More Bookish Questions! (The Bookish Bucket List Tag)

Hail, friends! A few months ago, I was nominated to do another blog tag about books! As a self-proclaimed bookdragon, I enjoy talking about books quite a lot. This tag has a lot of interesting questions that I’m excited to answer. First things first, I would like to thank Maya Joelle for tagging me! The creator of this awesome tag is Madison’s Inkwell. Let’s jump right into the questions, shall we?

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1. What books or series that intimidate you (because of length, density, subject) would feel like an accomplishment to finish?

One author that is always spoken highly of in fantasy circles is Brandon Sanderson. I have always wanted to read his books, especially the Stormlight Archive and the Mistborn series. The length of those books intimidates me, though, since I would need to set aside a lot of time for reading. (Besides that, I value my current sleeping schedule and would prefer not to be up until 3 a.m. every day for a week.)

Another series that has always intimidated me is The Ender Quintet by Orson Scott Card. Finding exactly which order to read those books is difficult, so I have always put off reading it.

Some of you might get annoyed at me when I say I have never read the Ranger’s Apprentice series, but if you think about it, there are a lot of books to wade through. I hope to get into the series one day since everyone always raves about it, but for now, it is staying solidly on the bottom shelf of my “to be read” list.

The Inkheart trilogy was always daunting. I only managed to get through the first book before I became disillusioned and vowed never to read the rest.

For individual books that intimidate me (but are still on my reading list), I would have to say Fawkes by Nadine Brandes. (The genre, a historical fiction/fantasy mashup, is very unique, but all the hype surrounding the book makes it somewhat daunting.)

Finally, The Art of War by Sun Tzu because of the memes. I don’t know if I will ever actually read it (who wants to read a book on military strategy?), but it’s on my list nonetheless. Reading it certainly would feel like an accomplishment.

2. What author would you like to coauthor a book with?

Now, that’s a tough question. I have a lot of favorite authors, but most of them are either dead or such masters of their craft that I wouldn’t want them to have to suffer through collaborating with me. Honestly, I’d almost rather coauthor a book with a friend. I have a lot of writing pals whom I brainstorm with, and we can come up with some insane story ideas.

3. If you could interview any author on your blog, who would it be? What’s one question you would ask?

I’d love to interview Andrew Peterson. One question I would ask… (not one that is related to the writing life since most of those kinds of questions were already answered by his memoir Adorning the Dark) …what really happened to that one character at the end of that one book?!?! (Trying to be very spoiler-light, as you can tell.)

4. What genre is out of your comfort zone that you’d like to conquer someday and write within?

I am primarily a writer of the fantasy genre. I have dabbled in sci-fi before, but it is always difficult to make sure your story’s cultures and technologies are not simply ripoffs of Star Wars or Star Trek. I do have a few cool ideas swirling around in my mind for science-fiction books, however, so I wouldn’t say sci-fi is completely out of my comfort zone. One genre that I have always wanted to tackle but have failed miserably at is the contemporary genre. I am very picky when it comes to contemporary fiction books; if something about a character or plot point doesn’t strike me as realistic, I immediately start to dislike the book. I have managed to write a contemporary short story based on a dream I had, but a full book would be significantly harder. One day, I hope to step outside of the speculative fiction genre and dive into the world of contemporary fiction. Another genre that piques my interest is dystopian, but I don’t read much of it, nor am I the best writer of “darker” stories.

5. What specific edition of a book would you like to own someday? (It could be rare, a first edition, an anniversary edition, signed, or one with a cover special to you, etc.)

I would love to one day own an illustrated edition of The Silmarillion. As I was perusing the internet, I found these beautiful (but expensive) versions:

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Interestingly enough, I already own a special edition of the entire Chronicles of Narnia in one hardcover book. I got it from a library for free during an event, and even though some of the pages are wrinkled, it is one of my favorite books on my shelf. I even used it in the picture on my About Me page.

6. Are there any books or bookish items that you’d like to collect?

I already do collect books. I suppose I would one day like to get the new hardcover editions of the Wingfeather Saga. They’re very beautiful.

7. Name one bookish place you’d like to visit. (Not somewhere you’d like to visit because of a book and not a fictional place within a book. A library, bookstore, etc.)

This is another hard question which I had to do some research to answer. I have always wanted to visit one of those old-fashioned libraries that has multiple floors with ladders or stairways between them, cozy chairs and fireplaces, and maybe even a library cat to sit with you while you read.

Something like Gladstone’s Library, perhaps, which allows guests to stay in rooms overnight and peruse the collection of books found there. The building looks like a manor, too, which makes it doubly cool.

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8. What’s one bookish event you’d like to attend? (A festival, a signing, a book fair, etc.)

Hutchmoot! When I first heard about this clandestine event, I had no idea what it was or why it had such a funny name. After reading Adorning the Dark and learning that it’s an annual conference for creative individuals (authors, songwriters, etc.) to hone their craft, the idea was enchanting to me.

9. Your WIP is getting published and designing the cover is solely up to you. What does it look like?

Well, I already am planning to publish my WIP and designing my own cover, so this question should be easy to answer, right? Not really. I hope to have an official cover reveal for Ashen Blaze sometime soon. In the past, I wanted to use a picture of myself dressed up as the MC for the cover, but I have since decided against the idea. The plan now is to design something simple yet poignant that likely involves fire and dragons.

10. What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish within the bookish world? (As a writer, reader, blogger, whatever you want.)

Self-publishing my first book will be a huge accomplishment. Beyond that, I do not have any major goals in mind other than eventually publishing my whole book series and, of course, writing more books after that. Even if I don’t make a career out of my writing, I hope my stories will bring a glimmer of light and hope into the lives of my readers. Even if only one person reads my books and is encouraged by them, I consider that the greatest accomplishment of all.

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There you have it! Now to tag some other awesome book-loving bloggers to take part in this tag…

• Ashley at The Everhart Author
• Emily & Bunny at The Ink-Stained Desk
• Elisha at The Voyaging Storyteller
• Joy at Inky Ramblebeast
• Gloria at Pink Pen Ink
• Caleb at Caleb E. King
• A.N. Parker at Tales of the Spiral Blog
• Evelyn at The Rain-Drenched Writer
• Whoever else wishes to do it! (Blog tags are one of my favorite things about the blogging universe.)

The rules for those who want to participate…

• link to the tag’s creator (Madison’s Inkwell)
• link to the person who tagged you (The Arbitrary Fairy)
• tag as many people as you want
• have fun!

And, of course, the questions!

1. What books or series that intimidate you (because of length, density, subject) would feel like an accomplishment to finish?
2. What author would you like to coauthor a book with?
3. If you could interview any author on your blog, who would it be? What’s one question you would ask?
4. What genre is out of your comfort zone that you’d like to conquer someday and write within?
5. What specific edition of a book would you like to own someday? (It could be rare, a first edition, an anniversary edition, signed, or one with a cover special to you, etc.)
6. Are there any books or bookish items that you’d like to collect?
7. Name one bookish place you’d like to visit. (Not somewhere you’d like to visit because of a book and not a fictional place within a book. A library, bookstore, etc.)
8. What’s one bookish event you’d like to attend? (A festival, a signing, a book fair, etc.)
9. Your WIP is getting published and designing the cover is solely up to you. What does it look like?
10. What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish within the bookish world? (As a writer, reader, blogger, whatever you want.)

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Thanks for reading and happy November, everyone! I wish the best to all the writers out there who are taking part in NaNoWriMo this year. (I am not, unfortunately. Maybe next year.)

Until next time, friends!