Bookish Scenario tag

So the exams are nearly done, which means that my marking is nearly done. In two weeks, I can pop out the champers and celebrate having survived another dreaded Term 2.

At the moment I am reading The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, which is over a whopping 800 pages and written in tiny front, so I don't have anything new to post. (Yes, I suppose there is a lot I could post about, but right now, I do not have the mental dexterity to think about anything original and interesting.) So I figured I would do a tag from Booktube. This one was originally done by Lindsay Hearts Books.

QUESTIONS:

1. You have to get rid of all your books and you can only keep one from each of these genres - contemporary, fantasy, non-fiction and one other genre of your choosing. What books do you keep?

What horrible person would make me do this? That is what I want to know. So, this question is only possible because it is completely hypothetical. If it were real, I would be crying buckets, working on persuasive and manipulative arguments, and if that didn't work, I'd be such a wreck I wouldn't be able to do anything - or else I would be stealing my own books off my shelves and running. Or plotting murder. Yeah.

Contemporary: This one is probably closer to historical than contemporary, but it was close to contemporary when I read it. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. This book really affected me as a teenager. It changed the way that I looked at my country and showed me a hidden beauty amongst the violence and hatred. There are no adequate words in English that cover just how much I loved it.

Fantasy: This is so hard because all my favourite fantasy stories are series, so keeping one book would be horrid. You know what? I am going to go with a Terry Pratchett. I love the city watch books, a combination of my loved crime novels and fantasy. I choose Thud!

Non-fiction: OK, I am going to do something different here and go for a book I am looking forward to reading, but haven't picked up yet: Sugar Man: The Life, Death and Resurrection of Sixto Rodriguez by Craig Bartholomew Strydom and Stephen "Sugar" Segerman. This book follows some South Africans who decided to find out what happened to the music legend Rodriguez. He was (and still is, at least among the generation old enough to scorn and scoff at the likes of the Beliebers) hugely popular, to the point of cult status, but no one knew anything about him. Rumour had it that he had committed suicide on stage, even. Anyway, I am really looking forward to reading this. I saw the documentary on TV many years ago, so I know the story should be interesting. Plus, this music is a one-way memory trip back to the best parts of my time at Rhodes University. Ahhh, those were great times!

One other book: This is really hard, even if it is hypothetical. I am going to cheat and choose two books: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The reason behind this is not so much the books - let's be honest, I can get another copy of these at any second hand bookshop. But I bought Half-Blood Prince in South Korea which was quite the adventure in itself, as I had to not only find a bookshop that would sell an English copy of the book, but one that would sell it on the day that the book was released. It is a fun reminder of my first trip there (which lasted two years), and my desperation and success in reading enough Korean to figure out how to get to Kyobo Bookstore in Gwanghwamun (and the jealous looks on the subway back home, as folks could clearly see what I was reading while they had to wait a few more months for the translation). Then, I got Deathly Hallows in London in Charring Cross Road at the midnight release. That was a crazily amazing holiday, and I like that I have a book (well, there are others - I did GO INTO A BOOKSHOP, after all) to not only remember the holiday but the weird fun that was involved in being a part of the midnight release. Even though I don't really see myself rereading Harry any time soon, I am so pleased that I was involved with that fandom. I am still friends with so many people who I met as a result of Harry.

2. You're at the bookstore and you hear a teenager telling their mom they don't like to read, but their mom insists they pick something. You walk over and recommend a book you think is great for people who aren't big on reading - what book is it?

I encounter this almost every day - not in a book shop, but at work. I ask the kid what movies they enjoy and try and work from there. I have had a lot of luck with boys around the age of 14 with the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. (Oddly enough, and keeping in with the accidental travel part of this post, I got my first Alex Rider for free at the Deathly Hallows midnight release.) Girls, I find. are harder to advise as their tastes seem to be different from mine. The most luck I have had is with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I have tried Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series but with less luck. At the end of the day, I give them a book from the school library and tell them to try a few pages. If they don't like it bring it back and we will try something else.

3. You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which book do you read to put yourself in a great mood?

I haven't been rereading of late. I realised just how many books I want to read and realised that there is not enough time. Currently, I am saving rereading for some distant point in the future, so when I do need a pick-me-up I go for pot luck - which probably accounts for the hit-and-miss luck I have had of late. Actually, I can do a better job than that explanation. When I am under a lot of pressure, I pick up crime novels. They are new - rereading crime novels isn't as fun as reading them for the first time because I know who did it - but they are predictable enough so that I know what I will be getting. Especially if it is by an author I have read a lot of, such as Kathy Reichs.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years. What book would you most likely have caught yourself reading?

