55 Reading Questions (21-30)

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

Knowing that it's a book someone I know will connect with, or just really liking a book myself if a friend is a reader. I gave my dad Code Name Verity (which he still hasn't finished) because he's an aviator and I knew he'd love the adventure of it. 

22. Favorite genre?

Contemporary YA.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)?

I wish I read more science fiction. I love sci-fi movies and shows, but it's sometimes hard to find novels I connect with as much. Thankfully, in the post-Across the Universe publishing world, this is changing. (Thank you, Beth Revis!)

24. Favourite biography?

I read a biography of Amelia Earhart when I was younger that I absolutely loved, but I don't remember the name of it. I also really really loved Don't Kill the Birthday Girl, but that's really a memoir.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

The only true "self-help" book I can think of that I've read is Don't Panic, a book about dealing with anxiety attacks, by R. Reid Wilson, and I didn't even read the whole thing. I just tended to skip around and find the parts that I thought would help me.

26. Favourite cookbook?

My mom has a 1950's Betty Crocker cookbook that I absolutely LOVE. 

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

Golden, by Jessi Kirby. The prologue to that book (and I'm not usually a fan of prologues) was so, so amazing, as was the unfolding of the mystery in the book itself. A really inspiring "make your life your own" sort of book.

28. Favorite reading snack?

Iced tea. Which I know is not a food, but really, I love it.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

Oh, I don't know. I'm not big into hype. I've definitely read books where I finished and was like, "really? this is what everyone's crowing about?" but it wasn't the hype itself that ruined the book for me; I just didn't enjoy the book and couldn't see what was so great about it.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

I don't pay attention to critics really. And since most of what I read is YA it's not getting a whole ton of coverage (as far as reviews) in newspapers, etc. But usually when I read a review of any sort I can at least see where they're coming from, even if I don't agree.

55 Reading Questions (11-20)

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Fairly often, if you consider my comfort zone to be realistic YA. But not too often if you consider my comfort zone to be fiction as a broad subject; I aim to read more nonfiction. I always aim to read more nonfiction I just have a difficult time finding a lot of nonfic I'm really passionate about.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

Ha. See above.

13. Can you read on the bus?

I don't ride the bus often (or ever?), but yeah, I can definitely read in a moving vehicle.

14. Favorite place to read?

I like to read in a sunny spot, like a cat. A cat who has learned to read. And if it's cold out, then by the heater.

15. What is your policy on book lending?

Do it! I tend to force my books on my family -- right now both my sister and my dad have books I've shoved at them, promising they'll like them. I don't tend to lend books to people I don't know well, because I am pretty protective of my books and like to know they'll come back to me unharmed. Of course, this doesn't explain why I keep letting my dad, who likes to give books away after finishing them, borrow my books.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?

As a general rule, NO! That is awful. But (but but but) if a book is old and worn out already, then I will.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

I have, but I don't generally. I don't know. I go back and forth on this issue.

18. Not even with text books?

Okay, I definitely wrote in text books. And I write in my Bible (more like underlining/highlighting, not actual notes in margins though). But novels? Less often.

19. What is your favourite language to read in?

Well, I enjoy english seeing as it's the only one I know.

20. What makes you love a book?

I fall hard for great characters and character/relationship dynamics. Every book I love has either a strong character or a strong relationship at the center of it.

55 Reading Questions (1-10)

To help myself get back int blogging I'm going to be answering 55 reading questions, from this tumblr over here, starting with the first ten today.

1. Favorite childhood book? 

I have quite a few, but I think if I absolutely positively had to choose one favorite childhood book I'd have to go with Sharon Creech's Bloomability. Although Lynne Rae Perkin's All Alone in the Universe and Katherine Patterson's Bridge to Terabithia are right up there, too. I have such big feelings about these books.

2. What are you reading right now? Nothing. I just finished Balancing Acts, by Zoe Fishman last night though.


3. What books do you have on request at the library? None.


4. Bad book habit?Oh, I don't know. My worst one is that I sometimes finish books I'm not really feeling, but I've gotten a lot better at that in the past year or so.


5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?Nothing.


6. Do you have an e-reader?I have an iPad, but I really don't read ebooks. I had a Kindle but I gave it to my sister because she loves reading on the Kindle and I much much much MUCH prefer paper books.


7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?One at a time. Anyone who reads more than one book at a time is FULL OF CRAZY.


8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?Only in that I'm more aware of what's out there and what I really want to read. It has both broadened my reading horizons and refined what I choose to read.


9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)?You, Maybe, by Rachel Vail. One of those books that I really wasn't feeling but I just *had* to find out how it ended.


10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?Well, that's nearly impossible. I've had a handful of five-star reads this year and it's so difficult to choose between Jessi Kirby's Golden, Geoff Herbach's I'm With Stupid, and Sarah Dessen's The Moon and More. They were all brilliant and wonderful in their own ways. ("You're both better but different in different but better ways.") So I have to pass on this one, although I'm sure the Dessen novel will be the one I end up rereading most, because I do love Dessen.

My Reading, of Late

I don't know what I'm doing lately, as far as blogging goes. Blogger? Tumblr? Nothing? Who knows!? But I do miss blogging, and would love to start up regularly again, although I haven't been reading much lately. (My reading stats for 2013 would make most bloggers weep and gnash their teeth.) Still, here's a little update on what I've been reading these past few months. I did a massive reread of the entire A Series of Unfortunate Events series over on my tumblr, and since then my reading life has been quite, quite sad for the most part. However, I have made it through a couple of books, with varying success.

