Following is a BBAW (Book Bloggers Appreciation Week) meme I found from yesterday (Sept 15):
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I hate to admit it, but sometimes I will snack while reading, even though it's hard to concentrate if you are eating at the same time. I like to focus on what I am reading and nothing else. If I snack and read, popcorn is my favorite (plain so my fingers don't mess up the pages)!
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
I rarely write in a book. Sometimes I will write my name in the book, but that is all. Maybe this is a holdover from grade school days and having to return books in good condition. If I am going to write about what I am reading, I will take notes and reference page numbers. Or just write page numbers down and re-look at the pages and figure out why I wrote the page number down.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Usually I keep my place with bookmarks that are those magazine inserts for subscriptions or with a recent store receipt. I hate dog-ears on pages--it's a form of defacing a book!
Laying the book flat open?
Yes, that is my other option.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I enjoy both but read more fiction than non-fiction. Nothing beats a good story, true or not.
Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy books are my favorite. However, I love listening to Edward Hermann read audiobooks.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put the book down at any point. If the book is really good, I will read to the end of a chapter to have the intended break in the action.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
If the computer is handy, I will look it up immediately as I rarely look at a hard copy dictionary any more! Sometimes I keep a list of words and look them up at a stopping point. I kept a list of words I didn't know one of the last times that I read Jane Eyre and I might do a blog posting on them because there were so many. When I reread it the next time, I forgot some of them but remembered some, too.
What are you currently reading?
I'm reading a book of short stories that I bought on vacation in Hawaii. It was published this year and is written by a high school teacher who lives on Maui. The book is entitled Under Maui Skies and Other Stories by Wayne Moniz.
What is the last book you bought?
The paperback release of Empire Falls by Richard Russo is my last book purchase.
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
I can read more than one but would rather concentrate on one at a time.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
If I don't go out for lunch at work I like to stay in my office and read. Otherwise, I like to read before going to sleep. I have to read sitting up or I am out for the count.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I enjoy both series and stand alone but definitely I read more stand alone books. Series reading is frustrating unless the author is new to me because I hate waiting for the next book. I mean, think of Jean Auel and the Earth's Children series. Also, it is fun to read a particular author's books in order of publication and see if their writing has improved through the years.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
If someone likes mysteries and fluff, I recommend Stuart Woods. I recommend Kaye Gibbons to girlfriends, and I love to recommend the short stories of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They are the best.
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
I like to donate books to charity or just give them to friends and ask them to pass them on. The few books I have at home are definitely organized by genre: classics, autographed, self-help, cooking, and favorites that I can't bear to part with and love to re-read.
