I found this on It’s All About Books.  Suey found it from Booking Through Thursday.  It’s very similar to the last tag I did; but, it does have some different questions so I thought I’d join in.

What is your favorite childhood book?
I wasn’t much of a reader when I was a child.  However, I loved it when my dad would read My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett to me.  I also loved Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

What are you reading right now?
I’m going through my reread of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I’m almost done and then I’ll reread Catching Fire so I’m ready for Mockingjay on Tuesday! I know I’m cutting it close.

What books do you have on request at the library?
If I don’t have the money to buy a new release, then I’ll usually get on the wait list so I can read it.

Do you have any bad book habits?
I don’t think so.  I’m usually very nice to my books.  I guess you could count that if an atomic blast went off near me while I was reading and the fact that I wouldn’t notice it as a bad book/reading habit.

What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing.

Do you have an e-reader?
No, but I’d like a Kindle.

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?
I read one book at a time.  However, because it’s taking me so long to get through The Fellowship of the Ring, I have put it aside to reread The Hunger Games.  But, I don’t read them concurrently.

Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Nope.  The only thing that has changed is how I review them.  I use to just say that I liked or didn’t like a book.  Now, I go into the details of why I like or don’t like a book.

What is your least favorite book you’ve read this year (so far)?
I haven’t read a lot this year, unfortunately.  But, I guess if I had to choose, it would be The Left-Handed Book by James T. deKay.  I didn’t hate it or anything; I just enjoyed the other books I’ve read more.

What is your favorite book you’ve read this year?
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater and Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not very often, but I have been trying with The Lord of the Rings.

What is your reading comfort zone?
I love young adult (YA) because they’re clean.

Can you read on the bus?
I’ve never tried, but I can’t read in the car so I doubt it.  I can read on a sailboat, though.

Where is your favorite place to read?
The bathtub

What is your policy on book lending?
I’m very cautious with who’ll I’ll loan my books to.  And, I don’t loan my Twilight Saga books to anyone because they’re signed.  I also don’t loan my Harry Potter books to anyone because I experience separation anxiety.

Do you ever dog-ear books?
The thought repulses me!

Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
I did in The Hobbit because it’s a paperback version and I thought I was going to take a class this summer that would make me analyze the death out of it.  Prior to that, never.

Not even with textbooks?
Textbooks aren’t real books. Writing in them doesn’t count.

What is your favorite language to read in?
I’ve read a few books in Spanish and French, but it’s hard for me to follow sometimes.  I feel like a kid in grade school again.  I have much higher reading comprehension in English.

What makes you love a book?
A fantastic story, amazing characters, and good writing; however, most of the time, I do prefer story more than prose.

What will inspire you to recommend a book?
See the answer to the previous question.

What is your favorite genre?
I love YA, clean romance, fantasy, and mystery the most.

What genre do you rarely read (but wish you did)?
I’m not sure there’s an actual genre that encompasses all the classics, but I wish I read more classics.  I’m trying to implement a two classics per year rule.

What is your favorite biography?
Both of the biographies I’ve read (that weren’t mixed with fictional elements) were inspirational and I don’t think I can choose between them.  The first is The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.  And, the other is Night by Elie Wiesel.

Have you ever read a self-help book?
Yes, three: Body-for-Life by Bill Phillips, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson MD, and Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard.

What is your favorite cookbook?
I don’t cook from a cookbook very often.  I normally cook from family recipes (if I cook at all).

Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Night by Elie Wiesel

What is your favorite reading snack?
I try not to eat when I read.  Otherwise, I’d overeat.

Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I’ve never had a book ruined by hype before.

How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Not very often because they’re looking at literary elements and I primarily look at story.

How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don’t mind at all.

If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
I have no desire to read in a foreign language, even though I love languages.

What is the most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

What is the most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
There are many.  I can’t name just one.

Who is your favorite Poet?
I don’t have a favorite poet.  I don’t like poetry because I don’t get it.

How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Two or three

How often have you returned a book to the library unread?
A few times only because I’ll renew the book so I can have more time.

