Bookish Q & A
Apparently Nya Reads started this on Booklikes. I thought I’d do it too, here.
1. What is your favorite childhood book?
Oddly enough, I think it was The Wind on the Moon by Eric Linklater, because only a little later I would never read that book, because it was too sad. By then it was probably one of my picture books – one of Elsa Beskow’s classics or one of the international ones. I also liked Astrid Lindgren’s books and Maria Gripe’s.
2. E-books or printed books?
If I have to choose, printed books, but I do enjoy reading e-books too. The problem is, I won’t pay for them, so it’s either going to have to be a library book or one of the ‘internet freebies’. And the problem with the latter is that there are so few that are really good (though over the years I have found several that I really like).
3. What is your favorite place to read?
At home, mainly in bed.
4. Is there any genre you would never read?
Horror, vampire, werewolf and zombie stories (but I do like a good ghost story). I also don’t read anything that’s just romance, but I will read historic romances etc.
5. What’s your review rating system?
I’m not sure I have an actual system – or at least not one I’ve really thought much about. I do tend to give more 5 and 4 stars than 3 and practically never 2 and 1, simply because I don’t like giving a bad review and I also don’t specifically note when I don’t finish a book. I prefer to focus on the books I at least like and forget about the bad ones.
6. What is your favorite fictional character?
That’s a difficult question – picking just one. I have many different characters I like in different genres. I also find it hard to really say if one is a favorite or not, which may sound weird. There are definitely characters I like more than others, but rarely one that I really, really love. I suppose if I have to I can mention Faramir (from the LOTR books, not the movie) and Ged from Ursula K Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea. And many others, but it’s too hard to choose so I’ll stop here.
7. What was the best film adaption of a book?
I think I’ll have to say LOTR, because what else have I seen? I don’t think the Narnia movies were as good, they differed too much from the books. Also, I have yet to see film adaptations of many of very favorite books. Outlander maybe? Though the first season of the series is a bit more gruesome than I remember from the first book. Also, the sex scenes tended to get a bit too much and I didn’t think that when I read the book. Cirkeln too, based on the Swedish book by the same name.
8. How do you chose the next book to read?
I read about them online usually. Both the ‘blurbs’ and reviews.
9. Top 3 authors?
Hm. Also a tough question. Just three?
J R R Tolkien
Agatha Christie
Janet Evanovich
Diana Wynne Jones
Ursula K LeGuin
Charles De Lint
Garth Nix
Gregory Frost
Frances Hardinge
Anthea Sharp
and many more that I found among my ‘internet freebies’
10. Is there any book release you are particularly looking forward to?
I don’t really follow new book releases like that. I have so many books on my TBR read list/online wish list, that I just try to pick my favorites first, never really managing to get round to all of them, unfortunately.
Three Nagging Grammar Questions Answered
It’s always a good time for a bit of grammar. 🙂
Read more here.
Quiz/meme
I found this meme/quiz on a Swedish book blog and decided to do it too.
1. If you could choose to live in a tv series, which one would you want to live in?
I mainly watch cop series and that wouldn’t be all that much fun. Besides, most of them aren’t set in Sweden, but since this is just a fantasy anyway – maybe Endevour, Grantchester or Mr Selfridge. On the other hand, I think I’ll pick Star Trek (TNG), because that future looks a lot nicer than the past of those three series.
2. As a child, what did you want to do ‘when you grew up”?
Even though I loved my parents who were teachers and my favorite place was the library, other professions attracted me when I was very young. For a while I thought I wanted to be an astronaut (not very realistic) or an archaeologist (which as it turned out wasn’t realistic either)
3. What is your favorite smell/fragrance?
I love fragrances but in this case I’d say it depends on the context. Food, desserts, fruit and chocolate smell really great, but I also appreciate the smell of nature or a garden.
4. If you were a big rock, where would you like to lie?
Far into the woods.
5. You find out that the Earth will be destroyed in twelve hours. What would you do?
Hopefully, I’d have access to some amazing defence weapon and will be able to save us all. Really though, screaming and crying and hugging my family.
6. What would have been different in your life if you’d belonged to the opposite sex?
A lot would be the same as now, but I’d probably be physically stronger and more accepted and make more money.
7. What is your favorite tool?
Tool? I’m clumsy and impractical, so unfortunately, I don’t know.
8. What will you be doing in ten years time?
Trying to think positively, I think things will be roughly the same only better. Hopefully I’ll be living somewhere I’ll be happy and hopefully I’ll have children or at least one child. Sadly, I think I’ll still be single though.
9. What is your best song to dance to?
I don’t dance, but I love all kinds of music. At the blog where I found this quiz, it says Dancing Queen, so I guess I’ll say the same. It’s a great old song.
10. If you were really great at sewing, what would you make?
I’d make clothes for the whole family.
11. How would you handle winning about 100 000 000 Euros?
I’d invest in a really great place to live and in other ways secure our future. I’d insist that my sister stop working and then we’d find a good way to invest the rest of the money. I’d also set things up so I can donate money to causes I believe in.
