I Got All My Sisters with Me!

Emily from Backlist Books - who is awesome - nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, and I can't thank her enough. It's been eons since someone thought my sporadic blogging worthy of an award, and I really appreciate it!

Hardcover or paperback? Paperback all the way baby.

What 2015 book are you most excited about? Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven King, the final book in The Raven Cycle series which. I love this series.

Which blog did you discover recently that you can't believe you didn't know about? Um...Backlist Books!

Judging books by their covers: yay or nay? Absolutely. If I am reading outside my norm, a cover can make all the difference.

What's the best book outside of your regular genres/topics/authors you've read in the past year? (You can extend this time-frame if you haven't been reading adventurously lately!) I really don't have a set genre, topic, or author; although I do read less nonfiction by far. I've read quite a few amazing nonfiction books in the past year, but most recently I read Freak Show by Robert Bogdan, and I was seriously impressed. It was such an interesting topic and the history of freak shows really captured my attention for long stretches of time.

How many books do you read in a week, on average, and are you happy with your number? One. If I'm being generous. I used to average 3/week before I had kids. Ah, the glory days before children.

What's your favourite book-to-movie adaptation? Lord of the Rings. The adaptation choices didn't tick me off, and I love both the books and the films on their own. I actually was so in to this series that I wrote my Masters Thesis on "The Rhetoric of Good and Evil in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings". That's right. I'm a total geek.

Which fictional world do you wish you could move into? Harry Potter is probably the most popular answer here, and I think it would top my list, especially if I was able to head into the world AFTER the downfall of Voldemort. But I'm also a sucker for Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments world, so I may like to try out some time there.

Which books are on the top of your TBR list? Because this is Backlist Books, which books published at least a year ago are highest on your TBR?

I have hundreds of books yet to be read, almost all of which were published at least a year ago, so it's difficult to truly decide which are "highest" on the list. I keep hearing great things about Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and I've had that one waiting on my shelves for at least 8 years, so that's one I've been thinking about lately.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera also takes center stage as a book I bought eons ago, but haven't picked up yet.

I could go on and on about my TBR piles as they are rather ridiculous. I guesstimate that I have about 500 unread books on my shelves. Sad, I know. And let's not even get started on my nook...

On that note, I believe I am supposed to ask 10 questions and nominate some lovely lady bloggers to answer said questions....

1. What time of day do you typically read/do you prefer to read?
2. What is your strangest book related obsession?
3. Like which author do you wish you wrote?
4. Who do you think is the most over-rated author?
5. What do you think is the most over-rated book?
6. Which two authors would you like to see go head to head in a word-off (like a dance-off)?
7. I've always wanted to read Lord of the Rings in a cabin in the mountains or Nora Roberts in an Irish inn or The Woman in White in an abandoned asylum. What book-location pairing do you wish for?
8. Describe your bookish self in three words.
9. Name one of your favorite characters and what you would do with him/her if you had one day together.
10. If you had one extra day in the week, that nobody knew about and didn't count, what would you with it?

And the nominees are....

Amanda from The Zen Leaf
Trish from Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity
Aarti from Booklust
Rebecca from Lost in Books
April from The Steadfast Reader
Vasilly from 1330v
Katie from Doing Dewey
Alex from The Sleepless Reader
Care at Care's Online Bookclub
Sara at (majoring in literature)

I sincerely hope you guys participate and let me know when you've answered the questions!

Giveaway: Some of My Favorites

For the final giveaway this week, I have some of my favorite reads up for grabs:

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

The Iron King, Queen, and Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski

The Nuts and Bolts

• Fill out the form below
• Winners will be randomly selected
• Deadline for entry is 11:59pm Saturday March 7
• International entries welcome
• Extra entries will be submitted for those who subscribe to the blog and for those who regularly comment on the blog. Comment on this post to let me know if you subscribe.
• If you don't want every book in the set, please let me know in the comments section. I have no problem splitting up the set.

Giveaway: Series Starters

This week's giveaway is focused on series starters:

The Dark is Rising: The Complete Sequence by Susan Cooper

No Safety in Numbers and No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz (Books 1 and 2)

Sweep Series Books 1 through 3 by Cate Tiernan

Alex Van Helsing series: Voice of the Undead and Vampire Rising by Jason Henderson

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (Book 1 of the Bartimaeus series)

The Dragon's Eye by Kaza Kingsely (Book 1 of Erec Rex series)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Book 1) by Jeff Kinney

The Gift by James Patterson (Book 1 of Witch & Wizard series)

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (Book 1 of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod)

Chosen and Infidel by Ted Dekker (Books 1 and 2 of The Lost Books Collection)

The Nuts and Bolts

• Fill out the form below
• Winners will be randomly selected
• Deadline for entry is 11:59pm Saturday March 7
• International entries welcome
• Extra entries will be submitted for those who subscribe to the blog and for those who regularly comment on the blog. Comment on this post to let me know if you subscribe.
• If you don't want every book in the set, please let me know in the comments section. I have no problem splitting up the set.

