To pick up a nameless object, is an adventure indeed.

For this Taggy Tuesday, I'm reaching back for a golden oldie, as they say. My dear blogging buddy and fellow Rebellious Writer Lila Kims tagged me for Nameless Book Tag. You can view her post HERE. 

I dare say, she has probably forgotten that she tagged me for this, because....guess when this tag dates from?

February 2018.

A whole year. A WHOLE YEAR, CATHERINE. I'll collect my procrastination award now, thank you.....

I will say, this tag has some really hard questions in it. It's no wonder I dallied answering it. Be prepared.....it's going to be one wild ride!



1. What book has been on your shelf the longest?

That is a good question. It's either the first Nancy Drew mystery (Secret of the Old Clock) or it's one of the middle-grade novels I have hiding......


2. What is your current read, your last read, and your book to read next?

My last read was Disowned by Sarah Addison-Fox.

My current read is a spiritual reading book called Mrs. Seton by Joseph Dirven. I've got other novels started on my Kindle, but I haven't really read any of them....

My next read?? Oh goodness, I think there are a handful of unread titles on the Kindle that I really should either read or get rid of.....


3. What book did everyone like but you hated?

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Now to be fair, I didn't outright hate it. I liked the prose and the story idea was interesting...

but.....

While many of my friends really liked it, I had some real issues with it. I really didn't like the protagonist very much, and there was just something....wrong with the book. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with the pushing of globalist, feminist views in a technologically charged environment that I'm just not comfortable with.


4. What book do you keep telling yourself that you'll read but probably won't?

At the time that I got the tag, it was the The Lunar Chronicles series. 

I've heard so many good things about it, but I'm personally not comfortable with any of the other stuff that Marissa Meyer has written. And now, after reading Cinder, that feeling is now justified (sorry guys). 



5. What books are you saving for retirement?

Saving for retirement? What retirement? I will probably be working to the day I die. Besides, who wants to wait 6 decades to read a book, I'd like to know????

6. Last Page: Read it first or wait to the end?

Ummm, when I was younger, I had a huge problem with suspense. I HAD to know if my characters were goung to make it out okay!!! So if things got hairy, I would read the last page.... usually finding some spoiler that I would now have to go back and find my place again....

Now, I never read the last page!


7. Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink or interesting aside?

Depends on the book. If it's humorous or it's got some interesting backstory, then I like it. A lot of times it's too dry for me.

Though as an author, I see the necessity of having one.


8. Which book character would you switch places with?

Eowyn from Lord of the Rings.

First things first, I want to meet everyone from Middle-Earth. Second, I want defeat my own Witch-King. And third, I want to fall for someone like Faramir, who will unlock that hidden feminine side to this Shield-Maiden.



9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (place, person, time)?

 A Work in Progress by Staci Stallings and The 4th Floor Lounge by Amanda Hann bring me immediately back to being a college underclassmen. The struggles, the classes and the extreme introvertism....yeah. So many memories.....


10. Name a book you acquired in an interesting way.

One of my school teachers (and least I think it was a schoolteacher) sent me a book called Elijah of Buxton. It's a middle grade historical fiction about a black child born in Canada from escaped slaves.
Not a bad book :).


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

Sure! I gave Lia some books for her birthday :). 

Though to be honest, I did buy them and give them to her. I've never given any from my personal collection.




12. Which book has been with you the most places?

Well, that's tough to say. I tend to cycle through my books as I always like something different to read. I often switched between Misty of Cincoteague, Nancy Drew and Jane Austen in middle/high school.... 



13. Any "required reading" you hated in high school that wasn't so bad later?

Ummmmm, frankly....not many of the opinions I had in high school have changed any. I guess the closest would be Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - I actually liked that one and liked it better after high school. Everything else, I still really like or I haven't bothered to re-read it.


14. Used or brand new books?

I don't mind either! I've gotten both. As long as the used books aren't that damaged.


15. Have you read a Dan Brown book?

Absolutely not! Nor will I ever. And I'll explain why....

Dan Brown wrote a "smash hit" novel called The Da Vinci Code. While it was fiction, it was chock full of blasphemy and other objectionable content. I believe that it was officially condemned by the Catholic Church, but I'm not certain. Either way, I stay away from him as much as possible. 


16. Have you seen a movie that you liked better than the book?

Pollyanna. To be quite honest, I liked the cheesy Disney movie version better than I liked the cheesy book by Eleanor Porter. The only quibble I have is that the ending in the movie wasn't quite as realistic as the ending in the book.....but otherwise, the movie storyline was much more charming.


17. Have you read a book that makes you hungry, including cookbooks? 

The Ruins of Gorlan: The Rangers Apprentice, Book 1. I now understand why all my friends got hungry reading these books. How does Flanagan write such good description of....food???




18. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?

There really is no one that I will take advice from always. Sure, I'll take book suggestions from a lot of people...but I always always check the book for content first before I read it. Reviews are always subjective, and I've been burned by some books that have been "highly recommended" by people I trust.


19. Is there a book out of your comfort zone or reading genre that you ended up loving?

Fire of Invention (Mysteries of Cove, #1) by J. Scott Savage was definitely one of those books. Steampunk is a hit and miss genre for me, and one that was pro-technology? But the story really fascinated me, so I picked up on a whim. And now? I quite love it and wish I could read the other two books :).


And with that, I shall bow out. Due to the age and growly nature of this tag, I don't believe I shall tag anyone for it. If anyone wishes to kidnap it, I won't stand in the way (just be aware, it bites.)

Scribblingly yours,

Catherine