ABC Survey

A: Author You’ve Read the Most Books From -

• Thing 1: That's pretty tough, because once I find an author I like, I read and buy and horde as many of their books as I can.  It is tied between Sarah Dessen, Diana Gabaldon, Clive Cussler, Marguerite Henry.  I'm horrible with that.  I just have to scour every second hand bookstore I can find or Amazon so I can buy anything I can get my hands on. :) 
• Thing 2: Sarah Dessen or J.K. Rowling. I'm not always a teenage girl but sometimes I like to read like one. 

B: Best Sequel Ever –

• Thing 1: That's a tough one. I love books that are series and I love sequels. But I think my most favorite sequel ever would have to be Stormy, Misty's Foal- Margaurite Henry.  A classic I will always love and adore. 
• Thing 2: I can not think of a book I've read where it's just two books. So I will go with my favorite in a series- Prisoner of Azkaban. 

C: Currently Reading –

• Thing 1: I am currently reading 4 books.  They are Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- Seth Grahame-Smith, Ganymede- Cherie Priest, Outlander- Diana Gabaldon, Walt Disney: An American Original- Bob Thomas, and last but not least, Girls in White Dresses- Jennifer Close.  I can't read just one book. 
• Thing 2: Mere Christianity- C.S. Lewis, adding more in the near future....as in tomorrow.

D: Drink of Choice While Reading –

• Thing 1:  I don't really have liquids or food near me when I'm reading, unless I'm in class or at the library.  But if I do, it would either be water, a white chocolate ice blended, or a tropical passion iced tea from The Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf.
• Thing 2: Tea all the way! I have a slight addiction to jasmine green tea but any will do (green, herbal, black, I love it all!). Sometimes a good cup of coffee but for the most part I like to unwind, not wind up while I read.

E: E-reader or Physical Book? -.

• Thing 1: PHYSICAL BOOK!  E-readers don't have the same feel, weight, texture, OR SMELL!  Yes.  I know that can sound kind of strange, but I love the smell of books.  Provided they weren't in some kid's smelly gym bag before his mother sold them to the bookstore.  I also love having full  bookshelves.  I love being able to see all the different worlds I can, and have, visited. 
• Thing 2: Having one e-reader isn't as impressive as my tower of boxes that I have to move to every new place with me.

F: Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School –

      •Thing 1:  Ohhhhhh man. There was always more than one I really loved. I don't think Mr. Darcy would have ever given me the time of day, but I wouldn't have said no if he had ever asked. I also loved Owen, from Just Listen- Sarah Dessen as well as Wes from The Truth About Forever- Sarah Dessen. 

      •Thing 2: Definitely Dexter from Sarah Dessen's This Lullaby. I was all about that lanky, awkward, musician type.

G: Glad You Gave This Book a Chance –

      •Thing 1: I am very glad I gave Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculilar Children- Ransom Riggs a chance. I wasn't too sure about it, more skeptical than anything.  It sounded...different. But I took a chance on it anyway and it has found it's way onto my bookshelf of greatly loved books.  

      •Thing 2: Every book I've ever read. I learn something from them all. Even if it taught me something I don't like in books. On in particular would be Smilla's Sense of Snow. I'm not a big mystery fan but I really enjoyed this!

H: Hidden Gem Book –

      •Thing 1: My hidden gem book is always changing. I am always finding random books in the strangest places. The most recent book I've found, and loved, The Boneman's Daughters- Ted Dekker. It was in the clearance bargain bin at my local Half Price Bookstore and I had to dig. But let me tell you.  It was more than worth it.

      •Thing 2: 

I: Important Moment in Your Reading Life-  

     •Thing 1:  I've had so many moments in my life of reading. But, honestly, I don't think the most important one has arrived yet. 

•Thing 2: Is it cheating if I say when I learned to read? If it is then I'll go with when I first discovered reading could be fun. Thank you amazing teachers!!

J: Just Finished –

     •Thing 1: I just finished Outlander- Diana Gabladon, for the 8th time. I can't get enough of that book. 

 •Thing 2: Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern. Wait never mind. I'm going to re-read it right now.

K: Kinds of Books You Won’t Read -. 

     •Thing 1:  I don't really get into erotica. Not my thing. Most non fiction books are less appealing as well. Just about anything else I'll give a try!

