Thanks Rebecca at Rust Belt Girl for this fun idea, who got it from other groovy bloggers. I hope you find the prompts as amusing and thought-provoking as I did. And please share your answers, too!

Author You’ve Read the Most From:

Probably Agatha Christie. I started reading her in high school, and she’s my go-to writer whenever I’m feeling restless or picky – or if it’s Halloween.

Best Sequel Ever:

Firsts in series are pretty much 97% the better than the follow up. But since I adore the Grisha trilogy, I’m going to have to go with Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.

Currently Reading:

I’ll share from my non-fiction pile: Is this anything? by Jerry Seinfeld, Standing at the Edge by Joan Halifax, and (rereading) Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Drink of Choice While Reading:

In the words of my dear departed friend Stephen, “I’m not fussy.”

E-Reader or Physical Book:

Kindle for pleasure and e-readers for work. I’m too nomadic to have physical books anymore. Waaahhh.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School:

No one. I know, sniff, sniff, so sad, but nobody wanted to date me. It’s okay, I had really questionable taste in men… Hmmm, trying to decide how much has changed…

Glad You Gave This Book a Chance:

Dune by Frank Herbert

Hidden Gem Book:

The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston

[It was a number 1 bestseller on the New York Times bestseller list and was named a notable book of the year (2017) by the New York Times and a best book of the year by National Geographic, the Boston Globe, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.]

Important Moment in Your Reading Life:

Most likely when I walked into a bookstore out of desperation to find something to do after my family relocated to the middle of the Mojave Desert when I was 13.

Just Finished:

See April’s Reading Roundup.

Kind of Books You Won’t Read:

Won’t? I’d like to think that I wouldn’t cut myself off of a particular genre, but I suppose gory, violent, or anything that glorifies hate will do.

Longest Book You Read:

Does reading most of The Stand by Stephen King count? Okay, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley comes in at 884 pages.

Major Book Hangover:

Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Once I discovered these fun fantasy books, I read like 24 of them in a row before finally deciding I needed a break.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

None. My books are in boxes in my ex-boyfriend’s parents’ house. Yeahhh.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

ONE? Just one? I don’t understand the question. Okay, I’ll give you the Sunfire series.

Preferred Place to Read:

In bed.

Quotes that Inspires You/Gives You All the Feels From a Book You’ve Read:

They agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything. – Catch-22, Joseph Heller

You know, that might be the answer – to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That’s a trick that never seems to fail. – Catch-22, Joseph Heller

[Currently reading this with one of my students and the book is full of ridiculous and hard-hitting quotes.]

Reading Regret:

So many, many, many… we’re still talking about books, right?

Series You Started and Need to Finish (all books are out in series):

The Winternight Trilogy from The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Three of Your All Time Favorite Books:

Impossible! But I’ll choose novels that are fresher in my memory. For example, A Gentlemen in Moscow by Amor Towles, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. [Thank you, Jeremy!]

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse [Who else watched the Netflix series?]

Worst Book Habit:

Abandoning books that don’t hold my interest with easy abandon – and stuffing my face while reading.

X Marks the Spot: Start at the Top Left of Your Shelf and Pick the 27th Book:

In my e-library, it’s Galatea by Madeline Miller.

ZZZ-Snatcher Book (last book that kept you up Way Late):

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

Now, it’s your turn! Happy reading!

21 replies on “A to Z Bookish Questions”

  1. This tag is SO much fun. I’m definitely going to do this sometime soon.

    It’s funny how I forget about food and drinks when I’m reading something I’m really into. I forget to drink water for hours if I’m lost in the world of the book.

    Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school – no one? I probably would have dated someone spineless like Draco Malfoy. Bad bad taste in men. 🙈

    I’m not big on gory books too. I’m also not big on series anymore. 🙈

    I’ve been meaning to read Catch-22 for years. I remember getting it from my college library during on of my not-feeling-like-reading phases and giving up on it without even trying. But I’m going to try again!

    Hope you’re doing well. ❤️

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    1. Yeaaa! I thought you’d like to do this one. 😀

      It’s great getting lost in a good book. Although what you are describing is how I get when I’m writing. Even going to the toilet is delayed 😛 But when reading, I just end up staying up too late!

      Catch-22 is quite unique. There isn’t a normal three act storyline to follow or even really one character. But I do laugh out loud often. I just wish I hadn’t chosen it for my Ss because it is too much for a 13 yr old!

