand together.  We are always on each other’s side.  So for her strong-willed outspoken sister to remain silent?  I felt utterly betrayed for Celestine.  I appreciated her father’s blustering and yelling on her behalf, as he showed his love in his own way.  It bothered me that she dismissed her grandfather so easily at first, and I was glad when they came to an understanding and she grew to respect him.  Her mother’s quiet defiances were sweet, and while in keeping with her character, I did wish she’d done more.

The part that bothered me the most, however, was her younger brother’s reaction to her.  The disgust and fear he suddenly showed toward her was heartbreaking.  He was so brainwashed into society’s thinking that he couldn’t form a thought for himself. I wanted to shake some sense into him, and make him understand!  Show him why it was society that was wrong, not his sister.  And the fact that there was nothing his family could really do to teach him otherwise, without being seen as “aiding a Flawed” was beyond devastating.  I do wonder how that storyline will develop in the next book.

What are your thoughts on the romance aspect? Did the potential romance take away from the story or add to it? When I thought that Carrick was going to be a solid part of this first book, I was all for the romance.  I am a sucker for romance, no matter the genre I find it in.  When Carrick was absent for most of the book, I was confused.  Why introduce a character that is obviously meant to be a love interest, when he’s not even going to be present?  Why was Celestine suddenly putting so much emphasis on this character that disappeared when she needed him the most?  I would have liked to see him introduced as a comrade and friend first with no hint of deeper feelings on Celestine’s part.  Then perhaps in the next book - when he is actually present - the author could work on developing the romance.  There was a lot of implication, and not a lot of follow through in that particular part of the story.  It was unnecessary in this first installment.
What passages stood out to you? Did anything strike you as particularly profound or insightful? No particular passage stood out to me.  However, the theme of discrimination and prejudice really affected me.  The story makes you reevaluate how you react to our present day discriminations - the ones we don’t always see because we’re right in the middle of it.  Do I sit quietly and watch the injustices happening around me?  Or do I take a stand for what’s right, no matter what others think?  Things to consider, and carry forward in our every day life.
Did you find the plot predictable or formulaic? Yes.  It completely followed a formula, and was absolutely cliché is parts.  It varied enough to keep it interesting, but I was at no point surprised by anything that happened.  I don’t mind predictable or formulaic, most times.  I would have liked to see a little more out of the box thinking for this one though.  The prank played by the classmates for example.  I could have done without that particular cliché.
Is the ending satisfying? It was abrupt.  I would have liked another chapter or two to give our main character better direction and purpose.  We were almost there, but not quite close enough.  This is what makes me think the duology was originally meant to be a stand alone.  It was like someone suddenly chopped it off at the halfway point and said, “We could make more money if we turned this into two books.”
If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author, and how does this compare?

The author states that she wrote this story in six weeks.  So my question would be ‘What suddenly inspired you to write this story?’  For it to be written so quickly and passionately, there had to be a trigger, right?

I haven’t read any of her other books.  Mainly because I watched the movie version of “P.S. I Love You” and cried so hard I vowed never to read the book. I’ve been a little afraid to read any of her subsequent books as a result.

Has this novel changed you - broadened your perspective? 
It’s definitely made me think harder about taking a stand for what’s right.  No new ideas, per se.  But definitely a reminder that it is not okay to sit idly by while injustices take place around you.
There is going to be a sequel. Will you continue reading the series? From what I can tell, the sequel “Perfect” is the second half of a duology.  Because it is only two books, I will definitely read the second one.  However, if it had been a trilogy or more, I probably wouldn’t continue.  I do think this story should have been told in one longer book, instead of dividing it in two.  But I will finish it, if only to know what happens next.
Would you recommend the book to other people? For as thought provoking as this book is, it’s not one I would recommend to others.  I suppose if someone came to me looking for another dystopian YA novel, I may mention it.  For a book that deals with the topics of social injustice and prejudice, however; I have a few others I may recommend before this one.

***

We were both quite amused by how different our answers were to the first few questions, but then became nearly identical answers for the last questions.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this little experiment as much as we did! Hopefully we will be able to do a few more of these posts in the future.

Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree

This week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is all about what we want to see under the tree this Christmas! The prompt was "Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree (or non-book bookworm items)" and so I will be going halfsies and doing 5 of each.

5 Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree

1. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee - Because I've heard good things about it.
2. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst - Because the cover... and it sounds really awesome. :)
3. I am Half-sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley - I've read the first two books of the Flavia de Luce series, and own the third, so having the next one (or two) would be great!
4. Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin - Because it sounds so awesome! I've seen it floating around Facebook and Instagram and I'm just so intrigued.
5. Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - I haven't read Miss Peregrine's yet, and I don't know if you would have to have read them first to read this one, but I just like the idea of the short stories.

5 Non-book Bookish Items

1. Library card socks from Out of Print - So fun! Available in grey, yellow, and blue.
2. Magnetic bookmarks from Happy Hello on Etsy - There are way too many cute designs to choose from! I love the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast themed ones, and I think I saw an Anne of Green Gables one as well!
3. Jewelry from Authored Adornments on Etsy - Her necklace pendants are particularly gorgeous, and she has a Sherlock ring. *thumbs up* I like all the Alice in Wonderland goodies.
4. Harry Potter Monopoly! Because how fun would that be?? Unfortunately there is no official game, only fan recreated ones. I wish I had more local bookish friends to have game nights and Harry Potter parties with which would warrant me making my own...
5. Customized bookplates or stamps from Etsy - There are tons on Etsy and they are so fun! I love the idea, but don't actually like writing/sticking things in books, so I'm not sure I'd actually use them...

