Never Have I Ever: Book Edition [Tag]

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

~Cicero

Image from: Annika Larraine

One morning, as I was drinking chamomile tea and skimming through different blogs, I came across this Tag on Annika Larraine's blog. I wasn't specifically nominated but wanted to do it anyway, so here we are!

I first heard of "Never Have I Ever" as a drinking game from the TV show The Big Bang Theory (hence the GIFs). Never have I ever played any version of Never Have I Ever before. So let's start with this blog post!

Never Have I Ever...

1) ...read a later book in the series first.

Yes, I am guilty of this... I was around 9 years old (my last year at a public school), and everyone in my grade (or so it seemed) was reading a series called Warriors by Erin Hunter. I wanted to understand what everyone was playing at recess, so I borrowed a book from the school library. The only available copy was Book 5: A Dangerous Path, so, it was the first book I read. I cringe to think of doing that now. But back then I didn't understand "chronological order." So which book did I read next? Book 3: Forest of Secrets.

Nowadays, I read books in chronological order. Trust me, the story becomes so much more enjoyable that way! I hate missing out on any of the details or plot twists.

2) ...burned a book.

Well...

Don't worry, I have not, and (most likely) never will. Burning books is an abominable act that should remain in the history books, no matter how shameful. It is disappointing to hear that people in my country have burned books in recent years.

But on a different page, I have recycled a book once...

3) ...gone into a shop to buy one book but came out with many.

Yes, I do this all the time! Whenever we go to Barnes and Noble, I intend to buy one book or none, due to having an insane amount already at home to read. But I always leave the bookstore with several more to add to my long reading list... Do I regret it? Hardly ever!

4) ...loved a book when I was younger but hated it when I was older. 

What comes close is the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. I loved the series much more when I first started reading it than I like it now. I wouldn't say I hate it though.

Due to the writers valuing quantity over quality, the characters and story building go down with each arc (there are 8 or 9). While the overall idea is great (who wouldn't want to read about feral cats battling to survive?), the individual books are unremarkable. I enjoyed the first arc, but the second arc ruined the series for me because I disliked the plot and how the events were happening. Not to mention, I cannot stand StarClan (a group of deceased cats) and they are a big deal in the series. I could rant more about it, but I'll save that for a different post.

So even though the amount of books in the much-loved Warriors series is impressive, the book series could be much better.

5) ...read a book I knew I’d hate.

Not really... But Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson comes close. Now before you all start hating me, hear me out! This was a book I had to read for school, during a regretful phase, when I was extremely picky about what books I read (they had to be fiction and from an animal's POV). Besides that, I had a difficult time understanding what was happening in the story. I never finished the book, but I intend to give it another chance now that I'm older and more open to reading various books.

6) ...wrote a fan fiction about my favorite book.

Yes, I believe I've done this... I just never considered it "fan fiction" until now.

My sisters, our best friend Madi, and I have played games based on our favourite book series for many years; we create our own characters (seldom have we played as the existing ones) and play their adventures set in that world. Madi and I started writing stories after she moved so we could keep our games going, and I continue until this day. If that counts as "fan fiction," then I have written (and still write) some for Wings of Fire, Warriors, The Guardian Herd, Foxcraft, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, and Harry Potter. As a side note, I have not published anything and haven't read other fan fiction online. I'm satisfied with creating my own stories (fan fiction and originals), some of which I might publish someday.

7) ...dressed up as my favorite literary character.

Nope, not really. On Halloween, I prefer dressing up as a certain theme, not a certain character. When I was 10 or 11, I dressed up as Elsa from Frozen, and as Cinderella when I was 5. But they're not exactly literary characters and they are far from being my favourites.

8) ...hated a book by an author I love.

I don't think so... but maybe I did?

9) ...skim read a book.

Oh my goodness, no. Firstly, I don't know how to "skim read" and second, why should I do that? I enjoy letting myself get absorbed into the story. I'd hate to miss any important details or exciting plot twists.

But on second thought... if it's a text or article I need information from for a school-related project, I might do some skim-reading. It depends, I suppose!

10) ...pretended to read a book I have not.

Nope! I never had or saw a reason to do so.

11) ...read a book without the dust cover.

Is this... a thing? I have paperback/softcover and hardcover books (all bound in my house). I use bookmarks for the softcovers, and the dust cover flaps to mark my place in the hardcover books. Why should I take it off?

12) ...had a book boyfriend/girlfriend.

I'm not 100% sure what this means, but I'm quite certain I never had anything of the sort.

13) ...picked up a book based on the cover alone.

The cover is the first thing that grabs my attention when I see a book. That's how I discovered The Guardian Herd series. I saw Book 3: Landfall at Barnes and Noble, and the cover was so gorgeous that I bought it... only to find out later that it was the third book, not the first. I eventually got the first, second, and fourth books, and it has become one of my favourite stories.

14) ...read the end of the book before the beginning.

Well... I often read the last sentence or paragraph when I start a book. I don't have a particular reason as to why though. My mom told me once of a friend she had who would always read the end of the book first. When my mom asked her why she did that, the answer was that she could die any day from an unexpected or unfortunate event, and then she would never know how the story ended. Seems reasonable enough to me!

