Hey, all! I can’t believe how I forget the stunning beauty of autumn every year, but it gets me every time. Driving through lanes of trees decked out like flaming torches is such a spirit-lifting experience for me. How about you?
We’ve reached the point on the farm where the garden is all tucked in for winter, and prepping for the cold season is in the forefront of our minds. A mite disappointing, but true. It’s an inescapable thing in this world, but I’m glad we don’t live in Narnia during the reign of the White Witch – a hundred years of winter, with no Christmas, is more than I can handle, I think.
Anyhoo, with October entering into its final fortnight, the larger writing community is getting ready for the next season of NaNoWriMo, but more about that next time?
Which brings me to today’s topic, which has nothing to do with Latin, despite the title of this post. Anyone who knows Latin, please don’t hurt me if I got the grammar wrong. Anyone who doesn’t know Latin, the title stands for ‘ten book questions’. And now you know why I picked the Latin – it just sounds cooler. This is a tag I found on the blog of RacheLeanne, and thought would be fun to do in leu of more rambling about how I’m not getting any writing done?
Question One: How many books do you currently own?
Looking at my shelves, I realize I have a LOT of books. Fun books. Reference books. How-to books. I’m not even going to get into the cookbooks.
Hold tight for a minute . . .
A whopping 367 hard copies, and 62 (ish) ebooks. Wow. I’ve never actually put numbers to my collection before – it’s rather impressive!
Question Two: How many books are you currently reading?
Three, unless you want to count the Bible, which I am always currently reading, then four.
Arabian Nights (I’m about halfway through, after x-number of years)
Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig (Only got a handful of chapters in all summer)
A Warden’s Purpose by Jeffrey L. Kohanek (Creeping through in bits)
Question Three: Choose a couple books you read but didn’t enjoy?
Okay . . . It always feels strange pointing out the ‘bad’ books, the ones that left a negative experience.
Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins would be one. It’s a non fiction about becoming successful through art and your passion rather than the traditional 9 to 5. There’s nothing wrong with the book or the ideas, but I was looking for something writing-specific, and this was not it. Besides that, I kept getting the feeling that I had to be everything that I’m not in order to get anywhere. C’est la vie.
Another would have to be the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova. I mean, I liked it enough to read the first two books, because I had them, but into the third one I decided I didn’t like the story or characters enough to keep going. The fantasy element was highly reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I just couldn’t swallow the romance. At least I can say I tried.
Question Four: A cover buy?
Question Five: A book you own but hate the cover of?
Ouch. You’re going to make me admit that? Fine . . .
I love this book to pieces, but that cover, man. That cover.
I’ve been drooling over a slightly nicer edition by The Folio Society, and someday I’m going make it mine for real instead of a dream. Although, I don’t think I could ever discard this copy. It’s still precious.
Question Six: A book you haven’t read in years?
Honestly? Most of the 367 books that I own. And so many of them are due for a reread, too. But I’ll say Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. That has to be one of the first sets I ever got – and I actually leant the brand new books out to someone else before I ever cracked them open myself! Yeesh.
Question Seven: A book you will always recommend?
. . . Howl’s Moving Castle. You had to know I would go there. But really, a book recommendation is specific to the person you’re recommending it to. I know a lot of people for whom Howl’s Moving Castle isn’t the right read, so, there’s the kicker.
Question Eight: All-time favourite book series?
Uhhhh . . . Rowan of Rin.
And King Raven and How to Train Your Dragon. And The Door Within. And The Queen’s Thief.
Somebody stop me!
Question Nine: Where do you read?
Wherever my book is, but mostly the livingroom chair and the back room at work.
Question Ten: What are the last two books you gave a 5-star rating? and why?
Shiloh by Helena Sorensen, because it was beautiful and fascinating and a little bit different.
For Whom the Sun Sings by W. A. Fulkerson, for pretty much the same reasons. I don’t give 5-star ratings very often, but these two books moved me.
And there you have it. What about you? I’m super curious about your answers to these questions, so consider yourself tagged!
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