The Hardy Boys or Robert Ludlum, Helen McInnes or occasionally my mom's Georgette Heyer collection. There was no such thing as YA in my day. I really did enjoy the Hardy Boys (casefiles) though. There was loads to learn, from spelunking to racing and they were much darker than the regular Hardy Boy books. Recently, I was horrified when I picked up a new Hardy Boy book, a donation from a parent at school, and saw how much they have changed. I enjoyed the old spy thrillers too, although I think I was a bit too innocent to pick up some of the things that happened. The best were the CIA vs KGB books. The KGB made super scary and almost omniscient bad guys. Other than that, although I was always reading, I can't say that I remember a lot of who or what I was reading. (We are going back 25 years here - be kind.) I read my way through every book that caught my interest in the local library, but, it was a difficult time, because I was not as attracted to the adult books (they were old-looking books with unattractive covers and meant nothing to me), and I had read all the kiddies books. Anyway, it doesn't make much difference whether I can remember or not; I doubt one could get their hands on those books any more.

5. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day trip and you have 1 hour to pack. Which book do you bring to read on the way?

One! That is asking a lot. Last year when I went away for 3 days, I took 5 books with me, and still bought one on the road. I suppose I would grab the thickest book on my TBR which is currently Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. My version comes in at 1168 pages and the font is small (my eyes are going to love that). I think that should keep me busy for four days. I might sneak in a few more of my TBR pile too, though, I mean, who needs a change of clothes? And hey! No friend of mine would drag me out somewhere where there is no bookshop. But then, to be honest, if a friend of mine was taking me away on holiday, I would probably leave all my books at home, and enjoy their company, as that would be what they were after.

6. Your house has been robbed! Don't worry - everyone is safe, but your bookshelf has been raided. What's the book you really hope is safe?

No. Just no. I do not want this thought out in the ether. I do have a few books that are over 100 years old, which includes The Complete Works of Tennyson. But as I didn't get it in good condition, I don't think it is worth a lot. Then there are the other few books I have that are so old they don't have a publication date in them (some of the works of J.M. Barry), and I have been told (by an unreliable source) that those are more valuable. But as a whole, I really don't know. How does one choose their favourite pet, or favourite child? The books on my shelves are there because I like them and want them. Wait. I have a present from my dad, which I would hope I will have for a very long time. It was a book I needed when doing my third year of Philosophy. He went to so much trouble, networking with all his friends all over the country (who, like him, were not readers) to find it. This book is The Oxford Companion to Philosophy by Ted Honderich. My dad was a fantastic dad. While this book might be a great recommendation for those who suffer from insomnia, I will keep it because my dad got it for me.

7. Your friend borrows a book and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs.

When I was much younger and still felt I could not say no, I used to let my friends know that I did not appreciate the damage they had done. I have learnt from those days. I value my friendships too much to lend them books - because it will not end well. I will find second hand books for them, I will find e-books... But I will not lend out my books. What is super helpful is that my friends know this and 1) don't ask, 2) inform people for me before they ask. I did have a splutter moment when my boss suggested I let the kids at school have access to my personal library. It took god-like self control to not suggest she let the kids learn to drive in her convertible.

An August TBR?

I never have a planned TBR for a month - or even a week. I read by mood. But this month, I have decided to make a slight variation to that.

This year I have been extremely good at keeping a record of what I have read. I have all sorts of things marked down in order to keep track of important things (how many books I have read - 67, what genres I am reading - pretty much everything) to random things (how many 1000+ paged books I have read this year - the answer is none). This has, however, made me aware that 59% of the books I have read are by male authors. Now, I don't have any objections to the male gender, nor do I feel the need to boycott them as authors. I am not that kind of feminist (and I have a particular fondness for many male authors' works, such as Neil Gaiman). But it has made me aware that the discrepancy is so close.

So I have decided that I am going to read only female authors in August. There. I have said it. Now I have to do it! With luck, by the end of the month, the difference between the two will be minimal!