15) ...read a history or anthropology book for fun.

Being the bookworm I am, I read books from many genres, whether sci-fi, fantasy, or non-fiction. I regularly read history-related books and scientific works. One of my favourite history books is The Valley of the Second Sons, a collection of letters written by Theodore Cockerell during the three years he lived in Colorado in the 1860s.

When I was around 9 or 10, I even tried reading The Encyclopedia of Knowledge! I never finished it, but I rarely finished any books at that point. I also used to consider trying to read a dictionary, just for fun. :)

16) ...participated in a readathon.

As far as I know, I have not. At least, not an official one. I sometimes set personal reading goals, but nothing too fancy or challenging.

17) ...bought multiple books in a series before reading it.

I usually read the first book before getting the rest of the series or the next few books, in case I don't like it. Mortal Engines was an exception. My dad bought me the entire series before the movie (based on the first book) was released. It was the first sci-fi series I'd read, and overall, if I find a series I enjoy, I like to have the next few books already waiting on my shelf to continue without a break.

18) ...written in a book.

Unfortunately... yes. My mom has stories of when I was 1-3 years old, destroying her cookbooks with crayons and tearing many dustjackets from my dad's scientific books. It's not something I can remember, nonetheless, be proud of.

Then there was that phase when I was around 7-9... I loved to play "school" with my sisters, where I was the teacher and they were my students, whether they liked it or not. I would set up "lesson plans" and worksheets for them, and I tried to teach them about all kinds of things, mainly math and science. It's safe to say that I was more dedicated than either of them was (I later started teaching our dolls instead). I took a lot of inspiration from my public school classroom. I noticed that my teacher had written her name in all her books (so they didn't get mixed up with the other class). So guess what I did? Yup, I scribbled my name (in marker!) in a large portion of the children's books we owned at the time...

But that's not all! (I know, I was absolutely terrible...) I reckon some of you are wondering about that recycled book I mentioned earlier in this post, a children's book about horse foals. I strangely remember the evening I destroyed it with a thick, black marker. I thought the book would look much better if I outlined everything in black and made horseshoe trails on all the pages... It is something that I felt deeply guilty about for years, even though I did it when I was around 5-6 years old. A few years ago, I convinced my dad to let me recycle it, since I had ruined it beyond readability. But at least I didn't burn it! ;)

Those were the most notable tales from my book-vandalizing days. I am grateful that they are long past!

19) ...filled up an entire bookshelf and had to have stacks of books balanced precariously throughout different rooms.

Yes, actually! I have always had LOTS of books. When we moved homes, I had stacks of books in several places. Nowadays, I have two bookshelves in my room filled with books and a few shelves above my bed with more books. I also keep several in our schoolroom and our own private library. Not a single room in our house is without a book!

Nowadays, the only times I have delicately stacked books in my room is when rearranging my bookshelves, usually after Christmas/my birthday, or a visit to Barnes and Noble. But those stacks are only temporary. I like to ensure all my books have a cozy home on a shelf somewhere.

20) ...found myself liking a trope most people hate. (Maya's Bonus Question)

I don't know. I likely have at some point, but I can't think of a particular trope.

21) ...loved a book most people don't like. (Annika's Bonus Question)

Dragonslayer, part of the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. Wings of Fire takes place in a world dominated by dragons, so most of the books are from their perspectives. Dragonslayer is an exception since it's from the humans' perspective. I heard many people didn't like the book because of that, but I thought it was interesting, especially when some of the scenes connected with those in the other books.

22) ...read a book instead of talking to people. (Amelia & Naomi's Question)

I haven't been in many situations involving a crowd of people where I had a good book handy. But whenever I go to the dentist or doctor's office, I read a book instead of chatting with the stranger near me. If someone were to talk to me, I wouldn't ignore them to keep reading. But if it was a boring social event then yes, I'd most definitely read something in a quiet corner somewhere.

23) ...liked the movie adaptation of a book more than the original book. (Quinley's Question)

The Princess Bride is the first that comes to mind. Although, I've only read several detailed summaries of the book, so maybe I shouldn't judge... But I'm sure I would like the movie better anyway. The second one I can think of is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember liking several of the scenes in the movie better than how they were shown in the book.

24) ...watched the movie/TV series before reading the book(s). (My Bonus Question)

Yes. I have known Harry Potter (at least the third movie) since before I could read! The same goes for the Narnia Chronicles, Anne of Green Gables, and many others. When I was in K12 (after public school and before homeschooling), I had to read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe for literature, and I almost hated the book. I disliked reading it because it wasn't exactly like the movie I'd known my entire life. That was when I learned that books almost always come before the movies and that those are the original stories, not the movies. I was so disappointed that from then on I tried to always read the book(s) before watching (or re-watching) a movie. A movie can show you a story, but you can live it through a book.

I nominate: Whoever wants to do this tag as well, feel free to do so!

Adios amigos... Until my next post!

"There are worse crimes than burning books... One of them is not reading them."

~Joseph Brodsky