The Seven Deadly Sins: Book Style!

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Kelley over at Another Novel Read recently posted this fun bookish survey, and I thought it was a lot of fun, so I’m doing it too!

GREED – What is your most expensive book? Your least expensive?

My most expensive book was probably This is Shyness by Leanne Hall. Story behind that: I was fascinated by the reviews (each one said something akin to “I … don’t know … what I just … read … but I think I liked it!”) and decided to buy it– but it wasn’t available anywhere in the US! Finally I found it through Fishpond (yay for free shipping), but I still paid more for it than I usually would. My reaction to This is Shyness? “I don’t know what I just read … but I liked it!”

I also bought Narnia on audio– twice. Not cheap.

Cheapest book? All the books I get free through my Barnes & Noble Mastercard rewards!

WRATH – Which author do you have a love-hate relationship with?

Interesting question. I don’t know that “love-hate” is the right way to describe it, but I am delighted to say that even though I didn’t love Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, I adored The Scorpio Races!

GLUTTONY – What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?

The Chronicles of Narnia are my biggest intake, for sure! But also Jellicoe Road and Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.

SLOTH – book have you neglected to read due to laziness?

Code Name Verity. I am not generally the biggest fan of historical fiction, so I keep pushing this one off to the side, in spite of one hundred billion rave reviews.

PRIDE – What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?

Probably East of Eden by John Steinbeck– but, truthfully, there is a lot of meat there to chew!

LUST – What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?

Sense of humor (Augustus Waters), protectiveness (Jonah Griggs), intelligence (Will Trombal), passion (Joe Fontaine)

ENVY – What books would you most like to receive as a gift?

ALL THE BOOKS. 😉 It’s fun when I mention a book in passing to someone and they remember it and purchase it for me. Means a lot. The last person to do that was Des’s husband Matt. It was super special that he bought me a stack of books I had talked about in the office (we work together).

Bookish Superlatives!

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Jamie at the Perpetual Page-Turner is at it again! I love her fun bookish surveys. You should do one too.

Characters

Most Likely To Change The World

Aslan from Narnia
(Is that cheating? :-))

Cutest Couple

Will Trombal and Francesca Spinelli from Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son

“Come here,” she says.
“No, you come here.”
“I said it first.”
“Rock paper scissors.”
“No. Because you’ll do nerdy calculations and work out what I chose the last six times and then you’ll win.”
Will pushes away from the table and his hand snakes out and he pulls her toward him and Tom figures that Will was always going to go to her first.

However, Eleanor and Park sure applied the pressure.

Class Clown

Jace from The Mortal Instruments series

Most Likely To Become Famous For Their Athletic/Musical/Artistic Abilities

Athlete: Rudy Steiner from The Book Thief
(Go, Jesse Owens!)

Musician: Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere
(“This is what happens when Joe Fontaine has his debut trumpet solo in band practice: I’m the first to go, swooning into Rachel, who topples into Cassidy Rosenthal, who tumbles into Zachary Quittner, who collapse into Sarah, who reels into Luke…”)

All Around Good Person

Webb from Jellicoe Road

Biggest Flirt

Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere

Most Likely To Be Fought Over

Joe Fontaine from The Sky is Everywhere

Mostly Likely To Be Friends Forever

Chaz and Raffy from Jellicoe Road
Frankie and Justine from Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son

Most Likely To Have Their Own Reality Show

Conner and Risa from Unwind. It would be called “Inside the Graveyard.”

Most Unique

Stargirl Carraway from Stargirl and Love, Stargirl

Most Likely To Survive An Apocalypse

Katsa and Po from Graceling

Most Likely To Be A Villain

Tom Riddle from Harry Potter
(or Dolores Umbridge!)

Biggest Wallflower

Conrad from Ordinary People

Most Likely To Break Your Heart

Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars

Most Changed

Froi from The Lumatere Chronicles

Most Likely To Get Arrested

Jonah Griggs from Jellicoe Road

Self Proclaimed God/Goddess

Jace from the Mortal Instruments series

Best Person To Bring Home To Mom & Dad

Will Trombal from Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son

Books

Most Likely To Make You Cry

Duh. The Fault in Our Stars.

Dares To Be Different (in world, plot, storytelling, etc.)

Everyday by David Levithan (fascinating, gender-bending premise!)

Best Dressed (pretty cover!)

Most Likely To Make You Swoon

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Loveliest Prose

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
tied with
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
tied with
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
tied with
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Most Likely To Be A Favorite Of 2013

(Very much anticipating the following:)
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
Aimless Love by Billy Collins

Most Likely To Change The World (or change your life)

The Fault in Our Stars really *did* change my life because it showed me that I wanted to write YA fiction!

Book You Are Most Likely To Keep Putting Off

Most Likely To End Up As Christmas Gifts For Everyone You Know

Jellicoe Road for everyone!

Most Likely To Be Thrown

Most Likely To Be Reread More Than Once
(I’m an avid re-reader!) (No, really.)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Most Likely To Make You Read Through An Earthquake Because It’s THAT Engrossing

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Most Likely To Be Passed On To Your Children

Most Likely To Break Your Heart Into A Million Pieces

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Most Likely To Brighten Up Your Day

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
(There has to be a reason I’ve read it six times in the last six weeks, right?)

A to Z Bookish Survey!

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I thought this survey, hosted by The Perpetual Page-Turner, looked right up my alley … and yours!

Author you’ve read the most books from:

C.S. Lewis! (Unless you count the childhood years, in which case, Ann M. Martin wins … I think I owned 150+ Babysitters Club books, ha!)

Best Sequel Ever:

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis or The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta

Currently Reading:

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Mmm … hot cocoa. (Well, in those Minnesota winters, at least!)

E-reader or Physical Book?

Well … I’m mainly an audiobook girl!

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

I would have wanted to date Augustus Waters. Or Jonah Griggs. Be still, my teenage heart. (My top 10 literary boyfriends here!)

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

City of Bones by Cassie Clare. This is soooooooo not my normal kind of book, but I ended up really enjoying The Mortal Instruments series!

Hidden Gem Book:

The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. I try my hardest to recruit people to read it!

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

I can think of a couple: 1) Reading Where the Red Fern Grows, the first book to make me cry; 2) Staying up late to finish the Harry Potter series; 3) Reading The Book Thief in pajamas till 5pm one Saturday.

Just Finished:

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Here is a list of books topics that turn me off!

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. 870 pages of teenage angst.

Major book hangover because of:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I take personal offense if people don’t like this book.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

Three. A “favorites” shelf, a jam-packed fiction and literary writing shelf, and another full non-fiction shelf.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Well, I just read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe five times in the last month. Narnia addict.

Preferred Place To Read:

I love listening to audiobooks on long car rides! Otherwise, I want to be in bed!

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

Reading Regret:

I regret giving into the pressure to read Twilight.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

The Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman! (Actually, I’m not sure the third book is out yet …)

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (I know that’s cheating, and I don’t care); The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Narnia!!! Harry Potter!!!

Yep, we played this before one of the midnight showings … our blindfold was a Gryffindor scarf.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Worst Bookish Habit:

Not using the library enough. Using my credit card too much.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller and John MacMurray Jr.

Your latest book purchase:

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider (preordered: it is released later this month!)

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, which I rather enjoyed.

JACKIE LEA SOMMERS

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