Book Survey

Happy Sunday from San Francisco! While there hasn't been much time to blog, and I'm fully okay with that, I couldn't let a Sunday pass without a little survey action. You all know how much I like to read, so here's a look into my reading past, present, and future? I am obviously a firm believer in reading, and that belief has been even more solidified after teaching a reading class this year. So many of my students just never had that early exposure that I know I was so lucky to have, and I've realized that any reading is better than no reading. My kiddos absolutely L-O-V-E The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and while I know it's not quite 9th grade reading level, some of them have diligently read the entire series. Small victories!

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Wow, this is a tough question! I’m going to have go with Barbara Park, as she is the author of the Junie. B. Jones series. And man, I L-O-V-E-D those books as a kid. If we’re talking more recently, either J.K. Rowling or Jodi Picoult.

(Source)

Best Sequel Ever:

Does HarryPotter and the Prisoner of Azkaban count? It’s one of my absolute FAVORITES.

Currently Reading:

TheKind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. It was recommended to me via GoodReads after rating TheGirl on the Train so highly.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Water. Tea is such a curl-up-with-a-book drink, but I just don’t love it enough yet for that.

The right tea, though ...

E-reader or Physical Book?

I go back and forth on this one. I, of course, love actually holding an actual book in my hands, which is why I resisted the e-Reader trend for so long. However, I love how accessible books are on the e-Reader. It’s downright dangerous. But you can search for any book you can imagine, whereas it’s not a for sure thing that your local bookstore will have the one you want. You can borrow books free of charge, just like a library, and best of all, it makes traveling so easy. I finished somewhere around 10 books when I was in Europe a few summers ago. There’s no way I could have brought ten books onboard with me. I would have had to leave behind some pairs of shoes, and that just wasn’t happening.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

I’ll admit that though I am most definitely on Team Gale, it’s Peeta who likely would have had my affection in high school.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

TheHunger Games series. I was hesitant about the craze at first, which I don’t think is completely unreasonable, given the kids-killing-kids storyline, but I’m glad I read them when I did.

Hidden Gem Book:

I did an entire blog post over this one. I’m not entirely sure if it can be considered a hidden gem, but Adulting: How To Become a Grown-Up in 468(ish) Easy Steps is one of the best books I’ve read. It’s hilarious, practical, and probably something I should read through again. Whoops!

(Source)

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

I’m not entirely sure. I’ve always been a voracious reader, and I think a lot of that goes back to my parents and grandmother reading to me when I was little. I do also remember always being placed in the highest-level reading group, and I think being challenged, but not overly frustrated, by different books at an early age made a huge difference in my reading career.

Just Finished:

Life is_______, by Judah Smith. Five stars, for sure.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Science Fiction. I just can’t get into that world.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with 870 pages. According to GoodReads, anyway.

(Source)

Major book hangover because of:

Shoot, I don't know! A lot of books have affected me in very real ways. Many of my favorites, of course. I know, you're getting tired of hearing about Harry Potter around here, but after I finished rereading the series last summer, I took my time picking up a new book. J.K. Rowling is just bloody brilliant.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

I actually only own one bookshelf, but it is very tall. And I have a couple of bookcases saved up to use in my (fingers crossed!) classroom next year.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Harry Potter, of course. The entire series. I think I’ve read the entire series at least four times over, but I’ve read the earlier books – Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoners of Azkaban­ – more times than I care to admit. Though when I was younger, I had a whole slew of books that I would read and reread. I kept them on a special shelf on the side of my desk, because they were my go-to on a rainy day.

Yes, I dressed up for both the movie AND book premieres

Preferred Place To Read:

I love being able to wake up, open up my book (or my Kindle), and read while lying in bed. There’s nothing better. I do also love reading in a hammock by the lake (okay, or by the pond, if we’re talking about Hermann Park).

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” – John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Reading Regret:

I regret not reading some of the books I was assigned in high school (okay, and college). To clarify that, I was a huge nerd in high school, and I did nearly all of my assigned work. Sometimes, however, I would run short on time and quickly skim through SparkNotes to make sure I got the gist of that particular part of the novel. Many of the books that I claimed to not like in high school, I feel as though I would truly enjoy if I were to read them now. I probably didn’t get as much out of the books that I read in high school, but how can you?

Series You Started And Need To Finish (all books are out in series):

A Series of Unfortunate Events. I’ve read every book in that series except for #13, the last one, and I even own it. If I don’t find out what VFD stands for … I also started reading the Pretty Little Liars series, and fell in love with it long before it became such a popular television show. I stopped reading after book five, but I would love to go back to it and find out if it’s as twisted as I’ve heard the television show to be.

(Source)

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

This is such a hard question. I’m going to go with Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I want to list about ten more, but I’ll stick to the requirements.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

The summer before my senior year (of college, just to put myself totally out there), I read every single book in The Alice Series. It didn’t take me long, as I flew through each book, but what an accurate portrayal of what it truly looks like to go through those middle and high school years.

(Source)

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

I guess I'm never really sure of book release days (unless, of course, it's Harry Potter), but I often get emails from Amazon telling me that a new book has been released, or that a new book is about to be released, based on books that I have purchased previously. So while I rarely anticipate a book's release, unless it's part of a series that I'm reading, I do learn of some new books through those occasional emails.

Worst Bookish Habit:

I have a bad habit of buying books that are “pretty,” and then not reading them. Case in point: I have beautiful copies of both Little Women and Les Miserables, and I have not read either. It might be that both of those books are an arm workout just lugging them around, but hey, at least it looks like I read the classics.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Ironically enough, it is One Day, All Children by Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America. I went through a phase when I thought that’s what I wanted to do, but I have very mixed feelings about the organization, now. I’ve never actually read the book. Whoops!

Your latest book purchase:

Physical book? Or e-Book? The Kind Worth Killing is the last book I purchased on my Kindle, but the last physical book I purchased was Life is______, by Judah Smith.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

The Girl on the Train. I could not stop reading this one, reading almost half of the book in one sitting (on a school day, too). I knew I was going to pay for it the next day, but I just had to know what would happen next.

And with that, we're off to the wine country. Hasta luego!