5x5 Q's w/ Gabrielle from The Mod Podge Bookshelf!

Welcome to the first edition of 5x5 Q's, this week we're chatting to Gabrielle from The Mod Podge Bookshelf!

Q: What Do You Like Most About Reading? What I like most... hmm. Well, the standard answer is that reading transports you somewhere else, and that is true, and the reason I read, but my favorite part can best be described in the tag-line of my blog, "Sometimes a book becomes a part of your heart and soul. This blog is dedicated to those books." That is my favorite part, when something in the book speaks to you so loudly, in such a way, that it makes an eternal mark on your heart.

Q: How Did You Get Into Blogging? A whole summer of reading peoples blogs, now my very good friends, Holly included, thinking, "I can do this! I want to do this!... How do I do this?" Things took off like a rocket from there!

Q: When Did You Go To Your First Concert/Festival? I went to a lot of music fests in Dallas, Texas, where I spent my formidable years, whilst holding mummy's hand, of course, so I tend to count my experience freshman year (of high school) as my first big bash. I went into the city, Richmond, Virginia, this time, with a girl and her boyfriend whose "song" was Secondhand Serenade's "Fall For You." I had invited them along to see said band, and thank God they didn't spend the whole night sucking face! My favorite part of the evening was hearing from one of the opening bands, called The Undeserving. I spent MONTHS googling them, Youtubeing them and Itunesing them (Is that last -ing really working?) waiting for someone to upload stuff! Now there are a bunch of songs everywhere, though these wonderful boys still aren't very well known, and I use them as part of my writing playlists! Hooray!

Q: Why are "Death-Books" part of your favorite genre? I don't know!!!! I just tend to love books that revolve around death, dying, loss, depression... the kind of darkness that doesn't involve a paranormal creature, I suppose. I think I liked that things are the worst they will ever be for that character. There entire life will never look as grim as it does right. Now. They have to one, survive it, and two rise above it. Both of the above take hope. so maybe it's better to say my favorite genre includes "Hope-Books?"

Q: Where Do You Get Most of Your Inspiration? People. Myself. Current situations. SONGS! Other Books, quotes, the Bible, photographs, and color. All those things combine when I am writing.

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Now, it's Gabrielle's chance to ask me a few questions... 

Q: How much ice-cream have you ever had in one sitting? The most I've probably eaten at a time would be about half an average sized carton but I think I could easily knock off the mini Ben & Jerry Ice Cream tub especially if it were Cookie Dough or Phish Food!

Q: What is your favorite part of reading? As most readers would say, I love getting totally lost in a book and loosing track of time entirely. I also really enjoy the discovery process of hearing about a new book, waiting for the cover to be released and loving the final summary then resisting the urge to pre-order it!

Q: Do you remember your first trip to the library? What stands out for you? I actually went a little overboard in my early library days, borrowing the maximum allowed loans every month even though I wouldn't get through half of those. Some of the books I'd be on the hunt for were The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Teen Power Inc, The Sleepover Club & The Series of Unfortunate Events.

Q: If you could picture your favorite book, written by your favorite author(s), using all your favorite things, what genre/author/synopsis would it have? (Feel free to invent new things!) To start with, I'd get Stephanie Perkins, Simone Elkeles & Sarah Dessen in a room to battle out awesome ideas for their next combined novel. The lead character would be named RUBY, a twenty-one year old awe-inspiring girl whose also funny and a little bit self-conscious with quirky taste in music. There'd be a little bit of boy trouble but BENTLEY would make us instantly swoon while trying to win Ruby back. There'd also be a little bit of a mystery thrown in to keep us guessing until the end. The movie rights would be sold to Warner Bros within days of the books release and it'd live on to be a cult classic amongst chick-flick fans alike.


Q: Do you have any funny quirks when you're reading, such as where you read, when you read, how much you read at one time, or can you drop everything and pull out a paperback? I think my reading style is pretty normal but I have so many amazing books on my shelf right now that I leave the selection process of what I'll read next up to the average ratings on goodreads. It seems to work pretty well at getting me to read the best of the best :)

Be sure to let me know if you'd like to participate in 5x5 Q's!