Giveaway: Sick and Twisted

This giveaway is a collection of the sick, twisted, and hilarious:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Sick City

Permanent Obscurity

Hymie and the Angel

Voodoo in New Orleans

The Devil's Diaries

The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate

The Highly Selective Thesaurus for the Extraordinarily Literate

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do

Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

Belly Laughs

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Nerds: M is for Mama's Boy

The Nuts and Bolts

• Fill out the form below
• Winners will be randomly selected
• Deadline for entry is 11:59pm Saturday March 7
• International entries welcome
• Extra entries will be submitted for those who subscribe to the blog and for those who regularly comment on the blog. Comment on this post to let me know if you subscribe.
• If you don't want every book in the set, please let me know in the comments section. I have no problem splitting up the set.

Giveaway: Author Collections 1

For Giveaway Number 2, we have the following collections:

Stephen King

Salem's Lot, Insomnia, Dolores Claiborne, Desperation, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Bag of Bones

Agatha Christie

At Bertam's Hotel, A Caribbean Mystery, And Then There Were None, Towards Zero, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, The Moving Finger, The Golden Ball and Other Stories, Postern of Fate, The Mirror Crack'd

Neal Stephenson

Anathem, Cryptonomicon

Ernest J. Gaines

A Gathering of Old Men

A Lesson Before Dying

The Nuts and Bolts

• Fill out the form below
• Winners will be randomly selected
• Deadline for entry is 11:59pm Saturday March 7
• International entries welcome
• Extra entries will be submitted for those who subscribe to the blog and for those who regularly comment on the blog. Comment on this post to let me know if you subscribe.
• If you don't want every book in the set, please let me know in the comments section. I have no problem splitting up the set.

Giveaway: YA Series 1

Ladies and Gentlemen, up for grabs are the following books:

Angie Sage's

Septimus Heap series: Books 1 through 5

Magyk, flyte, Physik, Queste, and Syren

P.C. Cast's and Kristin Cast's

House of Night series: Books 1 though 8, books 1 through 3, and extra

Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted, Tempted, Burned, Awakened

Nyx and the House of Night

Anthony Horowitz's 

Alex Rider Series: Books 1 through 3, Books 5 and 6

Stormbreaker, Point Blank, Skeleton Key, Scorpia, Ark Angel

The Gatekeepers Series (aka The Power of Five series): Books 1 through 3:

Raven's Star, Evil Stare, Nightrise

The Nuts and Bolts

• Fill out the form below
• Winners will be randomly selected
• Deadline for entry is 11:59pm Saturday March 7
• International entries welcome
• Extra entries will be submitted for those who subscribe to the blog and for those who regularly comment on the blog. Comment on this post to let me know if you subscribe.
• If you don't want every book in the set, please let me know in the comments section. I have no problem splitting up the set.

Currently | 22 February 2015

Time and Place // all over the place for three days - yeah, it takes a while to write a post these days :)

Eating and Drinking // Kahlua and Milk! It's alcohol! It's dessert!

Reading // I recently finished Eoin Colfer's The Supernaturalist, a middle grade scifi adventure; while it didn't rock my world, I was definitely entertained. I'm still reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel from time to time, but it's a back up, not my go-to book. Honestly, I can't even explain why this book isn't sucking me in; the writing is excellent, the story is original, the characters are unique, and yet....meh.

Watching // Why can't there be more The 100?

Blogging // This past week I posted a Top 10 Tuesday on my bookish problems, a review of George Guthridge's The Kids from Nowhere, and an update post on my adorable babies.

Anticipating // In true Trisha fashion, I've recently purchased a handful of books despite the fact that I have more unread books on the shelves than is healthy and despite the face I am trying to get rid of books. The latest purchases are:

Promoting // One of my goals for the new year is to clear 300 books off the shelves, and this month I made it halfway there. I have 150 books ready for a new home, so I will be hosting a week of giveaways. Starting tomorrow, we have five days of giveaways here on the blog, and I sincerely hope you help me get these books out of my house (and so does my husband, who is sad that our couch is covered in books).

This massive pile includes everything from YAL paranormal romance to narrative nonfiction to classic novels. Something for everyone!

Classics Club 50 Question Survey Part 2 and Giveaway

The Classics Club posted a 50 question survey for participants, and since it sounded like fun, I split the questions in half, then deleted a few of them, and went crazy answering.

Which classic character can’t you get out of your head? Humbert Humbert from Lolita. And his voice is that of Jeremy Irons since I listened to the first half of the book...

Which classic character most reminds you of yourself? I have no clue. I can't say that I've ever seen myself in a character in a novel of any sort, let alone a classic where the characters, especially the female characters, are so remarkably different from me.

