We are coming to the end of Book Blogger Appreciation Week and this meme has been going around as part of it and I thought I’d play along.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? I love to snack when I read. I read during lunch breaks at work so that doesn’t count as snacking that’s just lunch, but in the evenings when it is cool out a cup of hot cocoa is a marvelous thing. On weekends I love reading in the middle of the afternoon and having a cup of coffee and a cookie or brownie or cupcake, whatever delicious concoction my Bookman felt like baking.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? It depends on the book. Most of the time I don’t mark in my books but sometimes I feel compelled to if the book is a particularly difficult read or the author makes me grumpy and I talk back in the margins. Most of the time I mark passages I want to copy into my commonplace book or remember for blogging with page points.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open? The thought of laying a book flat open and breaking its spine makes me cringe. I have a large collection of bookmarks that seems to somehow grow of its own accord and I love choosing one that will go with the book.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? Both. I do not discriminate.
Hard copy or audiobooks? I am not much of an audiobook “reader.” I don’t have a car commute and sitting and listening to one while at home I tend to get restless. Though on occasion my Bookman and I will listen to one together and I occupy myself by knitting while listening.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put down a book at any point? I prefer to read to the end of the chapter or one of those page breaks that some books use instead of chapters or in addition to chapters. If I can’t do that, then I like to stop at the end of a paragraph. Sometimes I can’t even do that though since the bus and train don’t run their schedule according to my reading.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away? I rarely look up words I don’t know. Does that make me a bad person? I will look up words if they are so curious that I am intrigued to find out what they mean or I see them over and over again and am tired of wondering. I don’t feel compelled to look up words because most of the time you can get the gist of its meaning from the context.
What are you currently reading? I don’t think either of us has time for me to go through the pile of books I consider myself reading. The sidebar list will give you a little idea but I’ve not been good at keeping it up. Let’s just say I’m reading about 8-10 books and leave it at that.
What was the last book you bought? XML Visual Quickstart Guide. Not much plot but we can’t always have everything.
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? You saw my answer about what I am currently reading a couple questions ago, does it look like I read just one book at a time?
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? Any time of day is a good time to read.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? I prefer stand alones. All too often a series goes on much longer than it should especially if it is a commercial success. Anne Rice’s Vampire series anyone? Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Oh and Jean Auel. And Terry Brooks. Stephen R. Donaldson. Just stop it already. Please.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? No, not really. I rarely recommend books unless someone asks and then I only suggest books after I have grilled them on what they have read and who they like so I can at least feel like they might read my recommendation.
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc). Mostly alphabetical by author’s last name and according to fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. But there are books that end up on a shelf together because they are all from the same publisher or about a certain topic or meet some vague collection criteria. Then there are my TBR books. These are not organized at all, they are on their own two shelves and the ones that don’t fit on the shelves are stacked on the floor next to them.
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And just a brief note of appreciation to all who visit my little corner and to everyone who blogs about books. You keep me on my toes, you keep me reading, you keep my tbr pile huge, but most of all you keep me from getting cynical and grumpy about the state of literary culture. Clearly there are plenty of people left in the world who still love books and the pleasures of a well-told story. Thank you.
And many thanks to you for all you do for my TBR pile and for all your great reviews and bookish posts! I’m the same as you about dictionaries. Actually, I find when I look words up I never remember their definitions anyway, so why bother? Context works just fine, and if I read a word in context enough, I’ll actually remember it.
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Stefanie–I think we are kindred souls when it comes to how many books a person can read at one time. They just scream to be read and I can’t bear all that screaming. And I still think you are really lucky to have a Bookman who likes to cook. He obviously got that special gene that I was born without. The Literary Culture is thriving in this part of the blogosphere anyway! 🙂
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Sigh, is there anything better than curling up with a book and warm cup of tea or hot chocolate? These answers are so fun! Though, I feel like such a bad reader–my books are not organized at all. Eek!
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Great answers! Your comment about XML and plot made me laugh out loud! And I don’t look up words either, even in French when I really should. Reading time always seems so short!
