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J. A. Haag

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Everything posted by J. A. Haag

  1. I own this book but I'm really nervous to read it because of the mixed reviews I keep seeing of it. It's like if I choose not to try it out, I can still imagine that it will be great. Plus, I have the big soft cover so it looks really intimidating.
  2. I love the series to bits and I also keep an eye out for any interviews I can find of Diana Gabaldon. I think it's so cool that she had written Outlander as a "practice" but then decided to try to get it published and it became such a phenomena. If you haven't read her blog, I highly recommend it.
  3. Whenever I go to a used bookstore (usually a charity shop that also sells used clothes and the like) I pick up any books that I recognize from having heard them from elsewhere. A paperback is usually a dollar and a hardcover is two dollars.
  4. I've always wanted to attend a book festival but I've never been able to find one near me, in Vancouver. I haven't been to any book signings either. There were a few that I was eyeing in Seattle but it was always at an inconvenient time. But I am not going to lose hope. One day I will make it to a bookish event and I will enjoy myself immensely. Until then I live vicariously through others.
  5. I love it when I find scraps of paper that people have used as bookmarks in library books. It feels creepy to admit, but it's always funny to see someone having used a shopping list or something random. I have a few bookmarks but they are all being used in books that I have stopped reading and recently I have been leaving my books open when I'm not reading them because I haven't gotten any more.
  6. I will probably try to find it at a library somewhere. I loved the illustrations in A Monster Calls, and the possibility of seeing a new edition of Harry Potter is tempting. But as I'm starting university this year I don't have the money to be spending on these.
  7. Though it's reported that there are no plans for it to become a movie, I think that if it becomes popular enough that it could happen. Especially since Warner Bros have optioned the rights just in case. But if that doesn't happen I am sure that it will be filmed. Or something will happen so the play can be shared with many more people. There is no way that they would limit this play to London.
  8. When I was younger I read Rewind by Laura Dower. I don't want to say it scarred me because that seems a bit harsh but from what I remember it was the first time in my life where the main character was not only unlikable, but their entire life sucked. Until that point most of the books I read had the main character succeed in some way during the story even if it finished terribly for them. At the time I was shocked. On reflection I decided that it was weird and I didn't enjoy it so I should put it out of my mind so I can stop hoping that the main character will find some happiness. (I have a problem where no matter how horribly done a main character is, I will always support them.) But to understand this, I have to explain that the story was told in reverse so we see the conclusion at the beginning before moving back in time every chapter to see what happened before. This is a cool concept but it didn't work with this story because it was predictable and offered nothing more to the plot. Therefore, due to the stress this book put me under, I won't read anymore of Laura Dower's books.
  9. I have read 76 but have put aside approximately 5 that I hope to pick up eventually. My goal is to get to 100 books by the end of the year.
  10. A — Author You’ve Read The Most Books From: Even though it's a pseudonym, this has to be Nancy Drew. When I was younger I was obsessed with these books and have accumulated an enormous collection. B — Best Sequel Ever: I want to say A Court of Mist and Fury just because it stands out as so much better in contrast with the first book. There are many great sequels that are overshadowed by an amazing first book but for this one I liked the first one and loved the second. C — Currently Reading: I am in the middle of A Cuckoo's Calling my J. K. Rowling. I was hesitant to reading it because I didn't enjoy The Casual Vacancy by her but even though it is slow paced I am captivated by the characters and the story. D — Drink of Choice While Reading: It's either tea or water depending on the weather. E — E-Reader or Physical Book?: Physical book. I've found overtime that I get impatient with e-books and there are stories that I will hate when reading them on a screen but when I get it in physical copy I quite enjoy them. F — Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Dated in High School: I never picture myself with characters in books. I prefer to ship them with each other. G — Glad You Gave this Book a Chance: I was hesitant to read The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne because I struggle with classics but this book did not feel old in the slightest. The translator did an amazing job. I can't wait to read more by Verne. H — Hidden Gem Book: In recent years most of the books that I read are the big names ones that have gotten a lot of attention. If I have to give an answer it would be the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy pair-up books. I didn't discover these books until I was twelve, after having spent years reading both of them on their own, and my brain was blown. My first ship was Nancy Drew with Frank Hardy and the fact that there were hints of that in these books made me so happy. I — Important Moment in Your Reading Life: I have always read a lot but the moment I remember most clearly of instigating the most intense reading period of my life (grade 6) was The Fairest by Gail Carson Levine because I read the entire thing in one afternoon. Then during the entire year I would read minimum one book a day, hoarding them in my backpack during school so as soon as my school work was over I could read. J — Just Finished: I just finished The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins because, while it has been on my shelf for a long time now, I needed to read it before the movie came out. K – Kinds of Books You Won’t Read?: Any slow burning books that focus on family relationships or growing up. While they are great once and a while, I prefer more action. L – Longest Book You’ve Read: The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon has 1443 pages. M — Major Book Hangover: After reading books by Diana Gabaldon, Colleen Hoover, Cassandra Clare, J. K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson or Patrick Rothfuss. N — Number of Bookshelves You Own: I have three bookshelves, as well as books lining my windowsill and desk. O — One Book You’ve Read Multiple Times: I used to do a lot of rereading. My favourites were books by Cassandra Clare and Stephenie Meyer. P — Preferred Place to Read: On a lawn chair in the sun. Or anywhere by a lake. Camping is really my favourite spot. Q — Quote that Inspires You and Gives You All the Feels: Quotes are never that important to me. R — Reading Regret: I wish I could read a lot more classics. S — Series You’ve Started and Need to Finish: Some of the bigger ones are The Wheel of Time, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, and Runelords. All the others don't have all the books out so there is no way for me to complete them. T — Three of Your All Time Favorite Books: The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. U – Unapologetic Fangirl/boy for: I love Cassandra Clare books so much. They are so addictive. V — Very Excited for this Release More than Anything: Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss W — Worst Bookish Habit I buy used books without considering if I will actually be motivated enough to read them. When I buy them full price I always read them right away but it's when I only have to spend a couple dollars on them that I go crazy. X — X Marks the Spot – Start at the top of your shelf and pick the 27th book off it: Princess in Training by Meg Cabot. Y — Your Latest Book Purchase: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters Z — The Zzzzzzzzzzzzz Snatcher Book (Book That Kept You From Sleeping): The last one that I read that had this effect was The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.