    •Thing 2: Mystery takes a lot of convincing for me to get into. It has to come highly recommended multiple times for me to even consider it. I really read just about anything. Or Twilight. Don't even get me started.

L: Longest Book You’ve Read - 

     • Thing 1:  The longest book I've ever read was The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas. The unabridged version. It is also on my top 10 best books of all time. 

•Thing 2: Harry Potter. 

M: Major Book Hangover Because Of –

     •Thing 1:  the last major book hangover I had was reading Insurgiant- Veronica Roth. I won't give anything away in case you haven't read it, but man, it got me. And I couldn't stop thinking about it and mulling it over.  

•Thing 2: Thing 1 took my first thought. That is the end of a series so I will point out you have extra books to become attached to. So my last stand alone book hangover would be Night Circus. I want to be a part of that world so badly!!!!

N: Number of Bookcases You Own –

     •Thing 1:  I own 5 bookcases and have over 20 feet in bookshelf space on my wall. It's 99% full. :3

•Thing 2: In my room growing up I had a wall. 10' long and 8'tall....filled. But when I moved out for college I had to sell some (children's books and ones I wasn't emotionally attached to). Now I have one measly one and a couple towers. Luckily I found one that will fit a good majority. So this answer will soon be one :)

O: One Book You Have Read Multiple Times –

     •Thing 1:  it's so hard to list just one book I've read multiple times. But Outlander- Diana Gabaldon most certainly tops the list. I read that book over and over again and I have yet to tire of it. 

•Thing 2: Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen would be at the top of the most read list. Followed by Prisoner of Azkaban (my favorite in HP the series).

P: Preferred Place to Read -

     •Thing 1: My most favorite place to read is the window seat in Nebraska. It was the perfect length, had a huge bay window, and plenty of pillows to be comfy. I hope to have a nearly identical window in my house someday. 

•Thing 2: Curled up. Floor, bed, and couch all work. Or in a rocking chair. Those are the best. 

Q: Quote that Inspires You/ Gives You All the Feels From a Book You’ve Read - “

•Thing 1: "We have nothing now between us, save - respect, perhaps. And I think that respect has maybe room for secrets, but not for lies." Outlander 

•Thing 2:"Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something, in any case." - Night Circus (Yes, I know I just read it but that makes me feel a whole hellofalot better about being a strong young woman than some other quotes.)

R: Reading Regret -

     •Thing 1: I don't believe in reading regrets. If you haven't read it yet, there's still time. If you have, then you know you don't like it and why to never read it again. 

•Thing 2: I don't have any. If I didn't like the book I didn't finish it. I am a strong believer in not forcing myself just to finish a book if I'm not hooked by the first 5 chapters. That is adequate amount of time to get to know the book's style. Would you force yourself on a second date if you knew the first tanked?

S: Series You Started and Need to Finish (all books are out in the series) –

     •Thing 1:  I don't currently have any series started where all books are published and available for purchase. I should get on that!

•Thing 2: See Thing 1's answer. Clearly I need to go spend more time reading. 

T: Three of Your All-Time Favorite Books –

     •Thing 1:  The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas, Outlander-Diana Gabladon, and Things Fall Apart- Chinua Achebe.  

•Thing 2: Pride and Prejudice- Austen, The Book Thief- Zusak, If I say Night Circus are you going to think I'm bias? Too bad. Go read it and you will understand.  

U: Unapologetic Fangirl For –

     •Thing 1:  I'm sure you are tired of hearing about this book, but Outlander- Diana Gabladon. 

•Thing 2: Doctor Who and Sherlock fan-fiction. Please tell me this counts. If not I'm going with Harry Potter. 

V: Very Excited for This Release More Than All the Others –

     •Thing 1: I haven't been able to follow up on book releases lately. I know. Shame on me. Who has a book blog and doesn't keep up on releases?!

•Thing 2: I'm not a big release person. I get a lot of my books by recommendation so unless it's a series I'm reading I couldn't really tell you what's coming out. I was at the last five Harry Potter midnight releases. 

W: Worst Bookish Habit:

     •Thing 1:  Worst bookish habit? Hoarding my books and never sharing them with the world. _._

•Thing 2: Picking books by their cover. Don't judge me. I give them all a chance but I'm drawn to awesome cover-work. I know you are too, don't deny it. 

