1. Which book has been on your shelf the longest?
The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel). I read it when I was about 15 and fell in love with the series. I have kept my original books of the first 2 in the series ever since I first read them (about 15 years now).
2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?
I've just finished listening to Bossypants (Tina Fey) although my last 'read' was The Help. I'm currently reading Jane Eyre and next up I think I'll be reading The Road (Cormac McCarthy).
3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
This one is easy - A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. It did the rounds at my book sharing club and everyone loved it but me. I HATED the writing style; the repetition of words and phrases, the short sentences and the lack of speech-marks drove me crazy. That and even the plot was repetitive. He got up, he vomited, he talked to some people, he slept. He got up, he vomited, he talked to some people.... you get the picture. Grrr. It was one of the few books I never finished reading. It was just too painful.
4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?
Lord of the Rings. I have previously started reading this mega book twice now and both times I gave up as I wasn't in the right frame of mind and thought I'll read it some other time. As yet I haven't managed it. I have read The Hobbit though and loved it so you never know... maybe one day....
5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”
I don't think I'm saving any books. I want to read them all and I want to read them all right now!
6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
Definitely the end. I honestly do not understand people who read the last page first.
7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
Acknowledgements aren't there for us, they're there for the author, so who cares what we think. I have never written a novel but I have written a thesis and the acknowledgements was my favourite page as it was so personal for me and allowed me to truly appreciate everyone who had helped me out along the way.
8. Which book character would you switch places with?
Probably Claire from Outlander (Cross Stitch) so I could see what 18th century Scotland was really like. But I definitely wouldn't want to stay there!
9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
It's going to sound cheesy but The Baby-sitter's Club. It was my absolute favourite series as a kid/tween and I loved every single one of the girls. Any time I hear names like Kirsty, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey and Dawn I'm instantly transported back to my childhood days curled up with my nose in a book.
10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I so wanted some great witty story for this one but sadly I've got nada. The most interesting book acquisition was probably when I swapped books in Ios on the Greek Islands at an awesome hotel which was completely empty except for my boyfriend and I because it was the very end of the party island season.
11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I gave The Hungry Caterpillar to my best friend's first child on his first birthday as it was my favourite book as a young child.
12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
I think it would have been Sarum (Edward Rutherford)
which I took with me for my road trip through Europe. I was travelling for three months and I needed huge books so I wouldn't need to take as many. At 912 pages Sarum fit the bill. I think it lasted through England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and some of Spain before I finished it and swapped it at a hostel book swap.13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?
I had to read The Shipping News (E. Annie Proulx)
and I found it dreary and boring. But I watched the movie a few years later and found myself getting nostalgic over the characters so I re-read the book and really enjoyed it.14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?
A train ticket.
15. Used or brand new?
I love second hand books but they have to have been taken care of - mainly I can't stand if there's writing in them.
16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
You are all going to think I'm strange but I haven't read Stephen King so I can't say. I know crazy aye?! His books have just never interested me.
17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
About a boy. I LOVED the movie. It is still one of my all time favourite feel good movies. I then read the book and although equally enjoyable there were so many parts that I just wished I was watching the movie and so I just ended up replaying the scenes from the movie in my head as I read the book.
18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
I'm really glad that this question wasn't phrased 'movie seen' because I haven't actually seen the movie but the trailer for Water for Elephants was enough for me to know that it would never come close to matching such a brilliant book.
19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question?
Um.... no strangely. I think when it comes to food I'm a very visual person which is why I need cookbooks with pictures of every recipe.
20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?
One of my best friends is a book fiend like me and I have never been disappointed by what she recommends to me.
