Book Tag – Felicia Denise, Author

Book Stack

The always amazing Maureen Driscoll tagged and challenged me, after being challenged by the incredible Melanie Friedman at Bookworm2Bookworm.wordpress.com. I love these questions, especially since it National Reading Month, so I’m playing along.

What book has been on your shelf the longest?

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. I will never tire of that book. It was my first non-kid book, and the subject matter truly hit home.

What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?

My easily distracted mind leads me to read 3-4 books at a time. Just starting Ben Burgess, Jr’s Daddy’s Girl, half-way through Petra Durst-Benning’s The Glassblower, and finishing up M.L. Wilder’s The Vampire Mafia, and Uvi Poznanski’s The Music of Us. I highly recommend them all.

I have no clue what I’ll read next.

What book did everyone like but you hated?

50 Shades of Grey. I can’t figure out the allure. I never saw a romance…or even a relationship. He was a bully and she was a doormat. No…just no.

What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read but you probably won’t?

Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I saw the Dorothy McGuire-movie DECADES ago and loved it. I fully intended to read the book, but of the thousands of books I’ve read, I’ve never gotten around to that one… and probably won’t.

What book are you saving for retirement?

I’m not saving anything. My TBR is so big I’ve forgotten what’s on it. Any book I choose after I reach retirement age will be great… and a surprise!

Last page: read it first or save til the end?

I love a story’s buildup and anticipation. The last page… remains the last page.

Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink or interesting aside?

Definitely an interesting aside!

Which book character would you switch places with?

None! Maureen already chose Rosalind, Liam Kellington’s wife in Never Deny Your Heart, book 5 of her Kellington series. So I’ll just pout!

Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life?

Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter – the true story of the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders committed by followers of Charles Manson. The book came out five or six years after the murders and subsequent trials. I was in my mid-teens, and even though the story scared me senseless, I couldn’t stop reading it. I started high school that fall and quickly learned the story scared most people. Just seeing the book or hearing the name ‘Manson’ created a stir.

So… I carried the book, making sure the title was visible, for most of the fall semester – then my mom got wind of it and took my book.

But it was fun while it lasted!

*Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way.

A retiring teacher gave me his copy of Tolkien’s The Hobbit. I had absolutely no interest in Tolkien but grudgingly read it so I could tell him I did. The rest is history! I’ve wanted to move to The Shire ever since. I’m pretty sure my teacher knew what the end result would be when he gave me that book. Well played.

Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person?

I gave every student in my niece’s first-grade class a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go! for her sixth birthday so they could all read the book together. She’s eighteen now and still talks about it.

Which has been with you most places?

The Bluest Eye.

Any required reading that you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad two years later?

Beowulf.

Used or band new?

New… always!

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Nope! I tried, I really tried. The DaVinci Code bored me. Even the movie bored me.

Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book?

Hasn’t happened yet!

Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks included?

Anything and everything written by the Barefoot Contessa – Ina Garten! (Except her pork dishes…Ew!)