It's Follow Friday #44

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

When you step out of your USUAL genre, what do you like to read? Best books in that genre?

Er, to be honest, asides from Young Adult fiction, I don't really have a usual genre. No, really, I'm being serious. But I will admit that I usually prefer fantasy and paranormal, so when I'm craving something different I usually read contemporary. Favorites? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and recently Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. (Or rather, those are my favorites off the top of my head.)

But if we're talking about books outside of YA, my guilty pleasure is definitely urban fantasy (as in, books for adults). In which case I'm going to have to give it up to Kim Harrison's The Hallows (starting with Dead Witch Walking) series. 
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It's Follow Friday #43

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What hyped up book was worth all of the fuss?

Off the top of my head, I'll say that Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo were definitely worth the hype. Both were very unique and both feature bad boys that the reader can love to hate. ;D As far as hyped books go, those are the two that immediately spring to mind. Oh! And Divergent by Veronica Roth, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and Legend by Marie Lu.

In short, there are a bunch of books that have been hyped for a (very) good reason--they're awesome books!

The other question was:

What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk? 

I haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey, but I honestly don't think it was worth the hype. (My mother, however, has read it and didn't care for it at all.) 

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The

It's Follow Friday #42

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Best cover? What is the best cover of a book that you've read and didn't love?

(Oh my goodness I completely misread the question earlier today and thought it was books that we loved! Which, was why my original choice was Shadow and Bone.)

I don't know if it's the "best" cover, exactly; however, I really loved the cover for The Little Woods. At the same time though, it didn't end up living up to my expectations.

It's Follow Friday #41

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

Oh jeez. I'd make sure sure my Twitter handle matched my blog, I'd get a professional blog design done off the bat, and I'd pick a shorter--and easier to remember--blog name. Granted, I've spent so much time with my current Twitter handle that I don't think I'll ever change it and I personally prefer just having one Twitter account.

But definitely the second two. Honestly, I might be--who am I kidding? I am--biased, but I think my blog's current design looks much better than how it looked when I kept swapping out backgrounds. As for my blog's name, well, it's a mouthful, to be sure! At the same time, I'm unsure what I'd name a new book blog--I don't trust myself to be that original a second time.
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It's Follow Friday #40

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy?

I'd pre-order myself a copy of Ten by Gretchen McNeil (because I need to get around to doing that) and as for the second book? Well, I'd probably go with Endlessly by Kiersten White--because I'm really looking forward to seeing how the trilogy ends and because that's one drop dead gorgeous cover.
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It's Follow Friday #39

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

This is going to sound sort of strange coming from someone who usually hates hot weather, but I'd have to say Flagstaff, Arizona. I've only been there once (in the summer) but I really, really love how relaxed it feels out there and despite the weather during the summer, it's a gorgeous town. Also, did I mention that the food is pretty darn good as well? Because it definitely was. 

But you should probably understand that I live in a city that has about 140,000 people in it and that our traffic sucks--which means that Flagstaff is about half our size and thus, in my mind, small. Not that I mind where I live--I have about a ten minute drive to the beach, depending upon traffic--just that I like looking at things other than buildings sometimes.
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It's Follow Friday #38

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day, in celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

Honestly? The only one that springs to mind is Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. I mean, there are other books that I've read which involve mother/daughter relationships, but none of them really struck me as terribly strong--but maybe I'm just forgetting them at the moment. 
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It's Follow Friday #37

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What is the one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

So, I'm not the most creative or eloquent person when it comes to speaking to people that I admire--which means that I'd probably say something along the lines of, "I really love what you've written and I hope that you continue writing... for a very long time." If I had to pick one author though, it'd probably by J.K. Rowling and I'd love to thank her for writing the books that really shaped my childhood. I know that it's a pretty common answer, but honestly? That's who I'd probably choose. 
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It's Follow Friday #36

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What is one book that you would be nervous to see a movie adaption of because you think the movie could never live up to the book?

My immediate answer, without a doubt, would be Karen Marie Moning's Fever series as I really don't think that it'd be done justice--mainly because it'd require extremely good CG and an exceptional cast (and they'd probably cut out scenes, which always agitates me). I also don't think that Unearthly by Cynthia Hand would be done justice either--due to CG mainly. If painstaking detail was taken, I don't think I'd mind quite so much, but it really feels like--for the most part--movie companies are too busy trying to tweak it for a general audience to really maintain what the story was originally. I understand why they do it, but there are ways to keep things true to the books and garner a large audience without changing the storyline too much.
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It's Follow Friday #35

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?

Honestly, I do my best to only read one book at a time and my reasoning is this: I know that I get confused when I read too many books at once. What do I mean? The plots and settings start to blur together. I'd much rather focus on one book at a time and not get confused.

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It's Follow Friday #34

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What is the best book you've read in the last month? What is the worst book you've read in the last month?

To be perfectly honest, I really haven't read a bad book within the last month--and yes, I'm betting that my good book luck will run out soon. Having said that, I've really enjoyed Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins, and Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock. 
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It's Follow Friday #33

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Have you ever looked at a book's cover and thought, this is going to be horrible? But, was instead pleasantly surprised. Show us the cover and tell us about the book.

