A to Z Bookish Survey

Well...guess who has pinkeye? Scratch that...pinkEYES. Yup. I am currently operating half blind and working hard to prevent myself from clawing viciously at the itching, burning orbs inhabiting my face. I woke up yesterday morning with my eyes glued shut...always a great start when your job relies on you having good vision. Then...well, then there was purulent exudate - which is a nice fancy medical term for pus. Appetizing, right? And now I have an unplanned day off where I am concentrating on not spreading my contagion throughout the house and dreading the 8 hour mark when I have to go dose myself again with super fun antibiotic eye drops. The medication has helped, but the eyes still refuse to operate at 100%. Basically I'm struggling today. So...it's time for something laid back and fun. 

I first saw the A to Z Bookish Survey over at Karsyn's blog. She got it from Jamie over at Perpetual Page Turner. Since I've been on a total book kick lately, I figured it was appropriate to go ahead and slip this on in. And now you get to learn more about my reading habits. (Because I know you were all just dying to find out more.)

Source

Author You've Read the Most Books From : John Grisham. 19 books.

This was not a surprise to me at all. I had a minor obsession with John Grisham novels for a few years, reading them as soon as they came out. A Time to Kill still ranks up there as one of my favorite books. To be completely honest, I've probably actually read more books by Mary Higgins Clark, but I read them as a teenager (prior to Goodreads), so I can't keep track of them all. I'm sure it's pretty close to a tie between the two.

(I learned how to figure this out thanks to Jamie and Karsyn. Go to your "my books" section in Goodreads and select "most read authors" from the left hand side under the list of your shelves.)

Best Sequel Ever : 

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (Millennium Trilogy #2)

I actually have quite a few good series reads in my completed list...many of them rated at 5 stars. But the second book in the Millennium series has to be the pick for this one. After all, it was the winner for 2011's BOTY Bracket. The whole series was really well written and I'm totally bummed that Stieg Larsson passed away. I loved these books.

Currently Reading : There are a few books on the "currently reading" shelf. That's what happens. I spread myself out a little sometimes.

1. The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (current Classics Spin read)

3. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (current Deal Me In read)

4. Anathema by Megg Jensen (current ARC read)

Drink of Choice While Reading : More often than not, plain old ice water. I'm fancy like that.

E-Reader or Physical Book? Honestly, this one depends on my mood. I love my Nook for the convenience, but I still enjoy the feel of an honest to goodness book in my hands. If I'm travelling, I prefer the e-reader just because I can haul a library's worth of books without the heft. If I'm at home, it just depends on the day.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School : Hmm...in high school I dated a little bit here and there, but had two fairly serious relationships...both of them with "bad boys". I would've really liked to say a character like Kostas from the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series or Adam from the If I Stay series, but they weren't really my style back then. I'd have to say that it would've been more likely to be Cam from the Fallen series. Dark, brooding, and plays by his own rules. Yup. That's about right.

Glad You Gave This Book a Chance : 

Finding Alice by Melody Carlson

I picked this one up on a whim. I'd heard nothing about it, just riding on my obsession for all things Alice. It worked out quite well. I loved this book so, so much.

Hidden Gem Book : 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

This one blew me away. I was expecting just another YA read. I was expecting good. I was not expecting amazing. But it was just so, so great. It wowed me so much that it ended up taking out a pile of other books and becoming my favorite read of 2013.

Important Moment in Your Reading Life : Wow. I don't really know how to answer this one. There have been so many good books and so many good moments along the way. I will say that participating in read-a-thons and other book events online has been wonderful for me and finding a group of amazing book bloggers to follow has helped me to find all kinds of new opportunities and great new books.

Just Finished : 

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian

Kinds of Books You Won't Read : I do read quite a bit, but there are a few genres that just generally aren't my thing. I really can't do bodice rippers...though I did read the Fifty Shades series, so maybe I just haven't found the right books in that area. I'm also not huge on non-fiction, but I've read a few good memoirs lately, so that may be changing. Maybe the lesson here is that any genre can be a genre for me if I find the right book.

Longest Book You've Read : 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - 1463 pages

(Another tip from Jamie and Karsyn...on the "read books" screen in Goodreads, select the "num pages" option from the "sort" menu at the bottom right of the screen.)

Major Book Hangover Because of :

Number of Bookcases You Own : Let me preface this by saying that we have turned our upstairs bonus room into a library. That will make this number seem slightly less crazy. Slightly. Bookcases I own: Twelve. Put all together, about eight of them are full. 

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times : 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

I freaking love that book. I reread it about every three years.

Preferred Place to Read : I have four places I like to read in my house. It depends on temperature and time of day. Rainy day? Library in the Papasan chair. Holy crap I love that chair. Sunny day? Chair on the patio (with a second chair to use as an ottoman). Late at night? Sick? In bed. Any other time/weather pattern? Comfy red couch in the family room.

Quote That Inspires You/Gives You All the Feels From a Book You've Read :

"Don't you think it's better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?" - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Reading Regret : Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger No. Just no. 201 pages of incredible boredom. Why didn't I give up???

Series You Started and Need to Finish (All Books are out in Series) :

Alright, this one is a little embarrassing...

1. The Tudor Court by Philippa Gregory

2. Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

3. Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

4. The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle

5. Robert Langdon by Dan Brown

6. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Three of Your All-Time Favorite Books :

Unapologetic Fangirl For :

Very Excited for this Release More Than All the Others : I don't even have an answer for this one. Why? Because my TBR list has over 1,000 books on it. Almost all of which have already been released. Too many good books to read. If you would've asked me a couple of months ago, I would've said City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. But...it's already out. So I've got nothing.

Worst Bookish Habit : I bite off more than I can chew. (See the above answer.) I can't get enough. I have four books on my currently reading list. Four. And I have sooooo many books I want to read. I'll never read them all before I die. Yet I keep letting the list grow, unashamed.

X Marks the Spot (Start at the Top Left of your Shelf and Pick the 27th Book) :

Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung

Your Latest Book Purchase :

Is it horrible that I can't remember? I buy a lot of used books at thrift stores, usually multiple books at a time. They end up getting stacked vertically on a shelf in the library until I drag them downstairs for temporary residency on my nightstand.

ZZZ-Snatcher (Last Book that Kept You Up WAY Late) :

I stayed up until about 2:30 in the morning trying to finish this one when I was working the next day. I didn't make it. I ended up having to finish it the next day (well...later that day). Bummer.


There. Now...back to my regularly scheduled program of watching comedy specials on Netflix and obsessively washing my hands.