Follow Friday (72)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. Back to school. Create a reading list for the imaginary English Lit class you'll be teaching this semester.

A. Wow, this is a toughy because most of the books I've been reading lately aren't class appropriate. Plus, I would be a horrible teacher because it is impossible for my to not curse during the day. So... But if I had to choose a few books to teach during class I would choose:

1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- I read this during high school and watched the Ruth Wilson version (aka best version) of the movie and loved it. This is one of the few classic novels I have actually enjoyed. I'm actually listening to it right now as an audiobook.

2) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- I believe that everyone should at least give this novel a try. It's extremely powerful, and I think it could do a lot of good if taught in a high school setting.

3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3) by JK Rowling
- I know this is mid-series, but this is my favorite book in the Harry Potter saga and I love talking with people about it. I would want to have great discussion over literature with my students.

Then I would let the kids choose a book of their own, as I am curious to know what they like to read. And I think having a choice in what you can read is very beneficial--it will keep a lot student reading. Had I been able to choose what I read in grade school, I think I would've had a lot more fun (and as the teacher, I'd have to do less work).

What do your reading list look like?

Follow Friday (71)

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Q. How do you handle a book you don't like? Do you DNF or do you power through?

A. Oh how I wish I could DNF books I don't like. It would save me so much time and frustration. However, much to the amusement of my friends, I power through the book - yelling the whole time. It's a sickness, it really is. I just can't leave things unfinished. I have to know what happens!

I literally laughed allowed when I got this question because I thought of Jenn, and her inability to ever let go of a book. We discuss it all the time! Nothing is funnier than listening to her rant about books that completely suck. I also have trouble letting go, but I have a few times--sometimes it's just too hard to keep going. Usually though, I stick through it and poor myself a glass of wine to get through it.

What do you do when you severely dislike a book?

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Q. Today is the US' Independence Day. Share your favorite book with war in it, or an overthrow of the government.

A. I'm going to have to go with the Hunger Games series for best overthrow of a government. From the first book where leadership is tested to the final book where all hell breaks loose, this series shows change and the power people have over their government.

Does the Newsflesh Trilogy count? Because there's a war in that... Kind of... Either way I freakin' love that series. The Hunger Games is one of my favorites, as well!

What are some of your favorite books with war?

Follow Friday (69)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. What is your preferred reading format? Hardcover, e-books, paperback, etc?

A. As much as I love my kindle, nothing beats the feel of reading from an actual book for me. While I used to be strictly a paperback fan I've grown to love the hardbacks. There's just something about curling up with a book, holding the weight in your hands. And come on, who can resist that new book smell?

Whether it be on my iPhone, my iPod touch, or one of my kindles, I prefer to read books on my kindle application lately. Only because it makes it easier to take books everywhere and with it, and I can read in bed with the lights off, snuggled under the covers. But I still buy a lot of physical books, especially when I love a book I've read on my kindle. I love to own my favorites in physical form so if I every want to read a certain part I can just flip to the page, or reread the entire thing.

What format do you prefer?

Follow Friday (68)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. Have you ever broken up with a series? If so, which one and why?

A. I honestly don't believe that I have. I've noticed that I have this problem where if I start a series, no matter how bad it gets, I have to finish it. It may take me awhile, but I'll do it.

I am like Jenn in the sense that I need to finish what I start, but only sometimes... There have been several series that have just been TOO BAD for me to finish. Most of them are really popular, so I probably shouldn't name them. The ones that come to mind didn't work for me because they were repetitive, the love interest was a douchewaffle and they felt like knock-offs of books I'd already read.

Have you ever broken up with a series?

Follow Friday (67)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.

A. Okay I'm going to be truthful here. I could probably list a ton of bloggers that I follow or whatnot but honestly, if I could meet one blogger, I would very much like to meet my co-blogger Emily. Like actual meet, not the twitter/Facebook/texting relationship we have now.

Why? Because what I do know of her is that she is an awesome person with excellent taste in books. And I really want to get the in-person experience. Was this answer cheesy? Haha probably but it's true :)

I would want to meet my two Jen(n) friends: Jenn, my beloved co-blogger and Jen from The Starry-Eyed Revue. Both have become good friends of mine and they are just such sweethearts! I want to give them super awkward hugs and show them that I'm as weird in person as I am on the interwebz. I know I'll meet Jenn next year because I'm forcing her to join me at BEA. We'll eat sushi and Chipotle together. Nomnomnom

What blogger(s) would you like to meet in person?

