10 Bookworm Questions Tag (Link-Up with Paper Fury)

Cait over at Paper Fury listed 10 Bookworm Questions she posed for herself to answer and invited others to post their own answers. They looked like fun (especially the last one) so I thought I'd give it a go.

1. What are your top 5 reads of 2017 so far?

This one was fairly easy to answer. I've got 26 books on my Goodreads Challenge so far this year (including several short stories I listened to via Audible and the last few volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist). These five titles rose to the top of the list:

Goldenhand by Garth Nix

The Heart of What was Lost by Tad Williams

The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells

(As a side note, the last two titles on this list are not for the faint of heart. The Scalzi title is an Audible-exclusive novella that, while otherwise solidly written, has some intense use of vulgarity, heavy on the f-bombs. For that reason, I don't recommend it carte blanche. Dan Wells' John Cleaver books, of which this is the third, are intense psychological thrillers and this is the most intense so far. I dove into some middle grade fantasy afterward to give myself an emotional reprieve.)

2. Top Five Favorite Book Friendships

This one was more difficult to manage. I felt certain I had a lot of fictional friendships that were at the top of my list but struggled to list them. Here's what I came up with:

Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrine Took aka Merry and Pippin

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger (especially Harry and Hermione)

Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer from The Magician's Nephew
Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee

Mortimer, Merlin Pendragon, and Bryn from Albion Academy

(I know, I put my own characters on here. But their friendship is one that I love to death.)

3. Most anticipated releases of 2017?

I wrote a post about this last month, which you can find here. To that list, I would add the following:

Firebrand by A.J. Hartley, the sequel to Steeplejack (which I thoroughly enjoyed)

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (Cait reminded me with her post that this is due out this year. I enjoyed Stiefvater's Raven Boys and Shiver series so I'm interested in seeing what new things she has up her sleeve.)

4. How many books are on your TBR pile?

On the bedroom shelf (mentioned in this post): 61

On my Goodreads shelf: 3212

I'm never going to be out of reading material. Isn't it great?

5. What are your feelings on book merchandise?

Give me journals and clothing and board games and analyses and more! I don't have as much book-related swag as I might like, but I love seeing it in stores anyway. (As a side note, I'd really appreciate more guy-related book swag in the clothes and accessories departments. The ladies have the market cornered on this.)

6. Who is the latest amazing author you have discovered?

V.E. Schwab of A Darker Shade of Magic

Jennifer Freitag of Plenilune

Jennifer McMahon of The Winter People

Mary Robinette Kowal of Shades of Milk and Honey

7. How long have you been a book blogger?

I was reminded the other day by Facebook's On This Day feature that I started this blog five years ago. I don't think I've qualified as a book blogger for that entire time, but it's a milestone! In that time, I've finished graduate school, published a novel, bought a house, and had a child, among other things. It's kind of weird to think I've been posting things here sporadically for so long.

8. What's your favorite thing about reading?

Learning new things

Seeing new words and new ways to combine words
Being transported to other places and times

9. What are you reading soon?

I'm starting The Man in the High Castle on my Kindle tomorrow. A Conjuring of Light arrives Tuesday. Once I finish listening to Michael Scott's The Sorceress, I plan to listen to Lemony Snicket's The End and finally be finished with A Series of Unfortunate Events. After that, I'll hopefully dive into Robert C. O'Brien's The Silver Crown for the O'Brien read/watch and Tad Williams' The Dragonbone Chair for my Osten Ard reread in anticipation of The Witchwood Crown releasing this June.

10. Describe yourself in 5 book titles.

Okay. This was the question I wanted to answer most and it turned out to be the most difficult. I couldn't decide whether to have the titles actually be reflections of me or to choose books that reflect me most. So here are two lists. First, the titles-centric list:

A Circle of Quiet (something I tend to want)
I am NOT a Serial Killer (well, obviously)
Sweetly the Dragon Dreams (or vividly, in my case)
The Lost Years of Merlin (because there's always time we wish we could have back)
A Christmas Carol (because I listen to Christmas music far longer than most)



Now, for the content-centered list:

The Horse and His Boy (because I am Shasta)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (because we're all a little bit Norrell and a little bit Strange)
The Lord of the Rings (because Samwise Gamgee is my hero)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (because there is light at the end of all darkness)
Till We Have Faces (because we all need to be reminded of our own inadequacy sometimes)


What books are you most looking forward to this year? What titles would you choose to describe yourself? Let me know in the comments!