I've been wanting to do this fun A to Z Survey ever since I saw it posted over at The Perpetual Page Turner.  Everyone else's responses to the questions have been so fun to read that I decided to give it a go.  Enjoy!  Oh, and if you posted your answers, will you leave me a link?  I'd love to stop by and see what YOU had to say.

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Best Sequel Ever:

Currently Reading:

Drink of Choice While Reading:

E-reader or Physical Book?

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Hidden Gem Book:

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Just Finished:

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Major book hangover because of:

Number of Bookcases You Own:

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Preferred Place To Read:

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Worst Bookish Habit:

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Your latest book purchase:

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

I usually don't post on Sundays, but I have a few things on my mind that I wanted to share:

Whew! Where has this week gone? For that matter, where has this month gone and this year? Everything's whizzing by in one big blur. My kids have less than 2 weeks of school left, then it's onto a long, hot summer. Heaven help me.

First off, don't forget to enter my giveaway. I've got two YA novels up for grabs - don't miss the chance to nab them. I will be drawing the names of two winners (one for each book) tomorrow. All the info is on my right sidebar. Good luck!

Next, I found this meme over at Book Gazing, a blog I discovered recently. I haven't done one in awhile, so I thought it would be fun. I'd love to hear your answers.

Here's the deal: Answer each question using the title of a book you've read this year. Try not to repeat titles. It's not as easy as it looks!

Describe yourself: Lucky Girl (by Mei-Ling Hopgood)

How do you feel: Savvy (by Ingrid Law)

Describe where you currently live: The Other Side of Paradise (by Stacey Ann Chin)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Honolulu (by Alan Brennert)

Your favorite form of transportation: Wings (by Aprilynne Pike)

Your best friend is: Time Managment in an Instant (by Karen Leland and Keith Bailey)

You and your friends are: The Mighty Queens of Freeville (by Amy Dickinson)

What's the weather like: A Crooked Kind of Perfect (by Linda Urban)

You fear: Angels of Destruction (by Keith Donohue)

What is the best advice you have to give?: If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (by Pseudonymous Bosch)

Thought for the day: Handle With Care (by Jodi Picoult)

How I would like to die: Just Take My Heart (by Mary Higgins Clark)

My soul's present condition: Paradise Valley (by Robyn Carr)

Give it a try :)

Okay, y'all (yes, I do know I'm not from the South - I just like that word) know how much I love book memes. I couldn't resist this one that Eva made up all by herself. Not only is it a fun one, but she's offering "link love" and entrance into a drawing for a free book, just for filling it out and tagging 4 other book bloggers. What's not to love? Check out her blog for all the details. Okay, here goes:

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews? I can't think of a specific one that I'm cringing from right now, but I avoided Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell for a long time. It's just such a big book. When I finally read it, I loved it, so that goes to show you how irrational the whole cringing thing really is.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be? First of all, I don't drink tea, or go clubbing, so it would have to be a more mundane event. I think I would take the Boudelaire kids (of A Series of Unfortunate Events fame) for an afternoon of playing in the park and picknicking. Uncle Olaf, of course, would not be invited. That way, they could have at least one nice, happy day with plenty of food and fun. Since I can spot Olaf a mile away, they would have no worries. Hakuna matata and all that.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): You are told you can't die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it's past time to die. What book would you expect to get you a nice grave? This is a toughie. I'll come back to it, I promise...

Come on, we've all been there. What book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you've read, when in fact you've been nowhere near it? Let's see...most Jane Austen novels, Shakespearean plays, lengthy Russian classics ... need I go on?

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book you really thought you had read only to realize when you read a review about it/go to "reread" it that you haven't? Which book? I really thought I had read Jane Eyre, but I don't think I have. Maybe I did once. I don't know. I just turned 32, and my memory's starting to go...

You're interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who's not a big reader). What's the first book you'd recommend and why? (If you feel like you have to know the person, go ahead and personalize the VIP) If the person's not a big reader, I'm going to have to show them that reading can be fun and entertaining. So, I would probably start with some kind of thriller, or at least a well-written mystery. Perhaps I would go with Twilight by Stephenie Meyer or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, since I know several (adult) non-readers who rave about those two.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with? Okay, I know this is probably cheating, but science is seriously like Greek to me, so I would say science. That way, I could read all those scholarly health books and learn all kinds of great, (formerly incomprehensible) things.

A mischevious fairy comes and says you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick? At the risk of sounding like a complete Molly Mormon, I'm gonna go with my scriptures. Although not the most exciting of reads, they would be the most beneficial to my life. Plus, I learn something new every time I read (probably because I fell asleep the first time).

I know the book blogging community, and all its challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What's one "bookish" thing you discovered from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art - anything)? I started my book blog before knowing that anyone else was doing that sort of thing. When I stumbled upon Amanda's blog and started following some of her links, I was astounded that there were so many book bloggers out there. Discovering a whole community of awesome people reading and discussing books was amazing!

