You Asked, Now I Answered

Thanks for all the questions people left last week. I’m finally ready to sit down and answer them for you all! My semester has officially ended, so I’m hoping to post a bit more now!

What music do you listen to when you’re studying?

I don’t really listen to anything when I study, but I tend to listen to music when I’m writing for fun. A lot of times I make playlists for my stories, so I’ll listen to something from that to get me in the mood to write.

If you were a dog, what’s the first thing you’d do?

Oh gosh, I don’t know! I totally envy my dog’s life sometimes because she’s so pampered. LOL I’d love to just sleep all day.

What’s your favorite movie?

I can’t say I have one favorite movie. Some that I really like are Just a Question of Love (it’s a French film), Life as a House, the Harry Potter films, Aladdin, etc.

How do you find time for everything?

I honestly have no idea. haha I suppose I try and find time for blogging in particular because I love it so much. This past semester, I really tried to schedule things in advance so I only had to focus on comments on a regular basis. I’m hoping to do that again as much as I can next semester.

What’s your major?

I’m in graduate school for Library and Information Science. I hope to become a librarian. I’m interested in both public and academic libraries, so we’ll see where I end up. It’s all online too, so that makes blogging both easier and more difficult.

How long {pages, chapters…} will you stick it out with a book that you’re not
liking before you finally give up on it?

Honestly, I try and read books that I think I’m really going to enjoy so I tend to finish most things that I read. Therefore, I don’t have a set page limit where I’ll finally discard something I don’t like. I suppose if I didn’t like it about halfway, I would stop.

What are 5 books that have stuck with you long after finishing them?

Anything Harry Potter. If I have to say a particular one, I’d go with the first because it started the whole thing for me.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

About a Boy by Nick Hornby

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Keuhnert

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

What book do you love that you wish they’d turn into a movie?

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert. If you loved Perks of Being a Wallflower, I think you’d love this book so therefore, it should become a movie too!

Fav book turned into a movie?

A lot of times I read the book after I’ve seen the movie…so it’s hard to say. Like About a Boy by Nick Hornby. I saw the movie, then read the book, but that’s definitely a favorite movie/book combination for me.

Do you ever wish you’d chosen a different path/major?

I’m glad I majored in English Literature as an undergraduate, because I really did love it. However, I definitely went through some various job ideas when trying to figure things out. I like to think I could always change. You don’t have to stay stuck. So yes, while I like the idea of becoming a librarian, I do often wonder about publicity or even something totally different like being involved in the behind-the-scenes stuff of a theater.

What is the one book that always manages to cheer you up when you’re feeling
low?

I don’t usually go back to books I love when I’m feeling down, so I don’t have a set example. There are plenty of stories that make me happy just reading or thinking about, though, such as Harry Potter.

Which book are you most looking forward to reading when the finals madness is
over?

I have a variety of review books I need to read, but out of my own collection, I want to finally read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

Which book can you read time and time again and never tire of?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I love that book, and I used to read it at least once a year.

What is the craziest gift idea list you have put together?

I would probably say my Cereal Lovers Gift Guide, which you can find here. I like finding gifts for different themes though, so I’m hoping to do some more kooky gift guide lists in the new year.

What is the
best/worst gift you have ever gotten?

I can’t really think of a worst gift. As for best…difficult question too. My sister got me tickets to see Idina Menzel in concert and that was fantastic. That’s just one example!

What are your goals for 2014?

I want to work on my own writing more. I haven’t done too much of that because of everything else, but I have a goal to publish a novel at some point in my life, so I need to get to work!

Name the book that you put off reading for the longest amount of time only to
discover it was your favorite. Also, was there any particular reason for the
procrastination?

I can’t think of anything in particular! There are so many books I have yet to read but it’s mostly due to lack of time. A sort-of example would be Brave New World. I didn’t put it off for any particular reason. I just never had to read it for school and I don’t read a lot of classics for fun. I finally checked it out on recommendation this past summer and loved it.

What literary tropes bother you the most? Are there any that you like?

Hmm…some literary tropes can work quite well, depending on the novel. However, on a general basis, I’m quite tired of reading about love triangles. It’s just not realistic to me and I hate seeing it over and over again. I’m also a bit tired of the guy best friend pining after the MC and her finally noticing he was there all along. Yes, it can happen. All the time? Not so much. As for the ones that I like…I can’t really think of anything!

If you suddenly found yourself with nothing but time on your hands and all of
the things we know you love doing – reading, reviewing cinema releases, seeking
out bargains for us, blogging – were no longer an option, how would you spend
your time?

Oooh, this is definitely a tough last question!! Interesting though. Let me think. Well, I love spending time with my family so chances are I would do something with them. We like to go out to eat, hang out at home (especially if the weather is nice and I can sit outside). If it was the summer, I would go swimming. During the winter, I like going to hockey games. Cincinnati has a great minor league team. I also need to scrapbook more. I used to do it all the time.