A-Z Bookish Survey (a non-WoW post)

Originally posted on A Blackbird's Epiphany

Author You’ve Read The Most Books From:

Richard A. Knaak, though not because I think he's a good writer. I read every World of Warcraft book that comes out and it just so happens he's written the majority of them. The author I choose to read the most books from is David Eddings.

Best Sequel Ever:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit was in fact written first, began in 1920, and though I had read it after reading the trilogy, the trilogy itself is in fact a sequel. The Hobbit was intended as a children's book, but The Lord of the Rings spun out of control and became something much larger and more complicated than originally intended.

Currently Reading:

I'm about to start the Belgariad five-book series by - you guessed it - Eddings, and I'm quite excited. I read The Dreamers four-book series because my boyfriend said they were his favourite books. I loved them, and then read another Eddings book he'd brought with him from The Netherlands, which was The Redemption of Althalus. Holy crap it was awesome, and it blew The Dreamers out of the water. I then read the Elenium Trilogy which was even better still. I'm excited to start the Belgariad, but I'm a little nervous that I'm going to be disappointed. Surely they can't both keep getting better.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Hot chocolate, preferrably, because I tend to read at night year-round, or during the day in the winter for some reason.

E-reader or Physical Book?

I don't have any kind of E-reader because I don't have wireless or buckets of cash, so it's physical books all the way. Plus I love the weight of a book, and if I drop it or get it wet by accident it'll still work afterwards.

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

I don't really know, I don't really get attached to characters that way. There are some I sympathise or empathise with more than others, certainly, but I don't think my mind works in quite the right way to be able to answer the question.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Erm...Well I suppose it's the Elder Gods, the first Dreamers book. I do judge books by their covers, sadly, and his copy is quite old and looked a bit, well, poo. But I picked it up and holy crap, new favourite author right there.

Hidden Gem Book:

Uhh...The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. I've not actually got the fourth and final book just yet, but it's not the kind of book I'd usually go for, it's got a bit of teenage foolish romance in it which I don't usually go for preferring adult characters over teenagers, but it was (as far as the first three go) an incredible story, and despite not really being all for romance, I admit to getting a little frustrated with the characters and the dancing around everything they were doing. Man up and say something!
Also, I have actually never read a book that's made me gasp in surprise three times, and each was relevant to the story, not the romance. I totally didn't see any of it coming. Holy crap. Highly recommended.

Important Moment in Your Reading Life:

Reading the Lord of the Rings when I was 12. It was my first introduction to fantasy, and when I finished the final book in October 2003 I decided I wanted to be a writer. Though I've had other dreams since then, that dream has never wavered even once. Even while I was in bands hoping to become a famous musician, I was still writing. It's doubtlessly the most important moment in my reading life.

Just Finished:

I actually just finished Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War. I realise I'm a bit behind, I don't even have a copy of Vol'jin yet! It was a good read. Not perfect - I dislike the majority of the characters to be honest - but good enough.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I hate ordinary fiction. I just hate it. I personally find it so bland and uneventful compared to what I'm used to. I find romances the same. If there's no magic in it I'm not interested. And that's not to say I haven't read any books like that in recent years. I don't like ghosts either, and I hate things with rape in it. Torture, violence, murder, gore, whatever, I'm not bothered by that, but rape I just can't do.
Also general fiction just doesn't have the kind of imagination I want, or the length. The only book I've read for a very long time that wasn't fantasy that I enjoyed was Dean Koontz's Breathless, and even that had a sci-fi twist to it with the little creatures Puzzle and Riddle.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

The Redemption of Althalus. 928 pages. It could have been a trilogy, but it was just a single book.

Most Mentally Stimulating Book:

If this means the book that I had the biggest emotional connection to it would be the Seven Realms. While things happened that I didn't expect, I also found myself laughing and crying more with this story than any other I've ever read.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

One, but I need two really because I'm stacking books on top of and in front of other books.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

 I actually have a hard time rereading books, I'll be honest. I started rereading the Lord of the Rings, my favourite story in the world, and only got half way through the Fellowship before putting it to one side to read Jaina.

Preferred Place To Read:

Bed. I can't read anywhere else, although I usually start of sitting up and before I know it I'm on my side, glancing to the edge of the bed covers and then to the clock, trying to work out if 8pm is too early to just get in bed and read for 4 hours. I almost always fall asleep though.

Quote That Inspires You/Gives You All The Feels From a Book You’ve Read:

Hah! This is impossible. I suppose the only quote I recall is the poem from The Lord of the Rings, only half of which was spoken in the film:

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

Reading Regret:

Cycle of Hatred. Oh it was awful.

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

The Seven Realms series, only not finished because I don't have the fourth book yet.

Three of Your All-Time Favorite Books:

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, (so far) The Elenium Trilogy by David Eddings, and Songs on Bronze by Nigel Spivey, Greek Mythology.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Anything Tolkien. While I usually remain level headed in regards to books - Eddings is my favourite author but there are faults with his work - I can't find much to complain about with Tolkien except literary ability. This might be because I am so in love with his imagination that I can't bear to find fault. That doesn't mean I will tell someone they're wrong if their opinion differs to mine, but it does mean I won't be the first person to say something bad.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Pass! I really don't keep up to date with book releases. Both Tolkien and Eddings are dead so there's nothing new coming from them, and Eddings' wife wrote a few books with him and died shortly after he did. I can't say I get very excited over WoW books, I enjoy reading them but I'm never really jumping in my seat to get ahold of one. I really can't answer this.

Worst Bookish Habit:

I usually buy used, and I almost never go into bookshops. They're too expensive. If I do buy new, it's because it's part of a series I'm reading or I was excited about it somehow, or because a new copy is £1 more than a used one, and it's 98% of the time from Amazon.

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

Eragon. It's hiding behind some better books, but it's the 27th book on my shelf. It was good but not great, and I never finished that series either, now I think about it. I actually totally forgot about it until I just saw it.

Your Latest Book Purchase:

For me, that would be Forsaken, by Oliver Bowden, it's essentially Haytham Kenway's diary, explaining how he got to where he was in the beginning of Assassin's Creed 3 (the first 4 hours of this game were more of a 'revelation' than Revelations itself was). So far it's awesome.
Overall, though, it would be Doctor Sleep by Stephen King that I bought my dad for his birthday.

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

Last book that kept me awake...I tend to put the book away when Seeg has finished playing his games for the night, but I suppose the game that I didn't nap through would be the last book I read in the Seven Realms series, The Gray Wolf Throne.