In Memory of Terry Pratchett

For those of you who don't already know, renowned fantasy author Terry Pratchett passed away on Thursday, March 12, after losing his battle to Alzheimer's disease. He was most famous for his Discworld series, consisting of 40 books. I have not read many of his them, but a very close friend of mine thoroughly enjoyed the series and admired the man behind the words. He is extremely saddened by the loss of such an amazing writer, so I am dedicating this post to Terry Pratchett for him. Also, for those of you who don't know, Pratchett's final book will be released this fall. It's called The Shepherd's Crown (Discword #41) and it is about Tiffany Aching. For more information, click here.

A loooooong time ago, I stumbled across the Bookshelf Tag and decided I really wanted to do it even though I wasn't tagged by anyone. Months later, I'm finally sitting down to get 'er done. Here we go!

Is there a book that you really want to read but haven't because you know that it'll make you cry?
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I've heard a ton about it, and many of my friends adore the book, but I am so tired of hearing about cancer taking lives. I have seen firsthand what it does to people. I don't need to read about it, too. I hear the story in the book is really inspiring, which piques my interest, but knowing how it ends is enough to make me back away.

Pick one book that introduced you to a new genre.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This was the first dystopian novel I read. (Dystopian is generally based in post-apocalyptic worlds.) I finished the trilogy, but after seeking out other dystopian novels, I discovered quickly that it is not my favorite genre. All the stories are basically the same. They get old and predictable fairly quickly.

Find a book that you want to read.
A Work In Progress by Connor Franta. Oh my goodness. I knew he was thinking about writing a book a while ago, but now the final product is coming out in April and I just really want to read it. Connor was the first YouTuber I subscribed to. It will be cool to hear his story.

Is there a book series you've read but wish you hadn't?
Divergent and its followers by Veronica Roth. No, no, no.

If your house was burning down and all your family and pets were safe, which book would you go back inside to save?
Just one? Oh, jeez. Well, I'll have to go with the first book I thought of and the one I consider my childhood favorite: The School Story by Andrew Clements. I still love this book. It's kind of an inspiring read for me, considering how I want to be a published author someday soon.

Is there one book on your bookshelf that brings back fond memories?
A lot of books bring back fond memories. But again, I'll go with the one I thought of first: Bigger by Patricia Calvert. I don't remember much about the story itself, but every time I see this book, I remember a close friend of mine from Montana and it makes me smile.

Find a book that inspired you the most.
Can I use the same book for two answers? Well, I'm going to. The School Story, as I said above, inspires me still because its protagonist is a girl who wants her book to be published. I can relate.

Do you have any autographed books?
Yes, actually! Roof Oasis by Marie Gilbert and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie are both signed.

Find the book that you've owned the longest.
A good portion of the books on my shelf were given to me as a child, and I simply do not remember which one of those I've owned the longest. Sorry.

Is there a book by an author that you never imagined you would read or enjoy?
I'm going to use a book I've already mentioned again. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book that I never thought I'd like. I met the author, Sherman Alexie, in October of 2014 and liked him just fine, but when I read the synopsis of his novel I was not looking forward to reading it for my English 1020 class. However, about 50 pages in, I changed my mind and ended up really liking the story.


There you have it! The Bookshelf Tag. Now I'm tagging my grandmom over at Gilbert Curiosities. Have fun, grandmom!

R.I.P. Terry Pratchett.