BTT: Different Kind of Romance

Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Who and what about them did you love?

This question made me smile.

“Love” is probably too strong a word but I’ve had a crush on more than a few fictional characters over the years. I think my very first lit crush was Joe Hardy of the Hardy Boys detective series. Why? Probably because he was blonde and impetuous. After him came a long line of fictional detectives, the latest being the Benedict Cumberbatch incarnation of Sherlock Holmes.  Who would have thought that high-functioning sociopath could be so attractive?

My non-detective lit crush would be Helen Fielding’s Mark Darcy for being man enough to tell boyfriend-stealing Rebecca “I need Bridget.”

BTT: Sequel

If you could get a sequel for any book, what would it be?

This is an interesting question for me since most of the books I read are parts of a series.

I think the most recent stand-alone book I’ve read that I really wish had a sequel is Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I want to know what happens after Dash and Lily finally meet. Does each live up to the others expectation of the person behind the words in the red notebook? But as much as I want a sequel to this book, it’s probably best that there isn’t one.

BTT: Age-Appropriate

Do you read books “meant” for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks … You know … books not “meant” for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?

As a child, most of the books I read were age-appropriate because my parents were pretty careful about what I read. But as I grew up, I never stopped reading children’s books. About a third to maybe half of the books I read every year are categorized as young adult. In fact,  I am more adventurous in my young adult reading than in my age-appropriate choices.

BTT: Serial

Series? Or Stand-alone books?

I love stand-alone books but I love books that are part of a series. I love the comfort, familiarity and sense of anticipation that a series brings.

BTT: Ground Floor

There is something wonderful about getting in on the ground floor of an author’s career – about being one of the first people to read and admire them, before they became famous best-sellers. Which authors have you been lucky enough to discover at the beginning of their careers? And, if you’ve never had that chance, which author do you WISH you’d been able to discover at the very beginning?

Most, if not all, of the authors I have discovered at the ground floor of their careers have been young adult authors simply because my friend Kitkat is an excellent buyer of YA books. She is passionate about her job and loves to share her new discoveries. Some of the authors she has led me to before they became famous include Stephenie Meyer, Joseph Delaney and Cassandra Clare.

As for authors I wish I had read from their beginnings, I can’t say there’s really anyone I’m not happy to be reading at this point in their careers. In fact, I am happier to discover a new author when s/he has already written several books, especially if that author writes a series. That way I don’t have to wait for their next book to be released.

BTT: Firsts

Do you remember the first book you bought for yourself? Or the first book you checked out of the library? What was it and why did you choose it?

I’m not really sure if this was the first book I bought for myself but the first book I remember being really proud of buying was a children’s biography of President John F. Kennedy. I bought because I was at the beginning of my obsession with the late president and we didn’t have any books him about at home.

After I had bought the book I had to wait for my mom at the department store so I took out the book to read and I remember one sales lady telling another how she wished her daughter read such serious books. Part of me was mortified that even strangers saw me as the nerd that I really was but the another part of me was quite proud.