Literary Junkies: August 2013

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I know, I know: Two posts in one day?! This literary link-up only happens once a month, though, so I don't want to miss it! :) If you're looking for an online book club, come join our Facebook group or Goodreads group and participate in our monthly Twitter chats! Tonight's discussion is Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I read over a year ago, but I'm still excited to participate and see what everyone else thought.

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!

ttyl by Lauren Myracle. I just started reading this book this afternoon, so I don't have any comments yet, but I'm reading it as my "banned book" for my summer book challenge. I ended up getting the whole series from the library for the Banned Books Challenge I'm also participating in (#3 on this list), for which I'm aiming to read five banned books by the start of Banned Book Week next month. If I finish this series, I'll complete the challenge!

2. What is one book you think every person should read at least once in their life? Why?
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. In fact, my review on Goodreads was simply: "Wow. Just wow. Everyone should read this book. It could change your life." It really makes you think about the way your words and actions, no matter how seemingly minor, affect the lives of others, and that's an important lesson for everyone to learn.

3. Do you think you could ever write a book? If so, what genre would it be?
I hope so! It was a childhood dream of mine and I don't plan on giving it up soon. I always thought I'd write a dramatic fiction novel with multiple points of view and a big twist at the end, but after studying history in college the idea of writing a historical fiction novel is becoming more and more appealing. If only I could pick a topic!

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4. Do you listen to audiobooks? Do you look for the same things in an audiobook that you do in one you'll read?
Yes! I listed to my first audiobook last spring when I had to make a 20-hour road trip by myself to attend a job interview. I listened to 11/22/63 by Stephen King, and it was so much better than the radio! It was quite a long book for my first audiobook experience, but it definitely got me hooked. When I know I'm going to be driving a lot in a short period of time, I'll get the audiobook and print versions of a book so I can alternate listening and reading when I'm in and out of the car without having to take a break from the story. Interestingly enough, I liked both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lost Symbol (both of which I read in this dual fashion) better on audiobook than I did in the written word!

5. Can you suggest a book of each type for others to try: Fantasy, Nonfiction, Fiction, Romance, Classics, Young Adult?

Images via Goodreads

The Subtle Knife | The Devil in the White City | Memoirs of a Geisha 
Peony in Love | 1984 | Ender's Game

P.S. — Check back on Thursday for the announcement of a literary project I've been working on! The project will go live in September, and I'm going to announce the details in my Book Chat post this week. I'm pretty excited about it and hope you can all participate, or at least follow along. :)