Here are some of the books I am thinking about reading. (These are all from my TBR pile.):

It isn't the most vibrant set of covers I have put together...
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell would also fix the answer to the 1000+ paged books for the year. Shew! That is a big, intimidating book - not for my brain, but for my wrists!!! How on earth to get through that without cracking the spine?!. I was quite surprised to learn that Lionel Shriver was in fact a woman (thanks booktube!).
There are others I could read, for example, the remainder of the Madd Addam trilogy, or other books by Amy Tan or Isabel Allende. I think I still have a book by Leigh Bardugo, but I am putting that off because I didn't enjoy the first one, and I don't like getting rid of books I haven't read yet. It is an option for this month though, although more a last option.

I am currently reading:

I left The Night Circus at work on Tuesday, so I had to pick up something else! I did not plan to read these two at the same time. Both of these books are giving me the 'I am going to love this' vibe so far. I think I am feeling it a little more for The Secret History, but that could have a lot to do with picking up The Night Circus directly after The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - which I loved, adored and wanted to climb into. (In other words, it gave me a book hangover of note.)

There are also the books that I have finished reading already this month, two of which I am yet to review here:

Wish me luck!

The Harry Potter Tag

Many folks on Booktube have done this and I have loved listening to all their answers.Here is my input!

This is in honour of the fact that yesterday, 8 years ago (wow, it has been that long!!!) I was standing in a queue in London in Charing Cross Road, waiting to buy my copy of Deathly Hallows!

WARNING: If you have not read (or watched - but come now, read them!) the series, back away from this page right now. There will be SPOILERS! (Obviously!)

Favourite book
That would probably be Goblet of Fire. The Triwizard Tournament, the dragons, the hilarity of Harry finding a date... But most of all, my favourite chapter was Flesh, Blood and Bone. I know it is dark, but it was beautifully chilling. It was also the point where I knew for sure that this was going to be serious. Sometimes, I have encountered books where I have felt that the bad guy was really not worth the hassle. Voldemort was not such a villain. He earned my respect, and my fear for Harry multiplied off the charts. I also got completely obsessed with this one during the, (What was it, 3 year?), wait for Order of the Phoenix.

Favourite movie
This is a tough one to answer! I loved the charm and magical setting created in the first two. I loved how Alfonso Cuaron captured the fear of the dementors and added the darkness to the series. I did have a few issues with some changes to the book though - and the omissions. I loved what Mike Newell did to Hogwarts and the kids (they were far more like real teenagers). And dang! Those dragons looked real! David Yates did a fantastic job too. I liked how he did all of Umbridge's rule changes (Imelda Staunton did a magnificent job of bring my most hated character to life)  and the Daily Prophet. He also gave me goosebumps with the cave in Half Blood Prince. And who can forget the fall of Hogwarts? I actually teared up there. It was like watching everything finally come to an end, literally and figuratively and friggin metaphorically too. I can't choose! Possibly Deathly Hallows part 2. Or Goblet of Fire, because it was fun and had an awesome soundtrack! I really liked them all, although I feel that Azkaban doesn't quite match the others. It is a bit more artistic.

Least favourite book
Another tough one. Can I chicken out and claim Deathly Hallows for the ugliest cover of the lot? More seriously, I would say maybe Deathly Hallows, or at least the camping and hiking part. I had no objection to it during my first read, but I really struggle to get through that part when rereading it. It seems that not a lot happened. But, saying that, it is still way up there on the list of books I have read that I love. (Maybe it also has something to do with it also ending the series.)

Parts of the books/movies that made you cry
If I hadn't been in company while reading Deathly Hallows, I probably would have cried over Dobby and Hedwig. My heart did break when Mrs Weasley hugged Harry after Cedric had been killed in GoF and we realise that he had never (as far as he could remember at least) been held like that, a motherly, loving hug.

As to the movies, I already confessed to getting very teary eyed over Hogwarts 'falling' in Deathly Hallows. The caption, 'It all ends here' is exactly how I felt watching that. No more books, no more movies. It was the end  in so many ways and that realisation hit with the force of an Avada Kedavra spell during that scene.

If you could hook up with any HP character who would it be?
Well, it would be fun to hook up with George Weasley. Some of my favourite characters, though, were Hermione, Ginny, Dobby and Tonks, but as Tonks and Dobby are no more (thanks Jo!), I guess I would settle for having a nice chat with one of the other girls. In fact, let's go with Ginny. It must have been quite the experience growing up with six brothers. While it would be fun to hear about all the Weasley boys, I think she would make an interesting character to get to know in her own right. To be honest though, the character that I would really want to hook up would be Harry. Which leads me to the next question...

