Book quiz

I found a quiz like this a long time ago, before I had a blog, and loved it. So I modified it, and here it is again. I'll tag The Common Room, Tim and Tim's Mom of Bona Vita Rusticanda Est, and Tootlepip, but I would like to read everyone's replies.


1. How many hours a day do you spend reading?
About three, not counting school books. Two of those are in bed.

2. How fast do you read?
Very fast if necessary; about 60-80 pages an hour usually.

3. What is your favorite book?
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

4. Who is your favorite author?
Tolkien or Jane Austen.

5. What is your favorite action/adventure novel?
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton or the Horatio Hornblower series by C. S. Forester.

6. What is your favorite mystery novel?
Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey.

7. What is your favorite romance novel?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

8. What is your favorite character novel?
Hmm. Probably Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.

9. What is your favorite fantasy/sci-fi novel?
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

10. What is your favorite history book?
The History of the English Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill.

11. What is your favorite biography?
John Adams by David McCullough.

12. What is your favorite other non-fiction book?
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.

13. What is your favorite play?
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare or The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

14. What is your favorite of the genres mentioned in questions 5-12?
Character novels, but I dearly love fantasy and romance.

15. What is your favorite type of character?
Strong-willed, reserved, and with high morals.

16. If you could host a party with 7 literary characters, who would they be and why?
I'd love to have M. Paul Emmanuel (Villette), Dr. Grantly (Barchester Towers), Faramir (LOTR), Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), Freddy Standen (Cotillion), Jo March (Little Women), and Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel). Unfortunately, Dr. Grantly, Paul Emmanuel, and Darcy would all clash miserably. :) Perhaps Hareton Earnshaw (Wuthering Heights) instead of Dr. Grantly, and Sophy (The Grand Sophy) instead of Paul Emmanuel. But then, Darcy would hate Freddy Standen...so maybe William Bush (the Hornblower series) instead of Freddy. *long sigh* It's really too hard. Especially since I have 21 special literary friends.

17. Do you like film adaptations of books? If so, which is your favorite? Which is your least?
Yes! I love them! My favorite is Sense and Sensibility, and my least favorite is The Lord of the Rings.

18. Who is your literary role model?
Faramir (The Lord of the Rings).

19. Which literary house would you like most to live in?
Bag-End or Redwall Abbey.

20. Which literary couple would you like most for parents?
Oh my. If we can mix and match, Marmie (Little Women) and M. Paul Emmanuel (Villette). For a pair, the Gilbreths (Cheaper by the Dozen).

21. Pick 3 literary characters you would like to have as siblings.
Jo March (Little Women), Charles Bingley (Pride and Prejudice), and Horatio Hornblower (the Hornblower series).

22. Who is your favorite literary villain?
Favorite as in most well-written? For that, I'd say Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights).

23. Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like them?
Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Pride and Prejudice). I think she has good intentions under all that conceit, I imagine her having a sad past, and I have always liked micromanagers. :)

24. Which minor character deserves a book all to themselves, in your opinion?
Reepicheep (Chronicles of Narnia) or Adaon (Chronicles of Prydain).

25. Which character do you identify most with in literature?
I see myself as a cross between Catherine Morland (Northanger Abbey), Merry Brandybuck (LOTR), and Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice).

26. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?
One that doesn't have wars and violence. I can't decide, but one of those books about quiet country towns and the characters therein.

27. Do you prefer hardback or paperback?
Paperback for reading, but hardback for buying.

28. Do you like dustcovers?
Nooooo.

29. Do you like introductions, forwards, afterwards, and appendices?
Yes, I love them. I like reading them (especially introductions) before I read the book, and then again afterwards.

30. Do you like reading literary criticism?
Absolutely. I also love discussion forums, where my opinions are very copious.

31. Do you like new or used books? What about ex-library?
New books are nice, but old books have soft pages and bindings that are not stiff.

32. Are you likely to buy new books without having read them, or would you buy a used copy (or check it out from the library) to see if it is good or not?
I would never buy a book full price, unless it had been *very* highly recommended. Usually I check our library.

33. Name 3 - 7 books that you rarely see on people's favorite book lists, that are high on your own.
The Warden and Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope, Cotillion and The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer, The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, and The Archives of Anthropos by John White.

34. Which is your least favorite book of those that are considered "classics"?
Oliver Twist. I have grown to enjoy many of Dicken's other books, but not this one.

35. Do you like books read aloud, or do you prefer silent reading?
Silent reading.

36. When you read, do you see things in your mind like a movie, or just in vague pictures?
I see it exactly like a movie. Facial expressions, tone of voice, body movements, etc.

37. Do you like to read in silence, or with backround noise/music?
Background music, but not music with singing. My favorite reading music is piano concertos.

38. Can you read in the car without getting carsick?
No, unfortunately.

39. Do you go to booksales?
Oh, yes!

40. Name one literary quirk of yours.
I always dream about books I finish before bed. I also like reading all the books by one author at once. And then, there's the fact that I feel more attached to some literary characters than I should.