The OwlCrate Society

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I have been subscribed to OwlCrate for about a year, and it's been pretty awesome. I love being exposed to new books that I had not previously heard of, and would never have picked up on my own (because, honestly, there's only 1 out of the 12 I've received so far that I would have gone out and bought new). So it's been good for that, plus the book-related swag has been very cool. Some of it isn't necessarily useful or interesting to me, but I can re-gift those items. Most everything has been fun and interesting and I've also discovered new Etsy artisans along the way because of OwlCrate.

In addition to these discoveries, I've also fallen into a beautiful community of readers and writers who share my love of all things books, and OwlCrate! OwlCrate's creator Korrina Ede decided to start an official "book club" Facebook page called The OwlCrate Society where we can all share about books we're reading, deals & sales currently on, book hauls, TBR lists, OwlCrate stuff (of course), and several other topics. Not that I need to learn about or buy any more books, but it's so rewarding to see what other people are reading; to find out if that book that everyone's talking about is actually any good; to make suggestions of books I love to others; to have a sense of community that I don't necessarily have in my life otherwise.

Along with all the fabulous book talk, there are also several book bloggers in the group. It is through the sharing of their amazing blogs that I was inspired to re-establish my own blog. Not that mine will ever be anywhere near as in-depth or interesting as some of theirs, which I felt bad about for a minute... But then I remembered what I wrote in my "first" post, from early last month... That this blog is really just for me. If other people read and enjoy it at the same time, that would be so great!

I will not, however, let myself feel bad about not being a professional reader and blogger. I read a lot, compared to others in my circle, but I can not read several books in a week. I enjoy reading, but to read that much, it would almost be a chore. When I love a book, I can get through it in about a week, maybe a weekend if there's nothing else going on. But there have been very few books I've loved enough to do that, or very few weekends that have been slow enough to allow me to do that. And that's ok! I have other hobbies and interests to occupy my time, I don't need to read at every break in my day.

So anyway, I just wanted to share with you the spectacular-ness that is The OwlCrate Society. It is one of the most encouraging, accepting, and positive Facebook groups I have ever seen. Which just goes to show that book-lovers are the best people, amiright?

Tag: Newbie Book Blog

So I'm pretty new to this whole book blogging thing. I was sort of doing it a couple years ago, but wasn't very good, or consistent, so when I started back up last month, I considered a new birth rather than a rebirth... if that makes any sense...

Anyway, so I have been investing some time into reading other people's blogs and looking up ideas for blog content. Right now, I'm mostly just trying to get into a rhythm of publishing posts at regular intervals, that being every Wednesday. I have sporadically shared posts on other days, but I'm trying to be consistent with Wednesdays right now, and sticking mostly with reviewing the books I had read this year before starting the blog. So, in my nosing around the interwebs, I found Love and Other Bookish Things and her post entitled Book Blog Newbie Tag, in which she takes it upon herself to bring BookTube tags and such over into the book blogosphere. I love making up words. :)

So the following is my Newbie Tag, using Kirsten's version:

1. Why did you start this blog?
Well, basically, I have a terrible memory. So this is my little memory keeper, to remind me that yes, I did, in fact, actually read that book, and whether or not I liked it. When I first started blogging a couple years ago, I was literally talking about everything that happened in the book - spoilers much? I don't want to spoil anything for anyway, but at the same time, I do want to be able to remind myself what a book was about. So hopefully in the near future I'll figure out a way to balance the two to make everyone happy. :)

2. What are some fun and unique things you can bring to book blogging?
Uh, well... that's a pretty good question. I don't know. I'd like to think that I have kind of a quirky writing voice... When I was a teenager, I identified myself as being weird and bubbly... so I don't know, guys. I guess... I'm honest, and weird, and sometimes kind of fun and bubbly? I hope?

3. What are you most excited for about this blog?
Um... That's another good question. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for lots of readers and people to love me and all that, which I know is quite unlikely but there's still that hope... But I think really I'm just excited to be able to share the books I've read, and my love of books, with like-minded people!

4. Why do you love reading?
I love being able to fall in love, go on an adventure, learn magic, solve crimes, etc, without even leaving my bed. I love escaping into another world for a little while, meeting new people (even if they are fictitious), learning things...

5. What book or series got you into reading?
I've always been a reader and story-lover. I don't remember exactly how old I was when I learned to love to read, and I don't remember the first book I read on my own, so I can't really say what got me into reading. All I know is that I've always loved books, imaginary things, and stories.

6. What questions would you ask your favourite authors?
You know, I don't really think about things like this, meeting authors and asking them questions. I guess something I would ask a couple of authors would be, "Why did you choose to write in the voice of the opposite sex, and was it a challenege for you?"

7. What challenges do you think starting a blog will be the hardest to overcome?
The consistency of posting new content, for sure. That, and no spoilers. :)

8. When did you start reading?
I don't remember. First grade, probably, so like 7 years old? I mean, I was only reading little books that first graders read, but I remember being so proud of being able to read on my own, and adding books to my "have read" list.

9. Where do you read?
I have a favourite Lay-Z-Boy chair in the living room where I like to curl up to read, that's my preferred spot. I do read in bed, but I don't find it particularly comfortable, and sometimes on the deck or in the kitchen, wherever there's a chair... But I don't typically read other places outside my home. I have taken books with me places, but I find I get interrupted too much and end up having to re-read the bits I "read" while I was out.

10. What kind of books do you like to read?
Fiction, definitely fiction. I love me some Young Adult fiction, especially dystopian, and don't care who knows it! I also love murder mysteries, crime novels, and fluffy chick reads. And the (very) occasional non-fictional biography. But very rarely. :)

Well, I guess that's it! I hope you enjoyed my tag post. Let me know if you write one too! In the meantime, I'd like to tag my friend Paige at Paige From Book Club to do this!