Favourite character
Harry. He had guts. I loved that after Sirius died in Order of the Phoenix, he gathered himself together and then chose to go on. He didn't wait for destiny to find him. He accepted it. Which is a lot better than hiding under the bed and hoping Voldemort won't find you. He took control of his life and faced it head on. I also felt that, considering his upbringing, he could have turned out to have a lot weaker character. But he didn't. Harry was awesome! I loved him.

What would your Patronus be?
A tabby cat. Or a staffie. (This has nothing to do with my pets - I promise *whistles innocently*) I mean, look at the face! He would be delighted to protect me!

If you could have the Resurrection Stone, Invisibility Cloak or the Elder Wand which one would you choose?
I can't say that I would have use for any, although I could see how anyone would be tempted with the Resurrection Stone. What I wouldn't do to have another chat with my dad. I suppose I would go for the wand. I live in a dangerous country and it would be nice to do some magical self defence and zap someone's ass! (Nope, I didn't learn my lesson there, apparently.)

What House would you be in?
This is hard to answer. I was always put in Gryffindor in the past in all those online quizzes. I did, after all, head off to live in a country where no one spoke English and I didn't speak Korean. But to be honest, I could easily see myself in Ravenclaw too. I think I also have a bit of a Slytherin in me. I would not, however, make it to Hufflepuff. I am a procrastinator, and if it weren't for the last minute, I would never get anything done. It's a bit difficult to work hard at something whilest putting it off. Although, having said that, loyalty is something I have a lot of. Let's go Gryffindor (with Ravenclaw tendencies) because I would ask the hat to put me with Gryffindor.


IF you could meet any member of the cast who would it be?
Well, I have met Jason Isaacs and got his autograph! That was pretty cool. (Although strangely odd that of all the characters from the cast I would meet in real life, the one I did was responsible for the deaths of so many other on-screen heart-throbs.) I also saw Dan from not too far away. I think if I had a choice now, it would be Emma Watson. I admire what she is doing with He for She.

I would be completely happy to meet anyone from the cast though. I am a sucker for all things Harry Potter.

Have you played any of the video games?
Pfft. Naturally! I have played at least 1 through to 4. (My friend has them and we would play together when I would go and visit. It has been a couple of years though, so it is a bit vague now.)

IF you were on the Quidditch team which position would you play?
You're joking right! I would be the commentator. If there were no other members in my house to play, I would probably go for beater. (I might be able to whack a bludger, but at least the opposition wouldn't score if I messed up - unless the bludgers took out the rest of the team.) Trust me, they would not want me there! I can talk a lot though....

Were you happy with the ending?
It was ok. I think my biggest gripe was that they named all their kids after fallen heroes. At least the ending did bring a conclusion and the feeling that "all was well", which I appreciated after having my life and soul turned upside down for all those years. Ideally though, I don't know if it was what I would have chosen. There could have been far worse though. (Sweet, I remembered that avatar from yeeeears ago. Glad to see it still exists!)

How much does Harry Potter mean to you?
Wow. How can I put all of this into words! At least this isn't on Twitter! I met my best friend as a result of Harry Potter. I have had the best weekend of my life because of Harry Potter (she and I met up in London for a weekend - seriously!) I started reading again because of Harry Potter (I had finished my degree and was convinced that I should only read intellectual books. Only thing was, I was burnt out on intellectual books and I could not find anything I loved. And then I met Harry.). I started writing again because of Harry Potter. I found something to be passionate about. I met people who I could share that passion with. I lived those stories. I laughed, giggled and sniffed my way through those books so many times, I cannot even say how often I have reread them. By now you are probably thinking I am weird. You might be right. But Harry captured me completely. It reawakened my imagination, my creativity and made me passionate about something. And as I cannot  not finish a series, and I was constantly being left to hang in tortuous limbo while Jo wrote the next one.

Some Harry Potter memories
(This is not a part of the tag)

This is me at school dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange. (It helps to go as bad guys. Usually more fun for the make up, and extra fun to act mean for the day.) If you think that looks crazy, (although the light in the pic has lightened my dark circles etc. and my hair! Wow, I should try going that colour!), then you should have seen me go as Elphaba Thropp from Wicked. Green, folks. I went GREEN!