12. This was a question about a new Swedish word for she/he, but since this isn’t relevant I’ll replace it with this:
How do you feel when you read a self-published book or a work-in-progress on Wattpad, when the writer doesn’t master basic grammar, has a very poor vocabulary etc. Do you still enjoy the story, if it’s based on a good idea? Or do you move on to another story?
I would stop reading and find a better story. A good idea counts for something, but you also need to be able to tell the story in a relatlvely decent way.
13. What is your best recipe and why?
I’m really bad at following recipes, but I’d have to say our vegan spreads, like hummus tahin.
14. How do you feel about meat consumtion/the meat industry? (No, I did not add this question myself!)
I really dislike it for a number of reasons. Because of all cruelty and ruthlessness towards the animals. Because of the pollution and because of the injustice towards the starving people in the third world.
15. Are you ‘addicted’ to anything?
My family (including the animals), books, chocolate, cold water, avocado, plants…
16. What kind of music triggers your nostalgia and why?
Hm. My nostalgia? Classical music, eighties music, nineties music…
17. What makes you really angry?
Rude people who go out of their way to pick a fight and those who try to silence people with their unfair master suppression techniques. And neighbours and bicyclists… 😉
18. Do you have any really good domestic advice?
No, I can’t say I do. But I think it’s important to use non-toxic products in the home, as well as everywhere else.
19. Is there any commercial you really like?
Since this refers to Swedish commercials, it may not tell you anything, but I’ll say it anyway: ICA:s (groceries), and Telia (telephone company)
20. Are you a lot like you were as a child?
Yes, pretty much, only thinner and sadder and a lot more disillusioned.
Five Book Questions
I found this on Booklikes and I thought I’d try to answer the questions.
1. Who is your fictional crush?
Very tough question, but I think I’ll pick Faramir in LOTR.
2. Who is your favourite fictional villain?
Another tough question. In general I have to admit that I usually prefer fictional villains in tv or movie format, so I can crush on the actor. In fiction, I don’t usually do that. However, I could mention either Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel or Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes. They’re interesting, if not crush material.
3. Do you have a preferred reading genre, and if so, what is it?
I think I’ll have to go with fantasy, though I also love mysteries/puzzles.
4. Your favourite book this year/last couple of years?
Again very hard to answer. In the past years or so I’ve discovered a number of new authors and depending on the genre and the age group the book is intended for, I have several different favourites. Gregory Frost’s books Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet are among my all-time favourites and so are Garth Nix’s books about Sabriel. Lately I’ve also discovered the YA fantasy author Frances Hardinge. But again, I have too many favourites, even just newer ones.
5. One of your favourite book covers?
I don’t think I can pick only one. In general, cover art is very important to me and many otherwise fantastic books may fail in that area.
55 Reading Questions
1. Favorite childhood book?
2. What are you reading right now?
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
4. Bad book habit?
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
6. Do you have an e-reader?
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)?
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
13. Can you read on the bus?
14. Favorite place to read?
15. What is your policy on book lending?
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
18. Not even with text books?
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
20. What makes you love a book?
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
22. Favorite genre?
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)?
24. Favourite biography?
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
26. Favourite cookbook?
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
28. Favorite reading snack?
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
35. Favorite Poet?
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
38. Favorite fictional character?
39. Favourite fictional villain?
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
52. Name a book that made you angry.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Quiz: What kind of book are you?
Before posting this, I debated with myself – should I post this or not? I told myself I was too grown up for this kind of thing. Then I thought wtf? I can be as young as I want. So here it is:
You Are Fantasy / Sci Fi |
 You have an amazing imagination, and in your mind, all things are possible. You are open minded, and you find the future exciting. You crave novelty and progress. Compared to most people, you are quirky and even a bit eccentric. You have some wacky ideas. And while you may be a bit off the wall, there’s no denying how insightful and creative you are. |
Perhaps I should add that while I agree with the conclusion (that I’m a fantasy book) I don’t agree with all the details. I’m not sure I crave novelty and progress, though come to think of it, maybe this quiz knows more about me than – I do?
Thoughts in the Dark
It’s at night they come, the thoughts I’d rather not have. They whirl around in my mind, so in the end I can’t sleep, no matter how tired I am. It feels as if it’s never been darker, in my room and in my life. Worse, it feels as if it can only get darker and darker, not only because the autumn equinox has passed, but because it feels as if any chances I might have had, have come and gone without me being aware of it, and in any case I missed them.
‘How could you fail at…’
‘If you’d been any better at…, you would have…’
‘What guy would want a girl like you?’
‘Things keep getting worse and worse.’
‘What’s going to happen to…’
‘Everyone else has already…’
That’s how it sounds in my mind, night after night, until daylight comes through the window or I can’t take it anymore and I get up and turn on the light, until I sit down at my computer, or just starts doing anything, whatever, to silence the questions and accusations in my head. Then everything goes quiet, in the light, and maybe, if I get tired enough, in the dark.
