They say the mind is a scary place, but come, dearies, I’ll give you a teensy peek into mine.

I’ve been tagged! Which is a little like getting the plague, but with considerably less dying. I hope.

Leelyn @ SometimesLeelynReads tagged me for this and provided the questions. Y’all should go check out her blog and give her all the love, because she deserves it.

Rules

✿ Say thank you to the person who has nominated you for the Award.
✿ Answer the 11 questions the person has asked you
✿ Nominate 11 people
✿ Ask the people who you have nominated 11 questions

What is your favorite mythical creature and would you want to be one?

I feel like this is where I write dragon, but also … isn’t that more than a little cliche? Because who doesn’t love dragons and wouldn’t want to be one? Pffft.

So I’m going to say inugami instead. Because they’re horrible and scary, but also kind of cute and cuddly and I maybe kind of want one. So, basically, an inugami is a dog that died a horrible death (or is sometimes intentionally killed by its owner) and then a human makes offerings to appease the spirit, and this evil ghost doggie decides to become man’s best ghost friend. Essentially.

There maaaay also be this teensy little thing about how they might do their master’s bidding while happy, but are also likely to turn on their master if they’re displeased or just, you know, think it’s fun? Also, they can possess people. Which means you’d act like a dog. I’m sure it’s quite embarrassing, but also probably the least of your worries.

Would I want to be one? I don’t think that would even hypothetically be possible, unless you turned me into a dog and then killed me. That seems like an awful hassle, though, so I’m going to have to pass on that, thanks.

Would you rather be a professional singer, or a professional actor?

Oh, wow. Um, neither? But let’s be honest: I can’t act to save my life. I’m just not great at it. I’m not good at singing, either, but at least I can do it. So that’s the one I guess I’d go with.

Take a picture of the view outside your building today (or if you’re outside right now, the view in front of you). Do you feel at peace?

This is my reading tree. I spend my days usually at my grandfather’s house, since he’s got dementia and doesn’t like being alone a lot (and probably shouldn’t be left to his own devices, anyway). So when I’m here, he likes to sit on the porch when it’s nice, and I read under this tree. Sometimes I work under this tree, too. I always feel at peace when I’m out here. Close enough to the AC just in case I melt, but far enough away where I can feel like I’m communing with nature.

Do you prefer to read ARCs or backlist titles?

Both! I do my best to balance things. Okay, so maybe I’m not great at it, but I try, and that’s what counts, right? There are so many good books that have already been published and I still need to read, but there’s also something to be said about new and shiny books.

Which book character do you wish could be your real life best friend and why?

I actually just did a whole post on this for Top Ten Tuesday, where I could choose ten characters to be friends with, but to choose only one?! How is that even a choice?

I’m going to use a cop-out on this one and choose Charley Sutherland from The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. Dear Charley has the ability to read things out of books, so really, we can make friends with aaaall the other characters on my list, too. Or, you know, we can start an army and take over the world. Also equally plausible.

Would you rather be a superhero, super villain, or an anti-hero?

Definitely antihero! Being a hero seems exhausting. Who wants to be that good all the time? Pass. Also, villains lose in the end 99% of the time. I don’t like those odds. What’s the point of putting all that time and effort into amassing power and followers if you know what the outcome’s going to be? Pffft.

Antihero is where it’s at. You don’t have to be good all the time. As long as you casually meander towards helping the greater society, you get a pass on a lot of things. Sure, maybe I killed two dozen people, but I saved two thousand. For anyone keeping tally, I’m up 1,976 lives. You’re welcome.

What book or type of book would you turn to during a dark time?

Comedy! Every time. If I’m feeling really down or low, I want to read something that’s going to make me laugh. Bonus points if it makes me laugh so hard that I snort.

What is the latest book you’ve read that made you extremely happy?

Oh gosh, guys, so many books make me happy. Just shove me in a room full of books and go away and I’m the happiest person alive. Bring me bacon and coffee every now and then on top of that, and I’ll officially be your best friend.

I’m going to say the last book I read that I gave a high rating to and which made me laugh and just have fun with it was Milton in Purgatory. Super short read, but rife with that dry British humor that I just absolutely adore. It’s a mini parody of Dante’s adventure into the afterlife. Except, you know, with a British teenager.

What’s one advice you would tell your past self about reading?

Given our medical history so far, coupled with our luck, we’re probably going to die young. So read more now. Cram as many books in as you can. You never know which one has the secret to the philosopher’s stone, but if you try hard enough, I’m sure you can find it.

What’s a genre that you didn’t like at first, and what was the book that changed your mind on that genre?

I’m going to go with humor. It’s not that I didn’t like the genre so much as I didn’t realize it existed, I guess? It’s not something I actively sought out until I accidentally picked up a humor book and was like … wow, this is funny. I like laughing. This makes me laugh. We should do this more often.

What kind of diverse rep are you wanting to see more of in books, and which book out now has that rep that you recommend?

THIS IS SO HARD. WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME? All diverse rep is good in my opinion. What I’ve really been into lately, though, is religions other than the Abrahamic and, like, Norse/Greek/Roman mythology (as much as I do love those). I just want other myths to shine for a bit.

The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes have some really good Hindu rep.

David Mogo, Godhunter has some kicking Orisha rep.

What I really want and I haven’t found yet (hint hint: I’m taking recommendations) is books based on American Indian/First Nations mythology. I know they’re out there. I mean, they have to be, right? I just haven’t found them yet.

Tag … You’re It

If you’ve already participated in this tag and don’t want to participate again or you simply don’t do tags, no pressure. Feel free to ignore this. I’m sorry, but I have no idea who has and hasn’t been tagged because I live in a cave under a rock and only surface once every lunar eclipse.

✿ A. Morrow @ Story-Eyed Reviews
✿ Colleen @ Colleen’s Conclusions
✿ Amanda @ AE Lily Reads
✿ FNM
✿ Annemieke @ A Dance With Books
✿ Keri @ Are You My Book?
✿ Misty @ Misty’s Book Space
✿ Tammy @ Books, Bones, & Buffy
✿ Lilyfae @ Lily and the Fae
✿ Evelyn @ Evelyn Reads
✿ YOU, lovely reader, if you’re so inclined

Questions

1. If you could choose any pet, what would you choose and why?
2. What book cover most sums up your personality?
3. What would/should the title for your autobiography be?
4. Your trapped in the antarctic, living in an igloo with a penguin and a hunk of ice named Steve. What is the one thing you miss the most?
5. If you could have one weapon from any book you read, what would it be?
6. You’re a mad scientist. Congratulations! You can merge species from any book you’ve read. What would you make?
7. What’s your guilty reading pleasure?
8. Coffee or tea? (Don’t worry, everyone’s silently judging you).
9. What is the one book from 2020 that you would sell your soul (or maybe your pesky younger sibling’s?) in order to get?
10. Who was your first character crush?
11. Forget Hogwarts houses—what’s your patronus?

Chat With Me

If these questions inspire you, feel free to answer them in the comments! I’d love to hear your responses. Do we have anything in common?