It has been a long long time since I did a challenge post. But I do enjoy them very much! And this one is interesting indeed, about books, and how could I say no to that :)
1) Best book you read last year:
- To decide ONE book that is by far better than others is nearly impossible for me. But it would probably be The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano - a book that I had to think about long after I put it back to the bookshelf. I read this book at the beginning of July, 2012, and even now I still think of the story, the characters and sometimes I even pull the book out and go through its pages, thinking of re-reading it.
2) A book that you have read more than three times:
- Well, Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling, obviously. All of them, as I always kept re-reading the book that was currently the last to be published, until a new one came to bookshops. Oh the wonderful times I had during my childhood!
3) Your favourite series:
- I am not very fond of repetition but I have no other choice here.. Harry Potter series. There is honestly no other world so beautiful, welcoming and magical.
4) Your favourite book of your favourite series:
- Mmm... tough one. I am undecided. There are two options - the first would be the very first book of the Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, because that was the book that started it all and also the book I read most times. But if I were to choose the book which entertained me the most, it would be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Why? I felt as if there was much more action and adventure and danger (apart from the same old Voldemort danger) than in the previous books (or upcoming); also, this book was the one in which I felt that the trio finally grew up and discovered the possibilities of their being.
5) A book that makes you happy:
- To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. It took me a while to read this book because I always had something "better" to read and when I finally did read To Kill a Mocking Bird, I was kind of glad I didn't read it earlier.. because it was marvelous. The language, the plot, the characters, everything about it. As I was always into black people's rights, I devoured every word from Lee's hand.
6) A book that makes you sad:
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a book I cried a lot while reading. It was last summer in England and I still remember sitting in a local café, having my cold drink and trying not to cry in public. Beautiful book. I am also glad to see that The Book Thief is gaining a lot of popularity these days and people with "cool" blogs think it's a "cool" book so they might even read it one day.
7) Most underrated book:
- I spent a lot of time thinking about a book that would suit this "category." Finally, I decided it would be Tristessa by Jack Kerouac. And not because people would think it's a terrible book or not worth reading, but because many people don't know about it/don't care to pick it up. So many people adore Kerouac for his On the Road and sometimes they even read The Dharma Bums (don't get me wrong, if you are a Kerouac-person, good for you, I am, too) but that's about it. But Tristessa is a story full of beauty, sadness, emptiness. Just what I like, in other words. Sometimes, I am sad that people don't go further into a writer's work but stop at the most famous writing.
8) Most overrated book:
- Dear, so many. For myself, personally, this would be Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I started to read this book a few years back but couldn't get past page fifteen. Then I picked it up a couple of months ago and I was devastated by how terrible it was. Not only did I finish reading it in about 5 hours because the language is about the level of a fifth-grader; I also thought, with every other page that came, that anyone could write a story like this. All you have to do is to read a few fantasy books, put a dragon in the story, and ay! here you go - Eragon book is alive.
9) A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving:
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The reason for this is that at the time I read this book I wasn't much into a real-adventure kind of books. But as I read the story of Chris McCandless, or rather Alexander Supertramp, I fell in love with him as a person, with the book as a story and Alaska as a place (my top ten dream is to go hiking to Alaskan wilderness). I go back to Into the Wild's pages from time to time, just to remember the things I felt moving inside of me when I read it for the first time.
10) Favourite classic book:
- This is a book I had to read for school and I wasn't very excited about it because I don't particularly enjoy being told what to do and even less what to read. I am the type of a person that needs to discover a book by herself and take the time I need to get to the actual reading after knowing about the book. Well, luckily, this worked out more than well. It was Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and I felt very sorry it had to end. Beautiful book, beautiful indeed.
11) A book you hated:
- The World According to Garp by John Irving. Just.. bleh. I was excited to read it because everyone talked about it and I was curious what's all the fuss about. Well, no. Irritating, disgusting, full of author's ego. I even gave Irving a second chance with other of his books and he let me down big time. But I guess that's just life - and writer's can't always be everyone's cup of tea.
12) A book you used to love but don't anymore:
- Memento by Radek John, and actually all books of this type. When I was about fourteen I had this phase of reading all literatureI could gather on drugs, alcohol abuse and destructive behaviour. It lasted for quite some time and I really enjoyed these stories then. But I don't think I would enjoy Memento anymore (especially after experiencing a "conference" with Radek John and absolutely despising his persona).
