Tag Archives: questionnaire

15 Book Blogger Challenge | Days 12, 13, 14, & 15

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Here we go! I’m going to knock out the rest in one final post!

15-Day-Challenge

[12] How do you fight off blogger fatigue?

I’m not the best person to ask this question because I’m not great in this area.  However, I will say that I’ve become more aware of one fact lately – I write pretty decently under pressure.  School papers with looming due dates have forced me to squeeze out ANYTHING related to the essay prompt and then somehow mold it into a readable paper for submission to my professors.  So far, not bad!  I think that’s one very great way to fight blogger fatigue – you just have to take it seriously and do it.  Answer a prompt, write a list or how-to, ramble about your day.  It’s not getting graded so don’t worry about it being fabulous! And sometimes you have to crank out a few mediocre posts before you come out with something you really like.

Writing posts in bulk also helps a lot! That’s what I’ve been doing with these challenge posts.  I wrote them ahead of time and scheduled their posting.  This way I can write when I have time and/or when I’m in the mood and have material for the next few days!

But there is something to say about stepping away and taking a break. Take a walk, a nap, a snack break, a sabbatical, or whatever you need to clear your mind and refocus on what your priorities are!  You come back to your blog refreshed!

[13] Describe one under appreciated book EVERYONE should read.

bible3All I know is that I don’t appreciate the importance of the Word and too often shove it in the corner to read at a ‘later time’ that never comes.  Everyone should read this book be it for religious or literary purposes – there is no way your life won’t be affected by the wonderful words contained inside!

[14] Tell us your deal breakers.

  1. Unsatisfactory endings.  Have you ever seen Hitchcock’s Vertigo? Yeah, I hate endings like that.  Or Steinbeck’s East of Eden.  I don’t remember the ending…but I remember I wasn’t satisfied. Everyone has their version of  what ‘unsatisfactory’ is. I don’t necessarily need happy, but I need closure or resolution or something!! Gone with the Wind didn’t end with any closure but I was so done with O’Hara that I was like, “Whatever, good riddance!!” I was satisfied with Rhett’s decision.
  2. Bad Grammar. No explanation needed.
  3. Rambling. Even if it’s a great story, if there’s too much description and rambling, chances are I’m going to start skimming until someones starts dialoging!
  4. Boring.  You’ve got to grip me or I’m not interested!

 

[15] Who are your book blogging mentors?

Ummmm…I don’t really have any :P.  I kind of just flounder and figure things out in bits and pieces!

FINISHED!

Well that was fun!

I’m still behind on many book reviews and some housekeep-y things but I’ll get to it slowly but surely!  For now, I’ve got school assignments beckoning me!

Have a beautiful day!

 

 

15 Book Blogger Challenge | Days 9, 10, & 11

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I thought I’d knock out a few in one post this time :)

15-Day-Challenge

[9] Why do you blog about books?

A blogger blogs about what interests her, what excites her, what she loves.  I’m a book nerd, how can I not blog about books?  ‘Nuff said. ;)

[10] How do you choose what book to read next?

I’m currently reading through a series so that’s a no brainer – I read the next installment. Other than that, it really just depends on my mood.  Some books will grip me right away, others take a couple tries before it hooks me at just the right time.

[11] Show off! 5 of your best blog posts!

Oooh! Okay! Here are 5 of my favorite bookish posts:

There you go! 3-in-1 :).

Questions for the Book Lover #2

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I’m so happy with myself right now!  I got two book reviews done, a blog post over at my other site, and finished some other bloggy housekeeping tasks done :).  I deserve just a little reward for my hard work, yeah? ;)

I really enjoyed the questionnaire post from last week so I snooped around the internet a bit and found another one good ol’ Goodreads!  You can find it here.

BOOKWORM QUESTIONNAIRE

1. What book are you reading right now?

I just started The Great Gatsby this afternoon and I’m about to start 1776.  I’m also reading Christ’s Object Lessons, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill  and Les Miserables.

