A Book Survey

A friend passed this on to me, so here goes.
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1. Favorite childhood book?

Harry Potter by JK Rowling of course. I'm so young. 

2. What are you reading right now?

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Supposed to be brilliant. 

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

Wish I had access to a library that wasn't my school one. Such is life. 

4. Bad book habit?

Dog-earing, and not using bookmarks. 

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Nothing.  

6. Do you have an e-reader?

My dad has an iPad. I'm technically allowed to use it, though I haven't yet. 

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

Depends on the book. If it's heavy then I like to vary it up. Lighter books I finish in a few hours so...

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

Uh, no. 

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)

(2011) Shantaram, I think. God that was annoying. 

(2012) Inheritance by Christopher Paolini. I could not read it. My eyes literally slid off the page and gazed upon the sky in despair. It was awful. 

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?

A Streetcar Named Desire. Fabulous play. 

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Quite often. I love trying out new genres and authors. 

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

Non-fiction, postmodernism, humour.

13. Can you read on the bus?

Yep.  

14. Favorite place to read?

My bed, under the blankets. 

15. What is your policy on book lending?

I'm good with lending.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?

All the drat time. 

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

Never. I hate seeing ink/pencil marks in my books. 

18. Not even with text books?

Not very often. I end up making notes on paper cause I remember better.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?

English.

20. What makes you love a book?

I like stories with complex or compelling characters. Language and style are really important for me also. I refuse to read books that treat topics like rape insensitively. 

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

Whether or not I enjoyed it.

22. Favorite genre?

Bildungsroman. 

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)

Biographical works. People are interesting, but eh, I don't like strange speculation over the drugs they smoed etc. 

24. Favorite biography?

Can't think of any. 

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

It was about teenagers, and a little didactic and silly.

26. Favorite cookbook?

Huh?

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

Nothing inspirational, I'm afraid! Only depression.

28. Favorite reading snack?

Peanuts.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

Nothing in particular comes to mind. 

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

Sometimes, I guess? Some critiques of awful books are positive, so I can't really say. 

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

If it deserves a bad review then I shall give one. Honesty is how I roll. 

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?

Japanese might be interesting - though that's more to do with video gaming than books. 

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? 

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. So big and fat. Awesome though. 

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?

Hmm, nothing yet. 

35. Favorite Poet?

T.S Eliot is great. I like the romantic poets too. .

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

No libraries to speak of, except the school one.  

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?

Never.

38. Favorite fictional character? 
Not from a book funnily enough. Estelle Bright from Trails in the Sky. She's one of my favourite examples of a well-written female character, and just so goddamn awesome.
From books, I guess I find Edmond Dantes cool, partly because of how elaborate and amazing his plan for vengeance was, and his redemption. 

39. Favorite fictional villain?

... I can't think of any. Voldemort I guess? It's been a while since I've read anything with clear-cut villains.
40. Books you’re most likely to bring on vacation?

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, maybe a few travelogues by Bill Bryson. Nothing too heavy or thick.
41. The longest you’ve gone without reading.

Regular books - a few months, thanks to tons of schoolwork. I do read the novels set for school pretty often, so it depends on which kind.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.

Inheritance (again). I refuse to look at that refuse. Also, Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. I wanted to fling it out of the window in despair. 

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

not much if I'm into the book. If it's not a good book, then even the spot on my wall is distracting - ooh it looks like a face!

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

Lord of the Rings was amazing in scale - I think it lived up to Tolkien's vision. 

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?

Narnia. Even Liam Neeson as Aslan cannot save that series. The worst thing was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader turning, from a journey of self-discovery, to a typical good vs. evil battley thing. 

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

No idea. Never too much at once though. 

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?

I look at the blurb and that's it. I don't like spoiling myself. 

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

Bad writing mostly, or if the subject isn't interesting enough and I get bored.  

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?

I'd like to, but I don't. I have books everywhere except the shelves. 

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

Keep, mostly. I'm quite attached to most of my books. 
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Not really, no. I don't usually read thrillers, so I guess I stay away from those. 

52. Name a book that made you angry.
Twilight and its spawn. Ne'er have vampires been so awful and writing so hilariously bad. 

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Madame Bovary. The cover put me off with her bovine stare and general demeanour, but the book was great.
Serious reason: Most unlikeable protagonist ever, except maybe Anna Karenina. I usually don't like books with unlikeable protagonists. 

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Shantaram. People raved about it all the damn time but I thought it was both pretentious and horrible. The author's Architecture of the Novel article sealed the deal.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?

Never guilty, kiddos. But I do enjoy Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes a lot.