The Book Lover's Survey // TAG

I seem to keep doing tags that I haven't actually been tagged in, oops. Hopefully you don't mind, and today is the Book Lover's Survey. I study Creative Writing at university, so naturally books are a massive part of my life and they always have been.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I learnt to read at an early age because my wonderful mum read stories to us every night before bed, so books were always around. I remember in primary school racing through all the books on whatever level I was on, and I enjoyed it so much.

Where do you usually read?

In bed or in the bath, mostly. I absolutely ALWAYS read when I'm travelling or on holiday.

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?

When I was younger I would literally have a book in every room of the house and I managed to keep track of all the plots at once, which is a skill in itself I think. Nowadays though, I'm so busy and my mind is so full of everything else that I only have the head space for one at a time (with the exception of uni books, blah)

What is your favourite genre?

Definitely crime novels, but I also have a soft spot for "chick-lit" and those tragic 'based on a true story' kind of books.

Which genre will you not read?

I don't think there are any genres that I would categorically not read because for the most part, every book is different. That being said, I find auto/biographical stuff to be quite boring.

Do you have a favourite book?

Is there a harder question that this in existence? I think not. I literally cannot choose; the best book I've read recently is Wild Boy by Jill Dawson, and another favourite of mine is Little Face by Sophie Hannah - she's my favourite author.

What is the worst book you've ever read?

This might be vaguely controversial, but I honestly didn't enjoy Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, despite it being the "thriller of the year" ... I wouldn't have even said it was a thriller, personally, but that's just my opinion. I would never say a book was bad, per se, because everything is subjective.

What is the biggest book you've ever read?

I'm not sure on this one; I don't tend to read big books! However, I read The Host by Stephanie Meyer and that's quite big.

What was the last book you bought?

I can't remember the last book I personally bought, because I have so many on my shelves that I'm yet to read - but the last book somebody bought for me was The Telling Error by Sophie Hannah.

Which do you prefer? Library books or buying books?

Definitely buying books - I become very attached, and I always want my books to be mine. Plus you never know when you might need it for something.

What are you reading now?

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider, although I believe the title has changed to The Beginning Of Everything.

What are the disadvantages of being a book-lover?

Not being able to read everything you want to read. There's so many amazing books out there that I might not even get read in my entire life time, which is a painful thought.

 If you have any book recommendation please leave a comment below or tweet me: @katygilroyblog

My Top 10 Summer Book Recommendations 2014

I thought I'd compile a list of some of my favourite books/book series, making one list that should get some of you bookworms through the summer. I'm a huge reader, especially when I go on holiday - I think my record was 11 books over two weeks when I went to the Caribbean. These aren't books that came out recently or anything, they're more just like my all time top 10. I've decided not to write a lot of detail about each book because after all, if you're gonna read it then you won't need it. Unintentional rhyme. Ugh. Anyway, down below (in no particular order) is my list of top 10 books that I definitely think you should read this summer. Or any time.

#1 - Wild Boy / Jill Dawson. This book was assigned to me for uni so naturally I thought I'd hate it but I couldn't have been more wronged. I laughed and cried, and Dawson re-tells the story of the wild boy of Aveyron (a true story) in such a fulfilling way.

#2 - The Hunger Games trilogy / Suzanne Collins. Even if you've already seen the films, the books are a definite recommendation. They're written in a way that's so easy to read, you literally find yourself lost in the districts and the arena.

#3 - Little Face / Sophie Hannah. This is the first in a sort-of series that this author has written, but the series as a whole doesn't have a name and you don't really need to have read any previous ones to understand the later ones. They're all murder mystery type books set in modern day England, which to me makes a change from books set decades ago or in the buzz of New York / La.

#4 - An Abundance of Katherines / John Green. Out of all Green's books this one is certainly less talked-about but equally as brilliant as his other novels. Definitely worth a read.

#5 - Lone Wolf / Jodi Picoult. I believe this is one of Picoult's oldest novels but in my opinion it's also one of her best, certainly out of the many I've read myself. As with all of her novels it focuses on quite a large topic that can sometimes seem isolated or out of the ordinary - yet she manages to make it gel with every day life.

#6 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky. I'm sure most of you have probably read this but if you haven't, it's insanely good. That's all I have to say.

#7 - The Secret Life of Bees / Sue Monk Kidd. A book about racial segregation in the 60s, beautifully written and definitely a somewhat different take on how black people were treated at the time. This has also been turned into a film with Dakota Fanning in it but the book is better #sorrynotsorry

#8 - Summer Circles / Sarah Jackman. This is a book about an albino girl who has a strong desire to fit in with the world around her; it's not a massively famous book but it's such a lovely read.

#9 - We Need To Talk About Kevin / Lionel Shriver. It took me ages to get into this book but when I did, it was so worth it. If you've seen the film, don't be put off if you didn't like that - I hate the film version, but the book is simply outstanding.

#10 - The Hobbit / J. R. R. Tolkein. Sorry for yet another book that's also a movie, but the book is just one book and they're it into making like three films so you may as well read the book. Which is amazing, and a lot easier to read than the LOTR books are.

I hope this has inspired you to take a trip to your local library or bookshop; and sorry that so many of the books also have film counterparts. It just so happens that I love these books. I might do one of these for films and albums/songs too as I've enjoyed thinking back over all the books I've read.