The good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she's granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead - let your imagination run free. Oh, that it were true! Well, first of all, I would need a big room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I would have several shelves of classics, all leatherbound and alphabetized. Then, I would have my "every day" books - hardcovers and trade paperbacks - perfectly organized by subject and author. On one wall, I would have an enormous fireplace - with a fire always blazing - in front of which would sit a comfortable seating area with a leather sofa, armchair, and oversized ottoman. On the opposite side would be a large picture window, which looked out onto a rain-drenched landscape (since we know dreary days are the best kind for reading indoors). Since I would want to blog about my fabulous reads, I would have to have an enormous desk to work on that magically stayed clean. Ahhh...good fairy, come quickly!

Since I have to tag 4 people, I'm going to go with:

Amanda

Lisa

Cath

Chain Reader

I love memes about books and reading. I stole this one from Becky, who got it from Dewey:

1.) Do you remember learning to read? How old were you? Nope, I really don't remember learning to read. My mom said I taught myself how before I started kindergarten, so we'll just have to take her word on that.

2.) What do you find most challenging to read? Anything technical, scientific or math-related. Boooring!

3.) What are your library habits? I head to the library about 3 times a month. I'm really bad at renewing books on time, so I'm often there to pay overdue fines. In spite of this, I still feel compelled to check out a whole stack of books each time I visit. Why is that? I think it stems from my childhood (doesn't everything?). As a kid, I used to walk down to our town library, load up on books and hike back home. My route wasn't quite a mile long, but it seemed like a major expedition. So, I toted home as many books as I could carry to avoid having to make the long walk to the library. Plus, I love the sense of anticipation I get from seeing a whole pile of books I have yet to read.

4. Have your library habits changed since you were a kid? Yes and no. I've always loved libraries and visited them often. As a kid, I spent more time reading in the library than I do now. And, of course, I no longer have to walk to the library, which is a very nice change!

5. How has blogging changed your reading life? Well, I started this blog to track what I read and record my opinions for myself and anyone else who happened to stop by. At that time, I had never heard of reading challenges - now, I'm an addict. They have really broadened my horizons by making me read things I otherwise wouldn't. Joining the book blogging community also exposed me to other people's book blogs, from which I get all kinds of ideas and recommendations.

6. What percentage of your books do you get from (a) new bookstores, (b) secondhand bookstores, (c) the library, (d) online exchange sites, (e) online retailers, and (f) other?

(a) 40%
(b) 0% - I rarely go to secondhand shops
(c) 40%
(d) 0 % - I've heard lots about these, but have never tried them
(e) 10% - I love me some Amazon
(f) 10% - from retailers (like Costco) who aren't officially bookstores, review copies and gifts

7. How often do you read a book and not review it on your blog? What are your reasons for not blogging about it? I pretty much review every book I read.

8. What are your pet peeves about ways people abuse books? I hate it when people write in books. It just drives me nuts to read someone else's notes in a library book. I also hate dogearing (just get a bookmark, people!).

9. Do you ever read for pleasure at work? Well, I'm a stay-at-home Mom, so yeah, I read at home all the time. Do I ever shirk my responsibilities in favor of reading? No, never (hee hee)!

10. When you give people books as gifts, hwo do you decide what to give them? Oddly, I don't buy a lot of books as gifts. I guess because I feel like books are such personal things. When I do purchase them as gifts, I take into account the person's favorite authors, subjects, and genre of books. If I'm buying a gift for a booklover, I'm much more likely to purchase a gift card so that they can select their own books.

I have been thinking of writing a blog entry called "Confessions of An Obsessive Reader" detailing all my "reading rules." Sometimes I think I am just an OCD-infected freak, but I thought maybe, just maybe, some of you are, too. So, when I saw this survey over at Becky's Book Reviews, I thought I would steal it, fill it in with all my secrets and hope that other obsessive readers will find it and make nice, comforting comments to convince me that I'm not operating too far south of normal! So, here goes...

What book are you currently reading? Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Since all of my reading for the R.I.P. II Challenge has been more fantastical than scary, I thought I needed something more Halloween-ish. This book, written by Stephen King's son, fits the bill perfectly.

How do you decide what book to read next? Since I've also become an obsessive book buyer, I have tons of choices on my bookshelf. I also make frequent trips to the library. Okay, here's a peek into my OCD - I keep a list (alphabetized by author) on my computer of all the books I want to read. When I hear about a good book, I add it. Then, before I go to the library or the bookstore, I peruse the list for interesting titles. Despite this, my list never seems to get any shorter; at least, I'll never run out of things to read!

Do you always finish books, or do you give up on them? If you give up on them, how many pages does it usually take? I don't give up on books often, but sometimes I do. I have WAY too many books in my TBR pile to waste time on those I don't like. It usually takes me a couple of chapters to decide.

Do you ever re-read books you love? If so, how often? Give examples, if possible. I rarely re-read books, even if I adore them. I also can't stand watching reruns on tv. Like I said, I'm weird.

