I was a little awestruck when Nabila asked me if I wanted to do a post with her. She does awesome collabs all the time and I've secretly prayed that I would get to do one with her one day... and guess what? Today is the day! I am collabing with the Nabila from Hot Town Cool Girl and we are going to talk about booooooooks (specifically reading them).
We came up with the idea to do a book collab because Nabila recently read and loved a few reads I've been talking about non-stop (I'm so proud of you, girl). So we decided to try out this tag and... here we are!
Let's Talk About Books (ft. Nabila)
1. WHAT SPARKED YOUR LOVE FOR READING?
Nabila: Two things. Number one my dad. He used to force me to read when I didn’t like reading which wasn’t that much fun but he was the one that got me to read in the first place. Number two percy jackson. I fell in love with that book and then I just had to read more.
Kenzie: So... I never liked reading much. I didn’t crave it. There were a few childhood books that I enjoyed but while my sister was whipping off this book and that book, I preferred to do more “crafty/creative” type things with my time. My mother tried to encourage me to read (especially those recommended classics) and it was always really hard for me to get into them...
Until I read The Hunger Games. That was when I fell in love with books and wanted nothing more than to smoosh my face up against those glorious pages.
2. WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BOOKS?
Nabila: Mostly the library. I don’t have a job or anything so buying all my books is out of the question and my whole family is a library family so it works great. Fun fact, the library I used to go to flooded during Hurricane Harvey, so now I go to a makeshift one in the community center near me. Very small but I can still request books which is really all I need.
Kenzie: I wish I can say that I take advantage of my glorious library but I buy my books. I was never encouraged to go to the library (because, to be honest, it was gross there) so I usually bought them or they were given as gifts. I have a bit of ocd when it comes to having to own all the books that I have read. When my library got a makeover, I did try reading a few books from there but I just felt the need to buy them afterwards because my collection felt “off”.
So, I usually give all my money to the holy trinity:
Barnes and Noble (this place owns my soul)
Amazon (plz just take my money)
Book Outlet (I bought all my christmas gifts from here last year and I have zero regrets) (why yes, I did purchase my own christmas presents and wrap them. no I do not have any shame)
And then the other 25% is received through gifts. The thing with Book Outlet is that it carries books that are “flawed” ever so slightly. The condition varies a little bit but for the most part, they’re in pretty good shape. However, their inventory changes all the time so you’ll just have to go back and keep checking what books they currently have.
3. WHERE DO YOU READ?
Nabila: There are three main places where I read. Number one the living room. Once it’s time to get off electronics (around 8:30 for me) I basically just read. Number two my room. At night (if I’m kicked out of the living room) I just lay on my bed and read. Number three school! It’s actually kind of crazy how much free time I have to read during the school day to read haha.
Kenzie: I love reading outside. It allows me to enjoy the lovely weather and do something I enjoy. But when the weather is yucky, I usually read on the couch or in our big fat recliner... And my bed. You have no idea how excited I get to crawl into bed with my lil’ night light and my current read. I’m like a little kid after Christmas morning.
I also like reading in the car and it doeSN’T MAKE ME CAR SICK. BLESS.
4. WHEN DO YOU READ?
Nabila: I basically answered this above but to recap: in the morning, at night, when the internet goes out, and school. So basically like always lol.
Kenzie: *heavy breathing* o-o every. chance. I. can. get. (Which is mostly in the afternoon to early evening to late at night-- the only time I ever stay up past 1 is if I’m deep into a book and I can’t put it down.)
I will sometimes, on rare occasions, read right when I wake up. I’ve found that it helps me be more productive and excited about my day. I’ll just lay in bed for an extra hour and give myself a little treat before entering the world.
5. WHAT GENRES DO YOU READ?
Nabila: I read lots of different genres including YA, dystopian, realistic fiction, historical fiction, memoirs, drama, romance, poetry, and graphic novels. One genre I’ve noticed I don’t really like is fantasy. What I mean by that though is books that are totally set in a different world. For example I liked Harry Potter. But I didn’t like The Ranger's Apprentice.