  11. I wish that J. R. R. Tolkien could have written more. The Lord of the Rings is the biggest influence for fantasy stories so his creativity for even one more novel could have shaped so much of what we read now.
  12. I've read all the books out so far but I think I will stop now that the tv show is past them. I find his writing slow at times and it isn't until you get to the last quarter of his books that the action starts to pick up. The only reason I kept reading them was that they had more information that the tv show hadn't gotten to but now that I don't have to rely on them anymore I won't pick them up.
  13. I am really excited for Suicide Squad but there have been a lot of bad reviews lately so now I am starting to get nervous. I regret having read the reviews because even if there aren't any spoilers, I feel like I will be thinking about that when I watch the movie and it will hurt my experience. I'm also really excited for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Especially since JK Rowling has posted so much new content on Pottermore.
  14. It was pouring rain yesterday so there was no better time then to go to the theatres. I saw Jason Bourne with my dad and my brother. I could not be more excited. I have watched the original trilogy so many times (I don't acknowledge the fourth one with Jeremy Renner) and read the Bourne Identity. It did not disappoint. The action scenes were unbelievable in their scope and the coordination involved because they lasted for long periods of time.
  15. I enjoyed the Gone series but it was a little long for me. I read them as they were coming out and never bothered to reread the previous one so by marathoning them they might prove to be more enjoyable as you get the full experience. The ending is certainly satisfying. I also have a friend who loved this series.
  16. After seeing all the comments on this forum I am a little shocked because I read the books before watching the show and I remember really enjoying them. I could be because I was in my angsty teenage years, though. But I only read the main series. I think there have been spin off series with Stephen but I didn't bother reading them because I was done with vampires at that point. I remember there being some drama between LJ Smith and the tv show because (if I remember it all correctly) Smith was approached to write the series but something happened and she was kicked off the project.
  17. I love the Percy Jackson series but I found myself giving up on the longer one that followed it because even with the humour and adventures it didn't capture my attention. Would you say that it is more similar to Percy Jackson or the continuation series that came after it?
  18. I loved the Harry Potter series but I found myself really disappointed with this one. I scoured the internet to find how other people thought about it but it seemed fairly mixed. I don't know if it's because of the format of the script that made it hard for me to connect with the story. I have read other plays before and loved them but I found that one of the things I love about JK Rowling is the way she writes her novels so maybe it has influenced me. I had more to say but I don't walk to make this too long so I wrote more about in on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1544466112
  19. I read this on the thriller kick I had right after finishing Gone Girl and I loved it. I watched the movie as well but I definitely prefer the book.
  20. I read the entire series and I have to admit that I preferred the earlier ones. It took me a few tries over the years to finish all of the books and when I did I was unsatisfied. The ending was nowhere near what it should have been. So many questions were left unanswered. I'm not saying that you shouldn't read this, but get into it knowing that you won't be completely satisfied when you finish. I know that there are other books and additions that Snicket has written that might be able to answer some questions but I'm not convinced that it's worth it at this point.
  21. I always say that Patrick Rothfuss is my favourite but here is the full list: Brandon Sanderson Sarah J Maas Cassandra Clare J.K. Rowling Diana Gabaldon
  22. I've been reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It's an epic fantasy series that is quite long, one of the reasons it has taken me so long to finally read it. I'm currently on the second book and I don't understand why it took me so long to pick it up as it is amazing!
  23. For some I reason I didn't enjoy A Darker Shade of Magic, though I hope to try it again in the future. Though everything I've heard about Vicious has been fantastic. Which one would you say is your favourite?
  24. I was obsessed with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. There was a used bookstore near a campground we used to go to when I was younger so I would always go in there and buy the old paperback editions. My first ship was Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy. When I discovered that there were books with them together... the first moment of true happiness in my life. The book that spurred me on to read constantly had to be Fairest by Cail Carson Levine. I am embarrassed to say that I have never read Ella Enchanted, I've only watched the movie a bajillion times and loved it, but it has always made me feel guilty to say that I haven't read the book.
  25. When vampires are done in the same vein (get it?) as Twilight or The Vampire Diaries I tend to get tired of them really quickly. There was a period in my life where all I read were those types of books so I don't think I will be able to look at another one like that for years. The same goes for werewolves. If an author were to take a different approach on the mythos, or impress me with their writing or story I would for sure try reading them again. I am reading a vampire book right now but it's not captivating me at all. Zombies can be a tricky genre for me because most of those books tend to be the same thing. They are running away from the monsters while the world around them is falling to pieces. These books always end the same, because there is no other way for it to conclude. I read a series a while back called Hater by David Moody that was very interesting and encouraged me to give the genre another try.
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