Lydia Schoch

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This was one of those prompts that I was able to rapidly answer. There are so many incredible places to read in this world!

Here are my favourite spots to do so.

This isn’t my photo, but it does show how pretty Toronto is from the Toronto Islands.

1. At home in bed and right before bedtime. It’s a nice way to unwind and get ready to sleep.

2. While sitting on a bench at the park. (This generally doesn’t happen in the damp heat of the summer or the deep chill of the winter, though, for obvious reasons).

3. On a bench at the mall while waiting for my spouse to finish chatting with acquaintances.

4. After ordering at a restaurant.

5. In waiting rooms of any size, especially if I’m a little nervous about the appointment.

6. In an airplane seat after we’ve landed. There are certain portions of the flying experience that I honestly don’t enjoy very much at all, so reading is a lovely distraction while other passengers try to be the first ones off the plane. It’s more relaxing to walk off the plane without all of that jostling anyways.

7. With small children who enjoy having the grownups in their lives read aloud to them.

8. While waiting for the ferry to and from the Toronto Islands.  I like to look around at the beautiful Lake Ontario scenery when I’m actually on the ferry, but the wait to board it is generally long enough to get at least a chapter or two of reading time in.

9. When I’m peopled out. That is to say, I’m deeply introverted and also a little socially anxious at times. I love socializing, but there does come a time when I need to be alone and recharge. Reading is one of the ways I do exactly that.

10. In quiet reading rooms. My local libraries honestly aren’t all that quiet most of the time, but I have found a few other quiet places to read as well as figured out the best branches and times to try the library if other options don’t work out well.

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s topic was a little tricky for me, so I wasn’t able to come up with a full list of ten responses.

Interestingly enough, all of the answers I did think of were from the Young Adult genre!

I don’t know if that genre tends to have fabulous secondary characters in general or if we tend to remember them better if we first meet them as kids or teenagers. Then again, maybe there is another explanation for that entirely.

What do you all think? Have you noticed a similar pattern in your reading habits?

There are some mild spoilers in this post, so reader beware if you haven’t read any of these titles yet. I’m hoping they’re all old and well-known enough that you’ve all either read them or already know they’re not your preferred reading material.

Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Character: Haymitch Abernathy

Why I Loved Them: Physically, he survived a previous Hunger Games. I’d argue that his emotional survival of that event was an entirely different story due to how his alcoholism and harsh, self-imposed social isolation afterwards were described in this series. If only we could have a prequel that dug into his life in greater depth. Wouldn’t it have been fascinating to see how he survived and why his life turned out the way it did?

Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Character: Jonas’ father

Why I Loved Them: Jonas’ father worked as a Nurturer. That is to say, he took care of infants and young toddlers before they were assigned to permanent homes. Occasionally, he was expected to end the lives of infants who were disabled or otherwise didn’t meet the Community’s criteria for citizenship. I can’t imagine being expected to do that. What did he really think about his assigned occupation? Was he horrified by that portion of the position when he first began training for it?

Book: The Harry Potter series from J.K. Rowling. (I will always love this series, but have chosen not to include a link to it due to the author’s behaviour).

Character: Luna Lovegood

Why I Loved Them: She was an incredibly perceptive and hopeful character. I thought her quirkiness made her more memorable in many ways than the actual protagonist of this series.

Book: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Character: Uncle Carlos

Why I Loved Them: His perspective as a detective who was so emotionally connected to the key witness gave him a unique view into this case. While I totally understand why the story was told through Starr’s eyes instead due to her being the only witness of Khalil’s murder, it would have been cool to spend more time exploring how Uncle Carlos felt about all of it.

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I don’t generally have a strong opinion about book covers. There are many different cover styles that can catch my attention, and I still pick up covers that don’t necessarily appeal to me all that much to see what their blurbs have to say.

Titles, however, are another story. A witty or unusual title will dramatically increase the probability of me picking up a particular book. I have been known to take books home that I might not have otherwise glanced at twice because of how much I adored their titles.

Therefore, this list is dedicated to fantastic titles from many different genres. I’ve read some of them and haven’t had the chance to pick up other ones.

1. When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin

2. Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

3. Zombies Vs. Unicorns by Holly Black

4.The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1) by Catherynne M. Valente

5. Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan

6. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett

7. The Celery Stalks at Midnight (Bunnicula, #3) by James Howe

8. Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite by June Casagrande

9. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

10. Dance Lessons for Zombies by Peter Hiett