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Thank you for your truly excellent blog, Stefanie. 🙂
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most of my books are too old and ratty to be bothered by being held open to save a page.. Plus library books. So it doesn’t make me cringe!
I also am always reading tons of books. So many calling my name!!
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As someone who just finished (and loved) Outlander, and am now beginning to read Dragonfly in Amber, I’m curious as to when you think that series should have stopped? (I’ve heard the later ones get a bit sillier, but I’m curious as to when I should lower my expectations, if that makes sense!)
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You’ll see when you read mine that you and I have quite similar answers for a lot of these. But then, we’ve already established that we’re twins, haven’t we? (You can tell us apart because you’re the one with tattoos.)
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What wonderful answers. I’m coming out of my funk just enough to want to do this meme too… I agree about series, although I find that trilogies are usually just about right (sometimes with a prologue).
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Pingback: Much Madness is Divinest Sense » Blog Archive » BBAW Meme
Was just noticing how long it has been since there’s been a meme in need of doing. I’ll give this a go in a little bit. We are in the midst of a week of vacation/holidays here, so I should be able to make it happen.
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My meme:
1. Snack while reading? No.
2. Mark books while reading? Try not to.
3. Bookmarks? Any scrap of paper.
4. Type? Generally fiction, now.
5. Hard copy? I dislike audiobooks.
6. Resting? I can stop at any place.
7. Unfamiliar word? Sometimes look it up; more often, lately.
8. Current reading? See my blog.
9. Last book? Memoirs of Hadrian, Marguerite Yourcenar
10. Bookreading? Generally three at a time.
11. Favorite time to read? While standing in lines.
12. Series or stand-alone? Never series.
13. Favorite author? Virginia Woolf or Jane Austen
14. Organization: genre, then author
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Of all your comments Stefanie [and this will sound self-serving to a retarded degree] your last [triple-asterisked] comment is the most informative of all.
Yours is not a “small corner”.
But that you think it perhaps is, this is why you have so many readers.
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Please forgive me… my one bracketed statement, the first one, referred to an abandoned thought, and hence, proves that I myself, am certifiably — retarded.
Cheers!
The overall point, trying to be made [by me, a mentally retarded-person] is that your blog is a very significant one, to many, you know — non-retarded [and potentially, I guess…… retarded] blog-readers, out there.
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Dorothy, thanks you know you’ve done a number on my TBR pile. I forget what they mean too. I am more bothered by breaking up the flow of a story to look up a word than I am about not knowing a word meaning.
Danielle, we are definitely kindred souls when it comes to the number of books in progress. I hope you don’t mind that I use you to ease the guilt I sometimes feel over having so many books on the go 🙂 I am very lucky for my Bookman. And I am very lucky to have blog friends like you. If this is a thriving corner, you have helped make it that way!
Rosemary, oh yes, cocoa or tea and a book is heaven. One reason I don’t mind the cold MN winters! Don’t feel bad about not having your books organized. I am studying to be a librarian you know so organizing things is something I am compelled to do.
Litlove, I am glad I am in such good company about not looking up words. And I am glad I made you laugh. You certainly make me laugh often enough I like to return the favor 🙂
Steve, and thank you!
Rebecca, if a book is beat up I have fewer qualms about keeping it nice. I did not realize you were a multiple book reader too. A book in progress for every mood is my motto 🙂
Lesley, the first three books are fantastic. The fourth book pretty darn good but I thought the cracks begin to show and it is all downhill from there. You might feel differently though so don’t let me tinge your reading experience!
Emily, my twin, we will have to remedy you not having a tattoo one of these days 😉
Daphne, you are right, trilogies can be just right. It’s those series that are perfect trilogies and then keep going that make me craziest.
Bikkuri, I look forward to your meme answers. Enjoy your holiday!
Bruce, enjoyed your answers! I used to read just three books at a time but that went out of control years ago 🙂
Cipriano, LOL! You are in no way mentally impaired, I think you just needed more coffee or a hamburger when you commented 😉 Thank you for your kind words, I can say the same about your blog!
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I usually look up words – does that make me a good person? lol. I’ve got dictionaries next to all my reading nooks but dictionary.com on my iPhone? Priceless.
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