Whoa- I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already- where has this week gone? So I’m back with a very chilled post today to make up for lost time 😉
Thank you so much to Emily @embuhleeliest for tagging me to do this- she’s awesome and makes fantastic content so I recommend you check her out!!
Choose one word to describe yourself as a reader.
Hungry! (That’s why I rate my books in bananas 😉 )
What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?
Harry Potter! I was 7 and my brother had the first three- I binge read them and never looked back!
Hardback or paperback?
Hardbacks tend to be prettier… not that I usually get them- it’s usually paperbacks all the way. But if money were no object, I’d probably get loads more hardbacks.
How has reading shaped your identity?
Phew- hard to even explain. I don’t know who I’d be without reading. Stories have helped me through difficult times, brought me friends (both real and fictional), led me to university, formed my moral compass, given me my greatest passions (namely writing!) and finally brought me to blogging. To say it’s made me who I am would probably be an understatement.
What book do you read when you want to be comforted?
Rereading Emma is like getting a great big hug.
Who influenced you or taught you to be a reader?
Well my mum always took us to the library every week (sometimes every few days) when we were little and then encouraged me to read her favourite books when I was older. And I had a really good friend who was a massive bookworm from childhood who pretty much gave me non-stop recommendations.
Describe your dream reading lounge
Ooh fun!!! A cosy, with lots of comfy armchairs, a roaring fire and plenty of magical snacks… basically the Gryffindor common room…
What book changed how you saw the world?
I remember this distinctly cos I was about 11 when I read it and knew very little about the world beyond my own community- it was a huge eye-opener.
And that’s all for now- I’m not tagging anyone today- because *laziness*- but please feel free to do it if you haven’t already!
So how has reading shaped who *you* are? Let me know in the comments!!
I’ve never actually read Emma… xD Or any Austin book, haha. They’re intimidating. Is starting with Emma a good idea?
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I can’t believe you have never read “Austen” you can start with Emma or Pride and Prejudice (it makes me Smile) ❤
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Agree!! Both are excellent places to start 😀
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Ack, Austen! My b, I didn’t major in spelling, haha
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haha Don’t worry about the Spelling do read the book 🙂
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haha yes, I would definitely say so- it’s what got me into her and helped me understand her humour 😀 I hope you enjoy it if you check it out 🙂
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Oooh I am going to do this one!! I liked Emma, I read it years after the movie Clueless and I was like “hey!!”. And totally YES to the Gryffindor common room, reading whilst drinking a mug of butter beer mmmmm!!!
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Ooh exciting- I’m so glad!!! hahaha that’s hilarious!! Ahhh yes!!!
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The Gryffindor common room WOULD be the best reading lounge ever…noisy, but with so many other benefits, who would mind that? 🙂
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Ahh I know right!! Yes!! 😀
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Reading gave me killer cheekbones, brawny shoulders and that glint in the eye that won the heart of Mrs Bookstooge.
At least that is how “I” remember it 😀
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hahahaha wonderful!! Reading does make heroes of us all 😉
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My grandparents took me to the library and let me check out anything- so I read a lot of horror and true crime. Definitely an influence on my tastes.
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haha lovely!! I’ll bet 😉
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💖💖
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🙂
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I have to do this tag! I don’t know if reading really shaped who I am per say but I fell in love with reading early with Ramona books by Judy Blume. They were my life for a while and then when I hit high school it was an escape because I wasn’t very social then. One of my absolute favorites books that I had to read for school was The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I think that sealed my love for books of all time.
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Ahh awesome!! Oh cool- I read loads by Judy Blume, though I don’t remember reading that one. Ah yes, they really helped me too, especially learning about growing up. Oh I *adore* that book!! It’s amazing!! One of the best adventure stories of all time! Have you read Count of Monte Cristo by him as well?
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Yes! I have and if you ever want to see a modern-ish artsy colorful version, you should watch the anime. It’s called Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. There’s a manga version as well but it’s pretty, freaking cool.
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Oh coo!!! That’s so amazing- I’m going to have to check that out- cos that’s one of the best stories I’ve ever read!! Thanks so much for the recommendation!!
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I particularly love what you said about your mother taking you to the library and sharing some of her favorite books. In my case it was my dad and I have such lovely memories of reading Dumas books with him and other classics like the Chronicles of Narnia. I also agree with your choice of the Gryffindor common room for your perfect reading lounge. How lovely that sounds.😊
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Ah thank you- she was really wonderful about that 😀 That’s so lovely!! And actually she introduced me to Dumas too (well, she introduced me to Count of Monte Cristo and then I introduced her to Three Musketeers 🙂 ) Ahh I know right!!
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Such great memories!😊
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I was a reader from a young age. I had a few years while at college when I did not read much. But it soon picked up. I have not read Blackman . So I am eager to read it. Emma is certainly delightful
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ahh awesome. Funnily enough while I was reading English at University, I actually read far less for pleasure- I guess I had my hands full 😉 But as soon as I left it picked up for me again too!! Oh it’s fantastic- it’s YA, but it’s really unique!!
