The Ultimate Book Tag!

 Today's post is going to be different. I decided not to get all boring with similar post and do a tag.

The Ultimate Book Tag

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car? 
Unfortunately, yes. Actually I always get sick in cars so no reading for me. It’s really frustrating. 

2. Which author's writing style is completely unique to you and why? 
George R. R. Martin. All the way. His books are brilliant and the whole world he invented in "A song of ice and fire" is absolutely amazing.

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.
Harry Potter without doubt. Hmm, I will not give you 3 points, I will give you a quote by Stephen King: “Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.” 

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books...)? 
Nope, I carry my books in my “regular” bag.

5. Do you smell your books? 
Oh my God, yes, all the time (well, that’s weird).

6. Books with or without little illustrations?
Well it depends on the book. Also, I really like little illustrations on the begining of every chapter.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn't quality writing?
Never happened to me.
 
8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
Once my mom made me read a book about babies and where they come from. That was weird.
 
9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde – 224 pages.

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
A Storm of Swords by George Martin – 1200 pages, wow.
 
11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being a writer?
I obviously write on this blog and I write other things occasionally. But no, for the time being I don't see myself as a writer.
 
12. When did you get into reading?
Ever since I was a little girl.

13. What is your favorite classic book?
It's hard to pick one, but maybe Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.
 
14. In scool was your best subject Language Arts/ English?
Yes, I did best in English.
 
15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated, what would you do?
Nothing in particular, it's still a book, I would keep it.
 
16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or Hunger Games?
That's a tricky one, I really can't think of one right now.
 
17. What is a bag habit that you always do while blogging?
I tend to go off topic and my thoughts seem scattered.
 
18. What is your favorite word?
Does someone really have a favorite word?
 
19. Are you a nerd, dork or dweeb? Or all of the above?
No, I'm awesome.
 
20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?
None.
 
21. Shapeshifters or Angels?
Shapeshifters, angels are boring.
 
22. Spirits or Werewolves? 
Werewolves, spirits scare me, they're closer to real.
 
23. Zombies or Vampires? 
Zombies or the older image of Vampires.
 
24. Love triangle or Forbidden love? 
The second is more romatic, although I'm not much into romance.

25. And finally: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
Action- packed. As I said I don't enjoy romatic novels, although I read them from time to time.

This was it, guys. I hope I have not bored you to death with my rambling.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

 

One of the things I enjoy reading the least is crime fiction. Of those criminal novels which I have read most I found boring and very much alike. However this one ceased my attention. If I have to be honest I decided to read it because of the title. This is not necessarily a bad thing, I like books which have captivating titles and I even think that choosing a good one is a very important part of writing a novel. So I bought it on an impulse and I did not regret it for a second.

The first thing I would like to say is that Swedish people are nuts. There, I said it. I mean, you cannot believe how sick this book was at some point. But this is what made it a very good thriller. The characters have very bizarre and unhealthy relationship between them. The main character, the girl with the dragon tattoo obviously, is a messed up girl with not a happy and bubbly past. It makes her a very fascinating character. Her partner is a journalist who digs up in corrupted businessmen and reveals their dirty games. They are both hired by a rich man, leading a big company, to reveal a mystery in his past. Yep, sounds cool and it is in fact really interesting. His granddaughter has vanished years ago and he has spent his lifetime trying to find out what happened to her. In the end all they find out is that this family has a lot of skeletons in its closet and someone is trying very hard to keep the partners away from the truth. Anyway, I won’t get very much into the plot because I am trying to make you read the book, not retell it. My point was that the novel has a very interesting story line which made me stumble over the words. It was very brutal indeed – a lot of killing and raping happened in this book but it is a thriller for a reason.

So if you are a fan of a little mystery this is the book for but I warn you – it is very sick. And by the way I promise that I will try to write about a little less brutal novel. :)

 

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

So I haven't given much of a thought about what should I write about first but I guess Stephen King was a good choice as he is such a remarkable writer. I admire his work which is a little odd since he is the reason behind an enormous amount of my childhood (at not only) nightmares. Most people have read his most famous novels - IT, Carrie, Pet semetery etc. I can't with absolute certainty tell which of his works are most loved but I have read most of them and I assure you this one is different. 

It is about a widow who struggles with the loss of her husband who used to be a famous witer. She unfortuately has to deal with a lunatic fan of his (much of a John Lenon connection happening here). What fascinates me about this book is that the genius of King somehow combines romance with his beloved thriller. As the book progresses our main character - Lisey (who is a bit nuts in my opionion) recollects memories of her husband. The whole book contains retrospects of their love life. People who recommended this book to me say that it is very romantic. Well, if I tell you I think the same I would lie. I agree that the love between the two of them is really strong but it is not the typical love novel. Which is actually a good thing I guess - it really captivates you because romatic books can get kind of boring (unless you are a fan of them in which case I apologize). But it actually focuses more on human nature and the way people think, and what they believe in. I admit there are a lot of crazy stuff happening to the poor characters but, hey, it is a Stephen King novel, right? Also, the plot swirls around the story of her husband - Scott and his, let's say it this way, not very normal family. But it again shows the unconditional love of a little confused boy. For me, this еmphasizes on the way one should treat his family no matter what the situation is. But again of course everyone has a different opinion and no one can say for sure what this whole mess of book acutally means apart from our old friend Stevie.

All in all, this is a remarkble novel combaining  sorrow, childhood dreams and hopes, and above all one true and everlasting love. But be prepared it could be so utterly shocking from time to time that I acutally couldn't believe what I was reading. But then again I remebered I was reading Stephen King after all. :)