I love reading. It is by far one of my favourite hobbies. I read anything from sleazy romance books to epic fantasies to murder mysteries, as long as it’s not horror. I discovered this “30 day book meme” a few days ago and decided that I really wanted to do it on my blog. But since my blog’s a weekly publication, I felt like it would just get tedious after 30 weeks, so I’m going to answer all the questions in one blog!
In honour of March 1st being both World Book Day and Ron Weasley’s birthday, here are my 30 Min Book Meme answers.
Day 1: Best book you read last year (2011)
That would definitely have to be Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones. I’m a huge fan of the Studio Ghibli adaptation of the book and I’ve always wanted to read it so I just ordered it one day and I loved it! It’s significantly different from the movie that I still really enjoyed reading it, not to mention it’s just a great fantasy/coming-of-age story.
Day 2: A book you’ve read (at least) three times
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I’ve read several books three times or more but the one I’ve read the most is probably Pride and Prejudice.
Day 3: Your favorite series
This may be a bit cliche, but Harry Potter. It’s an integral part of my life. I literally grew up with Harry. I read the first book when I was 11 and the 7th book book came out when I was 16. I felt like Harry, Ron and Hermoine were my good friends and I laughed and cried right along with them. A defining series in my life for sure.
Day 4: Favorite book of your favorite series
I’d have to say it’s a toss up between the third and fourth books. The third because, come on, Sirius is just the bomb, not to mention I loved learning about Harry’s parents and his dad’s mischief. The fourth because it was just epic. It literally was the climax of the series with Voldemort returning and Cedric dying. Plus I loved the Tri-Wizard Tournament events.
Day 5: A book that makes you happy
Long Time Coming by Sandra Brown. It’s just this sweet little romance book that I never get tired of reading and it always makes me happy.
Day 6: A book that makes you sad
The book I have to read for my Gender studies class right , Half the Sky, is so sad. I’m not sure if it counts because it’s non-fiction, but it’s pretty much about the mistreatment of women in the world from sex-trafficking to rape to abuse and it’s just depressing. I do like to read it though because it really makes me realize how fortunate I am as a woman to not have to worry about those kinds of things happening to me on a daily basis.
Day 7: A book that is most underrated
Epic by Conor Kostick. Such a good book. Anyone who likes dystopia stories and videogames would love Epic. It’s set in a world where the economy is managed through an MMORPG and your rank in life is determined by your status in the cyber world.
Day 8: A book that is most overrated
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I’m probably going to make some enemies right now but I just don’t get the hype. I agree that the story is interesting and probably the best idea ever in terms of attracting an audience (teenage fan girls), but the characters just annoy me, especially Bella. She’s such a vapid protagonist to me, and I honestly just couldn’t stand her when I tried to read the books.
Day 9: A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I definitely didn’t think I would like this book at all mainly because it’s typically required reading in schools. But I think I’ve mentioned already that I wasn’t forced to read it and that my brother suggested that I should, so I did and I absolutely loved it. I love the story and the characters and the tension and mystery, just everything.
Day 10: A book you thought you would like but ended up hating
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Now I know I just made some enemies. Don’t get me wrong, I think he and his books are genius and the definition of an epic fantasy, and I was all gung-ho about reading them at first but they’re just a little bit too slow for me.
Day 11: Favorite classic book
I’m not sure if I can duplicate answers, or if it’s even classified as a classic, but I’ll have to say To Kill a Mockingbird.
Day 12: A book you used to love but don’t anymore
This is a tough one. I don’t really read books more than once or twice unless I absolutely love them. Thus far, I haven’t read a book over a few times and then realized that I didn’t like it anymore so I don’t really have an answer for this one.
Day 13: Favorite author
Another hard one. If we based this on the sheer number of books I’ve read from one author then I’d probably have to say Sandra Brown. I love both her cheesy romance stuff and her more murder mystery stuff too. But I definitely can’t just choose one author. I mean J.K. Rowling made my preteen-hood. And I’ve read a lot of the books that Jane Austen’s written too, so I don’t know if I can really answer this one either.
Day 14: Favorite book of your favorite author
If we use Sandra Brown, then White Hot is my favourite book of hers. It’s murder mystery meets romance meets political intrigue. It’s a great story which actually surprised me at the end with a plot twist.
