Hello! It's a book survey!

Hey! My name’s Leah, and I love reading (obviously). I’m a first year college student in the Southeastern United States. I don’t have loads of time to read, but I make time where I can. And now…let the book survey begin!

1) What author do you own the most books by?
Probably Iris Johansen. Or possibly Meg Cabot.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
One of the Harry Potter books. Possibly the fifth one?

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
No, it’s ok. I forgive you.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
I don’t know that I’m SECRETLY in love with one, but I am in love with several. There’s Michael Moscovitz, Harry Potter, Lionello Andreas, Jack Reacher, Jean Marc Andreas, David, Neal, Lee, Homer, and maybe some more. I fall in love with way too many fictional characters.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I think.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Umm…there were these books. About mice or rats or something. Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nymm. And Harry Potter, but I’m not sure what age I actually read that one.

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
Hmm…I don’t actually read too many bad books. Or not bad to me, I guess. I think I’ll go with Breaking Dawn.

8) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
Oh, this one’s REALLY hard! Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden…only I’ve read it before this year. Does it still count?

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
I think I’m going to have to answer Tomorrow, When the War Began. That book is SO GOOD, but no one knows about it! Sorry for not being original.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
Umm…I’ve never put that much thought into this. J.K. Rowling. Yeah, her.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Tomorrow, When the War Began OR one of the Jack Reacher series (by Lee Child)

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Umm…The Wind Dancer by Iris Johansen. I want to keep it inside my head. It’s nice there.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Just one? Ok, well I have recurring Jo dreams, in which I meet J.K. Rowling. In the latest one, she showed up at my cousins’ birthday party and sat down across from me. And she looked straight into my eyes and said, “I will answer any questions that you have about Harry Potter,” in her nice British accent. And I COMPLETELY BLANKED! I spent the rest of the dream TRYING to think of a question to ask her, even though I REALLY have approximately one million questions to ask her.

14) What is the most disappointing book you’ve read as an adult?
Well, I haven’t been an adult for THAT LONG. Just a year and a half. I can’t think of one. Sorry. FAIL!

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
Like, difficult to understand? Or difficult to get through? Or difficult ideas? VAGUE QUESTION! Difficult to get through would be Great Expectations because it was FREAKING BORING. Difficult to understand…no idea. If I can’t understand it, then I don’t read it. I don’t really push my limits that much as a reader. I should, but I don’t. And I can’t think of any ideas that I couldn’t wrap my head around.

16) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Uhh…Russians? Yeah, I’ll go with that because I know some Russians. OH, are you talking about French or Russian AUTHORS?? Well, you should have SAID so! I’ll go with French on this one because I’m pretty sure I’ve never actually read and Russian books.

17) Roth or Updike?
Why do you keep asking these things that I can’t answer?! You’re making me feel very illiterate right now, and I don’t appreciate it!

18) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Again…are you just trying to make yourself feel smart? HOW RUDE!

19) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Ok, here’s ONE I’ve read! So Shakespeare wins by default.

20) J Austen or G Eliot?
HEY. HEY. I did my term paper on a Jane Austen book senior year! So I suppose she wins, even though I can’t read that book anymore. There’s only so much writing I can do on a book and still want to read it.

21) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
The classics. You probably should have GATHERED that by now.

22) What is your favorite novel?
Oh…umm…SO MANY. WHY do you have to ask the HARD QUESTIONS?! I shall go with Counterfeit Son, mostly because it’s a stand alone book instead of a series…because answering a whole series would be cheating.

23) Play?
I don’t usually like plays much. They’re frustrating to read. I’ve only read the ones that I’ve HAD TO for school. Oh, how about Trifles by…Susan Glaspell? I don’t know if that’s who wrote it. But SOMEONE wrote it, and it wasn’t bad.

24) Short story?
I don’t usually like short stories either. But there was this one that we read…The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe. Yeah, that was CREEPY!

25) Work of nonfiction?
Umm…memoirs count, right? If so, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. If not…I don’t know.

26) Who is your favorite writer?
I REFUSE to choose just one! REFUSE! I shall give you a list of them. John Marsden, JK Rowling, Tamora Pierce, Lee Child, Meg Cabot, Iris Johansen, Megan McCafferty, John Green, Maureen Johnson, Betty Smith, Dodie Smith…

27) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Oh, Stephenie Myer for sure!

28) What is your desert island book?
I’ve never thought much about this. But probably Tomorrow, When the War Began. There are a lot of survival-type tips in it, AND it’s really good!

29) What are you reading right now?
The Dead of Night by John Marsden

30) If you knew you would have the chance to read just one more book/play before you ?
Before I what?? Die? Before I…eat lunch? Before I…take a shower? If I was about to die, then I would read the Bible. If I was about to eat lunch, then something short because it’s almost lunch time and I’m getting hungry. And before a shower…ehh…whatever looks good at the time.

31) If you could trade places with any character from a book for a day, who would you be and why?
I would switch places with Ginny Weasley. For Harry and for magic.

32) What is the last book you read? Would you suggest it to a friend? Why or why not?
Letters to Julia, and I already have! Because her name is Julia.

33) Name three characters from a book that you'd like to invite to your birthday party.
Alright. Robyn Mathers, Harry Potter, and Mia Thermopolis.

34) Do you have a favorite quote from a book? If so, what is it?
I have lots of favorite quotes! I love quotes! But here’s one: “It’s good to keep changing your mind. It shows you’re thinking. I’ll only stop changing my mind when I’m dead. And maybe not even then.” –Ellie from Darkness be My Friend. I think I like this one because I’m really indecisive.

35) Tell us about your top three favorite books of all time.
As in, you want details? Or you just want to know what they are? Ok number one is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It’s the end of Harry Potter, and it’s brilliant. Number two is Tomorrow When the War Began. It’s the beginning of the story of Ellie and her friends. And number three is First Test because it is all about little Kel!

36) If you had the opportunity to meet any author (dead or alive), who would you choose to meet, and what three questions would you ask him/her?
WOAH…SUPER HARD QUESTION! Seriously! I guess I would have to say Jo because of all of my dreams about meeting her. And I would ask her 1) What is she writing next???, 2) Are you happy?, and 3) Are Harry and Ginny and everyone happy and will we ever hear from them again? See how I snuck multiple questions in that last one?

And that concludes the book survey! Soon Julia and I will begin our REGULAR PROGRAMMING, which will include reviewing books and dueling characters and things like that!

Keep reading and being awesome!
Leah