Bloggin' 'bout Books: 09/11/13

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- ~~Alabama~~ (1)

- ~~Alaska~~ (1)

- ~~Arizona~~ (1)

- ~~Arkansas~~ (1)

- ~~California~~ (11)

- ~~Colorado~~ (1)

- ~~Connecticut~~ (2)

- ~~Delaware~~ (1)

- ~~Florida~~ (3)

- ~~Georgia~~ (3)

- ~~Hawaii~~ (1)

- ~~Idaho~~ (2)

- ~~Illinois~~ (4)

- ~~Indiana~~ (4)

- ~~Iowa~~ (1)

- ~~Kansas~~ (1)

- ~~Kentucky~~ (1)

- ~~Louisiana~~ (1)

- ~~Maine~~ (1)

- ~~Maryland~~ (1)

- ~~Massachusetts~~ (3)

- ~~Michigan~~ (1)

- ~~Minnesota~~ (2)

- ~~Mississippi~~ (1)

- ~~Missouri~~ (1)

- ~~Montana~~ (1)

- ~~Nebraska~~ (1)

- ~~Nevada~~ (2)

- ~~New Hampshire~~ (1)

- ~~New Jersey~~ (1)

- ~~New Mexico~~ (1)

- ~~New York~~ (9)

- ~~North Carolina~~ (4)

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- ~~Ohio~~ (3)

- ~~Oklahoma~~ (2)

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- ~~Pennsylvania~~ (2)

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

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- ~~Texas~~ (4)

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- ~~Washington~~ (3)

- ~~West Virginia~~ (1)

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- ~~Wyoming~~ (2)

- Washington, D.C.* (2)

International:

- Argentina (1)

- Australia (3)

- Bolivia (1)

- Canada (3)

- China (2)

- England (25)

- France (1)

- Ghana (1)

- India (1)

- Indonesia (1)

- Ireland (4)

- Italy (1)

- Poland (2)

- Russia (2)

- Scotland (3)

- The Netherlands (1)

Bookish Me, From A to Z

7:59 AM

I've been wanting to do this fun A to Z Survey ever since I saw it posted over at The Perpetual Page Turner. Everyone else's responses to the questions have been so fun to read that I decided to give it a go. Enjoy! Oh, and if you posted your answers, will you leave me a link? I'd love to stop by and see what YOU had to say.

Author you’ve read the most books from:

I'm not a frequent enough user of Goodreads to look there for help with this one, so who knows if this answer's accurate or not, but I would guess Jodi Picoult. I've read every book she's written except the two or three newest. She's definitely one of my faves!

Best Sequel Ever:

I'm going to go with Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I loved Cinder so much that I was a *little* bit afraid to read the sequel. Turned out, I had no reason to fear. In Scarlet, Meyer introduced a whole new set of characters with their own storyline, which was disorienting for a second. But only a second. Then, it was awesome! The new cast was just as compelling as the old, plus Meyer kept the action going strong and used the continuing plot from Cinder as a parallel, then intersecting, storyline in Scarlet. I think I just made it sound a whole lot more confusing than it is. Just trust me on this one, Scarlet's a fine example of a sequel that gets everything right.

Currently Reading:

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron. Why didn't I pick this one up earlier? I'm devouring it.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Most of the time, I go with a nice, big glass of ice water. I'm just boring like that.

E-reader or Physical Book?

I used to rage endlessly against e-books. Then I got a Kindle Fire. And I didn't hate it. In fact, I sorta loved it. I still read more *real* books than e-books, but I like the flexibility that owning a Kindle gives me. This quote from Stephen Fry sums up my feelings on the subject exactly: "Books are no more threatened by [e-readers] than stairs by elevators."

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

I don't know, probably someone sweet and nerdy, like Simon from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer. This swashbuckling YA novel really didn't sound like my kind of thing, but lots of bloggers were raving about it, so I decided to give it a try. It ended up being a huge favorite.

Hidden Gem Book:

Can I cheat and use the answer above for this one, too?

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

I didn't realize it at the time, but deciding to keep an online reading journal changed my reading life forever. It was the earliest incarnation of this blog. Creating BBB opened up my reading world in ways I couldn't even fathom back in the day.

Just Finished:

Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis -- It's one of the most frightening YA dystopians I've read in a long time because it presents a scenario that could actually happen. Plus, it's intriguing, well-written and peopled with compelling characters.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Erotica -- just, no thanks

Poetry -- usually I'm too dense to understand it

Boring Non-Fiction -- zzzzzzzzz

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Hm, I don't know for sure. Probably something by Stephen King. Or Brandon Sanderson.

Major book hangover because of:

A couple years ago, I had a thyroidectomy, followed by two rounds of iodine radiation therapy. While radioactive, I couldn't leave my bedroom, so I spent lots of time reading. During the first round, I read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare back-to-back. The story definitely kept me entertained, but man, I was in some pain afterward: my eyes stung, my head throbbed and my hands hurt from holding those big, ole tomes.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

I have bookcases all over my house, but there are 5 main ones. I haven't posted pictures of my brand new, 9 feet tall x 12 feet long beauty, but heck, there's no time like the present. Here's the unfilled version:

I'm about 5'5", so that gives you an idea of this bookcase's crazy bigness. I LOVE it! I'll post the filled and frou-frou-ed version later.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

I'm not much of a re-reader, although I've read both Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins twice—does that count?

