This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Can you recall a time in your life when you were not reading?

Tragically, yes. Sort of. One semester in college, I was severely overloaded with reading for classes. Three out of four classes were heavy on reading, averaging roughly one Shakespearean play, one novel and one nonfiction history book every week. I read everything (I was conscientious that way), which left virtually no time for pleasure reading. So I was reading…but not anything I wanted to read (well, some of those assigned books were good, Shakespeare especially, but none were exactly light, relaxing reading).

It was miserable, and I vowed never to let that happen again. So far, so good!

This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: What are your most anticipated books of the year?

I am most desperately looking forward to The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home, the final book in Catherynne Valente’s amazing, wonderful, beautiful series. Due out March 1^st! I’m almost as eager for The Gift of Power by Tamora Pierce, the long-awaited and much-postponed next Tortall book, which I hear will be out…some time in 2016. Hopefully!

I’m also looking forward delightedly to Revisionist by Jim C. Hines, next book in his wonderful, reader-wish-fulfillment Libriomancer series.

Two more I’m anticipating, albeit less so: The Storyteller by Aaron Starmer, to see if his somewhat incomplete first two books get rounded off well by the last one in the trilogy; and The Untimely Deaths of Alex Wayfare by M. G. Buehrlen, mostly to find out if my guess about one character’s identity turns out to be true.

Are there any books you’re especially looking forward to? Anything I should keep an eye out for?

This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Which character in a book do you most see yourself as? If none, who would you think would be your best friend in real life?

I’ve always felt some commonality with Emily of New Moon, with her love of books and dreams of writing. And the more I read by, and about, L. M. Montgomery, the more I think I’d love to be friends with her. She’d be my first stop if I had a TARDIS—Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, June of 1908 (I’ve thought about this…)

I’d also love to be friends with September from the Fairyland series, so brave and loyal. I like reading about Jacky Faber, but I think she’d drive me up the wall if I actually knew her (as she says, she is so very hard on her friends), and I’d really rather be friends with her BFF, Amy. I’d also quite like to make friends with the kindly old gentleman of The Little White Bird, which is just another way of saying I’d like to be friends with J. M. Barrie. And I’m very fond of Menolly of the Harper Hall Trilogy and her fire lizards, and Arrietty of the Borrowers books, and oh, so many, many characters! Characters are largely why I read. 🙂

This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Do you read every day? If so, do you have a “page goal?”

I absolutely read every day. I doubt there’s been a day in the last…10 years?…when I haven’t read for at least a few minutes. Honestly, I don’t know what people do with themselves if they don’t read (although I say that as someone who is perpetually too busy!) I read every morning before I get up—and every evening before I go to sleep—and generally for some time in between, like waiting in line, during breakfast, break time at work…

I don’t set any page goals (that would make it like work), although I do get a bit bothered if I notice I didn’t progress hardly at all in a day, and feel especially satisfied if I charged through a big chunk of reading.

This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: How long does it normally take you to read a book?

It…varies wildly? For a short book on a good reading day, I could finish in a day. More typically, I’d say a book runs three days to a week. Three days used to be more the average, but my new job has cut into my reading time. About the longest I ever spend on a book is two weeks (Les Miserables and Gone with the Wind). If I spend too long on one book, even a good one, I get bored with it and itch to move on. Because there are so many other books to read!