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series

Who is your favorite fictional villain?
Voldemort from the Harry Potter series

What books are you most likely to bring on vacation?
I’ll bring the current book I’m reading and the next in line.

What is the longest you’ve gone without reading?
If you count my childhood and the time I was in junior high and high school, then years.  If you count from the time I found my passion to read, then a couple of weeks.

Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward and the first book in the Psy/Changelings series by Nalini Singh

What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
My husband ( ), the TV (sometimes), and loud noises

What is your favorite film adaptation of a novel?
This is a hard question because I’m very nit picky about movies that were books first, but I’d have to say the newest version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because it followed the book so well.

Most disappointing film adaptation?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

How much is the most you’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
If you don’t count textbooks, then around $100.

How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I only skim books that are too intense for me and I need to know if everything’s going to work out.  However, I force myself not to skim the last book in a series.  I want to be surprised from beginning to end, even if I’m hyperventilating during the entire process.

What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
The only reason I’ve stopped reading a book since I found my passion to read is extremely graphic sex.

Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes, not only in physical form, but on the Internet too.

Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I keep them unless I didn’t enjoy the book.

Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Most of the paranormal romance novels that my friends read because they’re too racy.

Name a book that made you angry.
Only scenes in books have made me angry.  I’ve never had an entire book make me angry.

Name a book you didn’t expect to like but did.
Freshman for President by Ally Condie, My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter, and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Name a book that you expected to like but didn’t.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  It’s not that I didn’t like it; I was just disappointed by it.

What is your favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter series

I saw this Q&A at Bibliobabe and I had to join in because it looked too fun to pass up.  If you’ve posted this, too, leave a comment with a link to your answers.

Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?
I normally don’t snack when I read.  I have a fear of getting food or crumbs on my books.  And, I snack enough other times that I really shouldn’t snack when I read.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read? Or, does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I never marked in my books until last semester.  My teacher taught us to annotate our books so that we could pick up the themes and connections better.  I still don’t like to mark in my regular books, but it’s a must for my textbooks now.  I might use Post-it notes in my books from now on because I really want to see how much more I’d get out of a book if I paid attention to certain things.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book open?
Bookmarks.  I don’t like the idea of dog-earring my pages.  It makes me cringe.  I have about 20 (or so) bookmarks that I cycle through depending on my mood.  Right now, I’m using a magnet bookmark that says, “All the wonders you seek are within yourself.”

Do you prefer fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I prefer fiction, but I have read a few non-fiction books.  Non-fiction books can be good, but it really depends on how dry they are.  I hate encyclopedia-esque books.  They’re just too boring to me and I don’t want them to turn me off of reading.  Maybe, I’ll appreciate them someday.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I have to read to the end of the chapter.  I hate stopping in the middle.  I will stop if I absolutely have to, but I don’t like it.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
I’ve never done that to a book.  Besides, I’m very easy to please.  Although, I did want to scream when I first read the Great Dog Snog in Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.  I was so angry, but thankfully, my friend Ouisa encouraged me to keep going and I was happy I did.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
I used to and then I stopped.  However, I’m getting back in the habit again because it’s necessary to keep up in my English classes.

What are you currently reading?
Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador’s Gate by KSR Kingworth (aka Karey Shane).

What is the last book you bought?
I bought five books on Saturday thanks to an awesome coupon I had for Borders.  I bought Elantris, the Mistborn trilogy, and The Lovely Bones.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I read one book at a time.  I can’t read more than one because I get the storylines mixed up.  I also like to be immersed into the world I’m reading about so jumping from world to world doesn’t allow me to do that as well.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
Yes and no.  I love to read any time of the day, and I’ll read anywhere.  However, I love to read in the tub because both are so relaxing.

Do you prefer series or stand-alone books?
I tend to read series, but I like both.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  They’re awesome books and I think everyone should read them.  Not only are the stories interesting and fun, but they have great social morals too.

How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)?
I organize my books alphabetically by author, then alphabetically by series name, then chronologically in series order, and finally alphabetically by title for stand-alone books.

My friend Kayla and her sister Shauna, over at 1 + 1 = FUN, tagged me to receive the Beautiful Blogger Award. Thanks so much for passing this award on to me!