Day 15: A favorite male character
Po in Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Even though Sirius Black and Atticus Finch are two of my favourite male characters, I feel like I’ve mentioned those two books a bit much already, so I’ll switch things up. Po is a undercover prince in the world of Graceling who is travelling with the female protagonist Katsa. He’s amazing and as the story progresses you just can’t help but love him more and more, especially his perseverance.
Day 16: A favorite female characer
I love a lot of female characters in books, but honestly Katniss from the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is definitely one of my favourites. She’s strong and independent and generally a great person if not a little stubborn at times.
Day 17: Favorite quote from a favorite book
So I don’t really remember specific quotes from books very well, but I’m going to generalize and say anything that Atticus Finch said. He’s just full of wisdom that’s universally applicable to life.
Day 18: A book that disappointed you
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I really got into this book even though it was required reading. I don’t know why, but I felt so unfulfilled by the end. I felt like there was no real resolution, plus it was just sad.
Day 19: Favorite book turned into a movie
Howl’s Moving Castle. As is usually the case, the movie is significantly different from the book but I still really enjoy both unlike a lot of other film adaptations of books.
Day 20: Favorite romance novel
Oh my goodness. I really can’t choose. So many romances that I’ve read are really good be it classical Austen or more contemporary works. I just love reading about romance and while I understand Pride and Prejudice is timeless, I still love the modern romances I read too.
Day 21: Favorite book from your childhood
I loved a lot of books as a child but one I still re-read even to this day is The Leap by Jonathan Stroud. It’s about a girl whose best friend drowns in a mill pond and she keeps having what she thinks are dreams about him needing to be rescued from a world beyond the mill pond. It’s definitely a book written more for kids but the story is really gripping.
Day 22: Favorite book (item) you own
Can I just be general and say my Card Captor Sakura manga? I probably seem like a super nerd, but this is definitely one of my favourite series (both television and comic). This was also a big part of my childhood and teenage-hood, so I just feel a certain attachment to my physical copies of the manga.
Day 23: A book you’ve wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Saga by Conor Kostick. It’s the sequal to Epic and ever since I read Epic (like six years ago) I’ve wanted to read the sequel but I never saw it in bookstores and until now I hadn’t even thought about ordering it online. We’ll definitely have to fix this.
Day 24: Most overlooked book
Isn’t this the same as most underrated? But I guess I’ll name something else. Anything by John Green. I don’t feel like enough people know about the greatness that is John Green books.
Day 25: A character who you can relate to the most
I think Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle is pretty much a fictional version of me. She’s shy and reserved and she’s on this crazy adventure because she’s trying to help her sisters. Along the way she learns to be self-sufficient and confident and that’s pretty much where I want to be in life.
Day 26: A book that changed your opinion about something
A Family Supper by Kazuo Ishiguro is actually a short story, but whatever. It’s a story about a guy who goes home to Japan shortly after his mother passed away after a long period of not visiting and it’s just crazy suspenseful and I really didn’t know what to expect or what actually happened at the end (think: the end of Inception). It’s a real psychological roller coaster.
Day 27: A book with the most surprising plot twist or ending
I don’t get surprised by books very often. I usually see plot twists coming a mile away, but that could be because I don’t read horror books which I’m sure are laden with them. But like I said in one of my previous answers, White Hot by Sandra Brown had a plot twist that I definitely didn’t see coming at all.
Day 28: Favorite title, as is
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Although I’ve never actually read the book(s) the titles are real hooks. I guess we can classify this series under number 23 as well.
Day 29: A book everyone hated but you liked
Apart from required reading in school, I don’t know of any books that I’ve read and loved that a lot of people I know didn’t like.
Day 30: Favorite book of all time
To Kill a Mockingbird. Hands down.
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In other news, March 1st is also my birthday! I’m so proud to share a birthday with Ron, less proud to share it with Justin Bieber. But none-the-less I will be turning twenty-one at 11:17 am tomorrow morning. Exciting!
Also, random English lesson of the day, I learned the saying “various and sundry things” which I previously thought was “various insundry things.” And also, “various and sundry” is actually redundant since sundry means varied or diverse.
Anyway, I hope you’re having a great week!
White Coat: A Journey 