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Great tag, the Gryffindor common room would be a great place to curl up and read 😀
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Thank you!! Ahh I know right!! 😀
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Your welcome 😀
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I loved your “hungry” answer :p So perfect!
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hahaha thanks so much!! 😉
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Love this! What a fab tag
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Thank you!!
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Hardbacks are nice because they don’t get bent or ruined as easily. But budgets do not always allow for hardbacks. 😦
I’m rereading Emma right now!!
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Yes- definitely agree with you there!!
Ahh wonderful!!! 😀 I always want to reread Emma 😀
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Ahah oh yes, the Gryffondor common room is the perfect reading nook for sure! 🙂 Also, I would love to get more Hardbacks as well but…they’re quite expensive, that always makes me sad.
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Ahh I know right!! Yes- I completely agree with you there!! I very, very rarely get them either
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Wow, that’s an interesting choice to read at eleven! And it’s so cool that your mom encouraged you to read 🙂 Mine did too, and I think it’s really important to have that growing up.
The Gryffindor common room would be the best place to read, for sure!
I really want to read Emma. I’ve watched two adaptations (one with Gwyneth Paltrow, the other with Romola Garai) and enjoyed both, so it’s time to finally reach for the source material – especially now that I know it’s like getting a great big hug! ^^
Amazing tag!
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haha I always thought it was a great time to read it 😉 Ah that’s lovely 😀
Yes absolutely agree with you there!!
I actually love both of those- which is rare, because I usually struggle with adaptations- maybe it’s just cos I love the story so much. It really is!! I hope you enjoy it if you read it (can’t imagine you won’t if you like the adaptations 😀 )
Thank you!!
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Thanks, I hope so too! And yeah, I think it would be hard not to 🙂
No problem! ❤
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You’re welcome! ❤
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Aw yes, ‘Emma’ is my comfort movie 😀 I never read the novel, but LOVE the adaptation. Harry Potter was not the book that got me into reading, but the book that made me interested in Fantasy and started my love for the genre 🙂 Together with another book that featured flying horses 😀
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Ahh it is wonderful- I like the movie to 😀 ah that’s great 😀 I was obviously reading before that- but it was the moment when I just absolutely fell in love with it for sure!! haha that sounds interesting- what was that called?
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Lightning’s daughter by mary h herbert, its the second part of a series 🙂
My local bookstore didn’t have many fantasy novels so i didn’t have much choice and picked up whatever they had 😀
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Good tag this one. That “HOW HAS READING SHAPED YOUR IDENTITY?” question is a big one. Great choices.
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Thanks! I know right!! 😉 Almost impossible to answer!! Thank you!
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I like your dream reading room and second it as mine as well!
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Ahh it’s amazing, isn’t it? 😀
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I love reading on a beach too. Listening to the sea, while the sun warms my skin and a breeze cools my skin, and I get to turn the pages of a novel… heaven!
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Ahh lovely- that is a wonderful feeling!! 😀
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I couldn’t even answer the first question for this one- there’s a photo of me as a toddler on a huge armchair absolutely surrounded by books, so whatever book got me on this track is lost to history, haha. I can’t ever remember not reading. The reading lounge question is especially intriguing- on the one hand I adore the idea of being cozily indoors on a comfy chair with rain outside, but on the other, some of my favorite reading times have come outside in a park or on a balcony or porch. Of course outside you have to deal with bugs, but even that’s pretty minor in return for gorgeous weather.
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Ahh yes, I’m exactly the same, I can’t remember not reading either- so I get what you mean. But when I was younger it was just something I did- it wasn’t a big deal and I didn’t have the same bookworm urges that I have now 😉 . Absolutely- I know what you mean!! It’s lovely to be all snug inside, but it’s also just so nice to be outside in the sun (cos I live in England the latter is rarer 😉 )
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This is a great post. I too would love a reading lounge like the Gryffindor common room 🙂 I have not read any Malorie Blackman, but do own a few of her books, so I really must get on with reading them 😄
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Thank you so much!! Ah I really hope you like them- I really loved a lot of her books!!
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Hell yeh to parents who bring us to libraries! I always did enjoy going there as a kid even if it always felt soooo overwhelming! Let’s just say that a life without reading is pretty much inconceivable now. 😀
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Yes!! Haha I’m imagining your library must’ve been much more impressive than my local library- mine was tiny, though it did have a fish tank that always made me pretty excited 😉 Ahh I know!!!
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I 100% prefer paperbacks! I think they read more comfortably and I also prefer looking at my paperback collection on my shelf rather than my hardbacks, for some reason…
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I get that!! Some of the designs on my paperbacks are lovely 🙂
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Sitting by the Gryffindor fireplace sipping on some Butter Beer while reading would be great.
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