And then, as all HP fans do when they actually get to go to London do ... (Yes, this girl from Africa went to England because of a book! TWICE!) Yip, I popped onto Platform 9 3/4! That was a part of the best weekend of my life! Three days of just having way too much fun! I saw Dan in Equus (although I was just a wee bit embarrassed at that), I saw Jason Isaacs in The Dumb Waiter (he remained dressed; I was a lot more comfortable) and then went fangirling over Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker street. And that entire weekend was all a result of having met my best friend because of Harry Potter.

Yeah. Harry Potter has been the cause of so many great things in my life! Thanks Jo!

How I Read Books Tag

I found this tag at Vanessa Buttino's Booktube channel. She is a fairly new booktuber, and I have currently subscribed to her to see if our taste in books is similar. I tried to find the creator of this tag, and the closest I could come was Ashley at Climbthestacks saying that she thought the original video no longer existed.

So now that all the formalities are out of the way, Let me begin!

1) How do you find out about new books to read?
There are loads of ways! The first is booktube. Courtesy of booktube, my wish list has grown to over 400 books. The second way is my amazing bookseller, Kerry. She passes books under my nose very often. Sometimes I have heard of them on booktube, sometimes I have never heard of them before. I still buy them, read them, and enjoy them. The other way is through my mom. She and I have similar tastes, especially now that my mom has realised that she loves fantasy. And finally, I do occasionally meet people in real life who read, and sometimes I get ideas of what to read next from them. Usually I am giving more ideas than I get though.

2) How did you get into reading?
My mom. When I was very little, I used to sit on her lap while she read the old Golden Books to me. Then, when I got a little older she would read to both my brother and I when we were in bed at night. It started with Noddy (by Enid Blyton) and progressed to The Famous Five and other books by Enid Blyton. By then, I knew I loved stories, and after my folks went to bed, I would then continue to read under the covers with a torch. I took to reading better than fish to water. Always loved it.


3) How has your taste in books changed since you've got older?
Well, the age group has changed. Other than that, I can't say it has changed too much. There was a period in my life where I declared that I was only going to read highbrow books, but that gave me my first and only reading slump. So I do what I always did. I browse shelves, pick up what interests me, and read it. I am still preferring crime thrillers when I have an urge for light reading. But even as a child, I never restricted myself to one genre. I chose books either based on the cover, what people told me, or what sounded interesting from the synopsis on the back. I even read children's classics. So, all I can say that has changed is the age group within which I read.

4) How often do you buy books?
Too often. I wish I could read them as fast as I can buy them! I go grocery shopping twice a week. Therefore I walk past - ok, who am I kidding - I walk into my favourite bookshop twice a week. It is not often I leave without something. Often I leave with two things. On rare occasions I leave with more than two things. Only very seldom do I walk out empty handed. maybe tomorrow I will be able to leave without buying something. Time will tell.

5) How did you get into booktubing?
OK, this is a blog. I don't booktube - yet - because it just seems like a huge commitment that I don't think I have the time to sign up for. But... I will say that I got into following booktubers from a Bookriot post on facebook that introduced me to some. And there  my internet bandwidth spiralled into oblivion as it became my new obsession. My initial introduction was Little Book Owl and The Readables. I must have found the most popular channels first, and subscribed to all, as if scared I was going to miss out on something, but after about a year, I was starting to get bored of the same books being discussed over and over and over again. I must confess that I unsubscribed to quite a few (nothing personal, but there are only so many times one can hear the same thing) and started looking around for new booktubers who read different books. I tend to give a booktuber a couple of months to see where our tastes lie. If we match, I keep subscribing, if not, I am sorry to say, I end it. Not because I dislike their content, but because I have so much to get through. I would also rather find other booktubers who would introduce me to different books I would enjoy.

6) How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?
I complain about it to my mom. But it is not often that I come across books that I completely despise. There generally are quite a few good pints that I enjoy.

7) How often have you taken a sneaky look at the back page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?
Never. The closest I ever got to doing that was flipping ahead through books in A Song of Ice and Fire series to see if my loved character was still alive (and narrating another chapter). That was purely because it could be 100 pages sometimes until I heard from him/her again, and that ind of suspense can kill.