Kayla and Shauna have their own private blogs, but they felt like they were missing out on the fun that blogging can be.  They decided to start a public blog together–they didn’t want to maintain two blogs so they settled for maintaining one and a half blogs. Anyway, their blog is a lot of fun to read because they’re hilarious and they always interact with the reader, something I’m not very good at.  I definitely recommend checking it out!

The rules of the award are: list seven things about yourself, link back to the person that gave you the award, and pass the award on to seven other bloggers.

I’m going to attempt to tell you seven things about me that you don’t already know.  The key word in that previous sentence is attempt as you probably know more about me than you ever wanted to or thought possible.

1. Even though I’m a cat lover, I have always wanted a small dog but not enough to not have a cat.
2. I want to breed llamas.  If I ever get the chance, I’d name each llama with an L name and pronounce it like there’s a double L (e.g. L-larry or L-lucy), and I’d make my own yarn from them.  Until then, I’m content with naming the llamas in the surrounding neighborhoods.
3. I love to play with Slinkies, but inevitably I always do something to get them tangled up.  I’m not allowed to play with them anymore.
4. When I was nine, I dreamed that my brother-in-law Brett murdered my entire family.  I wouldn’t go near him for three months.
5. I’m a scary movie junkie, but only if I’m not alone or won’t be alone within the following week.
6. I didn’t learn how to whistle until I was in high school, and I still can’t whistle a tune because it’s barely more than just air being blown out of my mouth.
7. I hate tire swings, or anything that spins in circles for that matter, because they make me sicker than a pregnant woman in her first trimester.

I tag the following seven bloggers:

1. Andrea
2. Aymee
3. Brodi–You don’t have to post seven things about you because I know you still haven’t finished your list of 25 things.
4. Christie
5. Jenifer
6. Luisa
7. Rachel

PS–Don’t forget to click the “Subscribe to this post’s comments” link so you’re notified when I (or even someone else) replies.  (Click here for instructions if you need them.)

Because I love tags so much, I’ve decided to make up one of my own.  I got this idea from Facebook.  There’s an application on Facebook, Living Social, that lets you pick your top five things in any given category.  I think it’s quite fun because it makes you think and you get to know your friends through their likes and dislikes.  Anyway, I thought this would be a fun tag so I’ve chosen my top five categories.  We’ll see how well it catches on.

5 Things I Don’t Leave the House Without

1. Cell phone
2. Keys
3. Purse
4. Clothes
5. Book

5 Cartoons I Watched When I was Younger

1. Inspector Gadget
2. Scooby-Doo
3. Voltron: Defender of the Universe
4. The Smurfs
5. Tiny Toon Adventures

5 Things that Terrify Me

1. Spiders
2. Norman Bates
3. The Grudge
4. Chucky
5. Being Alone

5 Things I Hate that Everyone Else Seems to Like

1. Seinfeld
2. Pizza
3. Cheesecake
4. Smutty Books
5. Watching Sports on TV

5 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Go to Japan
2. Write a Book
3. Finish School
4. Visit all the LDS Temples
5. Meet Ewan McGregor

I’m going to tag five specific people.  However, if you want to do this tag and I didn’t tag you, please feel free to do so.   I tag Aymee, Christie, Debbie, Kayla, and LeAnn.

My friend Debbie gave me this award for my blog.  It’s the first award I’ve ever been given.  Thanks, Debbie!

This award has four requirements:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and list his/her blog (with a link).
2. Pass on the award to seven other people whose blogs you find brilliant in content or design.
3. Notify the bloggers you choose for the award and hopefully they’ll join in.
4. List 10 honest things about yourself and post a copy of the Honest Scrap Logo on your blog.