The first book I read was this old(ish) Rachel Vail novel, published way back in 2006. I found it cheap at a used & new bookstore and since it's been on my list for ages I finally had to purchase it. I read this one a little out of order because, quite honestly, I wasn't a fan of the book but wanted desperately to find out how it ended. (And it did not end how I expected.) Not great.

The latest Sarah Dessen novel on the other hand? If I were a poet I'm sure I could write entire sonnets about this one. I read it on a long drive home from a weekend trip and it was everything I wanted in a book, and then some. Definitely one of Dessen's best.

Right now I'm reading an adult novel about a group of old acquaintances who reconnect over yoga. I've been searching for some awesome chick-lit (for lack of a better term) stories, so I bought this and another book at a thrift store. So far this isn't exactly all I wanted it to be; it's entertaining, but I don't love the characters, but we'll see.

So, what have you been reading in my absence? Anything great and wonderful?

i'm at tumblr!!

I've officially moved over to blogging on tumblr, which is making  it way too easy for me to post like a zillion things a day. (I love it so far.) And I'm not nearly so critical of making every post COUNT when it's tumblr.

I'm going to leave this site up for archives, but if you'd like to follow/read my new book tumblr, it's here at kittyhawkbooks.tumblr.

moving?

My blogging lately has not been up to snuff, for various reasons. Mostly it just seems so daunting. I went for months where I wasn't blogging simply because I didn't have the time and energy, and now I find myself at a loss for what to post about. I still love writing reviews and making lists, but I no longer have the inclination to write posts as often as I used to, at least not with the quality that I always wanted from my posts. It takes a lot of time and a lot of thought and while I constantly want to post book-related thoughts, pictures, lists, and reviews, it often seems like what I want to post isn't worth an actual blog post.

Also, I've been fielding tons of spam comments, which has me terribly annoyed with Blogger altogether, as does the fact that I always have a hard time including pictures in my posts.

Also I've been browsing tumblr quite a bit... (can you tell where this is headed?)...

and while I don't want to give up book blogging (I've grown quite attached to it), the idea of shorter posts, of being able to post just a picture or a quote without feeling like I'm just wasting a blog post, really appeals to me. I don't love that tumblr doesn't have a built-in comment system, but I am seriously considering switching over to a shiny new book blog on tumblr.

review: if he had been with me

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME
Laura Nowlin
Sourcebooks Fire

A few things to start off with, the first being that I really don't know how to review this book. It sits in extremes for me; there was a lot I loved, but there was also a fair amount that didn't sit well with me and at least one scene that I skipped over entirely. Secondly though, author Laura Nowlin is an incredible writer and I'll definitely be looking for whatever she publishes next.

If He Had Been With Me is a story stretched out over four years, of Autumn and Finny, who used to be best friends but aren't anymore. Though they were inseparable all through middle school, it's now high school and pretty-but-weird Autumn has formed a close knit group with other misfits while Finny (Finn, to everyone but Autumn) is athletic, preppy, and popular. Despite the closeness of their families and the fact that they spend every major holiday seated around the same kitchen table, Autumn and Finny don't seem to have much in common anymore. Finny's dating a popular girl while Autumn has a long-term boyfriend, king of the misfits. Of course, it's obvious to the reader, if not to Autumn herself (the book is from her POV) that she belongs with, and is in love with, her boy-next-door, Finny. And though it's inevitable that Autumn eventually comes to this conclusion on her own, she spends an inordinately long amount of the book with Jamie, being in love with him. Or at least trying to convince herself that she's in love with him. The two have plans to get married, buy a house, have kids, and though Jamie's all in, it's obvious that Autumn is only in because she regards her feelings for Finny as a fantasy that can never come true; in real life, good-enough is all you get, she reasons.

Autumn is not a very happy person. (I could get into more detail about this but it would ruin certain aspects of the book and its plot, I think.)

This is an incredible sort of book. The writing is amazing, the characters are so, so well done, and the whole thing has a very hazy, beautiful but inevitably tragic feel to it. The book's strange attitude toward sex (it wasn't entirely casual, but it wasn't really not-casual either, so I'm having a hard time landing on an accurate word for how this book handled the issue) bothered me, and I found myself skipping certain scenes, one in particular. This is not a book about sex, but it did play a role in the story. In addition to this, Autumn's insistence that she's in love with both Finny and her boyfriend Jamie bothered me. It reminded me of all the reasons I hated the movie Doctor Zhivago. For much of the book Autumn remains oblivious to her own feelings toward Finny, and this got old, especially the longer she stayed in her lukewarm relationship with Jamie. Autumn is a needy character, but for some reason it took quite a while before I realized just how needy.

Though part of the ending is obvious from the beginning (almost from the title, really), but another part of the ending came as a shock. For those who've read the book, yes, it was definitely foreshadowed, but I found it hard to believe that such a sweetly beautiful book would actually take that route. I root for happy endings, and this one shook me. Though it's possible to view the ending in a hopeful way it's hard for me to move beyond Autumn's actions and reasoning. So like I said, this was a difficult book for me. It's a well-written and beautiful story with love as the huge, overarching theme. But there were aspects of the book that bothered me -- it wasn't enough to make me abandon the book, but definitely enough to affect my feelings toward it -- and the ending felt both obvious and incredibly, incredibly depressing. (And in at least one respect, unrealistic.)