8) How many people are you going to tag, and who are they?
I was going to delete this question, but hey. If you are out there and want to do this, be my guest. Link to your post below, and i will happily go and see what you had to say.

Help Me! Book Tag

I am in the mood to procrastinate and have a bit of fun. My marking is up to date (can't say the same for the papers I need to moderate - but one disaster at a time, right!) I found this one on Booktube by J&J Books, a cute duo between what I have gathered is a sister and a young brother. It scores for cuteness. (This video is just with Jess.) The original book tag is by BookGeekMovieFreak and can be found here.

So here are the questions along with my answers!

1. You have a test tomorrow, but instead of studying you’ve been reading. Which fictional character do you call to help you cram for this test? 
I really want to say Hermione Granger. I mean, which other character can one really rely upon?  But to be different I am going to go with Peekay from The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. He made a book just for that! Or, I could ask John Milton from Spud by John van de Ruit. He was a pretty smart kid. Only one problem, he might not be of much help - me being female and all that.

2. Pay day is still 2 weeks away, but you are broke. Which rich character do you ask for money to help you out? 
Oh crickey! Most of the characters I like are dead broke and facing bigger problems than money. I think I would have to go with Logan Gyre from the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. He seems to be a very honourable man and a good, loyal friend. I think, if I were his friend, I might (and that is a big might), be able to put my pride in my pocket and ask for help.

3. There is a burglar in your house. Which character to you call to help you beat up the burglar?
Jack Reacher Lizbeth Salander. I would put money on this girl getting through pretty much anything. I might even end up feeling sorry for the burglar - or not! Lizbeth is the epitome of the saying 'dynamite comes in small packages'.

4. There is a spider/snake/something else that really scares you in your house. Which character do you call to get rid of it for you? 
Ron Weasley. OK, so I would ask Ron for help, then die laughing for quite some time. Then I might call Jack Reacher Katniss Everdeen. Her skills with the bow would reduce the likelihood of me needing to replace walls; and one thing that girl can do well - besides stir up an uprising - is hunt.

5. You’ve had a really bad week. Which character do you call to cheer you up?
I really should not find this one as hard as I am to answer. I would probably go for Sam Vimes along with the rest of the cast from the City Watch Disc World novels by Terry Pratchett. As a collective they are hilarious and would definitely cheer me up.

6. There is a zombie apocalypse going on. Which character can totally handle him/herself in this apocalypse? Pick the character that would give you the highest survival chances.
Jack Reacher  OK, I got this! Paul Muad'Dib from Dune by Frank Herbert. That would be a pack of aces up the sleeve as far as strategy and beating unbelievable odds goes!

7. Your house caught on fire, you need a place to stay. Which character’s house do you want to stay in?
Can't I just go to Hogwarts? I will teach Muggle Studies! OK, more seriously. The Weasley house is very tempting because it sounds a lot like my house (without the risky architecture). But that answer has already been claimed by many. I think I would like a few days at 221B Baker Street with the boys (although that would not be good for me trying to NOT smoke). Ooo! I know. I'll bunk with Rhi Bran ap Brychan (a.k.a Robin Hood), not in Sherwood but in the Welsh forest from the King Raven series by Stephen R. Lawhead. (We are just going to ignore the fact that I would freeze to death, be it winter or summer)

8. Because your house caught on fire, you obviously don’t have any clothes. Which character do you want to borrow clothes from?
Princess Raisa ana’Marianna from the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. I am grinning here because anyone who knows me, knows that I am not into fancy, pretty clothes. While Raisa might be a princess, she is also a warrior and as a result, knows how to dress practically. But, should the need arise, there might be something fancy in her wardrobe (all assuming that her short frame can clothe my not-so-short frame).

9. You’ve been wrongly accused of something. Which character can weasel him/herself out of any bad situation and can certainly help you get out of this pickle. 
Jack Reacher would be perfect for this because he has loads of experience in this exact area. But I am going to go for Alex Rider from the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz because he is also very good in areas like this. Mostly though, my inner maternal instincts just want to give the lad a hug. Other than that, there is Sherlock Holmes, or the kids from the Virals series by Kathy Reichs. Actually, Frank and Joe Hardy would even cut this one! (Now that is a blast from the past!)

