I LOVE reading but I haven’t finished a book in so long. I have 60+ books on my shelves I haven’t even touched yet, but I can’t help buying more. Nothing makes me happier than filling up my bookcase and I blame Louise for all her juicy book reviews.
LITERARY SNOBS:
- People who think only certain books are worth reading.
- People who’ll never miss an opportunity to bash popular/commercial fiction while boasting of his/her taste in the literary elite.
- People who read to impress.
No one cares if you’re reading Austen or Faulkner or Milton. It doesn’t matter what you’re reading as long as you’re reading. Tastes in books are totally subjective like your tastes in art and food so you can’t expect everyone to love books you love. How boring would the world be if everyone liked the same thing?
Books are also no longer being read as much as they were before but authors like J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyers are getting people who never picked up a book out of pure enjoyment in their life to start reading. Although they may never join the “literary elite,” that’s a huge achievement! Reading promotes better spelling, increased vocabulary but also provides an escape from stress in our lives so it doesn’t matter if you’re reading to stimulate your mind or reading for entertainment.
The only problem I have is when people bash a genre/book they’ve never actually read (or claimed they only watched the movie). How can you base your thoughts on a book because of hype or someone else’s feedback? I actually read Twilight
OH wait, I have one more: CLOSET-READERS! Are you that insecure that you actually care about what other people think about the books you’re reading?
People need to be more open-minded when it comes to books. There are good books in every single genre… maybe your problem is that you’ve only picked the crappy ones.
Are you a literary snob?
- Anonymous blogging. I don’t blog about my personal life as much as I use to but I’ve jumped back into it and it’s going to be fun. Do you think I don’t write enough “personal” entries on 24C?
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HK Style restaurants. I love going to Hong Kong styled cafe and restaurants. Hearty, MSG-filled Chinese comfort food in a relaxing environment where you can be as loud as you want is the best! My favorite is currently “Kings Park” in Richmond on Westminster Hwy (except their Lemon Tea sucks ass). It’s also near Tsim Chai Noodle House and Banzai Sushi… two of my favorites in Richmond.Off topic, but when my grandpa was dying in the hospital he kept requesting two things: [the best] wonton noodles from Tsim Chai Noodle House and KFC. 
I’d walk to Richmond Centre to get KFC for him then sit sadly in the corner watching him eat because I always forget to buy some for myself… so my grandma would feel bad and give me a piece (grandpa’s eyesight was really bad by then). When I’m dying, I’m going to request the same plus loads of poutine. - T&T. The best supermarket in the world!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s an understatement.
- Pointless games. Like all the ones from Last Day of Work. So mindless, time consuming but so addicting! I guess 95% of games are pointless and are a waste of time though when you can be doing something better… like watching Korean dramas.
- Spending hours at the gym. Most of the time I go in, do my thing and then go home; no lingering, socializing, slacking… like it should be. Once a week (usually on a weekend), I like that I get to take my time working out and not having to worry about rushing to things afterwards (which almost always fails as I frantically rush out of the gym because I forgot about something).
- Grape Juice. My dad just bought some because I think he’s going through a grape juice phase too and I just drank out of the carton. Shhh don’t tell. I swear I’ll down the rest tomorrow.
- Jersey Shore. This is the most pointless, trashiest show ever with the ugliest and nastiest guys and girls. It’s kinda like watching Tila Tequila’s drama unfold over Twitter… their pathetic lives are our entertainment. Now all I need is some popcorn.
Don’t know where I found this but it’s been sitting in my drafts for over a year! I know most of you don’t care but I do. 
What author do you own the most books by?
I’m not sure because I try to own all the books written by authors I like but the winner is between Terry Brooks, Stephen King or Dean Koontz. Can’t count because some of the books are in the back of my shelf and it’s too hard to dig them out.
What book do you own the most copies of?
It’s not actually a novel but I do own 3 copies of a wedding coffee-table book that I ordered by accident. Don’t ask.
What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Everyone knows I’m madly in love with Legolas from Lord of the Rings— only the Orlando Bloom version of him in the movies with the long and luscious white hair that I wished I had. Orlando is only good as an elf though. I don’t like him nor his characters in the rest of his movies.
What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding children’s picture books)?
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China—
What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
I don’t remember a favorite book but I had MANY favorite series and Fear Street, The Babysitter’s Club and The Saddle Club topped the list. I wished R.L. Stine would write an adult version of Fear Street… I was obsessed with them.
What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
Twilight.
What is the best book you’ve read in the last year?
This is soo hard but I’ll have to say The Pillars of the Earth
If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be?
Children of the Dust
What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
The Godspeaker Trilogy (Karen Miller): Empress,
Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Omigosh I’ve had so many! The cutest one involved Merry and Pippin (hobbits from The Lord of the Rings
We were in a club and someone’s shoes broke (?!) so we were standing around deciding what to do. Then these two little guys jump out and was like “we’ll save you!” Then we were like, “Hey you’re Merry and Pippin from Lord of the Rings!!. And they replied, “oh we are!” Then I looked to the left and on the wall were all these pictures and documents on them saying they use to be conjoined twins.
Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I don’t have a preference because books are books but I like to pick up multiple editions of my favorite books. I prefer reading softcover but hardcovers look great on my bookshelf.
Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
If I can wait and I know what books I want, I’ll go to a bookstore any chance I get. If not, I order online (which is a lot more dangerous because I tend to mass-order).
Bookmark or dog-ear?
I’ll kill you if you dog-ear any of my books.
Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
I don’t alphabetize but I group my books by author …until I lost control of my shelf.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Who in the world would throw away their books?! Crazy assholes. I always keep my books.
Short story or novel?
I don’t read short stories because I like super long novels. I don’t want my stories to end!
“It was a dark and stormy night†or “Once upon a time�
Depends what I’m in the mood for. I’m not a total book snob so I’ll read anything… but dark and stormy night sounds more intense.
Buy or borrow?
Buy. It makes me sad when I don’t own a book I’m reading.
New or used?
I like new books but I’ll buy used books too… I love being in a used bookstore.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
All! I browse Amazon and Good Reads, read reviews and ask around for recommendations (the best books are usually recommendations). I also love picking up random books because you’ll never know what you’ll find.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I read a lot so a mixture of both is good. Tidy endings can get boring so you need some cliffhangers once in a while.
Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
ALL DAY READING! I carry a book with me everywhere “just-in-case.” Sometimes when I do forget to bring a book with me, I always end up wishing I had one because I ended up in a boring situation.
Stand-alone or series?
I read both but I love trilogies, series and long epic tales. They do get tiring but I never want them to end especially if they are full of action and intriguing characters.
Favorite series?
The Lord of the Rings,
Favorite children’s book?
The Secret Garden
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Trapdoor to Heaven.
What are you reading right now?
Have a lot of books on hold and none I’m currently reading but I just finished Namah’s Kiss
yesterday. Loved it so much so my next goal is to buy and read all of Jacqueline Carey’s books especially Kushiel’s Legacy
What are you reading next?
Not sure yet but I might finish The Fionavar Tapestry
What is your favorite novel of all time— your desert island book?
The Witching Hour
Favorite poem?
How Do I Love Thee? (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Favorite work of nonfiction?
I love biographies… my favorite is this one on Madame Chiang Kai-shek
Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
Winter of Fire
Favorite writers?
J.R.R. Tolkien and Philippa Gregory.
Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Stephenie Meyers… only because some dared to compare her to J.K. Rowling. I did enjoy The Host
Do you ever smell books?
Who doesn’t smell books? Wait, does that make me retarded if I do?
Have you already thought about writing a book?
I’ve written two books. About the Backstreet Boys. In elementary school. All my friends did too for a class assignment and Howie was murdered in all of them. Hyukhyukhyuk.
What do you think about books in several volumes?
My favorite.
Do you like to re-read?
I love re-reading books. Fantasy, mystery and action books books are hard to re-read but everything else is good.
Favorite book to re-read?
Definitely The Witching Hour
What about meeting or not with the authors of the books you’ve liked?
The closest I’ve ever been to a famous person was Anne Rice and it wasn’t even in person. I think I died 5 times the day she commented on my blog.
Do you like to talk about the books you read?
YES … to a lot of people’s dismay. Not too many people understand my love for books.
Something you read, hard to confess?
I don’t think I’m reading anything now that I’m embarrassed about but if I was still reading chick lit now like I did years ago then it would go here. Chick lit would be alright if only the characters in ALL of them weren’t so fucking annoying.
Best places to read?
On my bed with pillows propped up and a giant cup of my favorite super bitter Chinese tea…. and some cookies. Eating and reading at the same time is extremely satisfying and not to mention, two of my favorite activities.
The ideal book would be…
My ideal book would be a continuation of The Lord of the Rings
What’s the first book you just fell in love with ?
I always thought it was His Dark Materials
goody two-shoes chicken-shit that I was, I never did.
Looking at this cover brings back so many memories. Can't wait to force these books down my kids' throats in the future.
I frequented the library many times during my childhood because my mom loves to read. I remember the first time I went to the adult section at the library in Regina, I thought it was SO big and it even had an escalator! I had the sudden urge to run down the escalator going up just for fun and I felt so foolish afterwards that I never went back to the adult section again, thinking that the they would judge me. Good thing though because we moved.
But anyway, the kids section was where it was at!!
- The Boxcar Children
– I have to give credit to Gertrude Chandler Warner for getting me into reading. My sister and I discovered these books at the library when we went to the kids’ “chapter books” section for the first time (!!!) when we were 6/7 and we use to grab as many as we can off the shelves to bring home. The piles were like taller than us! I use think that living the life of Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, being orphans and solving mysteries was THE shit. Sigh.
- Young Cam Jansen
– Cam use to be my idol because I thought having a camera-like memory was so awesome. Funny thing is that I remember loving these books but I don’t remember any of them at all along with Sideways Stories From Wayside School and that one about the figure skaters.
- The Saddle Club
– I’ve always loved horses growing up so naturally, I read The Saddle Club. I got turned off after watching the TV show though because none of the characters were how I imagined them to look like. Does that make me sound shallow?
- Baby-Sitters Club
– I remember being 8 and couldn’t wait to turn 13 because the girls in the BSC were. When I did turn 13, I realized it wasn’t that great AND I had to take the bus everywhere because my parents wouldn’t drive me around anymore. Public transportation sucks ass and being 13 is so overrated.
What were your favorite childhood series?
