I think it’s been a while since I’ve revealed some “fun” facts about me in a not-so-serious way, so here comes another tag.

So, let’s get to it…

1. Thank and link the blogger who nominated you – my thanks go to Lillian Keith who had managed to come across my monthly summary and made a comment, which meant I had to see who had managed to lose their way to end up at my site, of the whole internet. After seeing her post, I… kinda self-nominated myself.
2. Include the tag graphic in your post – done above
3. Answer the ten questions the blogger asked
4. Nominate between five and ten bloggers
5. Ask your nominees ten book-related questions!
6. Don’t feel bound to these rules
7. (Most importantly) Have fun!

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What’s one book that you wished you would’ve written instead?

To be completely honest? None. As someone who’s had my touch with writing, I know that there’s a progression to things, and being the author of a well-known book before being ready for it… would’ve been hard for me.

What type of book character would you be? (i.e best friend, comedic side character, wise mentor, etc.)

Most likely some kind of “general populace” character – somewhere, I have been answering the question what character from my own story I would like to be. In that case, I responded that I’d probably be a cartographer working for the Kingdom. So, in any case, I’d be some common person with a simple life and a simple job. Just as in my real life…

Do you prefer humorous stories, more serious stories, or both?

Both humorous and serious stories are good. They have their place in my reading habits, as I tend to alternate them – it’s nice to mix things up. However, the stories I remember the best are a good blend of both, combining humorous and serious elements just right. Whether it’s a humorous topic with serious characters or humorous characters/elements in books with a more serious plot.

What’s one book that you’d like to change the ending to?

I guess this speculation is easy for someone who’s “just a reader” – but as someone who also writes, I know that there are many decisions made during the creative process and that there is a reason why a book ends the way it does. Maybe I’ve lost the distance I had before I started to write to easily answer this…

…anyway, I think that the ending of Duncan Hamilton’s Wolf of the North trilogy could’ve worked better if the protagonist and the antagonist had their final duel at the end of the main story, instead of a “decades later” epilogue. The end result would be the same and it would’ve avoided the mixed feelings I had from the final chapter.

Which author is your favorite and why? (Ooo, see what I did there?)

Given that I tend to read self-published books and many of the authors don’t have a major portfolio (at least not yet), it’s hard to develop favorites for me. That said, J. D. Hallowell and Daniel M. Ford would be high on my list. As would James Harrington with his Sci-Fi/fantasy Drakin books.

However, I enjoyed the stories written by my critique partners, though most of them aren’t published yet.

Where is your favorite place to read a book?

I’m not too partial about this – I read on the way to/from my hikes on board of a bus/train and sometimes even during my commute to work. However, I do enjoy reading the most at home. Before my move, that was mostly in my bed, but now I have a comfortable couch that – and maybe you’ve read that story – faced some issues with delivery.

What genre of book would best describe your personality? (i.e drama, comedy, adventure, etc.)

Given my interests and the fact I’m daydreaming a lot, I would say adventurous fantasy, which is the genre I like the most.

What’s your favorite book cover?

I’ll share three. Two come from books I’ve enjoyed a lot: Daniel M. Ford’s Ordination and R. K. Lander’s Path of a Novice. The third is from a book that didn’t fit my tastes well, but the cover is good-looking – Michael G. Manning’s The Mountains Rise.

Have you ever been carsick while reading a book during a drive?

This will be a weird fact, but I can feel car sick under very specific conditions: being stuffed, sleepy and reading at once while sitting in a backward-facing seat (so, this can’t happen in a car, obviously, but can happen in a bus or train).

What’s one fiction book that’d you’d give to a friend with no hesitation?

A tricky question. Some of my favorites are series that are over 2000 pages total. No matter how much I liked it, it would be hard for me to recommend something this long. This includes the mentioned Daniel M. Ford’s paladin trilogy. So, I would go with something good but shorter – J. D. Hallowell’s Dragon Fate book as the series is shorter and is a good mix of serious and humorous (which I’ve mentioned to like).

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As I don’t have any major readership, and I don’t know how many of them would enjoy doing something like this, I’m leaving the nominations open-ended. If you think your readers would enjoy such a post, take part. If not, the world’s not going to end for it 🙂

Now, my questions:

Do you have any “reading ritual”, such as a specific time, beverage, place?

How do you choose what book to buy/read next?

What is your preferred format (print/ebook/audio) and what led to this preference?

Do you have a “guilty pleasure” book or genre?

Do you remember at what age you’ve read your first book (on your own)?

Was there a book where you really liked some minor character – and if yes, what was it?

What’s the longest you’ve been up reading a book because you just had to read “one more chapter”?

What do you consider the ideal length of a book?

Have you ever read a book just because it was popular?

Have you read a book in a language other than your native? If yes, in how many languages?

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So, that’s it for this time. Next time, it’s back to something serious.

Maybe.