June 19, 2019

All About Books

What book has been on your shelf the longest?
I generally don't keep books on my shelves. I have one shelf that I dedicate to my favorite books, and I also put meaningful books on it, like Scott's Bible that he's had forever, the Milepost, and a book about my family history. The books I own that I've had the longest are probably Little House on the Prairie books but they're likely in a box in the basement because they're packed up with my teaching supplies/books. I have 3 or 4 sets of the Little House Series.

What is your current read, your last read, and the book you'll read next?

Currently I'm reading I Am Watching You:


The last book I read was the latest Rose Gardner:


And the next book I've been wanting to read The Right Side of History but I'm not in the mood for non-fiction these days. I read the first chapter but it's been on my nightstand for awhile.



What books did everyone like, but you hated?
All the Light We Cannot See. This is the easiest answer because everyone talked about how wonderful it was but I was bored to tears. I remember listening as we drove to Denver on New Year's Day in 2015 and I almost fell asleep.
Also, I'm generally realllllly picky about my romantic fiction or chick lit-ish type books.
I also was never able to get into the Louise Penny series the way everyone and their sister, aunt, and mother were.

What book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?
I bought a Love and Logic parenting book because the pediatrician recommended its strategies. I like what it says so far, but considering that I've only ever read one pregnancy/baby/kid book (a 60 page ebook on self-soothing), I don't see myself reading a lot of them now, when I have less time to read than ever before!

What book are you saving for retirement?
I don't know why you'd save a book for that amount of time when time isn't guaranteed.

Last page: read it first, or wait for the end?
I definitely don't read it first, but if I really am not enjoying a book and don't want to finish it, I'll go to the last page and read it or the last chapter and read it to see what happened. I did this with How To Walk Away. I went to the epilogue just to see what happened.

Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink or an interesting aside?
An absolute waste.

Which book character would you switch places with?
I always thought it'd be interesting to be Becky Bloomwood for a few days. Maybe Rose Gardner.

Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life?
Going back to The Shopaholic books...I remember the first time I read them: In 2009, I was spending the summer living in a hotel with Scott at Ft. Leonard-Wood. He was going to his officer basic courses and we'd just gotten married so I was doing all of the in-processing (for lack of a better word) that I needed to do in order to be on the paperwork to go "overseas" to our Alaska duty station in the fall. I had NOTHING to do with all of my days and it was so hot there that summer in Missouri. So I watched a lot of Jon and Kate Plus 8 and I walked across the street to the library often to check out books with my new military ID. I read everything I could find by Sophie Kinsella that summer. Two years later, I bought all of her books at the used bookstore in Anchorage and I have generally re-read a few every summer since.

Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way.
I bought these really pretty hardcover editions at the book fair last year while I was pregnant. I was thinking if I had a girl, they'd be perfect for a bookshelf in her room. But seriously now, Wells will be steeped in Little House knowledge before he enters elementary school.



Which book has been with you to the most places?
I'd say most of my children's book collection to be honest. Most of my books in general are currently packed up in the basement or in storage. But they've traveled with me from Alaska to Missouri to Colorado to Wyoming to Pennsylvania. They've been read/enjoyed by students in Alaska, Missouri, and Colorado. Even if I don't teach again, I'll always keep my school library collection.

Any 'required' reading that you hated in high school that wasn't so bad two years later?
I think books like Animal Farm are important and we should all read them right now, but I don't find them enjoyable. I liked Catcher in the Rye in high school, though. My only memories of "reading" in high school involve my English teachers reading the books to us and it was so boring. Gatsby, Mockingbird, etc...all read aloud to teenagers because I'm convinced (still) that there were kids I went to school with who never did figure out how to read.  English class was repetitive and ridiculous.

Used or brand new?
I liked used bookstores because they're cheap. Buying brand-new is a rip-off unless it's a favorite author or series you're trying to add to your collection.

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?
I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code (the movie was awful). I liked Angels and Demons but not enough to keep going with Robert Langdon's adventures.

Have you ever seen a movie that you liked better than the book?
Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley is delightful. I've never made it far in the book and I've tried multiple times. I like the story, I hate the writing.

Have you ever read a book that's made you hungry, cookbooks included?
Julie and Julia made me want to cook. Ruth Reichl's Delicious! was the same way.

Is there a book out of your comfort zone that you ended up loving?
Eh, I had to look through my "Read" list on Goodreads and I can't find anything that really jumps out. A book I have on my shelf is The Snow Child, which I bought at a local bookstore and read in Alaska, while we lived in Alaska. I generally stayed away from as much "Alaska" as I could while we lived there. But I really did like the story.

I borrowed this survey from Rebecca and saw it a few other places too...I think it's fun to read everyone's answers, so feel free to grab it and write your own!

6 comments:

  1. i've had Pet Sematary and It on my shelf since they came out in the 80s...the pages are yellow and they're the original covers

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  2. I keep seeing this and it looks so fun - I really want to do it.

    Those are very pretty books :-)

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  3. Love your book-related posts - they give me ideas for my Goodreads "Want to Read" list! Also, you can skip Love and Logic - I'd choose a respectful parenting book instead, such as "No Bad Kids" by Janet Lansbury. Just saving you time. ;)

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  4. I think I still have my copy of the Milepost from when we drove up/back ... loved reading the detailed entries - "mile 178.4: scenic overlook", etc. I didn't read much things related to Alaska while I was up there, but now I'm homesick and seek out Alaskan authors or subjects.

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  5. Oh Becky Bloomwood would be such a great character to switch with!! What a fun post! I'm currently listening to Anonymous Girl and loving it! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  6. I have to add on - I do that same thing - if a book is really bad & I'm going to give it up, I'll go ahead & read the last chapter too. LOL
    Love those Little House books - it looks like real wood.
    I'm with you on the retirement thing - read all you can - tomorrow isn't promised!

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