I wish I could give the award back to Debbie because I love reading her blog so much. This was really hard to decide who to pass on the award to.  There are so many blogs I enjoy reading.  However, I have chosen the following seven people to receive this award:

1. Ali & Tyler: Ali and Tyler are our best friends and their kids are my three favorite kids in the whole world.  There’s nothing better than seeing pictures of Jack, Sheridan, and Henry, or reading about something funny they did.  Okay, spending time with them is better, but if I can’t do that, then seeing their pictures or reading about them is a good second best.  Ali also has a great sense of humor, which you can definitely sense in her posts.
2. Alysa: She’s one of my friends and has two blogs I like to read.  I’m giving the award to her blog known as Everead.  Alysa reads a million books a year.  Okay, I exaggerated a tad bit, but she reads a ton and always posts reviews about her books.  Most of the books she reads are children’s or YA books.  I think her reviews are really helpful and I know a lot of parents would appreciate them.
3. Ashley & Jordan: Ashley is Corey’s cousin and I enjoy reading her blog a lot.  She always has fun stuff to read.  I get to read about her family and the crafts she likes to do.  And, even though those are fun to read, I also get to read fun, little tidbits about the things she likes to do or finds interesting.  To me, getting to read about stuff other than one’s family or favorite crafts is what makes a blog interesting.  I get to know the person a little more this way.
4. Brodi Ashton: She’s an upcoming author and I love to read her blog.  She’s hilarious!  I always look forward to her posts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  (She has a blogging schedule.)  They always brighten my day because of her creativity and wackiness.  If you choose to follow her blog, she’ll give you a free YA book of your choosing.
5. Corey: Even though Corey doesn’t update his blog very much and sometimes his content’s a little questionable, I enjoy reading his blog because he likes to post funny anecdotes in the form of videos, stories, and poems.
6. Jules: She’s one of my friends and has two blogs I like to read.  I’m giving the award to her blog known as Knowing Better.  It’s all about her struggle to lose weight.  I’ve realized by reading her blog that everyone goes through the things I’ve gone through and it gives me encouragement to keep going.  It’s very inspiring to read!
7. Rachel & Don: Rachel’s one of my friends and I think she’s one of the smartest people I know.  I love reading her blog because she’s so insightful, funny, and always posts good book reviews.  She definitely has a way with words and I love to read them.

Now, for the ten truths about me.  I’m going to try to come up with different things than what I’ve posted before.

1. I put ketchup on my mashed potatoes because I hate gravy, unless it’s biscuits and gravy and only biscuits and gravy without sausage.
2. I usually have to be talked into going places.  I love hanging out with my friends, but for some reason, I have a hard time going.  Usually when I hear about a party or outing, I’m all gung ho about going.  Then, the day comes and I always come up with excuses for not going.  Luckily, Corey knows this about me and usually talks me back into going.
3. I’ve never been to a concert.  When I say concert, I mean a concert for a musical group like Green Day, Linkin Park, etc.  But, I have been to plenty of performances that one might call a concert.
4. I think everyone’s out to get me.  If someone is upset or has a not-so-happy facial expression, the first thing I think is, “What did I do to make him/her upset?” or, “Why doesn’t he/she like me?”  I always have to talk myself out of those thoughts and realize that even if I did do something to make someone upset, I need to wait for them to tell me they’re upset instead of worrying about something that may not be fact.
5. I haven’t crocheted for almost a year.  I love to crochet, but for some reason, I can’t get myself to do it right now.  It’s sad because I have three or four unfinished afghans.  Sorry to those of you who still haven’t received yours.
6. I love to be weird!  Today, while Corey and I were running errands, I was drinking bottled water that was slightly frozen.  I caught the still frozen part in my mouth and made a sound.  Corey proceeded to ask me, “Is it stuck to your tongue or your lips?”  I shook my head and said, “I just wanted to catch it in my mouth.”
7. I’d love to be nominated for How Do I Look? or What Not to Wear.  (This isn’t a plea for you to nominate me; I’m just stating a fact.)
8. I don’t mind doing laundry.  I just hate to fold the clothes once they’re clean and dry.
9. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
10. When I observed a dental office for a day, I really enjoyed watching patients get their teeth pulled, get a root canal, or have implants put in.  I really thought about becoming a dental assistant for a couple of months, but I’ve decided that it’d get old after a while.

I was tagged last week by my friend Leah Marie, but I forgot to do it.  I’m repenting and doing it now!

The rules of this tag are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Share seven things about you that people may not know already.
3. Tag seven people to share seven things about themselves.

