A bookish friendship.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I feel very lucky to have such wonderful friends like Martha and Erin. We have a whole lot in common and one of these things is our love for books. Erin had the fantastic idea to do a book-related link-up and here we are. If you do not already love those girls' blogs, then please hop over and say hello. 

One of my fave childhood books about friendship.

1. Name a book that made you feel happy -

M. Bill Bryson's books make me laugh, which makes me happy.

K. All the Adrian Mole diaries by Sue Townsend. Those books are so hilarious that they make my smile every single time I read them. Which is why I read them quite often - and I am not planning to stop. 

E. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I love Douglas Adams pure British humor meets space opera. The whole series is fantastic.

2. Name a book that made you cry -

M. I cried over one of the character deaths in The Knife of Never Letting Go. If you've read it you'll probably guess which one. (No spoilers here.)

K. The most recent one was "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven. I don't want to spoil anything because if you have not read it yet then you clearly should. But it is definitely one of those books that touches your heart in a way that makes you smile and cry. 

E. The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks. I loved The Fourth Realm Trilogy and recommend everyone read it, so I won't give away why this made me cry...but it did.

3. Name a book that made you adventurous -

M. I suppose reading the Nancy Drew novels gave me a sense of adventure as a kid. I thought it'd be awesome to sleuth around like she did. As an adult, Bill Bryson's books have made me want to travel, even if it's only through my own backyard.

K. When I was a teenager I read a book by a person who traveled around the world to find the perfect place to live. And at some point she lived on Christmas Island for a while. The description of that island impressed me so much that I decided that I have to travel there someday. I want to see the famous crab migration. The crime novels Arnaldur Indriðason make me want to travel to Iceland as soon as possible. Such a fascinating country. 

E. Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis. I am going back a few years here, but as a child I used to love this book and probably read it about 15 times. I imagined running off to live on a boat and have adventures. (Looking back I should have done that, maybe there is still time!)

4. Name a book that scared you -

M. The Ruins, by Scott Smith. You won't look at plants the same way afterward.

K. "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer because the truth about the meat/dairy/egg industry is scary and horrifying. 

E. The Stand by Stephen King, I don't trust humans not to mess around with biological warfare. After all recent events have shown that some countries see the Geneva Conventions as vague guidelines.  (Additional shout out to 1984)

5. What book did you dislike at first, but really loved by the time you were done with it?

M. I really struggled to get into A Game of Thrones--I thought it was tedious and long-winded. But by the end I'd totally changed my mind and loved it.

K. I am thinking about this questions for days and I cannot really come up with an answer. I don't think that ever happened to me. There are books that I had to start reading a couple of times before I finished them. But that was mostly because I did not really get into the books at first, not because I really disliked them. One recent book was "Eleanor & Park". I think I started reading it 4 times before I really started to feel the book. And after the first 40 pages or so I absolutely loved it and could not stop reading.

E. Several years ago I picked up The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, read the first chapter, and put it down. Then about two years ago I got it again and basically binge read the trilogy! I have no idea why I wasn't hooked the first time..

6. What fantasy land do you most want to visit?

M. I wouldn't mind spending an evening at the Night Circus.

K. Hogwarts. I always wanted to fly on a broom and learn how to do magic. 

E. Jasper Fforde's literary world. If you have not read Fforde's book pick up The Eyre Affair and Shades of Grey now. Actually, after writing this I am inspired to give them a reread!

7. What character do you identify with most?

M. I've thought about this one all weekend and can't come up with a really good answer. I suppose I slightly identify with Eliza Braun from The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences--she's a bit out of place and a little too feisty for her own good. Though I'm sure she's much braver than I am!

K. I don't really identify with any character. If I have to name one I would say Luna Lovegood. Her mother died when she was young, she behaves strange, she speaks up for others, she likes books, she is artistic, has some odd beliefs, she is brave, a nonconformist, she is bluntly honest, she does not care what other people think of her and she wore a dress made of rainbows. And she wants to find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

E. I kinda hate saying Lisbeth Salander, but it's true. Bad childhood, I wear a lot of black, did boxing for a couple years, have several tattoo's and more than a passing interest in technology. If only I could have her photographic memory!

8. Who is your secret literary crush?

M. Aragorn, though that's not much of a secret!

K. Tim from the TKKG books (my childhood literary crush) and Inspector Erik Winter from the Åke Edwardson crime novels. Oh, and Bob the street cat. 

E. Lord Vetenari from the Discworld series. What girl doesn't love a morally ambiguous genius?

9. Who is your favorite fictional villain?

M. I don't know if he's really a villain, aside from his family associations, but I love Tyrion Lannister. Actually, I don't know anyone who doesn't!

K. Patrick Bateman. He disgusts and fascinates me at the same time. I have a  slight obsession with serial killers. Give me a book about serial killers and I'll read it. Which is why I also like Hannibal Lecter. 

E. Napoleon from Animal Farm.  How can you not love an evil pig written by George Orwell and based on Stalin. It's genius.

10.What is the geekiest thing you have ever done for your love of books?

M. I don't think I've done anything truly geeky yet. Though the husband and I have agreed that if we get a pure black girl cat, we have to name her Guenhwyvar after Drizzt Do'Urden's magical panther.

K. A midnight Harry Potter release - including staying up all night and finishing the book in a couple of hours. Going to a book flea market and coming home with bags full of books. Going to the movies to watch all the Lord Of The Rings films in one night. 

E. I have a tattoo of a turtle that partially represents The Great A'Tuin from the Discworld series.



Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. You can find out more about Erin and Martha on their brilliant blogs. 
Have a fantastic week!

And of course thanks to Erin and Martha for being such fabulous friends! It means a lot!

PS: We also did a vegan-themed link-up a year ago (can't believe that was already a year ago!) which you can find there: Journey to vegan: three stories.