10. You just broke up with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Which character do you call to be your rebound.
Jack Reacher (in the books by Lee Child) I have just noted how valuable he could be to have around! And he is 6'5. I LOVE a tall man. He is always on the move too, so there will definitely not be any strings attached.

Well, that is what you can call a rather vast selection of genres!

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

I saw this on Booktube during my crazy term of setting exam papers and thought I would like to do it. I then completely forgot about it until I saw Bookish Sarah do it on her blog. I have more opinions than I have books (that says a lot). I am going to try and mention different books and/or authors for each question although I am sure that each book, series or author mentioned could probably qualify for most of the questions.

1. A popular book or series that you didn't like.

I can't say that I enjoyed The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I think it was over-hyped to begin with, and that started me off expecting something brilliant. Instead, I felt the outcome was simple. It is also getting to the point where I feel it is a 'been there, done that' story line. You can find my thoughts on this book here.

2. A popular book or series that every one else seems to hate but you love. 

Love is a bit of a strong word here. Let's go with 'appreciate' instead. Allegiant by Veronica Roth. A lot of people hated the ending. I am not going to spoil anything here, but I will just say that any alternative ending in that situation, would not have been in character for that character, and the result, no matter how unpleasant, was in character. I should probably also add that, while I enjoyed book 1, I found the rest of the series a disappointment.

Oh, and The Diviners by Libba Bray. I have heard many reviews on Booktube where people have even DNFed it, but I absolutely loved it. I love the way Libba Bray writes - she has a maturer style than regular YA authors, and her plot was not conventional or necessarily predictable in the slightest. I also loved that the first book of the series finished with even more questions than it opened with!

3. A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with (warn ppl for spoilers) OR an OTP that you don't like. 

Bella and Edward. I thought their relationship was completely toxic and as individuals, I couldn't stand them either. It was agony reading these books - which I only did because I needed to put together a reading list of YA books for uni while doing my teaching post-grad. I was shipping Edward and a good ray of sunshine and Bella and a bus. I actually have a blog post about this from my OOOOOLD blog. (I wonder if it is still up and running?)

4. A popular book Genre that you hardly reach for. 

Romance. I have no objection to having a bit of romance in the books I am reading, but I get irked when it takes over the plot. I think this stems from my childhood, before YA was a thing. There were only Sweet Valley High books or else a teenage version of Mills and Boon where at the end she got to kiss the guy. I found them annoying and frustrating and just couldn't get why these girls would throw away their holidays pining for these guys. I read The Hardy Boys and had a lot more fun. Why was it that girls' books were only romance, while boys' books were about adventure and action and they would be out doing interesting things? I hated the underlying messages in these books - that the only way a girl would find happiness was to find a guy; while guys could go out and LIVE. I guess it was the kindling that got this little feminist questioning gender roles.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

Claire from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Wow! People say women are moody. She is a rollercoaster. One sentence she is happy, the next sentence she is fuming and the next she is aggressive, and the one after that, she is back to being happy and in love. I also thought that she could be pretty dumb at times. I also felt that she created so many situations for Jamie to come in as the knight in shining armour the Scotsman in a kilt to come and save her. I found her sporadic swearing bouts to be jarring and a contradiction to her character. If war had hardened her, then she should have been hardened completely, not just randomly for shock value. At least she was capable and was holding down a 'job' though. But still... what an idiot!

6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into. 

Cassandra Clare. I just don't get the attraction. I thought the first 3 books in the Mortal Instruments were OK, but from then on everything else was a drag. I just cannot understand the hype for it. I think the plots are predictable, the characters are trying too hard and are just carbon copies of each other, and that the whole plot is just an excuse for everyone to pair up with someone. And that goes for The Infernal Devices too. I have declared that I will not read another book by her. And I think having read 9, NINE!!!, I am entitled to my opinion. It also probably has a lot to do with the fact that I find teen romance really annoying.

7. A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing. (examples "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)

I am completely sick and tired of love triangles. And I am getting a bit tired of retellings too. I don't mind when books use mythology to advance a story, such as Percy Jackson. It is not a retelling of the Greek or Roman myths. It is its own story. But there are so many books that are retellings of fairytales or myths. Sometimes I can appreciate them - when they come with a new angle, but other times I feel it is just a writer who cannot think of their own plots.

8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I watched my mom suffer through all 15 of these books. I am not doing that to myself. Especially because I have heard about the pages and pages of long-winded descriptions; and that the female characters are all annoying.

