A Glimpse of Starlight

Okay, so you know that 30 Song Challenge I did a few weeks ago? It was so fun that I thought I’d tweak it a bit into a bookish tag. Oh, and don’t forget that it was Lalaithiel who started the 30 Song Challenge—*pause for applause because that tag is amazing*. Some of the questions I copied word-for-word (besides substituting “book” for “song,” of course), and then others I made up in the place of ones that didn’t quite work (like “a song that you dance to”—can you dance to a book? Maybe because of one, but I went with something else entirely.).

The “rules” are pretty simple. Link back to the person who tagged you, answer the questions, and nominate five other bookworm bloggers. Let’s go!

1. Your favorite book

Torture. Torture. You know me, I can’t just pick one: Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis; The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien; Middlemarch by George Eliot.

2. Your least favorite book

There are few that could qualify for this, but the first one that comes to mind is Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I have so many issues with that book.

3. Your favorite series

Yet another horrific question. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien; The Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl; The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

4. A book that makes you happy

Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgommery. Really, all of her books make me happy.

5. A book that makes you sad

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

6. A book that makes you angry

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. I actually enjoyed reading this one, because it was fascinating to get a peek into the mind of a great villain. But many were my scribbled arguments with him in the margins.

7. A book that made shook you up or made you think

I love books like this. Book of Martyrs by John Foxe; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; The Giver by Lois Lowry.

8. A book with a title you love

Titleses, precious. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson; Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson; The Other Side of the Sun by Madeleine L’Engle.

9. A book that reminds you of someone

Macbeth by Shakespeare (let’s say plays count as books, ‘kay?).

10. A book you thought you’d love but you ended up disliking

Writing in Obedience by Terry Burns and Liza W. Yezak. It’s about writing as a Christian, and I’ve been searching for a good book about that, but this one was, first off, way shorter than I expected, and it didn’t offer any really radical or helpful advice. Jackaby by William Ritter was also disappointing—I don’t dislike it, by any means, but it didn’t excite me nearly as much as I’d expected.

11. A book you thought you wouldn’t like but you ended up liking

Lots of classics—I usually dread starting some huge old tome, but they end up being the most rewarding reads. I also struggled getting into Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers, especially since I didn’t consider myself a mystery fan, but now she’s one of my favorites.

12. A book that no one would expect you to love

I’m not sure what people expect me to like. Maybe The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes because I think most people see me as more into fantasy and fiction—which I am, certainly, but I’ve also come to love non-fiction.

14. A book that describes you

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. This is a kid’s book, and I still treasure it. I am Miss Rumphius, guys. Graceful by Emily P. Freeman was like it was written just for me.

15. A book that you used to love but now hate

I don’t really hate any books—at least, not ones that I loved—but my passion for Bryan Davis’s books has cooled. I thinks it’s a combination of my different tastes and age as well as the fact that I’ve simply found better-quality, deeper books. I’d still recommend them, though.

16. A book that is really popular right now

Um? I feel like anything I’ll list will be so last year. Perhaps the Lunar Chronciles by Marissa Meyer.

17. A book that you wish was more popular

The Shiloh Series by Helena Sorensen. Lovely fantasy.

18. A book from your childhood

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.

19. A book with an ending you love

This is harder than I expected. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare stands out.

20. A book with an ending you hate

I don’t necessarily hate it, but the ending of The Odyssey by Homer always depresses me. He finally gets home, and then … oh, by the way, Penelope, I have to go on another journey because I stupidly shouted my name to the Cyclops whose eye I poked out and now I have to appease his powerful dad who happens to be the god of the sea. So, good to see you, but off I go again! Hopefully this time it won’t take twenty years.

21. A book that inspires you

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I need to read that one more often.

22. A book that you wish was a movie

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson—OH WAIT. It is going to be a movie. Mwahaha. Okay, but seriously: The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan. If done right, they could be incredible movies.

23. A book with great writing

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Pendragon’s Heir by Suzanne Rowntree. All so lovely.

24. A book with a great setting

Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge—from a rocky island in the English Channel to New Zealand, this book has a host of gorgeous scenery. Also Listening for Lions by Gloria Wheeler, because I love the vivid descriptions of and contrasts between Africa and England.

25. A book with great characters

I prefer character-driven plots, and characters often make the book for me. So this, like so many of these questions, is tough. But the characters in Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson—they stand out. Unforgettable.

26. A book that makes you cry

While lots of books bring tears to my eyes, few actually make me cry cry. Here are some of those few: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman; A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock.

27. A book that makes you laugh

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson; The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin; David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

28. A book that you reread

I reread lots of books. I’ve reread The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini a bunch of times—because yes, I actually love that series.

29. A book you want to read

So many. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy; The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers; One Hundred Cupboards by N. D. Wilson.

30. A book that changed you

Don’t they all? But here’s a few that did so especially and which I haven’t already mentioned: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; The Circle series by Ted Dekker; Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Now for the nominees: Lalaithiel, Victoria, Sarah @ Light and Shadows, Sarah @ The Word Collector, and Rachel. As always, this is completely voluntary, but I’d love to see your choices!

Well, that was fun!  Let me know what you think of the books I picked—do you agree? Have you read any of them? Anything surprise you? Let’s chat!