Can you read books in noisy places (e.g. trains, buses, crowded rooms)? I can't read while I'm in the car because I get really carsick. Planes are a different story - usually I can read in the air without any problem. When I read - especially if the book is really good - I tune everything else out, so I can read with the t.v. on, my kids screaming, tornadoes raging outside, etc. I prefer to read in silence, but I take what I can get.

Where do you acquire most of your books? If you are a library user or borrower, how many books do you borrow at once? If a buyer, how many books do you usually buy at once? I get books any way I can. Lately, I have been buying more because I can't seem to get my library books back on time. But, when I do go to the library, I usually get at least 4 books, sometimes more. Yesterday, I checked out 12, but most of them were YA novels. Likewise, when I buy books, I can't purchase just one. I'm a huge sucker for Borders' 3 for 2 table. I try to shop wisely, taking advantage of coupons and free shipping (when I buy online). New books just make me happy. What can I say?

Do you use bookmarks, or dog-ear the pages of your books? Do you make marginal notes? If so, do you use pencil or pen? Dog-ear pages?? Gasp! No, I would never do that. I use bookmarks - pretty ones if I have them, scraps of paper otherwise. I don't make marginal notes ever. I had an English teacher in high school who wrote copious notes in books she owned. Her spidery handwriting filled every blank space on the page. I thought this was very intellectual of her, but I don't read that way. Also, I find it hugely irritating to read a book that's filled with someone else's notes.

Do you have any unusual tendencies while you read? Did I mention my OCD? I have to read books in a series in order. I absolutely will not start in the middle. Also, I have a hard time with non-fiction. My husband has several books he's been urging me to read for years, but I've put them off because they're not fiction. In addition, I've discovered that I'm not big on reading the classics. I wish I was, but I find a lot of them incredibly boring. Of course, there are exceptions - Little Women, Gone With the Wind (more of a modern classic), Anne of Green Gables, poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, etc. and there are lots of classics I haven't read, but, in general, I'm not big on the classics. I know - you're stunned! Reading is also an addiction of mine (almost as bad as the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups one) - I get so swept up in exciting plots that I forget about everything else. My husband and kids often have to pull me back up to the surface.

Do you read through pages at top speed, or do you stop to savor the sentences along the way? It depends on what I'm reading. If the writer uses language masterfully, I will pause to savor sentences here and there before I continue at top speed. In general, I read very quickly.

We know most of us can read just about anywhere, but specifically where and when do you do your best reading? Let's see, I love reading outside in serene places, but that doesn't happen a lot. So, I'd have to say my favorite reading spot is in my room. I have an adjustable bed that lets me achieve the perfect reading position (head elevated, feet elevated,). Then, I turn on a lamp so I have nice, soft light. A glass of ice water completes my perfect reading environment. Ahh...

Okay, there you have it. Remember your part in this? Nice, understanding comments that let me know I'm not too obsessive and weird! I'd love to hear other book lovers' answers to these questions as well - so feel free to steal - I mean, borrow - the survey I stole - I mean, borrowed, from Becky.

Okay, so I don't even know what "meme" means, but this one looked fun:

What are you reading right now? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I'm about halfway through, and loving it! I noticed that a lot of my book blogging friends read several books at a time; I don't. I guess I just don't have enough concentration to read more than one at a time.

Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that? I have bought a ton of books lately, so I have a lot from which to choose. I will have to see what I'm in the mood for after I finish The Book Thief.

What's the worst thing you've ever been forced to read? I took an LDS Literature course at Brigham Young University (BYU), and we had to read some very poorly-written books. They were written by the professor and other of his friends, so I guess that explains why we were forced to read them...I also hated reading Walt Whitman in college. *Snore*

What's the one book you always recommend to just about anyone? The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Despite my issues with the most recent volume, the stories are fast-paced and well-written. Plus, they're clean reads, so I recommend them knowing they won't offend anyone.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first-name basis. Actually they don't, but that's only because checkout at my library is not done by the librarians. Patrons use a little kiosk to check out books. Now, the cashiers at Borders, that's another story...

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason people never think it sounds interesting, or have they read it and don't like it at all? Oh, I'm sure there are, but I can't think of any right offhand.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or tv? While you listen to music? While you're on the computer? Considering my sloppy eating habits, I shouldn't eat and read at the same time, but I do. I always have a book or magazine available to peruse when I eat alone. When we dine as a family, I don't allow anyone to have reading material at the table! On the rare occasion that I take a bath, I do read, yep. No, on the other questions. I have a bit of a one-track mind, so I don't read while I watch tv, listen to music or work on the computer - I have to do one thing at a time :)

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits? I don't remember getting teased, but that's probably because I never read novels at school. By the time I was in high school, I purposely left my books at home so I wouldn't be labeled a nerd (horror of horrors). In my high school history class, I sat diagonally behind a girl who always brought a romance novel to class. She'd balance the book on her knees while our teacher droned on and on. She'd often sit there, reading, with tears streaming down her face, and our teacher never noticed! I wish I had been as brave as her - I would have gotten a lot of reading done.

What is the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling