This was planned months ago but I have finally got round to editing the post (it went a tad haywire and was just a mess but now is the time). This post will basically be a book tag inspired by my close friend Arianna’s old blog (she deleted it but now we have a joint blog and YouTube so hopefully we start uploading soon – going to be hella difficult as she is moving to Essex for uni *cry cry*. I will link them at the bottom even though they are basically blank spaces right now).

My book tag isn’t going to be quick, sharp and snappy responses because, well just because. So here goes nothing, bear with me, and enjoy my nonsensical rambling about a pastime I love so dearly *throws NamGrease hearts everywhere*

• What is your all-time favourite book? (NOT a series)

My favourite all time book has to be Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. It’s a book that screams originality, especially for when it was written (I have gotten into many an argument with people who try to tell me Battle Royale copied Hunger Games. Few fun facts for you Battle Royale was published in 1999, the first instalment of The Hunger Games trilogy was published in 2008. You should really stop trying to out and distinguish similarities between novels, even films, nowadays. Merely because of course there are going to be crossovers and similar plot lines as too much of everything today – gotta take inspiration from somewhere. Plus each book should be appreciated and hey if you feel like it analysed to its own merit – both novels stemmed from different cultures, struggles and times.) It is a well written novel which plays on the general fear of the 90s in Japan – youth crime.

• Who is you all-time favourite author?

It has to be Stephen Fry. No questions asked. His satirical and cynical writing style really appeals to me, also I just love him generally as a person. He is a beautiful person who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, something most of us struggle with today. (Plus in his books he uses a lot of profanities which I find awkwardly attractive haha)

• What is your favourite book series?

My favourite book series, personally, is the ‘I Heart …’ series by Lindsey Kelk. She is the kind of author who pretty much ticks all of my good read boxes, well for this specific genre at least – Plato and Mill don’t describe the heartbreak and adventure of a British woman across to America, where she will basically meet the love of her life, her whimsical best friend, the dream job, and just the adventures and tribulations of her life. For me the storyline makes the book (and the characters of course but mainly the storyline) simply because, in some respects, it is very relatable – cheating happens to many people, so does being threatened to leave a country without the proper visa, etc. Also the character Alex, to me, is just a buffer Enrique Iglesias (he’s hot but on another level). Kind of hoping my life ends like this *closes eyes* please.

• What is your favourite genre(s)?

I wouldn’t necessarily say I have a specific genre that I always read (considering in GCSE and A-Level English we were handed an ‘array’ of genre books – I say that but my entire A2 exam was about the Gothic haha). But If I am honest, as long as the plot is good, I’m set to read it. (At the moment I am reading Anthony Horowitz’s ‘The Power of Five’ series. Indulging in teen fantasy).

• What was the book you read most as a child?

When I was younger I have to admit my favourite book to read again and again was ‘Old Bear and friends’. It was just such a mellow and cute book (I still have it in the garage). For those who have read it (or even at least seen the TV show of the stories) should check it out.

• What is the worst book you have ever read?

It is for me a tie between two novels I was basically ‘forced’ and ‘rushed’ to study. The first is ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini. The reason this wasn’t my cup of tea was because in order to enjoy a book I want to be able to sit down and take it in. I was rushed to read it in a week and never really connected with the plot. Also chapter seven of this book tore me apart (this was really the only section that I really had to step away and just think); I can still picture what happened to poor little Hassan.

The second one is ‘The Joys of Motherhood’ by Buchi Emecheta. The reason I didn’t like this book was I was put forward as they say, for something called the brilliant club. They then split us into groups and said you’re doing English, you guys science, and you guys something geography based (just a note this btw was said to be a lil trial whereby we can decide if we want to continue – tis why I went in the first place). So we get to Oxford and they say in the English group you’re going to be studying Post-Colonial Literature (PCL). Now I don’t particularly like PCL, and I made this clear to them; for me PCL is an excuse to play ‘the pity party’. I know many people are probably like but this is them reclaiming their heritage, their identity from the people who forcefully took it from them. But as I said to my tutor, it’s very easy to sit down, a third party official of some description, and point out all the negative points to a situation, these being; Us-other mentality, dehumanization of self, distorted world-view, loss of identity, etc. However, you are forgetting many important positives (used loosely) to post-colonialism (and I made my opinions aired at this first tutorial), advancement in trading, language exchange (modern English would be nothing without these influences), it also gave birth to this specific genre of writing. Like without the English influence on the natives, they wouldn’t be using it post-colonialism to write about their struggles, proving to the colonizer that you can’t take away their identity – the incorporation of ‘mother tongue’ with ‘colonizer’s tongue’ is a predominant feature amongst most PC writers

• What is your favourite book quote?

“According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”

The reason this is my favourite quote isn’t because of its deep meaning depicting lovers as once being a whole being and thus separated to pursue their ‘soul mate’. It is however my favourite quote because it is the most memorable. In Philosophy class when we were reading ‘The Symposium’ by Plato, we thought it would be a pretty sound idea to create this description as a visual aid. Needless to say it was the funniest picture (which I have a photo of somewhere) and has meant that this pretty much stays in my head.

• What is the most valuable lesson a book has taught you?

Well this book was only meant to be a summer term reading because we had nothing major to do in philosophy but it really stuck with me after that I even bought a copy. Plato’s Symposium was one of the finest and meaningful books I have ever read (well that and his Republic). It taught me the various interpretations of love and even got me thinking about love. It also however made me giggle in places towards the end, and knowing how symposiums usually end we couldn’t help but crack a cheeky grin.

• Who is the most memorable character in a book you have read?

Jenny Lopez. For me she made the I Heart series, the best series of books I have ever read. For some it won’t be their cup of tea as it is, what many consider, ‘Chick-Lit’. But Jenny Lopez. That woman is just the biggest concoction of all the personalities I have ever encountered; cold at first, warm loving, caring, cynical, angry but happy in one given time period, and a loose drunk. (For whoever knows me personally, would be reading this and shaking their head at the fact it pretty much resonates me as a person, especially the loose drunk bit. But, I take the moral high ground and state my drunk-ness only permits the looseness which consists of dancing, singing and being overly emotional.)

• Who is the most forgettable character in a book you have read?

Benson … I kid I kid XD I love Benson from ‘Sucking Sherbet Lemons’. But seriously, whoever it was I obviously don’t remember as they were really that forgettable.

• What is your favourite film adaptation of a book you have read?

It’s a toss-up between ‘Secret Life of Bees’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’. Both amazing in their own rights. ‘Secret Life of Bees’ made me shed tears, and a lot of them. But if I’m perfectly honest Baz Luhrmann has just brought me joy after joy with his film adaptations of books. Hands down his ’96 version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was simply divine, and his version of ‘The Great Gatsby’ needn’t leave room for the imagination as he captured the story perfectly in my opinion. Also he did have Leonardo DiCaprio as lead in both his adaptations.

• What is a book that you haven’t read but would love to read?

Basically all of Dan Browns’ books except The Lost Symbol, as I have read and thoroughly enjoyed reading that (finished it in around 4 days because of long bus journeys to and from school). I know it’s not probably the smartest thing to read the third book in the series before the first and second, but the in-depth analysis and just mere use of the Freemasons really captured my attention, for personal reasons obviously haha.

• What book has been on your bookshelf the longest that you have read?

The Famous Five series. I know it says book meaning individual but these have been here since I was 3 maybe 4 (they were my brothers and when he was finished with them I was allowed to finally have them). I mean when I say I read them, I did, but when I was 7 or 8, but when I first got them, every bedtime, my dad would sit down with me and read me the books, animatedly might I add. It was one of the bonding experience which meant I just loved the books, amazing memories.

• What book has been on your bookshelf the longest that you have NOT read?

Admittedly I always wanted to read the book my parents read when I was a child, so Martina Cole, John Grisham, Stephen King and James Patterson. But the other day I found a book my brother bought me I think 2 years ago called Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace. Truthfully the cover of the book captured me, then the blurb, but every time I go to sit down a read it I get distracted. Don’t get me wrong it’s not like I can’t read it but I will one day. Hopefully one day soon.

• Paperback, Hardback or E-Book?

All of them, for different reasons of-course. Paperbacks are that cute easy to carry size, usually with the cutest versions of the covers for a particular title. Also they are reasonably priced for a physical copy of a book. E-books, namely kindle for me, are amazing for those extremely long reads; I will never regret reading ‘The Lost Symbol’ on my kindle merely for the fact we only owned the hardback version in my house, and that is a risk assessment on its own in my school bag. And simply because most kindle books I buy are really amazing priced. I mean I was revelling in a classics phase, taking it back to ‘Castle of Otranto’, ‘The Monk’, ‘Pamela’, and just so many Samuel Richardson books it was ridiculous. And do you know how much 30+ books cost me for my kindle. Oh no not that ridiculously high number, but £0.00. Yes you heard me, nothing. Boom. And finally hardbacks. Hardbacks are amazing because they are the definition of gorgeous; b-e-a-u-tiful thick spines, those crisp off white (almost yellowy) pages, great smelling. Just everything about them is beautiful … except the size of-course but that can’t be helped if you want amazing quality. Compromise.