      Thinking of you, too, dear. Be strong, be safe, and make time for laughter. xxoo

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  2. I’m so glad you did this A-Z post–such fun to learn more about bookish Lani! And thank you for tagging me! The Lost City…sounds great. And why didn’t I hear about that one when it was first out? Guess that’s why it’s your hidden gem. Also, I love that we have A Gentleman…in common (the book, not an actual dude–that would be crazy!); I recently ordered the hardback (I’d borrowed it from the library) to have and to hold forever! Because that book is so dang good. I’m sure I’ll reread it at some point, though I’m not a big re-reader. Genius, entertaining, beautiful story.

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    1. Agreed! It was everything you wanted in a book, entertaining, whimsical, unexpected, thoughtful, you get the idea 😉

      The archaeology nerd in me liked the idea of following these guys to find ‘the lost city’ and frankly, it’s a kickass title too. So Indiana Jones, even predicted that viruses would be a future problem for humanity to figure out!

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  3. I sense a subliminal message here, Lani. Hope you are okay?
    I haven’t read any of these books. Sorry, I did read Dune. BC, if you know what I mean. I should give up blogging as I stuff my face when I write, and take up reading again instead.

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    1. Ah, it’s India’s numbers (hence the comment for Happy Panda) and Thailand’s on the rise. The worst wave yet. Tough times.

      Don’t give up on blogging. I sense you like the community and connection, and that’s important. Keeping up with blogs is reading, too! xo

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  4. Great questions. Love this. I’m listening to Is this anything? by Jerry Seinfeld on audio…but it doesn’t quite work in that format. A female’s voice names the joke and Jerry reads it. There’s great moments clearly but i was hoping for a memoir with a few jokes thrown in. Would suit a hard copy I think.
    Can you recommend an Agatha Christie? We tend to like the same books (it’s uncanny!) so interested to hear your number one.
    Great you liked The Samurai’s Garden, Muky liked that one too. Did you ever read The Housekeeper and the professor? If you haven’t think you’d really enjoy that one.

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    2. They’re fun, right? Wish I could find the original person to give them credit. Maybe I’ll have to do some sleuthing.

      Oooo. The audio. Yeah, I totally get why you went for that and how that would be disappointing. I expected a memoir, not a list of all of his bits, so reading it from time to time, works better than listening I would imagine.

      The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is funny, which I know sounds odd, but one of the reasons why I like Dame Christie so much is her character descriptions. This is a good starting point.

      But the challenge these days is much of her techniques have been copied a zillion times over, so it can feel formulatic but she’s the original or one of them! So for me, they’re like comfort food, I know what I’m going to get and her observations about people is one of them.

      I also particularly liked Crooked House, too.

      And thanks for the recommendation. You’ve been so good to me! Hahahaha. I’ll check it out!

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  6. Super cool! Enjoyed your answers a lot. Also like the writing of Agatha Christie and can imagine you wandering into a book shop at 13. Must have been a magical experience.

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    1. As I said, it was in desperation since we were suddenly in a small town, far from friends and familiarity. But I appreciate the imagery. 😛 and that being said, something magical did happen that day. Cheers.

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  7. What fun questions, Lani. I remember Mists of Avalon – wow, I read it like a million years ago – and at the time thought it was the best book ever. Well, lots of books under the bridge, so I wonder what I will now think of it. I don’t reread books – except for The Alchemist, which is definitely one of my favourite ever reads. And I must admit that if a book doesn’t hold my attention, I quickly discard it, as there are simply too many other books to read.

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    1. Yes, I feel the same way. I try to give them a chance and I understand that my mood is a huge indicator, but yeah, just can’t force myself to read sth I don’t want to – that’s gotta be a perk of not being in school anymore, right? 😀

      The Alchemist is a great book, xo

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  8. Love your A-Z, Lani! What a cool tag! Damn! I praise myself for reading everything Douglas Preston but did miss this one – how can that be?! Oh no – no physical books for you anymore? Poor you! I admit e-readers are really handy but I just love a real book. I can get pretty frustrated with ebooks, because I have no feel for how much I’ve covered already, I know, silly me.
    Ooh! Marion Zimmer Bradley! Loved her books in the 90’s! And read Mists of Avalon of course – and all the others. 😉

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    1. Yes, so true. One of my biggest gripes with e-readers. Kindles have the % read but it’s not the same. They also suck for looking at pics like maps. I adore looking back at maps or TOC stuff that helps with the story. But alas, a nomadic life…

      And look at you, a Douglas Preston fan! Intrigued! xo

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