Monday, June 18, 2007

Reading Habits

Okay, Rachel...I'll take you up on the inquiry into reading habits.

Hardback or paperback? I like both equally well. I find paperbacks easier to carry around to appointments or when traveling. I like the feel of a solid hardback book in my hands. They both have their pros and cons. I absolutely detest tiny little paperbacks with 8 pt. font however. Do you hear me, Penguin Books??

Buy online or not? Online shopping and I go together like fish and water. I buy everything online, and my two favorite book sellers are half.com and amazon.com. I do like to go to half price books in person when I can.

Bookmark or dogear? I would never bend the page of a book on purpose. I've been known to memorize a page number when I can't find a bookmark.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I've done all three. I try to get rid of books that did not wow me.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? I can't bring myself to toss a dustjacket. I only did it one time and it was from a large, thin, hardback children's book that had the exact same artwork printed on the cover. And it took many hours of deliberation before I could actually do it.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? I just leave it on for sake of laziness and because I don't have anywhere to put it. However, it does annoy me.

Short story or novel? I like both. They have to be really good short stories, though. Poe's are my favorites.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Let's just say I'll be up all night this July when the last Potter book is released and I've never read Snicket and have no desire to do so.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? If I can choose, I make it to the end of the chapter. But more often than not, I am interrupted and must stop wherever I am.

Buy or Borrow? I'm a fan of the library, but there are a lot of books I feel I just need to own. Things I love or want to share with my kids, or be able to loan to good friends.

New or Used? I always try to buy a book used first.

How do you select your books to read? One a month is chosen by the BAD Girls. The rest I hear about online or in papers, or by word of mouth. I have a long list of books I want to get around to reading so there is always an idea of what to read next.

Tidy ending or not? This is tough. I don't like to be left hanging, wondering...but I don't mind if the ending is unhappy.

Morning, afternoon, or nighttime reading? Mostly nighttime after the kids are in bed. I do also read sometimes in the afternoon during the kids rest time or if we are all out in the backyard playing. If I get hooked on a book, I read it whenever I get the chance!

Stand alone book or series? Both are good. I only read a series if I am totally into the story and author. Then I am really happy there are more books to drink in, and sad when the series ends.

Favorite series? Little House on the Prairie, Harry Potter, Mark of the Lion by Francine Rivers, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? The Listening Book by Mathieu. It appeals to my musical side, since it talks a lot about listening to the beauty and music all around us in the world and tuning in to our own musical life.

Favorite books read last year? Living with Less by Mark Tabb, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez, and More Than You Know by Gutcheon

Favorite books of all time? Pride and Prejudice by Austen, Beloved by Morrison, Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis.

Least favorite book you finished last year? The Historian by Kostova

What are you reading right now? The Thirteenth Tale by Setterfield

What are you reading next? The Tao of Willie by Willie Nelson ( I bought this for Cody for Father's Day), and something by C.S.Lewis...I have a large pile of his books that I recently purchased and have not read yet. I love C.S. Lewis.

2 comments:

Quad Squad! said...

How very literary of you to write so much about reading, and how very literary of me to love every word of it! There may be an English teacher lurking somewhere inside you!

Anonymous said...

I liked reading about your opinions on these questions. Am thinking your "favorites" list sounds quite intriguing. I still have your Barbara Kingsolver book--and occasionally pick it up and read some. I like the book, just get busy and don't think about it. Maybe I will take it on retreat this weekend to read at night. Don said he had a fun visit with Ava yesterday. She had the hiccups and he was surprised she decided on her own to get up and get a drink and came back without them! He was impressed.....as grandparents always are....