These aren't actually "frequently" asked...or, really, asked at all. But they're important anyway.
Hence the page.
Who are you to tell me what to read?
Shelby Boyer.
Don't you have to have some degree to review books like an expert?
Not that I'm aware of. But if there is, I will switch my major immediately.
What's the first book you remember reading on your own?
The Magic Treehouse series. All of them. At once (just kidding). But I loved them. Still do.
What was the first book to make you cry?
I think it was The Secret Journal of Brett Colton. I was sixteen. And then The House of Mirth was the next to pull it off. It used to be really hard to get me to cry over books, but now I find myself always emotional as long as the characters are believable.
Can you think of a movie you can actually stomach that's based on a book?
Yes.
...What is it?
Jurassic Park. It's probably one of the greatest films ever. And it's completely off from the book, but I still love both. Maybe because I watched it before I read it. That always helps. And then all the Jane Austen films are pretty good (Except the new P&P. But that's mostly because I hate Kiera Knightly). And I think The Notebook as a movie is way better than the book. Then again, I hate Nicholas Sparks.
On the other hand, what's one that just fails?
Just one?
No....
Pretty much all of them. I mean, there's Eragon: 1) That was an awful movie anyways which was sad because 2) I read the book afterward and it was actually pretty good. Then the Harry Potter movies (I have a love/hate relationship with them). I absolutely hate The House of Mirth movie. And I'd bet 100 bucks that The Hunger Games will suck.
Right off the top of your head, what's the book you hate the most?
Mockingjay. That was such a disappointment. And it was plain awful.
And if you have to think about it?
Twilight et all. Oh. My. Gosh. Those are Satan's books; he is poisoning people's minds, leading them to believe those are actually good literature. If I could pull a Fahrenheit 451 and burn every copy, I totally would.
So what books would you recommend to Twilight lovers?
To wean them off their insipid obsession, I would push them to books like Delirium by Lauren Oliver--for that forbidden love fix but with better writing. Or The Luxe series, so they know what good writing/characterization/plot looks like. Libba Bray might also be a good transition--all that sticky paranormal love stuff. And if that didn't work...I'd just hit them over the head in the hopes that they get amnesia and thus forget the atrocity that is Twilight entirely.
Do you think you're good at recommending books on an individual level?
Yes. I mean, I have a bias, sure. But I'll recommend some books to some people and not to others because I do believe in individual taste. And it's because I have such a wide, vast, wonderful, all-encompassing, almost-transcending expertize with books that I can personalize it. I'm just that awesome.
Do you prefer YA to "adult" fiction?
Yes. I find most "adult" fiction dull. Like they're trying too hard, pointing their noses in the air, desperate to impress. And for some reason they find they need to be depressing. Like Atonement by Ian McEwan or The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. There's just no point to it. And it's not that I need happily-ever-afters--I don't really like most YA just because of that--but I like characters and their actions to make sense together. Plus, YA is just more fun to read, probably because they don't take themselves too seriously.
But, then again, I've read some way-too-chipper adult fiction (any chick-lit. Oh, how I hate chick-lit), some way-too-crappy YA (like Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and so much more), and I've fallen in love with some really great adult stuff (Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro). So it goes both ways. But I do lean towards YA.
Is it fair to say you hate things more often than you like them?
Hey! No judgment. But...yes, I guess. I mean, it takes a lot to "wow" me, but that's because I've been "wow"ed before. So most books I read I would consider okay while there's only a few that have been unforgettable.
So then let's get into favorites.
Okey-dokey.
Favorite YA?
Anything by Anna Godbersen. Seriously, she's amazing.
Favorite science fiction?
Michael Crichton. He makes it believable. To the point that I really don't understand why scientists haven't made dinosaurs yet. Seriously, people? He gave you the recipe!
Favorite fantasy?
Harry Potter.
Favorite so-called "paranormal?"
Yeah...really not my scene. But I loved the Midnighters series. Does that count?
Favorite dystopian?
Adult? Does Lord of the Flies count? I actually mostly hated 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. And teen? Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Now that's a cool world that didn't feel over-contrived.
Favorite series?
Ah! Don't do this to me! If it came down to it...probably HP. I just--I grew up on it, you know? Plus, it's one of the few that feels like it fits together. Everything has to be a series now--it's trendy--and I mostly hate it because they get so concerned with forcing out another book, the characters stop making sense. Like The Hunger Games. But I also love The Luxe series (let's see how many times I can bring that up), and Uglies (minus the 4th, which should have never been written).
Favorite contemporary YA?
I like the sort of dark, emotional stuff. Like Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher) was amazing. Or Before I Fall ( Lauren Oliver) had all the teen drama/romance but a good heart.
Favorite classic?
Emma by Jane Austen. That girl is like me, and I really, really wouldn't mind my own Mr. Knightly.
Favorite play?
Contemporary? I love A Raisin in the Sun. Classic? Shakespeare's Othello. It changed my life.
Favorite book you read in high school?
One that I hadn't read before, Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck). I tell you, I love being depressed or something. It's probably not healthy.
Or it could mean I'm so ecstatic in my reality, that my subconscious craves sad, moody despondency just to even things out. We'll go with that.
Favorite most-random-book? Like the one you shouldn't like, that doesn't really fit in with the rest of your favorites?
Um...The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I hate her other stuff, but I just love that one. It really doesn't make sense, and I can't tell you why, but I do.
Favorite non-fiction?
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Truly amazing.
Any last words?
I just love books. And I know I'm really not what you call an expert, but I am passionate and my taste does tend to align with those so-called experts. But, really, I just want more people to love reading, so I love suggesting things and having an opinion on new ones. And I love being a critic. I really do. Just telling people what to think--it's quite the power trip.
And you should all know that my snobbery is actually...mostly...half-hearted. So...any last questions?
Just one. Do you really think North Dakota is a government conspiracy?
I used to, but now I keep seeing things and hearing things that promise life actually does exist there. So either it's real or the government is just upping the ante in trying to fool us all.