I love tags and I love sharing things about myself.  However, this one’s going to be difficult, even though it’s just seven things, because I’ve already shared so much on my blog.  I’ll try not to repeat.

1. This is the first time I’ve ever been consistent about losing weight.  I’ve gone on “diets” before, but I always stopped doing them about a week after.  I’ve been living my healthy lifestyle for nine weeks now and I’ve lost 13 pounds!
2. I’ve never read more than one book at a time.  I think it’s cool that people can read different books at a time, but I just can’t.  I like to concentrate on one story.
3. I went to three different elementary schools, two of them during the fifth grade.  I also went to three different middle schools.
4. I’ve been put out by anesthesia three times.  The first time was to have my wisdom teeth removed.  The second was for a medical D and C.  And, the third was for sinus surgery.
5. I’ve never listened to a book on tape/CD before.  I tried to listen to The Book of Mormon once, but my mind wanders a lot so I have a hard time concentrating if I’m not doing the actual reading. (Heck, sometimes I have trouble when I’m reading too.)  However, I’m going to try to listen to the Harry Potter series and the Twilight Saga since I know them so well.
6. I used to listen to Garth Brooks, Blackhawk, and Tim McGraw.  Now, I can’t stand country and wonder what I ever “heard” in the music.  (Although, I’ll admit, I do still like one song by Blackhawk–”Goodbye Says It All”–probably because it’s more pop than country and it has good harmony.)
7. I like to draw, but I’m not very good at it.  I can look at cartoon-type drawings and copy them really well, but I’m not creative enough to come up with my own designs.  When I was about 14 years old, I drew a picture of Belle from Beauty and the Beast from a picture of her on a kid’s cup.  I could never get her face right.  I still have the drawing and it’s still faceless.

I tag Amber, Ashley, Debbie, Christie, Jen, Kayla, and Meagan.

Happy birthday, Havilah!

My friend Debbie sent this to me because she saw it on her friend’s blog and thought I’d like doing it.  I like tags and I love music so this works great.  When she first sent it to me, I hadn’t read the rules yet and I thought I had to come up with the songs on my own!  I thought it was going to be pretty tough.  Lucky for me, it’s just an iPod Shuffle thing.

Rules

1. Put your iPod on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the Next button to get your answer.
3. Write down the name of the song, even if it sounds silly.  (I decided to skip soundtrack song titles because they don’t make any sense at all.)
4. If you want to make any comments about the song, put them in parentheses after the song name.
5. Tag five other people to do it too.

Playlist

1. If someone says, “Is this okay?,” you say: “Trust Me” by The Fray
2. How would you describe yourself? “(Rock) Superstar” by Cypress Hill
3. What do you like in a girl/guy? “Pardon Me” by Incubus
4. How do you feel today? “Be Like That” by 3 Doors Down
5. What is your life’s purpose? “Castaway” by Green Day
6. What is your motto? “Unintended” by Muse
7. What do your friends think of you? “I’m Taking You With Me” by Relient K
8. What do you think of your parents? “Waste” by Smash Mouth
9. What do you think about often? “The Carpal Tunnel of Love” by Fall Out Boy
10. What is 2+2? “Brass Monkey” by Beastie Boys
11. What do you think of your best friend? “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard
12. What do you think of the person you like/your significant other? “Everything’s New” by Brett Raymond
13. What is your life story? “The Best Deceptions” by Dashboard Confessional
14. What do you want to be when you grow up? “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” from Hooked on Christmas
15. What do you think of when you see the person you like/your significant other? “The Fragile” by Nine Inch Nails
16. What will/did you dance to at your wedding? “My Funny Valentine” by Michael Buble
17. What will they play at your funeral? “Make Me Lose Control” by Eric Carmen
18. What is your hobby/interest? “Letting You” by Nine Inch Nails
19. What is your biggest fear? “The Acid Queen” by The Who
20. What is your biggest secret? “I Don’t Trust Myself (Without Loving You)” by John Mayer
21. What do you think of your friends? “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel
22. What song would you have played during your first kiss? “I’m Your Angel” by Celine Dion
23. What should you title this post? “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day