2. What will you read next?

East of Eden, Robinson Crusoe, Anne of Green Gables, and Betsy and Tacy go Downtown

3. What was your favorite childhood book?

Childhood spans many years…

Dr. Suess’s The Hair Book before I learned to read.

Alcott’s Little Women in 8th grade.

4. What were your reading habits like as a kid?

I was an avid reader when I was a kid.  American Girl was really popular and I read almost every single one of the series.  I also loved The Boxcar Children and the Little House books.

5. How many books do you have checked out from the library?

I don’t even know…upwards of 25 at a time.  I know I’ve payed exorbitant late fees! :S

6. What books do you have on hold at the library?

The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future(Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30) by Mark Bauerlein

Redeeming Love by Francis Rivers

The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean M. Twenge & W. Keith Campbell

7. Do you have a bad book habit?

. . .Not that I know of.  Well, maybe reading too many at one time.

8. Do you read one book at a time, or several?

Refer to #1 & #2

9. What is your favorite book you’ve read this year?

Probably Jeff Goins’ You Are a Writer.  I also loved re-reading Anne of Green Gables :)

10. What is your least favorite book you’ve read this year?

T. S. Elliot’s The Waste Land. Waste. Of. My. Time. :/

11. What is your reading comfort zone?

Definitely children’s lit and YA fiction.  Just because revisiting my favorites feels so homey.

12. How often do you read outside of your comfort zone?

More and more often.  The many of the classics on my CC list are way out of my comfort zone.  Text I have to read for my courses is way out of my comfort zone.  I like it though.  It stretches my brain and that’s important.

13. What is your favorite place to read?

My bed or on the couch.

14. Do you lend out books?

Yes.

15. Do you dog-ear books?

Nooooooooo.

16. Do you write in the margins of books?

Only my Bible and textbooks I own.

17. What makes you love a book?

A well written story.  Well organized thoughts.  Inspiring ideas.  Punchy copy.  Loveable characters; complex characters. Great dialogue. Even if the story if frustrating, if it’s legit and well written, you have to give the author props for being gutsy.  I like that.

18. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

If the book inspired me.

19. What is the one book you will always recommend to everyone?

The Bible. 

20. Is there a book you love that nobody else seems to?

Not that I can think of.

21. Do you read while you are: Eating? Taking a bath? Watching TV? Listening to music? On the computer? On the bus?

Yes.

22. What is your favorite genre to read?

Historical fiction.

23. What genre do you rarely read, but wish you read more of?

Biography

24. What is your favorite biography?

Ha! Right now, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass.

25. What is your favorite non-fiction?

Right now, anything by Leslie Ludy.

26. Have you ever read a self-help book?

Many.

27. What is your favorite reading snack?

Popcorn!

28. What is the most inspirational book you’ve read this year?

You are a Writer

29. Are there any books that have been ruined for you by all the hype?

No.  I hardly ever read pop lit in any genre.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

Eh, I’d say about 80% of the time.

31. How do you feel about giving negative reviews?

Truth’s the truth.  If you didn’t like the book, be honest and the explain why.

32. What book are you most intimidated to begin?

Those by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.

33. What book are you most likely to take on vaction with you?

Either fiction by Austen, Alcott, Lovelace or Montgomery, or non-fiction off my TBR list.

34. What is the longest you have gone without reading?

Never.

35. What is a book that you just couldn’t finish?

Currently, Dicken’s The Old Curiosity Shop.  But I’m going to give it another shot.

36. What is the most money you have spent on books at one time?

Couple hundred.  But they were gifts :).

37. How often do you skim through a book before reading it?

Depends on the book.  If it was on my reading list, then rarely.  If I’m at the library, I skim.

38. Do you keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

I keep.

39. Are there any books that you’ve been avoiding, or refuse to read?

Specific titles?? I don’t know…there are genres that I generally avoid or do not touch.

40. What is a book you didn’t expect to like, but did?

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch in grade school.  I remember thinking I wasn’t going to like it but ended up devouring it in a couple of days!