13) Your favourite writer:
- For a few years now, my no. one writer is Haruki Murakami. I feel, when reading his words, so close to his mind and heart. His books have exactly what I like and need in them. He is a master of words and he seldom falls into clichés.
14) Favourite book from your favourite writer:
- Norwegian Wood. It's the most popular of Murakami's books. Also, the first one I ever read. Even though I love every and each of his books, this one still has its own place in my heart. The plot is a plot I like, the feelings he describes, to them I can relate and his descriptive talent simply amazes me in this particular book.
15) Favourite male character:
- This would probably be Humbert Humbert from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. (I love this book endlessly, by the way.) The funny thing is, people are usually surprised, if not offended, when I tell them I really enjoy this story. When my mum asked me what I think of the book, and I told her "Well.. why not? It's a heart-breaking story, in a way," she looked at me with a frightened expression in her face that made me laugh. I like Humbert. I like the way he expresses himself, I like who he is, and I like everything about him in the Lolita book. Offended? Good.
16) Favourite female character:
- Skeeter from The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I absolutely loved her courage, her attitude as well. I loved she doesn't go with the crowd even though it means having everyone against you. The courage to stand up to what you believe is something I admire a lot.
17) Favourite quote from your favourite book:
- "I didn't have much to say to anybody but kept to myself and my books.
With my eyes closed, I would touch a familiar book and draw it's
fragrance deep inside me. This was enough to make me happy." - Norwegian Wood
18) A book that disappointed you:
- Definitely The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I expected so much from this book, after hearing all the great things about it and how life-changing it was and I didn't feel that at all. I felt disappointed and I felt as if it was a book full of a lot of blabbering that was supposed to sound smart. I was let down.
19) Favourite book turned into a movie:
- The Millenium. By Stieg Larsson. All three books are perfectly written and I enjoyed them very much (I wish there was another part of the story!) As I watched the movies before reading The Millenium, I was surprised that they portraited everything and everyone so well. Job well done!
20) Favourite romance book:
- I am a sucker for classic romances. The most heart-touching for me is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I cried my eyes out! Beautiful love story in which I didn't even mind the happy-ending which is surprising when it comes to me.
21) Favourite book from your childhood:
- In my country, Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, is not a classical story to be read to children. Luckily, as I went to England since I was quite young and still into lovely children stories (even though I am very fond of the story of a boy who didn't want to grow up even now) I came across this book in a local library and was pulled in immediately.
22) Favourite book you own:
- Um... I own a lot of great books. So it's hard to choose but life is all about choosing, right? Atonement by Ian McEwan. Another book I read after I saw the movie. Immediate adoration. Beautifuly written, great depiction of characters and scenery.
23) A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven
't:
24) A book you wish more people would have read:
- I am actually very protective of things I like and I can get quite "agressive" once people start to like the same things as I do way too much. So there is not a book I wish people would read, apart from a book called How Not to Be a Dickhead, which is yet to be written.
25) A character who you can relate to the most:
- Naoko from Norwegian Wood. Read the book and you might see why.
26) A book that changed your opinion about something:
- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. I never really liked this kind of fantasy books but ever since I read The Hobbit, I am much kinder to fantasy books. I adore The Hobbit and Middle Earth and Tolkien is one of the Top Writers In History, in my humble opinion.
27) The most surprising plot twist or ending:
- Books are mostly pretty straight-forward and you can say after a few chapters how the story is going to end. So it's nice to sometimes find a book that is a complete surprise for the reader. Unfortunately, I can't thing of a single book that would surprise me lately. If I think of some, I will add them later.
28) Favourite title:
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
29) A book everyone hated but you liked:
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I remember the time we discussed this book in my Literature class and everyone, including the teacher, was like "It's boring and I would never read it again." And I was surprised because I thought the book is great and one can notice many things when re-reading this kind of a book. Althought there is very little of an actual plot, it tells a story bigger than it would be if there was a complicated plot to satisfy high school readers. So by "a book everyone hated" I mean my high school Literature class.
30) Your favourite book of all time:
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