9. The saying goes "The book is always better than the movie", but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

Empire of the Sun by J.G Ballard. This has always been one of my favourite movies. The cinematography is beautiful and the story is touching. Christian Bale was the perfect choice for Jim and did a superb job as a boy. The book was filled with a bit too much information on WW2 aeroplanes and other things. I thought that the book had less charm than the movie. The movie also came with a beautiful soundtrack from John Williams. The book was silent.

I would also like to add here that the stage production of Wicked is way better than the book (by Greg Maguire). It also had a lot more charm than the book, although the book did go into some interesting philosophical debates that I enjoyed. The play, though, was so touching. If you are ever anywhere where they are showing Wicked, go and watch it.

A link to the original tag video on Youtube by TheBookArcher.

Star Ratings

I have been debating star ratings since I signed up on Goodreads. I know I am not the only person out there that feels that 5 little stars are hardly a judge on the quality on a book. But then, I am sure that I am not the only person who eyes the star ratings and judges whether a book might be worth buying and reading or not.

Initially I thought I would stick to what the Goodreads stars said - after all, how is the 'system' supposed to know what I enjoy or not. And how is their rating system supposed to work if every Dick, Tom, Jack and Harry out there have there own meanings assigned to the number of stars? But in so many cases we are not even comparing apples to oranges, but apples to orangutans!

What do I mean? Well, looking at my 2014 5-star ratings I can already see discrepancies. Some obvious classics got 5-star ratings from me, namely:Frankenstein, Animal Farm and Brave New World. Excellent stories, beautifully written. But then, also receiving 5 stars were Coraline, Wonder, Ready Player One, and Assassin's Apprentice. Now these I also loved. Also excellent stories, beautifully written. But are they the same? Can I really compare Coraline and Frankenstein (although they do rhyme nicely)? This gets more complicated when I look at my 4-star ratings. How could I have given both Lee Child and Terry Pratchett 4 stars? Terry Pratchett is a master of language! His metalanguage makes me happy - very happy. While Child's character makes me happy, it is for a more barbaric reason and not one based on intellect (it's nice to see bad guys die). Further down the star order, I see I gave The World According to Garp the same 3 stars I gave the Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta books. Really? No? Although I plodded through Garp, it was better, much, much better. In fact, one might easily argue, that it was written a lot better than Child's book, or some of the other books I gave 5-stars to.

The first problem is that different genres, styles of writing and age groups are all being lumped together - apples with orangutans.  The second problem is that I am wanting to judge everything on a single star rating. My degrees and daily dealings with language are wanting to make an intellectual snob out of me. I want to judge quality of writing, development of characters, quality of the message and everything else, including enjoyment, in that single rating. It isn't possible.

So what is an English major supposed to do? I am going to try and compromise. My star ratings are going to be purely based on the frivolous criteria of enjoyment as per Goodreads (and because in all honesty, the majority of the reading I do is for fun and little else). But, in the spirit of being English, I will have some exceptions to the rule.

5 stars will mean that I really enjoyed the book (enjoyment being the main criteria) but that it there was something that stuck with me, and will likely stick with me for a long time. This will go for the unforgettable book, or a book with unforgettable lines, or a book with some of the best characters. You get the idea.
2 - 4 stars will purely be based on enjoyment. It means that the other criteria that I like to look for were not really touched upon, or were nothing new or special. Or that if they were, I just did not enjoy the book.
4 stars mean I really enjoyed reading it.
3 stars mean it was OK.
2 stars mean I did not enjoy it and it was bloody lucky I didn't DNF it.
1 star will mean that I hated it and found some theme or idea 'ill-thought out' (this will include everything from racism, to gender bias, promoting negative relationships etc.), that it suffered from extremely poor writing or other things that make my toes curl and my brain scream at me to stop reading. There are some books that I will DNF and rate 1 star for this reason.

So what does that mean for anyone who follows my reviews either here or on Goodreads? It means absolutely nothing. All the important stuff will be in the written review - although I am not really a fan of writing rigidly proper reviews (I have enough of them at school). It also means that I will forever look at ratings such as Vonnegut's 3-star rating for Slaughterhouse Five and cringe with disapproval at myself.

Maybe I will change this in the future. I will give it a year and see how this system works for me.

Picture nabbed from here.