Preferred Place To Read:

My reclining couch or in my adjustable bed. Yes, I am a senior citizen.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

I can't think of a book-specific quote, but I like this one from Stephen King: "Books are a uniquely portable magic."

Reading Regret:

I regret not having re-read the Harry Potter books yet. I enjoyed them all as they came out, but haven't gone back to re-enjoy them yet. I definitely need to do that—and soon!

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

It would take me years to list all the series I've started and haven't finished yet. 'Course, most of them are still being written. So, for this question, I'll choose ... the original Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

The Hunger Games series. Even if the movie didn't quite capture its essence and my husband now thinks I'm a cold-hearted monster for loving the story, even then, I adore it.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

I've been waiting and waiting to get my hands on The Shade of the Moon, a new entry in Susan Beth Pfeffer's YA dystopian series. The story officially ended with This World We Live In, but we fans pressured her to continue the story and voila, she did! The good folks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt recently sent me an ARC and I can't wait to dive into it.

Worst Bookish Habit:

Probably eating while I read. I can't count the number of times I've dripped something on a page or marred it with a greasy fingerprint. Unforgivable, I know.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Since I have about a bajillion bookcases, I chose the behemoth that houses all my adult review books (see photo above). The top left section houses non-fiction, so the 27th is Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I've had this cookbook since it came out and haven't even cracked the spine yet. What's wrong with me??

Your latest book purchase:

Probably The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I love his quirky, creepy stories, but this one's getting mixed reviews so I've been hesitating to read it. I'll get to it eventually.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts. The book wasn't even that good, I just wanted to finish it, even though I knew reading it late at night was going to give me nightmares. Which it totally did.

So, what do you think? Did you learn anything new about me? Have you done this survey on your blog? If so, let me know as I'd love to come learn more about you and your bookish life. If you haven't done the A to Z survey yet, do, it's a whole lot of fun!

Books Read in 2024 (asterisks denote favorites)

1. The Nightmare House by Sarah Allen (Jan)
2. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan* [audio] (Jan)
3. Graysen Foxx and the Treasure of Principal Redbeard by J. Scott Savage (Jan)
4. The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman* (Jan)
5. Ditch the Glitch by Camille Smithson (Jan)
6. Zeke Zooter and the Eye of Balor by Bruce Jacobs (Jan)
7. Never Lore: Journey to Mt. Smolder by Taya and Nathan Okerlund (Jan)
8. God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney [audio] (Jan)
9. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Jan)
10. The Last One by Will Dean (Jan)
11. Last Word to the Wise by Ann Claire (Jan)
12. My Plain Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
13. Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong (Jan)
14. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda* (Jan)
15. The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Jan)
16. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce* (Jan)
17. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson* (Jan)
18. More Than a Body by Lindsay and Lexie Kite (Feb)
19. All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (Feb)
20. Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer-Seeley (Feb)
21. My Imaginary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
22. Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (Feb)
23. Artifice by Sharon Cameron* (Feb)
24. Something About Sophie by Mary Kay McComas (Feb)
25. Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow (Feb)
26. My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
27. Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt (Feb)
28. Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead (Feb)
29. Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey (Feb)
30. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson (Mar)
31. End of Story by A.J. Finn (Mar)
32. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Mar)
33. My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Mar)
34. Where There's Smoke by E.B. Vickers (Mar)
35. Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong* (Mar)
36. The Kind to Kill by Tessa Wegert (Mar)
37. Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban (Apr)
38. Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Apr)
39. Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright (Apr)
40. The Girl Who Wasn't There by Penny Joelson (Apr)
41. The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers [audio] (Apr)
42. The Secret of Rainy Days by Leslie Hooton (Apr)
43. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (Apr)
44. The Nights the Lights Went Out by Karen White (Apr)
45. Flippin' Skaters by Teresa Richards (Apr)
46. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch [audio] (Apr)
47. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes* (Apr)
48. Dust by Dusti Bowling* (Apr)

49. Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie (Apr)

50. One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (Apr)

51. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (Apr)

52. The Hunter by Tana French (May)

53. Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell (May)

54. The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters [audio] (May)

55. Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird (May)

56. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson* (May)

57. No Matter What by K.M. Frost (May)

58. Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen (May)

59. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain [audio] (May)

60. Candy Cane Crime by Amanda Flower [novella] (May)

61. An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves (May)

62. Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs* (May)

63. Borrow My Heart by Kasie West (May)

64. Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham (May)

65. Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (May)

66. The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson (May)

67. Make the Fireflies Dance by Rachel Bateman (May)

68. The Lost Girls of Willow Brook by Ellen Marie Wiseman [audio] (May)

69. A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan (Jun)

70. Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan (Jun)

71. The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster [audio] (Jun)

72. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (Jun)

73. A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams (Jun)

74. The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (Jun)

75. Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen, and the Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn [audio] (Jun)

