Well hello, I'm Sarah. I'm 24, and I work at a transportation company as a security guard-type person, which gives me plenty of time to do what I love - read! I live with my boyfriend of 3 years (otherwise referred to as "honeyman" or his actual name, Treland) in a wonderful little apartment. I desperately want a puppy or little kitty, but for now we have two cool little African dwarf frogs, Jin and Mugen.
I started this bookish blog a little over a year ago, mainly because I was bored at my old office job and decided to write reviews at my desk. Lately I've been diving more into the book blog world, finding fabulous blogs to follow and meeting great new fellow bloggers :o)
I read a whole bunch of everything; fiction, classics, YA, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, non-fiction... the list goes on and on. I generally review everything I read, the same day I finish it. I've also been participating in memes and such.
I'm hoping to post my first vlog when I reach 100 followers :o)
If you'd like to contact me for whatever reason, you can reach me at:
sarahmay227(at)gmail(dot)com
or here at Goodreadsor on Twitter: @SarahSaysRead
or come check out my NEW movie&tv review blog: Sarah Says Watch It
55 Question Book-Related Survey (That I saw on another blog like two months ago and asked if I could use, but I never got a response, so I'm stealin it!)
1. Favorite childhood book?
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
2. What are you reading right now?
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde & Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable.
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
A Game of Thrones by George Martin.
4. Bad book habit?Buying books and never getting around to reading them.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?Bloodroot by Amy Greene, and the first three Sookie Stackhouse books.
6. Do you have an e-reader?NOOOOOOO. Screw e-readers, I am officially against them. I wish I could find some cool logo to put in my sidebar to express this sentiment, but haven’t found or made anything yet.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?Usually one at a time, it’s just more enjoyable that way.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?Not really, except I read what wins in my monthly poll.
9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)The Lover’s Dictionary. Yuck.
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?The Bronze Horseman, or Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. Luckily it’s only April and I’ve only read 38 books so far, or this question would have been a whole lot harder.
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?Well, I don’t know… the only things I wouldn’t feel comfortable reading is some right-wing propaganda stuff. I don’t think I could manage to get through a Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck book. I’d feel awkward if people saw me reading something of that nature (or any political propaganda book, right or left), and reading something so heavily right-wing would probably just piss me off.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?I’ll read almost anything – I’ll read fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, YA, fantasy, romance, children’s, humor, etc. And though they’re not something I usually read just cause I don’t prefer them, I’ll read mystery and westerns.
13. Can you read on the bus?YUP. But haven’t had to in years.
14. Favorite place to read?Bathtub, the recliner, work, my car…
15. What is your policy on book lending?I’ll lend a book to someone if I trust them. And if it’s not a particularly special book to me. And of course I write it down in a little journal, the name of the book, person borrowing, and date.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?No, I usually have a bookmark nearby.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?Yes, sometimes. Usually in classics, if it’s a cheap MM copy.
18. Not even with text books?Oh yeah, I did that all the time in school. Highlighting EVERYWHERE.
19. What is your favorite language to read in?English. It’s the only one I can read.
20. What makes you love a book?A captivating story, characters I can connect to, good writing, etc…
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?I usually don’t bother recommending a book to friends / family unless I think it’s something that they would like. For instance, my sister really likes paranormal and chick lit, so I’m not going to suggest some heavy non-fiction book to her.
22. Favorite genre?Fiction. That’s as specific as I can be, because I love sci-fi, fantasy, romance, historical fiction, modern fiction, etc…
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)I just wish I read more non-fiction.
24. Favorite biography?The Autobiography of Malcolm X. One of my top ten favorite books, actually.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?I’ve read It’s Called a Break-Up Because It’s Broken. Makes SO much sense, and I wish my little sister and mom would read it and take it’s advice.
26. Favorite cookbook?The Pioneer Woman. AWESOME recipes.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea makes me want to go out and be more social and go drinking more, so I can have ridiculous and stupid stories to tell.
28. Favorite reading snack?I’m a total foodie, so pretty much anything. However, there’s something really satisfying about eating some soup, bread, and a glass of milk while reading.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.Twilight. I wish I had read it before it got so uber-annoyingly-popular. I read it last year and admit it’s not as bad as I thought, but the hype still ruined it for me.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?I don’t know, because I try not to read a WHOLE lotta reviews / critiques about books before I read them. I like to form my own opinions.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?Not bad. If I don’t like a book, I don’t like a book. I’m allowed to have an opinion.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?Italian. I don’t know why.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?Pride and Prejudice. It was the first old-language-y classic I ever read.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?War and Peace. I don’t know if I’ll ever even try that.
35. Favorite poet?Kahlil Gibran and Saul Williams.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?Anywhere from 1-10 ish.
37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?At least half of them go back unread. I’m so bad about that. I’m going to try to rent less and focus on reading the books I have.
38. Favorite fictional character?There is absolutely no way I can pick just one. Or three. So here’s my top ten:
Claire Fraser
Jamie Fraser
Heathcliff
Min Dobbs
Kvothe
Lucy Valentine
Joshua & Biff
Tatiana & Alexander
39. Favorite fictional villain?Heathcliff. He’s the best bad guy. Oh and of course Lord Voldy.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?Anything by Jennifer Crusie. I love her romance novels.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.A week? When I was on unemployment like 4 years ago, I spent a lot of time being social or creative, so I didn’t read as often.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.When God Was A Woman. It’s a really interesting book about how deities were originally female, but the author’s lack of good punctuation and the fact that she NEVER cited her sources was just too frustrating.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?If I’m at home, it’s my honeyman or Call of Duty: Black Ops. If I’m at work, it’s the fact that I’m too tired, or too busy taking phone calls.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?The Time Traveler’s Wife, or Marley and Me. I like both better than the books.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?The Other Boleyn Girl, by far. Eric Bana was NOT a good pick for Henry VIII, even though he’s awesome. And Henry VIII never raped Anne in the book. WTF.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?I think $80. Although I know I spent a whole lotta money when Waldenbooks closed – I was working there, and was able to put a TON of stuff on hold until it went on sale like 75% off.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?Rarely. I don’t want to spoil anything.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?Frustrating characters, or if it’s really boring.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?Yes. They’re on my four bookshelves kind of by genres: romance, poetry, non-fiction, children’s, sci-fi / fantasy, classics, favorites, and general fiction.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?I keep them, unless I absolutely hate it. Or eventually if I’m purging I get rid of the ones that were only so-so.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?Books that my friend Doni recommends, even though I do want to read some of them. I’m avoiding her recommendations until she finally reads the copy of Outlander I lent her about 6 months ago.
52. Name a book that made you angry.Water for Elephants, and Dead Witch Walking.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?Twilight I guess. I gave it 4 stars. But don’t plan to read the rest, cause I can just watch the movies.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?Dead Witch Walking. The actual setting of the story has so much promise, but I can’t stand the main character.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?I don’t feel guilty about any book that I read. I read total just-for-fun books, usually referred to as fluff or brain candy, but I never feel bad about it.
