Book meme

[colliemommie]

1. Favourite childhood book?
 Edward Eager books, especially Half Magic and Knight’s Castle. I still reread those periodically. Also Sorcery and Cecelia by Pat Wrede and Caroline Stevermer and the high school Betsy-Tacy books.

2. What are you reading right now?
I’ve been on a Georgette Heyer binge lately.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
Nothing right now.

4. Bad book habit?
Sticking them back on the shelves in no particular order. I end up having to re-alphabetize every few months because it drives me nuts not being able to find things instantly.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Isle Altherr’s second blackwork book. I can’t find the first L

6. Do you have an e-reader?
I’m on my second Kindle. Bruce killed my first one while we were travelling last Christmas, despite it being inside the carryon, packed in between the diapers.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I’m a serial reader, one at a time. Though it generally only takes me a day or two to read something.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
No.

9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far?)
I’ve been mostly rereading lately. I can’t think of a new book that I didn’t like.

10. Favourite book you've read this year?
Becoming Victoria. Great biography of Princess Charlotte and William IV. (That wasn’t how you expected me to describe it, was it?))

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
There isn’t much I consider out of my comfort zone. I’m a pretty catholic reader.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Just about anything. Hist fict, mystery, sf/f, lit fict, horror, biography, history, religion, crafts, how-to…

13. Can you read on the bus?
Never tried. We don’t really ride the bus.

14. Favourite place to read?
The couch.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
There’s a short list of people I will lend to, and I will hound you after a few months. Jenn kept swearing she didn’t have my first three Kage Baker books, and it took me a few years to get them back. But I did. Heh heh heh.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Nope.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only textbooks or sewing pattern books that I own.

18. Not even with text books?
See above.

19. What is your favourite language to read in?
English.

20. What makes you love a book?
Not wanting it to be over by the time it's done because I'm so involved with it.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If it reminds me of a specific person.

22. Favourite genre?
Sociological non-fiction. Sorry, I'm boring.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
New YA stuff. I know there has to be good things coming out, but I don’t have the time to sift.

24. Favourite biography?
Becoming Victoria. The title is misleading, it’s mostly about Princess Charlotte and William IV, neither of whom I knew much about. This book really filled in a blank spot in my historical knowledge.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Yes.

26. Favourite cookbook?
The old Betty Crocker cookbook that came in the D-ring binder.

27. Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?


28. Favourite reading snack?
Anything I can eat or drink one-handed.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Can’t think of anything right now.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Depends on the critic. Though I must say I don’t often read reviews, or read heavily hyped books or “best seller”s.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I think that well-reasoned critiques are helpful to other readers. There are so many books out there that one has to be selective, and I know that reading a review that specifies what the reviewer did or did not like about a book can help me decide whether to spend the time on it or not. Not everyone will like or dislike a book based on the same factors, so specificity is a must. I don’t think “OMG this book sucks!” reviews do anyone any good.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
German.

33. Most intimidating book you've ever read?
I don’t think I’ve been intimidated by the idea of reading a book.

34. Most intimidating book you're too nervous to begin?
None.

35. Favourite Poet?
T. S. Eliot. It’s an education just trying to get all the references.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
About 5.

37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
Very rarely.

38. Favourite fictional character?
Ross Poldark, Cordelia Vorkosigan, Facilitator Joseph, Pat Rin yos’Phelium, Abagail Wendover.

40. Books I'm most likely to bring on vacation?
Something I’ve read before. I find rereading to be very relaxing.

41. The longest I've gone without reading.
The five days I was in the hospital when Kat was born. Though I think I read a few magazines. Can’t remember, too much vicodin.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Wideacre. Patricide and incest in the first fifty pages. Complete trash, and bad historical writing.

43. What distracts you easily when you're reading?
The spawn.

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?
Brideshead Revisited. The miniseries, not the crap feature-length one. In my opinion it is the absolute best translation of a book to film ever. The language, tone, and atmosphere were so well reproduced, and the acting was impeccable.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Too many to name.

46. The most money I've ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Several hundred at least. I’m sure I blocked out the total.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Seldom to never.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Bad historical detail, general trashiness.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Mostly by author. Craft books are kept separate.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
I tend to hold on to books. I’m a big rereader.

51. Are there any books you've been avoiding?
No.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
DaVinci Code. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. The man spent two pages describing syncretism, and then didn’t’ use the correct term.

53. A book you didn't expect to like but did?
King Rat by James Clavell. I will never read it again, but it was amazing.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn't?
I know there have to be quite a few, but I can’t think of them right now.

55. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Georgette Heyer.

Comments

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

RE: 23: You know, it's my literal job to sift through the new YA books picking out the good stuff, so if you're looking for recs, just let me know what you're looking for! --signed, can't-stop-doing-my-job-even-when-I'm-not-at-work