X: X Marks the Spot; Start at the top left of your bookshelf and pick the 27th book –

     •Thing 1: Four- Veronica Roth 

•Thing 2: Our Stolen Future- Colborn, Dumanoski, Myers

Y: Your Latest Book Purchase –

     •Thing 1: my latest book purchase wasssssssss Red- Ted Dekker

 •Thing 2: Girls in White Dresses

Z: ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY too late) 

     •Thing 1: This book would have to be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. I loved that book way more than I thought I would and stayed up to read out, finish it, and then reread it again. Totally worth it! 

•Thing 2: Night Circus, really go read it. You'll understand. 

Introduction

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

Reading and books are a way to escape for some people.  They are a way to learn about the world, for others.  For us, it's a little bit of both.  We're just two friends, originating in high school and lasting through the years.  Books brought us together and books will always be one thing we can turn to.   The wonderful thing about books, is that there are so many out there, it's just a matter of time before you might find your new best friend.  Sometimes, there's really nothing else like taking an old book of yours, nestling your nose between the pages, and taking a good long whiff of literature.  I mean, come on! They even have a CANDLE about books.  That's how meaningful they are in peoples' lives.

We both love to read more than life itself.  We live for reading and if that was ever taken away- You know what? Never mind.  Strike that. That, in and of itself, is a nightmare to talk about.  Iiigh. Reading keeps us somewhat sane, some days more than others, and we want to share our passion with the world.  We read more than is humanly possible and are always on the search for the next great book.  So, this little blog came to flourition.  We have big visions and dreams for this blog and we hope you stay along for the ride!

Each month, we'll have a Read of the Month, where we give our own personal reviews about the specific book we read for the month.  We will also have a Bookstore of the Month, where we review a local bookstore.  (Ok, yes, that's kind of an excuse to peruse a bookstore and possibly, ok let's be serious, totally buy a new book or two)  We also want to see what our readers have to share with us!  Send it to our Snapchat or our Tumblr! We love feedback and we want to make new friends in the book world.  

We hope you enjoy our journey and the books we share with you.  Keep turning those pages and meeting those new friends.  

Just a little about us and our reading habits.

1. What's your favorite book?

• Thing 1: My all-time favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
• Thing 2: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2. What's your least favorite book?

• Thing 1: It's a tie between the Twilight series and The Lovely Bones. I was not a fan. :/
• Thing 2: All of the Twilights

3. Are you currently reading anything for pleasure? 

• Thing 1: I am ALWAYS reading for pleasure. Anything I read, is because I want to, not because I have to. But I am currently reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
• Thing 2: Girls in White Dresses - Jennifer Close

4. Last book you finished? 

• Thing 1: I just recently finished Four- Veronica Roth. It was also, coincidentally, the last book I bought. I own all three of the Divergent series and love them, so I had to buy the next book. I am a big fan!
• Thing 2: One of my new favorites Modoc- Ralph Helfer

5. Last book you bought? 

• Thing 1: The last book I bought was Four-Veronica Roth.
• Thing 2: The one I'm currently reading Girls in White Dresses (see Question 3)

6. Why do you like reading? 

• Thing 1: I love reading because it gives me an escape from reality and the real world. I have horrible anxiety, I don't make friends easily, and I love traveling. Reading gives me a chance to be comfortable and see new places. I can make new friends and always have them there to revisit. It's an escape and it's a place I will never tire of.
• Thing 2: Do I like reading? No. I live by reading end of story. If I couldn't read, I've have a seeing-book person along with my seeing-eye dog. No audio books are not the same.

7. When did you start to take an interest in reading?

• Thing 1: Honestly, I never really had any other choice! :3. My mother is a teacher, very often teaching Title 1 Reading. My grandmother is also a teacher, as well as several other family members. I've have my nose in a book for as long as I can remember. Even when I was reading children's books, I would pull them off my shelf and pore over them.
• Thing 2: Honestly- when I couldn't make friends/they spit on me/pushed me around the playground. I spent 97% of my recesses in the library.

Keep on reading!

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope”

— Alexandre Dumas

From The Count of Monte Cristo