76. The Watchers by A.M. Shine (Jun)

77. Deep Water by Jamie Sumner (Jun)

78. First Victim by Debbie Babitt (Jun)

79. One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome* (Jun)

80. Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix [audio] (Jun)

81. When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer (Jun)

82. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Jun)

83. The Great Trouble: A Story of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson [audio] (Jun)

84. 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Jun)

85. Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (Jun)

86. Trouble Island by Sharon Short (Jun)

87. Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn (Jun)

88. I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter* (Jun)

89. Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Jun)

90. Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey (Jun)

91. First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly* (Jun)

92. Homecoming by Kate Morton* (Jul)

93. The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King* [audio] (Jul)

94. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager* (Jul)

95. The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Jul)

96. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (Jul)

97. Operation: Happy by Jenni L. Walsh* (Jul)

98. Shutter by Ramona Emerson (Jul)

99. Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris (Jul)

100. The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson (Jul)

101. The Monsters We Make by Kali White (Jul)

102. The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall by Ali Standish (Jul)

103. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon [audio] (Jul)

104. Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney* (Jul)

105. A Patchwork of Clues by Sally Goldenbaum (Jul)

106. Popcorn by Rob Harrell* (Jul)

107. Library Girl by Polly Horvath (Jul)

108. Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson (Jul)

109. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Aug)

110. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon (Aug)

111. Basket Case by Nancy Haddock (Aug)

112. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (Aug)

113. Front Country by Sara St. Antoine [audio] (Aug)

114. Stowaway by John David Anderson (Aug)

115. Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland (Aug)

116. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman* (Aug)

117. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu (Aug)

118. Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd (Aug)

119. Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower (Aug)

120. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Aug)

121. Flight 171 by Amy Christine Parker (Aug)

122. Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower [novella] (Aug)

123. The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo (Aug)

124. The Last Word by Gerri Lewis (Aug)

125. The Last Kids On Earth by Max Brallier* (Aug)

126. Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo (Aug)

127. It Could Be Anyone by Jaime Lynn Hendricks (Aug)

128. Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (Aug)

129. A Winter Grave by Peter May (Aug)

130. Laika by Nick Abadzis (Aug)

131. Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin [audio] (Aug)

132. A Quiet Retreat by Kiersten Modglin (Aug)

133. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell [audio] (Aug)

134. The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson (Aug)

135. Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien (Sep)

136. Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler, ed. (Sep)

137. Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko (Sep)

138. After the Storm by G.D. Wright (Sep)

139. Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith (Sep)

140. The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James [audio] (Sep)

141. The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (Sep)

142. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder* (Sep)

143. Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly (Sep)

144. Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green (Sep)

145. Last Gamer Standing by Katie Zhao (Sep)

146. Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman (Sep)

147. Murder at the Library by Ellen Jacobson (Sep)

148. A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes (Sep)

149. All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris [audio] (Sep)

150. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara (Sep)

151. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose* (Sep)

152. Shipwrecked! Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor by Martin W. Sandler (Sep)

153. Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens (Sep)

154. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter* (Sep)

155. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine* (Oct)

156. The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong* (Oct)

157. Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James* (Oct)

158. Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E.F. Barone (Oct)

159. Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan (Oct)

160. The Good of the Woods by Liz Moore (Oct)

161. History Smashers: Salem Witch Trials by Kate Messner (Oct)

162. Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools by Dan SaSuWeh Jones (Oct)

163. The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods (Oct)

164. Gone to Hot Pot by Vivien Chien (Oct)

165. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (Oct)

166. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James* [re-read] (Oct)

167. Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (Oct)

168. Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis (Oct)

169. Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah SoonLing Blackburn (Oct)

170. A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner (Oct)

171. The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters (Oct)

172. Sightseeing With Aliens by Insha Fitzpatrick (Oct)

173. Remember This: The Fascinating World of Memory by Monique Polak (Oct)

174. The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning [audio] (Oct)

175. Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino (Oct)

176. Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes (Oct)

177. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare* (Oct)

178. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie (Oct)

179. The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (Nov)

180. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (Nov)

181. Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales by Wendy S. Swore (Nov)

182. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Nov)

183. Chadwick Boseman: King of Wakanda: A Hero On and Off the Screen by Chris Singleton (Nov)

184. The Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole (Nov)

185. Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston/adapted for young readers by Ibram X. Kendi (Nov)

186. The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Méndez (Nov)

187. The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander [audio] (Nov)

188. A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey* (Nov)

189. The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion by Ann Bausum (Nov)

190. Ruby, Who? by Jill Campbell (Nov)

191. Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (Nov)

192. A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander [audio] (Nov)

193. Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes (Nov)

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Bookish Me, From A to Z

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Best Sequel Ever:

Currently Reading:

Drink of Choice While Reading:

E-reader or Physical Book?

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Hidden Gem Book:

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Just Finished:

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Major book hangover because of:

Number of Bookcases You Own:

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Preferred Place To Read:

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Worst Bookish Habit:

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Your latest book purchase:

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

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2024 Reading Challenge

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

Books Read in 2024 (asterisks denote favorites)