Fun Post: Book Tag!!

Hello, Everyone!

I hope you all are having an absolutely lovely week so far! :) Today's post is kind of a diversion, a little different than my normal posts. It is a book tag, started by Lauren at One Bright Corner, (awesome blog, by the way), and then tagged to me by Kimberly at Peculiar on Purpose. (Also awesome! :) Since I currently work at a library, and do read a lot, I thought it would be fun. And just for the record, I read because I enjoy it, not because of my job. (You would be astounded at the amount of times people have asked me if I just read the whole time I'm at work. Like seriously? That's like asking someone at JCP if they just try on clothes all day for fun.) Small disclaimer, it is assumed that God's Word is not included in these questions. If I say a book is "in my top three" for example, that does not include the Bible among them. God's Word is on a plane entirely it's own, so I'm just going to answer these tag questions about non-Scripture books. :)

I think I'm supposed to start this off by talking about when I first fell in love with reading. But to be perfectly honest, I can't...because I really don't remember. I have loved reading ever since I can remember. From sounding out "Pat the Bunny" in St. Louis, with my grandma, to reading every horse novel I could get my hands on in Fossil, Oregon, to now, (three moves in four years later), when I read a wide variety of stuff. (When I have time to read, that is. ;) So here goes: the book tag extrodinaire.

1. Name a book you're embarrassed to say you haven't read yet.

Umm...that's a toughie, cause there are quite a few, I'm sure. I've actually never read "Through Gates of Splendor" all the way through, which I feel like pretty much everyone else has read and enjoyed. Just never got around to it, I guess.

2. What's the strangest thing you've ever used as a bookmark?

I dunno. I tend to be a page cornerer, myself. I know, I know, that's awful, but I really only corner the pages a tiny bit!! I do remember grabbing a sock once to hold the book while I got a drink. I guess that counts. :P

3. Look at your bookshelf. What's the first book you see with a yellow spine?

"In the Field of Grace" by Tessa Afshar. Amazing author, amazing book. Seriously. It's a retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth. So good! The ONLY thing I don't care for about Ms. Afshar is that she doesn't use KJV when she quotes Scripture. :( 

4. If you could have one new book from a deceased author, who would it be?

E.D.E.N Southworth or Louisa May Alcott. Both childhood staples of mine!! (Still are staples today.;) Oh oh, or E. Nesbit!!! Or another Narnia installment...oh man. This could go on for way too long.

5. Name an author who deserves more readership. 

I'd have to say E.D.E.N. Southworth again. Her books "Ishmael" and "The Hidden Hand" just never, EVER grow old to me!!! I have read those two at least 6 times each in the last few years. Such, such riveting books.

6. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Again...I'm a horrible person and corner pages. ;P If I'm actually going to use something, I'll grab whatever is handy. Like a sock, for example.

7. Can you stop anywhere in the book, or do you have to finish the chapter?

I can pretty much stop anywhere if it's a book I've read before. If it is a new one, I usually like to get to the end of the chapter before I break, if possible. If not, I at least have to get to a good paragraph end/division point.

8. One book at a time or several?

Usually, several. I have no problem switching between books, though I know some people hate that. If it's a truly incredible book, one that I haven't previously read, I will stick to it until I'm done. (Which is usually ridiculously fast if I love it that much. I've been known to stay up until rather pathetic hours of the morning reading. Yes, I said morning for a reason. XD)

9. Do you read ahead or skip pages?

Depends. New book, absolutely not. Re-read, possibly, if there's a part I either know extremely well, or don't particularly care for. I'll just kinda skim it to get it over with.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I am so weird. As I was typing that question, the first thought that popped into my head was "HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF SOMEONE BROKE YOUR SPINE?!" Heh. Anyway, now that you have a random glimpse of Mykaela's crazy side. :P If I actually have a new book, which is really rare, I will keep it nice for as long as I can, or until I want to read it while working out. In which case, it must needs be done, for the good of all. 

11. What books do you regret reading?

"Though Waters Roar" by Lynn Austin. I have read other books by this author, and enjoyed them, but somehow this one REALLY just did not do it for me! The storyline was difficult to follow, because there were SO many jumps back and forth between time periods. There was also such a very little bit of the salvation message portrayed, it was just sad. (She's done a fairly good job of that in some other books!) It was, overall, just kind of depressing and weird. :( I kept hoping it would redeem itself, but it didn't.

12. On average, how many books do you read per year?

I have no clue. Maybe 30-50? Somewhere in there?

13. What book could you read hundreds of times and never get tired of?

"The Atonement Child" by Francine Rivers. It has to be in my top three books, hands down. I love it soooooooooo much!!!!!

14. What's the biggest lesson you've learned from a book?

I don't think this is the biggest lesson, but it's a good one for me...From Chuck Black's "Wars of the Realm" series, I learned to take spiritual warfare seriously. Angels and demons are just as real as you and I, and just because I can't see the battle that's transpiring around me, does NOT mean it doesn't exist. Those books were not only so incredibly good I couldn't put them down, and have read them coming up on a dozen times, but also they just made me look at things in a new way as I lived my daily life.

15. What's the most recent book you've read?

"The Treasure Seekers" by Edith Nesbit. This is maybe the fourth time I've read it, and the writing is just so fun! She has a way of writing her "children's" books that somehow seems to grow up with you--I'm reading them again as an adult, and I'm just now "getting" new jokes and fun little tidbits from her books that went over my head as a kid. (Nothing inappropriate or anything!! Just cute hidden satire and/or sarcasm that I didn't quite get when I was younger.)

16. What quote from any book will you never forget? Why is it significant?

I'm not going to list all of my favorite Bible verses right now, because I don't think that's what it's asking for. ;) One of them is Psalm 18:2, though. 

This might sound strange, but the emphasis of words in this quote from the Mark of the Lion series (Francine Rivers), is almost as important as the words themselves. In the scene, a Roman master is confused as to why her faith is so all-consuming to this Christian slave girl. He asks her, "Why do you give up everything you want to serve this God you have never even seen?!" Or something to that effect. Her reply:

"Because He is God, Marcus! He is God!" 

I don't know exactly why this quote is so powerful to me, but the way she emphasizes the words hits me every time. We serve God because He IS God. He is GOD! There is nothing greater, better, stronger, holier, or purer than Him! He is the superlative of every good word or attribute we could apply to His name! Anyway, that was a long answer, but it means a lot to me. :)

17. How many books do you own?

*runs away to try to count, even though most of my books are in storage boxes somewhere*

Somewhere around 60, as near as I can figure it. I know, it's not that many. I have a lot more on Kindle, or from the library, but those don't really count for this question. ;)

18. Of the past year, what's the greatest book you've read?

Probably "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare, and "Land of Silence" by Tessa Afshar. Yeah, I know. I like her a lot. ;) She has only written 5 books so far, and I am dying for her to write more!!!!

~~~~~

Well, there you have it! That was a really fun tag for me to participate in, and I hope you enjoyed it as well! Sorry it got so long. If you enjoyed it, I'd love to see your answers to it as well...if you decide to do it, link your post in the comments! Thanks to Kimberly and Lauren for a fun post idea. :) God bless you all as you serve Him this week!

Mykaela

P. S. I am flying out this Saturday to see Kimberly!!! Ahhh! So very excited to spend some time with her in Oklahoma and Missouri during the next couple weeks. So if I'm a bit late on the Sunday Snippets due to being in a plane at the time, please bear with me. ;) It may be a Monday or Tuesday snippet, but it will come. :)