The Bedtime Book Tag

Time for another tag! This one, the Bedtime Book Tag, is from my good friend Sarah @ Ink and Paper Tall Ship. She's a university student by day and an epic writer/blogger by night . . . a.k.a. she's a superhero. Go check out her bookish blog!

1. What book kept you up all night reading?
I don't actually stay up all night reading, but some books do keep me up later than I should be on occasion. The Solitary Tales series by Travis Thrasher was definitely one of those page-turners that kept the lights on. They're just such fast, intense reads!

2. What books make you scared to fall asleep?
Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker. While I wasn't fully afraid or anything, it did give me the creeps. This one is NOT a bedtime story, people. I mean, there's a creepy whacko who kidnaps flawless girls and breaks their bones one at a time . . .

3. What book almost put you to sleep?
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I know it's a classic, and I know it shaped the modern American novel and all that--but I found it boring. And depressing. Granted, it was forced upon me as a high school assignment, but still. Couldn't the curriculum writers pick more interesting books?

4. What book has you tossing and turning in anticipation for its release?
Good question! I am eagerly awaiting the release of Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Poison Crown, but that won't be until 2017 or possibly later, for reasons detailed here. In the meantime, I am of course looking forward to her Ridiculously Huge Project--a 12 book series she plans to draft in ONE YEAR. (She is a fairy with magical powers, I'm convinced.)
I'm also waiting to get my hands on Beyond the Gateway by Bryan Davis! (Although I have yet to snatch up Reapers, the first book in the series.)
I'm holding my breath over Mirror of Souls by Wayne Thomas Batson (in both a good way and a "I sure hope this is good" way).
And I feel like there are lots more I'm looking forward to, but they're just not coming to me at the moment.

5. What book has your dream boyfriend/girlfriend?
I don't usually think of characters in terms like that, but I suppose there are a number of them that exhibit worthy qualities. Many of Bryan Davis's male characters are noble and kind and chivalrous: Billy Bannister, Elam, Nathan Shepherd, Adrian and Jason Masters, etc.
Paul Falcon of Full Disclosure (by Dee Henderson), though much too old for me, is super thoughtful and mature in the way he pursues his gal. I don't know! This is a hard question. And apparently I can't give just one answer to these questions.

6. What book would be your worst nightmare to live in?
I would die in The Hunger Games. Probably within the first sixty seconds.
Depression and vitamin D deficiency would do me in if I was forced to stay in City of Ember. I need my sunlight!
And to tell you the truth, as epic as it would be to live in a high fantasy book world, those places are perilous! I think I'd freak out. Especially if I was one of those chosen, special types, tasked with saving the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD. (Where's a Gandalf when you need one?!)

7. What book has a nightmarish cliffhanger?
Timescape by Robert Liparulo (the fourth book in the Dreamhouse Kings series). I almost threw the book across the room, that's how cliffhanger-y the cliffhanger was.

8. What book cover reminds you of nighttime?
Emissary by Thomas Locke, the book I've currently got my nose in, has a stunning cover that fits the bill.

9. What book have you actually dreamed about?
Sadly, I haven't directly dreamed about any books before. I wish I did, because I love immersing myself in story worlds. The closest thing I've come to experiencing a bookish place in my dreams is this. Prepare yourself for a longwinded description.

A large green dragon was at my house to have supper with my family. This was an entirely acceptable occurrence during the dream, you see, because dreams are funny that way.

Anyway, sometime after dinner I headed downstairs for bed. The dragon was lounging by the stairs--I've no idea how he fit in the hallway, but as I said, dream-logic is often rather illogical--with his long neck draped over the bannister. I paused on the stairs to converse with him. You see, during supper he'd alluded to something about me having dragon wings. "How am I supposed to get wings?" I asked him.

He regarded me solemnly and said, "You just need to believe." (Yes. He really did say that. When I woke up later, I had to laugh at the cheesiness, but during the dream this statement carried grave weight.)

I went to sleep pondering his words.

The following morning, I awoke before the rest of my family. The dragon was gone. I went outside and stood on the front porch and inhaled the cool air of a summertime morning. With the dragon's admonition ringing in my mind, I closed my eyes and believed. Simply and effortlessly, just like that.

And I felt a pair of dragon wings unfurl from my back.

The next part of the dream is probably the most vivid. I can clearly recall the exultation as I tried out my new wings. The first tentative flaps. Rising the first few feet into the air, then higher and higher over the street. Feeling my heart lurch as I nearly fell, only to regain altitude. Flying over the town as it stirred for a new day. I finally landed half a block from home, and discovered that the wings vanished when I didn't need them. Somehow I knew they'd return when I needed them again.

And then I woke up.

So in case you haven't realized, that dream was drawn from elements of Bryan Davis's Dragons in Our Midst series. It remains one of my favoritest, epic-est dreams of ever.

10. What book monster would you not want to find under your bed?
Shelob, or any of those Mirkwood spiders, really. I don't have an affinity for normal little Canadian spiders, so an eight-legged beastie big enough to probably haul my bed away? GET THEE AWAY FROM ME.

 

There you have it! Thanks for the fun tag, Sarah! I'm always up for an excuse to talk about books.

And now I tag:



Christine @ Musings of an Elf

Deborah @ The Road of a Writer

Rachel @ Secret Scribblings

 

Candice Willimas @ O Ye Scribes

Clare @ Clare's Spot

 

Plus anyone who wants to pilfer this tag for themselves!