1. What is your favourite book and/or book series of all time?
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams will always been my answer to this. Doesn’t matter how many times I read it, I giggle and snicker and nod. I cried when I finished Mostly Harmless because I was so sad for the story to end. It wasn’t a perfect series, but it made me happy. I’ve never found another book that “got me” the way these did.

2. What is the longest book you have ever read? How many pages?
Fortunately, GoodReads lets me sort by number of pages! Huzzah! Now let’s scroll past all the “boxed sets” that it weirdly shelved as one book…hm…Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That was actually my guess. Problem here is that, while book length can be measured by pages, it doesn’t account for font choices. So while HP is getting this spot, I’m looking at some other books near in length that are adult and guessing that they may have had less pages, but probably more words.

3. What is the oldest book you have ever read? (Based on its written date)
Again, going to refer to GoodReads here because I have no idea when all the “classics” I was forced to read in school were actually published. The oldest one I have cataloged on there is Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray, coming out in 1890. I should probably read that again, I have a vague memory of enjoying it but also speed reading it for school so not really getting to appreciate it.

5. What book or book series would you like to see turned into a film/ TV series?
Gregor the Overlander would be a fantastic film series. If you haven’t read it, this was the series Suzanne Collins did before Hunger Games and I honestly think it is better. It deals with a lot of similar themes, mainly the effects of war on children. But this one has more fantasy than sci-fi. Giant rats and bats and cockroaches. A good sense of humor too, which is why when tragedy strikes, it hits even harder. Kinda surprised, with as big of a hit as HG was, that no one optioned this for a movie yet!

6. What is your favourite stand-alone book?
I was going to say Jurassic Park but then I remembered Crichton wrote a sequel! Let’s go with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I should probably read this again, it has been at least 10 years.

7. What is a book that you feel glad for not reading?
This is an odd question. I guess Fifty Shades of Gray? Everyone was talking about it and I resisted the urge. Or the Twilight series beyond book 1. Oh wait, same thing LOL!

8. What is a book that you feel guilty for not not reading?
I guess some of the classics? If only because people seem to have expected me to read them. Like Jane Austen, I know lots of people who loves those books. But I’m not just into those kinds of stories. I don’t really have any guilt.

12. What book do you passionately hate?
I think when Twilight was at the top of its game, I was pretty upset about it, mostly because people kept comparing it to Harry Potter and Buffy and no. Just no. Twilight was a teen romance first, a vampire story second. At the time, I was more upset about wasting time reading it (I think I got about halfway through before I realized it was not the kind of book I wanted it to be) and so I was bitter. Now I just kind of shrug and say “not my thing.”

13. What is the biggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?
Hm, I think Harry Potter wins with 7 books, unless we count graphic novel series trades.

14. What book gives you happy memories?
The Neverending Story. I have a very vivid memory of my Mom reading this to me at bedtime. It was the hardcover edition from the library and I was fascinated by the fact that the text was in different colors. Atreyu’s story was in green and Bastian’s story was in red. I had never seen anything like that before in a “real book” (i.e. not a picture book) and it blew my mind.

And since two of you asked, I’ll share a second memory – my Mom reading Miss Nelson is Missing to me out loud. She had a very ridiculous voice for Mr. Blandsworth, the dufus principal. I think she gave him an over-the-top lisp since his illustration was a guy with buck teeth. I sometimes forget that this is not how all people will hear Mr. Blandsworth when reading this story.

17. What is your favourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?
Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, What If Its Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (that’s two rom-coms and two heavies, if you’re making a to-read list)

20. Have you ever been glad to not finish a series? Which?
This is an oddly worded question so I guess they mean what series did I just give up on? I tend to have small debates with patrons about how many Harry Potter books there are in the series. While I wasn’t a big fan of 7, I end it at 7. But so many people asked for ‘Cursed Child’ as book 8 and I go off on a mini-rant about how that isn’t actually a book, it’s a play etc. and after reading everyone’s comments on here about the book, I’m like DON’T READ IT. LOL. I’m happy to never read it.