A to Z Book Survey

My friend Kristen over at Milo & Molly did this questionnaire yesterday and I actually pushed back a post about Halloween(!) so I could answer it myself. Feel free to do it, too! You can even drop a link in the comments so we can all see what kind of good stuff you've read.

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Author you've read the most books from:

Definitely Ann M. Martin, just based on the sheer volume of books in the Babysitters Club series. I even got the "extra" ones that were basically just background on all of the characters.

Best sequel ever:

This is tough. My favorite Harry Potter book is Order of the Phoenix, so I guess I'll go with that.

Currently reading:

Zealot by Reza Aslan. I heard about it because an interview with the author went viral. It's about Jesus in a historical context, as opposed to how he's portrayed in the Bible. The idea is that he was likely a radical and not so much the peaceful shepherd people think of today. I'm about 40% of the way done and so far it's been fascinating.

Drink of choice while reading:

Tea or coffee. I usually have a snack with it, too.

E-reader or physical book:

It depends. I really love my Kindle, especially when we're traveling and I want to have more than one book at my disposal. But I'm also a fan of snuggling up with a library book at home. As long as I'm reading something good I'm not too concerned about the vehicle.

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Fictional character you would have actually dated in high school:

You know, I thought about this one for a long time and couldn't come up with a good answer. Guess I'm lame.

Glad you gave this book a chance:

I'm glad I was open-minded about reading Shakespeare for the first time. A lot of people are in a hurry to tell you how hard it is to understand (and the first time, yeah, it's kind of weird) but once you get used to old English, you realize the stories are delightful. Have you ever read A Midsummer Night's Dream? Hysterical. I remember laughing out loud in study hall because of it.

Hidden gem book:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It's the lesser known Anne Bronte title, which is ridiculous because it was so much better than Agnes Grey. It's easily in my top five favorites of all time with Harry Potter and Jane Eyre. It's THAT good.

Important moment in your reading life:

Going to the bookstore at midnight with my sister to get the latest Harry Potter book. We'd get home and would usually have somewhere to be the next day, but we'd stay up and read a couple of chapters anyway. We would agree on stopping points so one of us wouldn't get too far ahead of the other.

Just finished:

Insurgent, which was the sequel to Divergent. You know people who seem like they're trying too hard? This was the book version of that. Very contrived.

Kinds of books you won't read:

Most things in the romance genre or that are dubbed "beach reads."

Longest book you've read:

I tried to read The Stand last year, but just couldn't get through it. Stephen King is a great author, but sometimes he gets a little wordy even for me, and I'm the kind of person who loves a long book. I'm actually not sure what the longest one is because a lot of them tend to be that way.

Major book hangover because of:

Anything that holds my attention. If it's interesting I won't want to stop reading, regardless of the genre.

Number of bookcases you own:
We own several but only two of them hold books. I'm a Kindle person, so I only buy something on paper these days if there are a lot of images, like a design book.

One book you have read multiple times:

I do this a lot. Hubsey thinks it's weird that I re-read my favorites because I already know the story, but I think it's like hanging out with an old friend. You know each other so well, but there's always something new to learn. Wait--I haven't answered the question. You can probably guess that I've read Harry Potter over and over, but throw you a curveball and say The Shining. It's still scary every time.

Preferred place to read:

I can read anywhere. I'm not picky.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read:

From my homeboy Roald Dahl:

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Reading regret:

Ugh, Twilight. I read the whole series, I'm ashamed to say. I kept reading because I wanted her to end up with somebody other than Edward--literally, anyone--but we all know how that turned out. It was a colossal waste of time and energy.

Series you started and need to finish (all books in series are out):

Are all of the Artemis Fowl books out? I stopped reading after the fourth one, I think, and I know there are a handful of newer ones. The tone of the series has changed from what I can tell, but I feel like after reading so many I might as well finish the job.

Three of your all-time favorite books:

I already mentioned some above, but I'll give you one more: Boy by Roald Dahl.

Unapologetic fangirl for:

Harry Potter! And I will be for the rest of my life. The books are just spectacular, but I was also the right age at the right time to experience the whole fandom. Of course the books are enjoyed by adults, too, but I feel like being in high school and college for the apex of the craze was different. I had more free time to speculate about the next book, read fanfiction, go to the store at midnight--it was just a huge part of my life, much bigger than it would have been if the books had come out even five years later.

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Very excited for this release more than all the others:

I'm not great at hearing about things beforehand anymore. More publishers should do commercials for books and then I would hear about them sooner. Somebody get on that.

Worst bookish habit:

Starting a book, then not reading it for two weeks because I'm busy, and then finally picking it up again. I usually have to go back a chapter to remember what's going on.

X marks the spot: start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs. It's a funny memoir about reading the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica. (I actually couldn't remember what it was about at first glance, so I guess this one didn't stick with me.)

Your latest book purchase:

Zealot. Another bonus about the Kindle: books are a little cheaper.

Zzzzz-snatcher (the last book that kept you up WAY late):

It was probably Divergent. Although I'm the type who dozes off during Top Chef, so I don't stay up late reading much anymore.

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What do you like to read? If you have any, leave me some suggestions in the comments; I'm always on the hunt for something new. If you've done this survey or a similar one, let me know about that, too, because I'm nosy and want to see what you said. Happy reading!