In Which I Return From My Blogging Hiatus and Do a Tag

Hi everyone! My, it's been a while since I last posted something on here. I mean, I know I've never been the most regular blogger, but still, nearly a month and a half between posts is a long time even for me! However, I'll spare you from my boring reasons for my absence and just say that I've missed this lovely little blogging community, and it feels good to be back. :)

So as I'm sure you've guessed from the title of this post, I'm going to be filling out a tag today! I'm rather excited about it, too, because 1.) it's all about books and reading, which just happens to be right up my alley, and 2.) I've been a bit lacking in the blog-post-idea department as of late, so a tag definitely comes in handy! Thanks for tagging me, MovieCritic!

1.) What book has been on your shelf the longest?

Hmm...probably my copy of the "Meet Molly" American Girl book by Valerie Tripp. It's an autographed copy, too! When I was around seven or so, Valerie Tripp came to a local library, so my mom and I (along with my Molly doll!) went and met her, and I had her sign my book. :)

2.) What is your current read, your last read, and the book you'll read next?

The last book I read was Emma by Jane Austen. It's been a few years since I first read it, and I had forgotten how funny and good it is! It's definitely one of my favorite JA novels.

My copy of Emma.

Right now, I'm rereading Anne of Green Gables, and I'm falling in love with this sweet story all over again! I've been wanting to reread the series pretty much ever since I first read them last year, so I figured springtime would be the perfect time to do so! Because wouldn't you agree that the Anne books just have those spring-y vibes? ;) (Also, I don't think I'll ever get over L.M. Montgomery's writing style. Seriously, it's stunning.)

My copy of Anne of Green Gables.

And so in continuation of my reread of the Anne series, the next book I'm going to read is Anne of Avonlea!

3.) What book did everyone like, but you hated?

One book that comes to mind is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not that everyone likes it, but simply because it's considered a classic. And I wouldn't say that I hated it, because the language was very pretty, but I just found it kind of depressing and...meh.

4.) What book do you keep on telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?

I keep on telling myself, "One of these days you need to read the Lord of the Rings series!" It's one of my dad's favorite book series, and I've heard so many good things about, so I figure it must be worth reading. For some reason, though, I just haven't gotten around to reading them yet! And I'm not sure when I ever will, haha.

5.) What book are you saving for retirement?

What an interesting question! I haven't really thought that far ahead yet. Hmm...probably some non-fiction books that just don't interest me all that much right now.

6.) Last page: read it first, or wait 'til the end?

I would say wait 'til the end, buuut I have skipped ahead before in books because sometimes I'm just really impatient and I must know that everything turns out alright! But whenever I do that, I usually end up getting mad at myself because I spoiled the ending for myself. So yeah, wait 'til the end. ;)

7.) Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside?

Interesting aside, if it's a book that I really enjoyed.

8.) Which book character would you switch places with? 

Anne Shirley, because then I could live on beautiful Prince Edward Island and marry Gilbert Blythe. :P

9.) Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life? (Place, time, person?)

Pride and Prejudice always reminds me of summertime, because that's when I first read it, and it's when I always feel the urge to read it again. And, like I mentioned earlier, the Anne of Green Gables series makes me think of springtime.

10.) Name a book that you have acquired in an interesting way.

I won these Letters from Pemberley books in a giveaway that Hamlette hosted during the "I Love Jane Austen Week," which was super cool! I haven't read them yet, but they look promising.

Here they are!

11.) Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person?

You know, I can't say that I ever have!

12.) Which book has been with you most places?

Ooh, this is tough! I'm the type of person who always carries a book with me in my bag no matter where I go. Like, always. So I can't think of a particular book that's been with me to the most places.

13.) Any "required reading" that you hated in high school that wasn't so bad later?

I don't think so... That's one of the nice things about being homeschooled: I get to choose all of my reading material! ;)

14.) Used or brand new?

Well, I love how fresh and clean new books are, but old books are wonderful too because you can imagine who must have read it before you. My answer would have to be both. :)

15.) Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Nope, I haven't!

16.) Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book? 

I actually really liked the Ella Enchanted movie starring Anne Hathaway more than I did the book (mostly for nostalgic reasons!). Of course, I read the book long after I saw the movie, so maybe if I hadn't loved the film so much as a kid, I would have enjoyed the book more.

17.) Have you ever read a book that's made you hungry, cookbooks included?

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder has soo many food descriptions in it that are simply scrumptious.

18.) Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?

My dad's! We frequently share book recommendations with each other. :) I've actually gotten him to read Pride and Prejudice and Emma!

19.) Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g. out of your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving?

I normally don't read a ton of non-fiction or biographies, but I recently read The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines (the people from the show Fixer Upper), and it was very, very good! It read quickly, and it was so inspiring to see the many ways in which God has worked, and is continuing to work in their lives.

So the rules for this tag say to tag at least four other people, but I'm going to take the lazy route and say this: if you haven't yet done this tag but want to, then please go ahead and consider yourself tagged by yours truly! :)

Well, that's all! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Molly <3