Thursday Tag: A to Z Survey

It is Thursday! Apart from work, I have been thinking about what book tag to do next until I encountered the A to Z Survey on Zezee With Books. It piqued my interest and thought that I can pull one of my own. By the way, this tag was created by Jamie, the Perpetual Page-Turner.

Without more ado, here is my version of the A to Z Survey. Happy reading everyone!

Author You’ve Read the Most Books From:

About a year ago, I did a Top Ten Tuesday post where I listed the Authors I’ve Read the Most Books By. For years, Danielle Steel has been my most read author. I guess it all started during university days. I started with one and with several recommendations from my university professor, that one book turned to ten, then to twenty. My current count is at 42 books although it has been six or seven years since I last read any of her novels.

Best Sequel Ever

I am huge Harry Potter fan I guess that’s why I picked the second novel in the seven book series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The thing about series is that we usually expect the second installation to dip, both in storytelling, in quality, and in interest. That was not the case with The Chamber of Secrets for it only reeled me in to the depths of the Harry Potter universe.

Currently Reading

The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe is regarded by many as a seminal work in the vast world of Japanese literature. This is a novel that I have been looking forward to even though, initially I was a bit apprehensive about it. This is also my first novel by Abe.

Drink of Choice While Reading

A cup of warm coffee to wake me up.

E-reader of Physical Book

I did give e-books a try but it only made me realize how I love the physical feel of a book. Moreover, the smell of a book always rouses my senses.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School

Maybe Hermoine Granger? I like her wit and intelligence. Plus she developed a humor because of her friendship with Harry and Ron. Or maybe because I just have a huge crush on Emma Watson. P.S. I have never dated in high school, or in university. HAHA.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance

As I have mentioned previously, the hype around Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove almost made me pass on it. It took some convincing but I finally read the book last year and I am glad I did for it was one of my favorite reads last year, and all-time as well.

Hidden Gem Book

Umrao Jan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa

Lately, I have been reading books I wouldn’t normally read in the hopes of expanding my horizon. These books portray a certain period or a certain culture. I am thankful to these books, such as Mirza Hadi Rudwa’s Umrao Jan Ada, widely regarded as the first Urdu novel, for it allowed me to have a deeper insight into different cultures and societies.

Important Moment in Your Reading Life

I can’t think of any but the first thing that came to my mind is that reading has allowed me to pursue one of my dreams – my blog! Over the years, I have tried to be more active, both as a travel and as a book blogger. Although I must say so myself that my blog has become more of a book blog. Haha.

Just Finished

The Memory Police is my second novel by Yoko Ogawa. Ogawa earned a fan in me with her pleasurable slice-of-life story, The Professor and the Housekeeper. However, I am not as keen on The Memory Police as I was with my first Ogawa novel. It was, nevertheless, an interesting read.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read

HORROR!

Longest Book You’ve Read

I did a piece on my Top Ten Longest Reads awhile aback. At 1,392 pages long (I used Goodreads as the metric), my longest read is Leo Tolstoy’s labyrinthine novel, War and Peace. Despite its length, I had an easier time with War and Peace than I did with Tolstoy’s other popular work, Anna Karenina.

Major Book Hangover Because of

It has been over a decade since I read Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. I can still vividly recall how stunned I was with how Christie spun the narrative, never leaving me a clue as to the perpetrator’s identity. It all came around in the closing pages of the book. Back then, I felt like this classic of sleuthing fiction was brilliant; I still do. And yes, this was my first Christie novel. I have since then read over 20 more of her works and a lot more on the way.

Number of Bookcases You Own

I only have one it is not enough to accommodate all my books. Because of the growing number of my books, I decided to simply stack them rather than organizing them in bookshelves. Maybe if I build my own library someday, I can finally organize my books better.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times

I know this might seem an unusual choice but back in college, Sidney Sheldon’s Bloodline was my go-to book when I have no other books to read. This is especially true when classes are suspended due to typhoon. I would start the book just after breakfast and I would finish it before dinner. It was my go-to book because it was one of very few books in my limited collection back then. I think I have read this four or five times. Another Sidney Sheldon book, The Sands of Time, is another go-to book during class suspensions. It is also a quick read.

Preferred Place to Read

I have no preference as long as I can sit comfortably.

Quote That Inspires You/Gives You All The Feels From A Book You’ve Read

“We can’t change the world, and a lot of time we can’t even change people. No more than one bit at a time. So we do what we can to help whenever we get the chance, sweetheart. We save those we can. We do our best. Then we try to find a way to convince ourselves that will just have to… be enough. So we can live with our failures without drowning.”

~ FREDRIK BACKMAN, A MAN CALLED OVE

Reading Regret

I have always been a voracious reader even at a young age. I used to lose myself in the glossy pages of magazines and encyclopedias. The only reading regret I have is that I wish I started reading novels and fiction earlier. Compared to some of my peers, I only started taking reading fiction seriously when I was in my last year of high school. Now, I have to cover many grounds. LOL.

Series You Started and Need To Finish (All Books Are Out in Series)

there are several series that I want to start such as Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. However, there is one series I started but never managed to continue and that is Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I have been promising myself to pick the second book of the series but, so far, it was for naught.

Three of Your All-Time Favorite Books

Middlsex by Jeffrey Eugenides

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

This is a totally random pick for I do have a lot of all-time favorite books. I knew it was going to be a pain choosing a “top-three” so I picked the first ones I encountered in my gallery. I have been looking forward for years for Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex and my patience paid off for it was a narrative that went way beyond my imagination. Cal, the novel’s main protagonist has left a deep impression on me. From United States, the second novel in this list is Nobel Laureate in Literature Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. I picked the book out of curiosity and man was I astounded. It was one of my first magical realist works and also my first Garcia Marquez. It exercised my imagination and was definitely a memorable read. The last one is Benjamin Alire Saenz’ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I am no fan of young adult fiction but this heartwarming story of Ari and Dante gave me all the right vibes.

Unapologetic Fanboy for

Japanese Literature!

Very Excited for this Release More Than All The Others

None really for the only think I want to do right now is to tick as many books from my reading list as I can.

Worst Bookish Habit

Uhhm. Definitely buying more books than I could read.

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

Moon Palace by Paul Auster. I am yet to read the book.

Your Latest Book Purchase

I recently made a purchase for Mieko Kawakami’s Breasts and Eggs and Heaven, Gabriel Garcia’s Of Women and Salt, and Sakaya Murata’s Earthlings. I am still waiting for the books to be delivered, hopefully tomorrow.  

ZZZ – Snatcher Book (Last Book That Kept You Up Way Late)

I really can’t remember. Haha.

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That end’s the A-Z Survey Book tag. I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to do your own version, please feel free to do so. Just don’t forget to tag me and the original creator. Happy Thursday everyone!