The Tag Project...Part II - Karsyn (KaKiJoKoJa)

I mentioned the other day that I'd been "tagged" by a couple of my blogger friends in their awards posts. I'm not doing the whole award passing thing (though you're totally welcome to take the questions and answer them on your own blogs), but I am answering their questions in a series of posts I'm calling The Tag Project.

Last time, I did some questions given to me by the lovely Shaina over at Shaina Reads. Today, questions come from Karsyn over at Karsyn's Kickass Jocoserious Kooky Jannock Book Blog (KaKiJoKoJa for short).

I met Karsyn quite a while back through a read-a-thon...and I loved her. She's funny and honest and just plain fantastic. She is a reading whirlwind. We've discovered that we're pretty much polar opposites when it comes to reading preferences and habits, but we get along pretty well just the same. I love seeing the fun stuff she's up to on the blog. If you're looking for read-a-thons, she's your gal. She tracks them down really well. Don't expect to beat her stats though, this lady can go through books like they're nothing. I'm constantly impressed at how much reading she can get done in a day.

Now...how about some questions from Karsyn?

1. Do you find it hard or easy to name your top 5 or 10 favorite books?

This is pretty easy for me, I suppose. There are a lot of good books out there, but I definitely have my favorites. They do change a bit over time, but some have amazing staying power. Here's a short list of my faves:

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

4. A Time to Kill by John Grisham

5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

6. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

7. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

8. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

2. Do you have a go-to genre for when you are figuring out what to read next?

I'm a total mood reader, so it really just depends on how I'm feeling. If I'm looking for a nice, easy relaxing read, I'll head to YA fiction. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll go for the classics or historical fiction. Really, I just grab whatever sounds good at the time.


3. Do you ever purge your TBR? Do you have a system for it?

I don't purge my TBR, it just grows like a weed. I keep track of it over at Goodreads. As far as selecting my books, I mostly fly by the seat of my pants. Sometimes I select them based on a challenge goal, but mostly I find that ends in disaster since mood reading is such an issue for me.


4. How many books are on your TBR?

I'm almost scared to look. Oh brother. According to Goodreads, I'm currently at 1106. Sadly, it's actually a smidge higher than that because there have been a couple of new books in the last few weeks that I've heard about but haven't yet added.


5. Favorite book you've read so far in 2015 (doesn't have to be a 2015 release)?

Oh crap. Well...here I get to expose my shame. I started back at college in January for the first time in over a decade and I've kind of been neglecting books. Sad, but true. I have not yet read a full novel this year. I think part of the problem is that the book I was reading got a little boring for me. I think I need to bail on it for a bit and read something fun to get back in the swing of things. I need to do some serious catch up work.


6. 2015 release you are looking forward to most?

Well...thanks a lot. I just went out to see what's being released this year and now I'm adding another handful of books onto my TBR. Gah.

I think I'm most excited about Jenny Lawson's upcoming release. If you don't know her, Jenny Lawson is better known as The Bloggess. She's fantastically hilarious and her second book, currently titled Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things is slated for a late September release.

My birthday is in September. I want this book. Husband take note.


7. Book you recommend the most to others?

Hmm. I'm pretty varied in my book suggestions, but I'd have to say that it's going to be one of two options: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger or The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. You'll notice they're both on my top list. Last year, I couldn't say enough about Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. I would recommend Jane Eyre more often, but people often wrinkle their noses at classics. Their loss. I love it.


8. Do you find it hard or easy to read when other people are around?

I'm easily distracted. If they're being quiet and doing their own thing, I'm totally fine. If the TV is on or other people in the room are talking though, forget it. Nothing's getting done. I'll read the same page, the same sentence, fourteen times in a row.


9. What's one thing you could change about one of your favorite books?

Hmm...I really can't say without totally wrecking the book, but I have one thing that I totally wish could be changed about The Time Traveler's Wife. It very nearly wrecked the book for me. Those of you who have read it will know exactly what I'm talking about.


10. What would your dream library/reading nook be like? Details!

I have a pretty cozy little library right now that is totally on the right path. The walls are lined with nine oak bookshelves and I have two cozy couches as well as an awesome papasan chair.

Don't mind the telescope leg. It was a little crowded in here for a bit...

My dream library would be this expanded. It would have floor to ceiling bookshelves with the little ladders like you see in all the fancy libraries on movie versions of Victorian novels. I'd have tall windows that would let in lots of natural light and I'd have comfy couches and chairs for lounging about. There would also be a window seat like in Jane Eyre where I could cozy up and read.


11. How many books (real paper books, not e-readers) can you see from where you are right now?

Three. Two books for an English class and one for my business class. I have another six (all novels) shoved in the nightstand drawer next to me if you want to count those.


And there ends Part II! Thanks to Karsyn for the awesome questions! You and Shaina have done well sucking me back into the blogosphere. I'm doing my best to stop being so negligent and I'm making an endeavor to be around here more often, despite my studies, but there will be a lot of book blogging for a while. Hopefully, everyone is down for that. As far as the crafting, that's only a month away. The 2015 A-to-Z Challenge starts on April 1st!