Kenzie: *skips around and tosses confetti in the shape of Ys and As* I don’t think I’ll ever be able to step away from it. But since I do buy all my books, I have to be picky about which ones I choose so I’m not waSTING MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE. I usually go by what is popular (I know that sounds bad but if it’s popular, yah bet it’s got to be worth a lil’ of my time). And if those popular books happen to be in the adult genre then so be it!
Although, I do have a couple favorite genres I tend to lean toward when I’m looking for a new read:
Contemporary
Fantasy
I have such a soft spot for contemporary books because they’re usually quick to read and they make me squeal. *cough* To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before *cough* Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda *cough*-- man, my allergies are acting up.
6. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD READS?
Nabila: Basically all of Rick Riordan's books. Except for the first Percy Jackson series. The first book was good and started my love for reading. The rest of them though? Not good. Butttttt like every other book by him is absolutelly great. I also don’t think he gets enough credit for how much diversity is in his books! There is both a gay couple with Apollo having awesome commentary in the Apollo books and there is someone who is gender fluid in the new Magnus Chase books. That’s so cool! Some really little kid books though would be Where The Wild Things Are and The Daring Book For Girls book. Those were great.
Kenzie: Like I said, I never did a lot of reading when I was younger. My two favorite books from when I was really young were The Giving Tree and Goodnight Moon. Then in middle school I’d read American Girl books or my dad would read to my siblings and I and we always enjoyed The Magic Treehouse books as well as those Narnia books.
7. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?
Nabila: This is sooooooo hard but some of my faves would be The Selection series, The Hunger games series, The Giver, In The After, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (aka Love, Simon WHICH I STILL HAVEN’T SEEN BUT I REALLY FREAKING WANT TOO), Ready Player One, How To Be A Bawse, The City Of Ember, The School For Good And Evil series, I Become Shadow, I Am Princess X, I Am Malala, and like twenty thousand more.
Kenzie: DUDE. THIS QUESTION IS THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. I do have one ultimate favorite book that I will never ever get sick of. I literally can’t find anything wrong with it- it’s perfection. Hehe, I’m sure you’ve already guessed it but I’ll just say it anyway
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
That book is mY CHILD. I will protect it at all costs so fiGHT ME. (Softly, because I’m a sensitive little bean.)
But since you did ask books with an s, I’ll list a few other favorites:
Everything, Everything
The Sun is Also a Star
All The Bright Places
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Eleanor & Park
The Dangerous Art of Blending In
The Fault in Our Stars
The Hate U Give
The Mortal Instruments Series
The Throne of Glass series
The 5th Wave series
Mara Dyer series
Anything by Rainbow Rowell
anD MORE
Also... NABILA. Come over to my house and we will watch Love, Simon together and we’ll eat rainbow skittles and oreos, m’kay? It is not an option anymore.
8. DO YOU READ FAST OR SLOW?
Nabila: Compared to most people I know pretty fast. I can go through a book in a day. Sadly lately I just haven't been reading that much which makes me really sad.
Kenzie: Compared to most people, I’m a slow reader. I’ve gotten a bit faster over time but it takes me like a month to get through a fantasy book and I’ll usually take 3 days to get through a contemporary.
9. DO YOU SET READING GOALS? WHAT ARE THEY?
Nabila: I actually did a Goodreads goals this year (feel free to friend/follow me on there) which was 50 books. At the point that I’m writing this I’ve only read 27 and I’m kind of scared I’m going to fail haha.
Kenzie: YES SIR! Every year I make a Goodreads goal and it’s usually small (since I am a slow reader). I made it to my goal last year (barely) and I just need to read one more book to make it to my goal of 30 for this year!
10. HOW DO YOU TRACK YOUR READS?
Nabila: I never have until this year but now I do on Goodreads.
Kenzie: Goodreads. It saved my life. I can’t live without it. We’re actually married. Sorry you missed the wedding.
11. DO YOU BINGE-READ?
Nabila: Yeah sometimes I have these periods of time where I just read read read. Sometimes it will be a week or a day or a day or a month but I’ll just be in this reading mode where I almost can’t stop.
