Q&A-in which I answer questions…about books

I tried doing a Q&A a while back…and let’s just say it didn’t work out. I kept accidentally deleting everything because I had the tab open so long and I forgot to save quick enough…So consider this take two, in which I have less questions.

Q: Book that got you into reading? Book you’re obsessed [with] at the moment? Top 5 book boyfriends? (@booksandjill)

A: I’ve loved reading since I was teeny tiny, so I’d say the Magic Treehouse Series, Ella Enchanted, and the Frog Princess Series technically got me into reading. However, I think the Harry Potter series really led me to love reading as much as I do today.

I’m currently obsessed with so many books, but I  finished And I Darken yesterday and loved it so much. I’m a huge history nerd, especially with European history, so this was right up my alley. Not to mention, Radu is a small precious child and I love him infinitely so. I also read The Wrath & the Dawn and The Rose & the Dagger recently and have fallen in love with Ahdieh’s world and words. Shahrzad’s relationship with Khalid is something to envy, honestly. I can’t say I want to marry Khalid, but I think they work wonderfully together.

I’m not particularly sure I can narrow it down to five, but I’ll try…

1-Richard Campbell Gansey III from The Raven Cycle, my one and only (Blue can share right?)

2-Julian Blackthorn from The Dark Artifices, my precious who bakes pancakes for his family.

3-James Carstairs from The Infernal Devices, my violin playing love.

4-Chaol Westfall from the Throne of Glass series, the only non-problematic character in that series honestly. I haven’t read Tower of Dawn yet, though…

5-Nikolai Lanstov from The Grisha Trilogy, who deserved better and is now getting his own series, hear me SCREAM.

Q: If you could swap lives with one fictional character, who would you choose? Favorite ship and why? Which character would you want as an older brother/sister? (@stolenbybooks)

A: If I could swap with any fictional character, I’d honestly choose Blue Sargent because first of all, I get Gansey, and second of all, I get the Gangsey. There’s no drawbacks of this situation.

My favorite ship was once upon a time Malec, but I think I’ve lost interest as I’ve read so many more books since The Mortal Instruments. Thus, I’d have to go with Pynch from The Raven Cycle because it’s one of the most well-developed relationships I’ve ever read…it catches up to you when you least expect it and blows your mind and you can’t help but let the storm soak you, right? (yes, that is a reference, I am shameless).

I think I would want Ron Weasley as my older brother. I like to think he’d be protective and we could just sit around and laugh about the stupidest things. But I also think he’d get me a little? I often feel overshadowed by my friends and think we would be able to bond over that. Also, spiders. Those things were invented by Satan, 100%.

As for older sister, I think Emma Carstairs would be an amazing sister. She probably wouldn’t give me the best or safest advice, but I think it’d be crazy fun to be around her. I imagine it’d be the kind of sibling relationship people dream of having, where you share a bunk bed and talk about love in the middle of the night…and maybe fight demons together. Maybe.

Q: Which fictional character do you want to cuddle with? Bonus points for just one name. (@fictionalruins)

A: Hmm. I honestly think pure platonic cuddling with Noah Czerny would be fun.

Q: Book that has had the most impact on your life? All-time favorite book? Something you just find yourself rereading and it never gets old. (@shirl_who)

A: The book that has had the most impact on my life and my all-time favorite book are actually different. For the book that’s had the most impact on my life, I’d have to say City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. That whole series is about acceptance and loving yourself for who you are (look at me, I’m spouting out theme words here; my English teachers would be so proud). That message really resonated with me when I was reading it and it was something I needed at the time.

My all-time favorite book is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I’ve read it so many times that the pages actually fell out of the binding, the cover got ripped in half, and it has since been taped back together. Needless to say, I have another copy that I can read now.

Q: What do you think is the best length for a series? (@book.by.book)

A: I think I’ve outgrown my love of trilogies because they also have that one middle book that’s insanely boring and full of filler information. Personally, quartets are really good because in my experience with The Raven Cycle there was never one boring book in the middle because there is no middle. I do have to say I enjoy duologies, especially since they’re gaining popularity, but I think they require a really good writer in order to have the right amount of character development as a series would.

I think in writing books myself, I would like to at one point write a quartet and a duology. I don’t see myself writing trilogies even though all of my past plans included trilogies.

Q: Do you prefer the smell of old books or new books? (@lachlan.obers)

A: The smells are actually very different. Old books have an appealing musty smell, but they’re a little too dusty, and new books have a more benign smell. I think I prefer the new book smell because oftentimes it’s really pleasant.

-Book Hugger