Whose advice do you always take when it comes to literature? There are quite a few bloggers who consistently recommend awesome books. Ana from things mean a alot, Amanda from The Zen Leaf, Andi from Estella's Revenge, Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness, April from The Steadfast Reader, I could honestly keep going, and I know I'm missing some really important-to-me recommenders, but I felt I must stop.  

Favorite memory with a classic? Teaching Ancient and Medieval Literature for the first time! I found it so amazingly satisfying to watch a bunch of students enjoy the stories we read, especially because they (and I) were pretty sure they would hate it. 

Classic author you’ve read the most works by? I honestly have no idea. I very rarely read by author and classics are no exception.

Classic author who has the most works on your club list? I have ten books on the list from Wilkie Collins; although I don't know if that counts since quite a few of those books are not polished final drafts...My second place goes to George Eliot with seven books on the list.

If you could explore one author’s literary career from first publication to last — meaning you have never read this author and want to explore him or her by reading what s/he wrote in order of publication — who would you explore? Obviously this should be an author you haven’t yet read, since you can’t do this experiment on an author you’re already familiar with. :) Or, which author’s work you are familiar with might it have been fun to approach this way? I think I would go with Virginia Woolf for this one.

How many rereads are on your club list? If none, why? If some, which are you most looking forward to, or did you most enjoy? I have quite a few re-reads (around 15-20) on my list, most of which I read in high school and have almost no memory of. 

Has there been a classic title you simply could not finish?

Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving?

I expected the Dostoevsky to be too ambiguous and complicated and well, the same from Mill's book.

Classic you are DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?

Classic you are NOT GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year?

Favorite thing about being a member of the Classics Club? I wish I could be awesome and say the people (whom I adore), but for me the Classics Club motivates me to read and that is a wondrous thing.

If you’ve ever participated in a readalong on a classic, tell about the experience? The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde readalong went remarkably well; however I bailed less than halfway through on the Ulysses readalong (as holy heavens was that book just not worth it).

If you could appeal for a readalong with others for any classic title, which title would you name? Why?

How long have you been reading classic literature? I'm not sure when I first started or what my first book was, but I distinctly remember an early on experience with classic literature. I was in grade school, right around fifth grade, and I had just read my first Shakespeare play,borrowed from my school library. I enjoyed it and went to my town's public library to pick up another Shakespeare, When I tried to check it out, the librarian wouldn't let me because I was too young. Completely embarrassed I left the library. And so ended my time in libraries and my money-taking need to buy my books.

What about you guys? I would love to know your answers to any or all of these questions, and to motivate you to answer....a giveaway! You can win any my audio of Lolita, a copy of The House of the Dead, or a copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by simply answering one of the above questions and letting me know which book you would like to win in the comments.

Classics Club 50 Question Survey Part 1 and Giveaway

Just for fun The Classics Club put together a 50 question survey. And just for fun I decided to fill it out; although I did not fill out every question, and I separated it out into two posts. So without further ado: 

Share a link to your club list. My Way Too Long List

When did you join The Classics Club? How many titles have you read for the club? I have read 23 of the (continually growing) list of almost 200 classics.

What are you currently reading?      What did you just finish reading?

Currently Reading                Just Finished

What are you reading next? Why? No Clue. Until my grad class is over, I see my reading limited to the books for the course (the two mentioned in the previous question) and maybe some very light reading material.

Best books you’ve read so far with the club:

Book you most anticipate on your club list?

Book on your club list you’ve been avoiding:

First classic you ever read? No Clue. I started reading classics in grade school.

Toughest classic you ever read? Too difficult to determine and define. Lolita was a tough read, due to content not language. Other classics are difficult because of vocabulary, ambiguity, unknown allusions, etc.

Classic that inspired you?

Written so damn well...

Favorite biography about a classic author you’ve read — or, the biography on a classic author you most want to read, if any? Yeah, I don't really care about authors. Is that bad of me? 

Which classic do you think EVERYONE should read? Why? 

Favorite movie adaption of a classic? Hate the book, Love the movie

Classic which hasn’t been adapted yet (that you know of) which you very much wish would be adapted to film.

Least favorite classic? Why? Ambiguous, racist, sexist, 

Name five authors you haven’t read yet whom you cannot wait to read. Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Charles Dickens, D.H. Lawrence, Anthony Trollope, H. Rider Haggard

Which title by one of the five you’ve listed above most excites you and why? 

I want to know her secret....

If a sudden announcement was made that 500 more pages had been discovered after the original “THE END” on a classic title you read and loved, which title would you most want to keep reading? 

Or, would you avoid the augmented manuscript in favor of the original? Why? I would try to avoid it at all costs - especially if I already loved the story. Eventually however, I would cave and read the extended edition.

Favorite children’s classic?

What about you guys? I would love to know your answers to any or all of these questions, and to motivate you to answer....a giveaway! You can win any of the books mentioned above by simply answering one of the above questions and letting me know which book you would like to win in the comments.