Kenzie: Here’s the thing. I can’t not be reading a book. If I don’t have a current read then I feel like I’m missing a limb. However, I’ll go through streaks of just reading, reading, reading... and sometimes it’ll take me longer to finish a book over other times. I usually binge-read if I’m reading a really good contemporary and I can’t breathe unless the book is finished. But whenever I finish a book, I have a really hard time picking up another book. I don’t know why, it’s just really hard for me to start a book over finishing one??
12. DO YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH CHARACTERS?
Nabila: Sometimes but it’s always cause I think they're adorable and sweet and I fall in love with them as like this adorable person but in a platonic way. I've never had a crush on a fictional character.
Kenzie: BWHAHAHAH IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION. I fall in love with characters more than I should. Sometimes I’ll be going about my day and I’ll start thinking about said character and I’ll just think: i rlly luv u.
13. DO YOU BUDDY-READ?
Nabila: If this means like read a book at the same time as someone not really. I will make my friends read the books that I love though so that we can gush over it together.
Kenzie: If it means reading in the same room as someone then yes, sometimes. My sister, Lila, loves all the same books I do so she’s usually reading a book I recommended to her. Or I might read while my brother reads his comics.
Or if it means reading the same book at the same time with someone and chatting about it... I do it sometimes but it doesn’t really work out the greatest. I’ll either be too far ahead or too far behind and the vibe gets lost in between.
14. DO YOU RE-READ?
Nabila: No, not unless the book is amazing and I have nothing else to do and I haven't read it in a while. I don’t like rewatching movies or shows either.
Kenzie: I used to be like Nabila but I’m guilty of it. I have such a horrid memory so it makes it pretty easy to re-read books. This year I re-read A LOT of books. I couldn’t help myself! I’ll usually do it if the sequel or movie is coming out to refresh my memory.
15. WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A READER?
Nabila: Being able to go into this whole other world and persons life whenever you want. It’s like being a shapeshifter or time traveler or something but with a smaller chance of dying.
Kenzie: YOU’RE NEVER BORED AND THERE’S SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM. Plus, it gives you an escape from the real world and allows you to be more educated on certain subjects.
16. WHAT IS ON YOUR TBR?
Nabila: Soooooooo many things (find full list here) but a couple book I’ve been wanting to read for a bit include Fangirl, Carry On, Leah On The Offbeat, The rest of The Lunar Chronicles, Illuminae, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Queens Of Geek, Little Fires Everywhere, Warcross, A Thousand Perfect Notes, and like twenty thousand other books haha.
Kenzie: Umm... oh, idk... WAYWARD SON?????????????
According to Goodreads, I have 1,439 books on my to-read. I’m not even going to get into that because there are just so many. Too many. That doesn’t include the physical tbr pile I have in my room. Yeah, my tbr is trying to murder me at the moment. We are not on the best of terms. It’s okay, after a little couples therapy we should be fine.
therapist: so, I believe communication seems to be the problem here.
me: *is reading carry on for the 24984728912th time* hm?
tbr pile: you think??
17. WHICH AUTHOR WOULD YOU DIE OVER MEETING?
Nabila: Oh my gosh. There are soooooooooooo many authors that I just lovvvvve so I’m pretty sure like all of them???? One author that I would love to meet currently is Becky Albertalli who I know Kenzie actually got to meet (I’m super jealous!!!). I’m currently reading Leah On The Offbeat and I of course read Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens agenda a couple years ago and I’m obsessed with both books!!! Leah On The Offbeat is sooooo good it seriously lifts my mood. I love the narrator and all of references to pop culture and how I feel like it could literally be the mind of someone right now. It feelllllls sooooo current which of course it is but even more than other books because of all of those comments. I have laughed out loud multiple times while reading it. :)
Kenzie: I’ve met a lot of authors in my time but I know for a fact that I will fall face first on the floor if I ever enter the same room as Rainbow Rowell. I don’t think I’d be able to handle the amount of feels that would come with meeting snowbaz’s mama??
Thank you so much for doing this collab with me, Nabila! As you already know, talking about books and reading makes my soul 10000000x happier and talking about those things with you just made my soul EVEN MORE HAPPY. Who knew that was possible??
Everyone, please go check out Nabila's blog. She is super sweet, supportive, accepting, and beautiful sunflower child.
