Time for some more Christmas fun! I wasn't actually tagged in the Christmas Carol Book Tag (found on Always Me), but I found it while browsing other book blogs and it looked like a fun set of questions to get into the festive spirit!
1. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Name a villainous character you can't help but love to hate.
Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations' (you can't not hate her after how she breaks poor Pip's heart), Mr. Collins from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' (who is really funny but incredibly infuriating at the same time), and Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series (oh god, don't even get me started on her!).
2. All I Want For Christmas Is You - What book do you most want to find under your Christmas tree this year?
Definitely 'Jane Austen: Cover to Cover', a book filled with covers of Jane Austen's books over the years. It looks so stunning and I can't wait to have a copy in my hands!
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Name a favorite character that had to overcome a major obstacle. Why are they your favorite?
I think I have to go with quite a cliched answer here and say Harry Potter. Everything he had to go through in the entire book series is just amazing and such an emotional rollercoaster; I don't think any other book can come even close to that.
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Which characters do you think are at the top of Santa's "nice" and "naughty" list?
Jane Bennet from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' is definitely at the top of the nice list, while her sister Lydia will most likely top the naughty list. Another character on the naughty list is Miranda Priestly, the boss from hell from 'The Devil Wears Prada'. I still have the second book to read, though, but I don't doubt she will still belong on the naughty list at the end of that one!
5. Frosty the Snowman - What book just melts your heart?
Any Nicholas Sparks love story; they never let me down and always melt my heart.
6. Feliz Navidad - Your favorite book that takes place in a country other than you own.
Almost every single book takes place in a country other than my own (the Netherlands), haha! I'd have to go for Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' which is set in a lovely small town in England.
7. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - What book do you read to get in the Christmas spirit?
Lisa Dickenson's 'The Twelve Dates of Christmas' was my favourite Christmas read of 2013 and the first Christmas novel I read this year to get into the festive spirit and it definitely did the trick. The holiday cheer is heavily present in this book and it never fails to make me laugh; one of my all-time Christmas favourites!
8. Sleigh Ride - What character would you most want to spend the holiday with?
I'd love to spend the holidays with Mr. Darcy at Pemberley, simply because I'd love to see Pemberley at Christmas time with big Christmas trees and lights everywhere... I think it'd be amazing. However, I also would love to celebrate Christmas at Hogwarts for one year.
9. Baby It's Cold Outside - First things first, I cannot stand this song! - What book do you hate so much you'd sacrifice it to the fire to stay warm?
Hate is a really strong word, but I really really really disliked 'The Great Gatsby', I never understood why so many people think it's a wonderful literary classic. I also really didn't like 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' and would definitely throw a copy into the fire to stay warm, haha.
10. Do You Hear What I Hear? - What book would you recommend to everyone?
I think it's really difficult to find a book to recommend to absolutely everyone, because people have such different tastes and I don't think there's anything EVERYONE enjoys. However, the book series that comes closest would have to be 'Harry Potter', because I do think this has something for everyone in it, because it deals with so many topics and issues and is just incredibly well-written and captivating.
Jess over at 'Jess Hearts Books' had the brilliant idea of creating a Bookish Christmas Q&A for book bloggers to answer to get into the festive Christmas mood. Thanks so much for coming up with this survey, Jess!
1.) Advent Calendar: what's the next big book release you're counting down to?
I think the next book release I'm counting down to is Lucy Diamond's 'The Year of Taking Chances.' The book will be released on the 1st of January 2015 and I'm sure it's going to be a great read, because Lucy's novels never disappoint. However, I also think it will be the perfect book to start the new year with; a year that will hopefully be filled with tons of amazing reads!
2.) Snow Day: which best friends from a book could keep you entertained all day long?
Definitely Angela and Jenny from Lindsey Kelk's 'I Heart...' series. They are both such great characters and they always manage to crack me up with the things they say and go through together. The 'I Heart...' series consists of 6 parts and I am keeping my fingers crossed there will be at least 6 more, because I honestly don't think I will ever get enough of it.
3.) The Nativity: which book/series would you most like to see adapted into a movie, TV show, play etc?
I think Ali McNamara's 'From Notting Hill with Love... Actually' would be an absolutely fantastic film which all chick flicks fans would fall in love with. And it could even be turned into a film series, because there are already 3 novels with the same groups of characters. Ah, I can easily imagine how amazing it would be!
4.) Carol Singing: which musical book character/s would you like to turn up on your doorstep caroling this Christmas?
I'd have to go with Elsie Maynard and the choir she belongs to from Miranda Dickinson's lovely novel 'When I Fall in Love'. I love this book and the choir consists of so many heartwarming characters; I'd love it if they appeared on my doorstep singing Christmas carols!
5.) The Perfect Gift: which book from your wish list would you most like to find under your tree on Christmas morning?
I'm keeping my fingers crossed I will find a copy of 'Jane Austen: Cover to Cover - 200 Years of Classic Covers' under my Christmas tree this year. I'm a big Jane Austen fan and I need this collection of book covers; it sounds amazing!
6.) Do You Want To Build a Snowman? What do you think are the key ingredients for a life like character?
I think it's really important for a reader to be able to relate to a character in one way or another. Even if it's just something small, there has to be something that connects me with the character in a certain way, to make me feel something, whether it's love, envy, sympathy, or intense dislike. Next to that, good and detailed descriptions also help to bring characters to life in my head, even though they sometimes look nothing like the actual description, haha!
7.) Tree, Tinsel, Fairy Lights: most decorative book cover of 2014?
I honestly can't just pick one 2014 book cover I loved the most, because there were so many amazing ones I fell in love with. A cover can do so much for a book and I can't get enough of pretty book covers like the ones below! <3
8.) Christmas Kisses: which book crush from this year would you most like to kiss underneath the mistletoe?
Hmmm, this is a good question. I think I'd have to go with Ben from Giovanna Fletcher's 'You're the One That I Want'; I developed quite a crush on him while reading the book!
9.) Snow Ball Fight: a book that you thought would be a lot of fun but left you feeling cold.
I finally got the chance to read Adele Parks' 'The State We're In' this year, a book which all bloggers seemed to be so incredibly excited about. The whole idea of this 'big secret' at the end of the book really intrigued me, but I think it prepared me for something so big, that in the end it could only disappoint. I had really high expectations and unfortunately the novel just didn't manage to live up to them, which was a shame.
10.) Christmas Traditions: a book that you read over and over again.
There are several books which I will never get enough of. Of course there's the Harry Potter series, which most people can read over and over again; Jane Austen's novels; and Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women.'
11.) The Night Before Christmas: a book that kept you up reading late into the night.
I have to admit there are hardly any books that actually manage to keep me up late. I need my sleep, so I don't find it very difficult to put the book I'm reading down and just continue in the morning. The only books that actually managed to keep me up are the Harry Potter books; I REALLY didn't want to put those down.
12.) Rudolph: which book shone the brightest for you this year?
I have to think about this because my top 10 of 2014 will be up on my blog within the next couple of weeks, and I am even having difficulty picking just 10 books. I did, however, really love Lisa Dickenson's 'You Had Me at Merlot', so that's definitely one of the books that's going to be part of my list!