Follow Friday (66)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. The #FF is 150 weeks old! And we want to hear from you! What would you change about the hop? What do you like about it? Or just suggest a question to be used for next week!

I'm still fairly new to this blogging thing and the #FF, but from what I've seen I really like the layout and community feel about it. It's nice to have one question and see a multitude of answers. Seeing how people differ but also discovering new things. As of right now I don't really have any suggestions for changes or questions but give me a few more months and I just might. :)

I've been here a bit longer than Jenn and FF was the first meme I ever used. I love it. It's not only a create way to get new followers, but new friends as well. I've connected with several readers, and bloggers because of it. There's nothing that comes to mind that I'd change. It's fun and easy to join in! As for a question, I decided not to take a break between spring and fall semesters at college, so my question is school oriented: what books do you believe have the most realistic school settings and experiences?

How do you feel about the FF hop?

Follow Friday (65)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. School is out! What is your favorite summer reading book?

A. Jenn was never assigned school reading during the summer. (Lucky!) I was assigned a lot of reading in my honors English and AP English classes in high school. My favorite of all the assignments would have to be Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. To this day, it's one of my favorite novels, and I got an A on the assignment so that helps!

What was your favorite summer reading book?

Follow Friday (64)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. Happy Mother's Day! Who is your favorite mom from fiction?

A. Clara and Jeff's mom in the Unearthly series. Most moms in YA fiction tend to be nonexistence  or extreme in personality. But Maggie was seemingly your average, loving mom. I adored her relationship with her children and the wisdom that she unknowingly passed down to them.

I agree with Jenn about the way moms are shown in YA fiction. It's gotten really old. I'd love to see some books with parental units and their spawn having a close relationship because I have a good relationship with my mom, so I know they do actually exist. I honestly cannot think of a mom that really sticks out, but I did like Violet's mom from the Body Finder series and Sam's mom in the Necromancer series. I'm sure there are more, but I'm having a major brain fart.

Who is your favorite fictional mother?

Follow Friday (63)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q: Give us a sneak! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.

I'm currently reading This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover. Basically Will is in love with Layken but cant date her because he's her teacher. One scene that had me cracking up was when Will was trying to explain to his little brother (Caulder) and Layken's little brother (Kel) why he can't date Layken. Kel starts asking a million questions about why including: did she burp too much? Did she steal all the coffee? Did she leave her bra on the floor? It was so adorable and innocent that it was hilarious.

I'm currently reading The End Games by T. Michael Martin. It's... interesting. The writing style is throwing me off a bit, but I like zombies too much to quit now. The two main characters, Michael and Patrick, are so sweet together. While I'm having a bit of trouble, seeing the lengths Michael is going to to protect Patrick is really endearing. I was really thrown off when Michael "met" with the Game Master. It was weird and through me off--I honestly began to believe that Michael had a mental illness. Hopefully this picks up for me, most of my friends have really enjoyed it and I want to join the ranks!

What are you currently reading? How is it going?

Follow Friday (62)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song and the book?

A. Okay--I haven't listen to it in a long time, but back when I first read The Mortal Instruments series (that was when the first three books came out), I found that I was constantly reminded of them when listening to Secondhand Serenade's A Twist in My Story album. To this day, they remind me of each other.

Do you relate music to books? If so, leave us some examples!

Follow Friday (61)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. If you could hang out with any author (living), who would it be and what would you want to do?

A. Wow, this one is a hard one. There are so many, but I think I'm going to have to go with Stephanie Perkins. And honestly, I would love to just hang out with her where she lives in North Carolina and have her introduce me to these boys she based St. Clair and Cricket on. I have no shame.

I, too, find this to be a difficult question to answer because I love SO MANY AUTHORS. If I HAD to choose, I'd have to pick two Tellulah Darling and Cecilia Gray. We'd drink wine by the pool (in a warm, warm place), gossip, read and stalk Garrett Hedlund (for me).

What author would you want to hang out with and what would you do?

Follow Friday (60)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

Q. We are going to see a lot of posts and tweets about reader conventions like RT, BEA, ALA and many more starting soon. Which one would you love to attend? Where and why?

A. I'm gonna be honest, I don't know much about these big conventions, what they are, what they entail, so I don't feel I could give a good answer. I am actually going to a book convention in June, but it's a one day one in San Francisco and it's nowhere as near as extravagent as the ones in the question.

I'm obsessed with the idea of going to BEA. Obsessed. To the point where my family gets annoyed when I even mention it. I've never been to NYC and it just sounds amazing. So many authors and publishers and a cheaper entrance fee for bloggers... (I'm pretty broke, so that may be the best part.) I actually have been to RT when it was in my home state capital city, but that was years ago before I even realized what it was. I hate myself now because JR Ward had been that and I was too young to know who she actually was. DANG IT.

What convention(s) are you dying to attend?

Follow Friday (59)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. Have you ever read a book that you thought you would hate? Did you end up hating it? Did you end up loving it? Or would you never do that?

A. I've done that several times. The most recent of those times is Wasteland. I hoped that I would enjoy it, but I went into it really knowing I wouldn't. I just wanted to make my own opinion of it and I can safely say that it is one of the worst books that I've ever read. My first instinct was right... I should probably listen to it more often!

Have you ever read a book that you knew you'd hate?

Follow Friday (58)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. Tell us about the most emotional scene you've ever read in a book--and how did you react?

A. The first thing that comes to mind is a scene in Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. In the scene, the main character, June and her uncle Finn's lover, Toby, read notes written to them from her uncle before he died. It ripped me to shreds and I sobbed for the rest of the book and then forced my cat to cuddle with me. It was extremely emotional experience and was part of one of the most amazing books I've ever read. I'll just use this space to pimp it out (again). If you are a fan of heartwrenching, powerful, beautiful books, Tell the Wolves I'm Home is for you!

What's the most emotional scene you've ever read? I need some recommendations!

Follow Friday (57)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure as far as reading? Is it a genre, or a certain type of book?

A. I guess I would classify my guilty pleasure reads as ones I definitely wouldn't read in public and unless I found someone who shared my opinions on them, I would never admit to loving them. ...That sounds horribly shallow, but it's true. My guilty pleasure books are usually erotica, or books with babies in them. I am mildly obsessed with babies. (It's not actually mild.) You can check out my guilty pleasure books HERE.

What books do you consider guilty pleasures?

Follow Friday (56)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Activity! Tell us about your favorite outdoor reading spot. Or take a picture.

A. My favorite reading spot is actually at my grandpa's house in Arizona, so taking a picture isn't really possible right now. It's gorgeous though. Even in winter, it's warm enough to sit outside by the pool and read (I wouldn't recommend going in the pool, though). The furniture is all wicker and so comfortable in its age. From where I usually sit, you can see Camelback mountain, which let me tell you, is glorious in the evening sun. There is also a fridge always stocked with grape soda. Basically, it's perfect, until my grandpa lets the dogs out to do their business (he has five).

What's your outdoor reading spot like?

Follow Friday (55)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. What is a book that you didn't like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn't popular?

A. I talk about this a lot, but hyped up books and I usually do not get along. There are a few exceptions to that, but overall, I tend to like things that others find mediocre and loathe what the populace loves. Pushing the Limits is my best example. Very few people disliked the book, and I couldn't stand it.

What's a popular book that you didn't enjoy?

Follow Friday (54)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you've done, that as you gained more experience you were like -- oops?

A. When Ed and I started this blog, I never cited photos/gifs I took from the internet. Bad Emily. Bad, bad Emily. I know that I've made a bunch of minor mistakes, but nothing really pops into my mind right now...

What "oops" moments have you had?

Follow Friday (53)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q. We always talk about books WE want. Let's turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?

A. Hmm, well, in the last giveaway we held, we gave away a $25 dollar credit to TBD, which the winner used to buy a copy of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I let my mom borrow (see: BORROW) my copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Apparently, I've talked about it so much, that she needed to read it herself. I FINALLY convinced my best friend to read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, but she got that from the library because I wouldn't share my copy. My cousin also has reaped the benefit of my love of sharing. She's been taking books from me left and right! (Though she's on her way to probation. She thought it would be nice to read Dark Lover over candle light AND BURNED SOME OF THE PAGES. ... ... ... ...)

What books have you given (shared with) others lately?