Okay, okay, you've caught me! Admittedly I wasn't completely sold on the cover of Legend by Marie Lu. Don't shoot me! Yes, it's different than what's usually out there but at the same time, it didn't really grab my eye. But then? Then I started to see reviews for Legend and reviewers that read the same sort of books that I tend to love were loving it. So I cast aside my dislike for the cover and read the book. It. Was. Amazing.

After thinking about it, I'm guessing that the cover of Legend looks the way it does to attract male readers in addition to female readers.


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It's Follow Friday #32

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Activity! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most.

If my phone wasn't on the charger right now, I'd take a picture. As it is, I'll tell you instead! I absolutely love to read in (or on) my bed. Yes, I'm one of those people who loves to read in bed. Why? Because I seriously think it's the most comfortable place to read in my room. I'll arrange my pillows into a chair-like shape, cover myself in blankets when it's cold, and cling to my open window (which is right next to my bed) when it's hot. I'd go into detail, but at the moment none of my blankets match (I have about three on my bed since it can get a bit nippy at night and they're red, blue, and purple) and there might be a teddy bear hanging out there too--I blame Build-a-Bear for that.

It's Follow Friday #31

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What would you prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?

To be honest, I'd much rather read my favorite book again and again until I got sick and tired of it. Why? Because I know it'd be an engrossing read and favorites tend to be favorites for a reason--namely, one's ability to read them again and again without getting tired of reading them. That, and I absolutely hate the feeling of "meh" that I get at the end of reading a mediocre book.

It's Follow Friday #30

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kick-ass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

The thing about the books I love the most is this: they're page-turners, books I get so absorbed in that I have to keep reading them because not finishing them means being unable to sleep, and perhaps most importantly, the plot is absolutely engrossing. Nine times out of ten, there tends to be romance and in my book, a good romance adds to the plot without distracting from it. That means that there's enough romance there to make me swoon over the love interest (or interests) but more than enough plot to keep me from going, "Well, this is getting rather boring." The heroine doesn't need to be strong, but she can't go running about like a ninny and screaming whenever something frightens her. She also can't be overly pessimistic or complain about her life too often. As for the love interest? Ideally he gets frustrated with the main character, doesn't always agree with what she does, but loves her anyways. (And a bad boy never hurts either.)

Also, there tends to be a cliffhanger at the end--if it's a book in a series (which it tends to be). By this, I mean to say that the cliffhanger? It makes me want to pull my hair out, spend several nights wondering just what will happen next, and ultimately wait impatiently for the next book.

It's Follow Friday #29

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012. 

This is actually something that I was thinking about earlier today! I should probably warn you in advance, my taste in music is all over the board!

There's Ludo--a band that I've adored for years--which I'd say is the perfect blend of Rock and Pop (being more Rock than Pop). And Greg Laswell, whose music is Singer/Songwriter. His voice? I don't think I'll ever get tired of listening to it! Other bands and artists I love enough to suggest to you? Sara Bareilles, Christina Perri, The Parlotones, Neon Trees, Four Year Strong, Bruno Mars, and Cake. And if I had to narrow it down, definitely Cake, Neon Trees, and Christina Perri.

It's Follow Friday #28

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Go count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many?

I'm going to have to estimate it, but I'd guess that I have around 50 to 60 books that are unread--but out of all the books that I own. As for books that I need to review? Probably about 8--which doesn't sound like a lot, but it is (to me). D: Some of the books are unread in the sense that they're DNF and others I've simply not gotten around to--just yet.

It's Follow Friday #27

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, would you buy it for all of your family and friends?

Almost everyone that I know has--at some point--read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but I think that this time around, I've have to suggest Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor or The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Would I buy it for all of my family and friends? Well, I can't say that I'd buy it for all of them--because they don't all share the same taste in books--but I'd buy it for those that I feel would enjoy it (which is most of them).

It's Follow Friday #26

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

In light of 11.11.11 and Veteran's Day, tell us about your favorite soldier and how he or she is saving the world. Fictional or real life.

You know, this should be a pretty easy question for me to answer. I mean, I have countless friends in the military. But to be honest? I can't say that they're (individually) saving the world. Maybe it's my Army addled brain telling me that working as a team is the only way to go, but that's how I see it. I know several medics, an ex-boyfriend is still in the Infantry, one of my oldest and dearest friends is an MP, I have a cousin who does computer engineering, and that's not even touching on everyone. Individually, I can't say that they're saving the world. Sure, they're doing what needs to be done, but even at that, they can't accomplish anything unless they're working together. At least, that's how I see it. So here's to wishing our troops (past and present) a happy Veteran's Day; it isn't easy to do what you do.

It's Follow Friday #25

Yes, it's that time of the week again! It's Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The question of the week is:

What superhero is your alter-ego?

Honestly, I'm not one for superheroes. I couldn't maneuver my way through comic book characters to save my life. However, I am rather fond of the Silk Specter (not the original one, but her daughter) from Watchmen. (I feel rather horrible that I've picked someone based on a movie though.) A