41. What is your favorite guilt-free pleasure reading?

Probably L.M. Alcott or Joan Bauer.

42. What reading materials are in your bathroom right now?

None.

43. What book do you most remember reading for school?

So many!  I really liked The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare.

44. What was the last book that you couldn’t put down until you finished it?

Teaching True Love to a Sex-at-13 Generation by Eric and Leslie Ludy

45. What book is (physically) closest to you right now?

My Betsy-Tacy Treasury and my Kindle Paperwhite.

46. What is your favorite book series?

Anne of Green Gables

47. What is the longest book you’ve ever read? Shortest?

Gone with the Wind.  I think The Waste Land? I don’t know…

48. Who is your favorite book character?

It’s a tie between Jo March Anne Shirley.

49. Who is favorite author?

Yeah right.

50. What is your favorite book?

Good one.

Actually, one of my absolute favorite stories and go-to audiobooks is The Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson.  It’s a really great story and I need to review it one of these days.

. . .

Whew!! That was long!

Time for bed :)

Goodnight, readers!

Questions for the Book Lover

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This questionnaire was originally posted by Hero @ Heroic Endeavors but I found it on Kelli’s blog, She Learns As She Goes.  I love quizes & questionnaires so I thought I’d try it out too :).  Here we go!

Do you snack while you read?

Sometimes.  If I do, it’s usually popcorn :)

What’s your favorite drink while reading?

I love the herbal coffee Teeccino.  I put almond milk, sugar, and vanilla syrup in it and it’s super delish!  Of course, when it’s too hot outside for a hot drink, I love homemade lemonade.

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Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

It kind of does horrify me even though I read somewhere that it’s good to write in your books.  The only book I mark in is my Bible.  Wait, that’s not true, I mark all over my textbooks if I own them.  But beyond that, I do not highlight or write in the margins of my books.  If I want to remember something, I put a sticky tab or note on the page and write on that.

How do you keep your place while reading a book?

I use bookmarks.  My neighborhood library, when I was growing up, always had bookmarks at the front desk and I would get a new one every time I visited.  I still have a handful of those bookmarks and they’re super nostalgic and homey and sweet.  I do pick up new bookmarks every now and again at bookstores or libraries.  I do want some of those monogrammed ones….

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Are you the type of person who tends to read to the end of the chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I can stop anywhere.  I’d prefer to finish a chapter in one sitting but it’s just not realistic.  I snatch time to read in bits and pieces.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or onto the floor if the author irritates you?

Is the author irritating me or the storyline?  Because it depends.  Gone with the Wind irritated me but I stuck through it.  I’ll only quit on a book if the writing isn’t clear, the arguments are bogus or I get bored with a weak storyline.  But to answer the question, haha, no I have yet to throw a book across a room.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you look it up right away?

I usually just figure it out by the context.  Lately, I’ve been writing down cool or unusual words to look up later.  I’m usually too lazy to stop and look words up in a dictionary.

What are you currently reading?

  • The Bible
  • Christ’s Object Lessons by Ellen White
  • Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham
  • Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
  • On Writing Well: What Every Blogger Needs to Know by Denise J. Hughes

Yeeaah.  I’m not one to read just one book at a time :P.

What is the last book you bought?

1776 by David McCullough.  It’s list price is $32.00. I bought it on Amazon for $0.01 + &3.99 for S&H.  Aw yeah, babe, I was a happy camper!

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Do you have a favorite time/place to read?

I can read anytime and almost anywhere but I especially like reading curled up in bed or on the couch or armchair.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone?

I love both :).

Is there a specific book you find yourself recommending over and over?

I usually match book to person but I have recommended Crazy Love by Francis Chan several times, as well as Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy.

How do you organize your books?

I’m real specific about my books.  I sort by genre and then by height.  I’m not all alphabetical with my library, I prefer my books to look good on my shelves.

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That was lovely!  Feel free to fill in this little questionnaire, and leave me a comment and link so I can check out your answers :).  I will be linking mine to Kelli’s post.

Y’all have a blessed Friday :)