I have not jumped in on the fun of memes but this one caught my fancy, and so I thought I would give it a try. Many thanks to Carl V. over at Stainless Steel Droppings for giving me this opportunity.
Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Fantasy. Although I enjoy reading all three genres, I most often read fantasy in all it's varieties, whereas I am much more selective when it comes to the type of science fiction and horror I will read.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
I like Trade Paperbacks best. I love the look and feel of them. They are easy to hold and fit in my purse nicely. Frankly though, I'll take my books just about any way I can get them.
Heinlein or Asimov?
I would have to go with Heinlein, in part because I don't think I have ever read anything by Asimov. I am quite smitten with Heinlein's work though--at least what I've read.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
While ordering books online is easy and convenient, there is nothing that compares with walking into a bookstore and being able to browse the shelves, pick up books at random, and savor the atmosphere.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
A year ago I would have said Barnes and Noble without hesitation, however, Borders has taken the lead. The customer service is awesome at Borders and that's really what puts it over the top for me. It helps that it is closer to my house too.
Hitchhiker or Discworld?
I have several of the Discworld series books in my TBR room, but I have not yet read even one. So, by default, Hitchhiker wins. I enjoyed the Hitchhiker series quite a bit--it's a fun series.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark, definitely. It's very rare that I will dogear a book, but if I'm desperate, so be it. That's only after I have exhausted all other resources from bookmarks, receipts, sticky notes, scratch paper, clips, or anything flat that will fit in a book to hold a place.
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Alphabetize by author. I used to work in a library. And besides, my husband would do it if I didn't (he worked in a library too).
Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
I'm definitely a keeper. I do trade occasionally, but overall, I keep. For now.
Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep it. I cannot imagine why anyone would throw it away unless it's really tattered and torn.
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I remove the dustjacket when I read a book.
Short story or novel?
I do read short stories now and then, but I prefer novels.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter, most definitely!
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I do both. I would prefer to stop at chapter breaks, but that isn't always possible, especially if it's a long chapter. I try and find a decent place to stop, maybe a section break if no chapter break is in sight. I'm not always that lucky.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
"It was a dark and stormy night" seems to be a more promising start for a story I'd want to read.
Buy or Borrow?
As much as my significant other wishes otherwise, I'm a buyer.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
All of the above. Many of the books I chose to read are based on recommendations and reviews by friends, fellow bloggers, or booklovers. I also do a good amount of browsing now and then, drawn to titles and covers that make me want to look inside a book and see if it is something that might interest me.
Lewis or Tolkien?
A difficult choice! C.S. Lewis' stories drew me in when I was young and was probably my first real foray into fantasy novels. Tolkien, on the other hand, his world amazes me.
Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Either really. I guess it is like music for me. Sometimes variety is what I crave and other times I like something familiar and consistent.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
I actually prefer something in between. I like a good wrap up, but I also like some things to be left to my own imagination.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
I like to read every chance I get. I do try to fit in a little reading before bedtime and during my lunch break. I probably do most of my reading on the weekends when I don't have work getting in the way (Oh, to have a job where I could read to my heart's content!)
Standalone or Series?
I enjoy reading both. I like the finality and short committment of a stand alone. And yet I also like the familiarity and comfort of series reading.
Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
I enjoy both equally. Both have their place in my life, depending on what my reading needs are at any given moment.
New or used?
I buy both, but I prefer new.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
I cannot think of a favorite book that somebody somewhere out there has not heard of. The first book that comes to mind is The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter, a childhood favorite of mine, but I know many people out there have read and enjoyed it. Same with Emma Sweeney's Love Always, Jack.
Top 5 favorite books read last year?
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder
Top 5 favorite books of all time? (not including any of the above five)
Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
One Child by Torey Hayden
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
5 favorite series?
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly
Kinsey Milhoune series by Sue Grafton
The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I want to extend many thanks to Orange Blossom Goddess at The Library Ladder for giving me the gift of Charles Dickent's Oliver Twist, which she sent to me in remembrance of her wonderful grandfather. I read Oliver Twist many years ago and fell in love with the story. I look forward to reading it again and again.
An aside: My mother shared with me yesterday that she recently gave her kindergarteners hardbound history readers for their reading lessons. She teaches a kindergarten/1st grade split class and the regular readers used for the 1st graders are not appropriate for the kinders. As a result the teacher decided to use the history readers. My mom was tickled by the enthusiasm the kinders showed toward the hardbound books, each of them not wanting to part with them when it was time for the books to be collected at the end of the day. Each student rushed to stick a piece of paper with their names so that they could be sure to get back the same book the following day.
How young we become attached to our books!
Great meme.
ReplyDeleteI could make a dozen comments. Regarding Pratchett--try him on tape if you like books on tape. I think the books are funnier read aloud; we've done several while on the road and everyone in my vacationing family from 67 to 9 likes Pratchett.
I loved reading your answers. I'm going to do this meme later on this week but I'm tweaking it a bit and taking out a lot of the Sci/fi questions. I don't read much in that genre to really know what I'm talking about :)
ReplyDeleteSure enjoyed reading your answers to this meme. I think you will enjoy Pratchett a lot. His books are so fun - lots of imagination and humor. My favorite so far is Mort.
ReplyDeleteKitty, great meme! I think I would like to do this one too. So many of our answers are similar, (except I'd beg to differ on the Harry Potter vs. Lemony Snicket question). This looks like great fun! It's going to take me a while to come up with my top 5 books of all time though. (So many choices!)
ReplyDeleteSarala - Thanks! That was a fun meme to do. I've heard great things about Pratchett's books and I look forward to reading them. There are so many books in the series! I have a lot of reading ahead of me.
ReplyDeleteIliana - Thank you so much! I look forward to reading your meme. I took out some of the questions because I hadn't a clue even after my husband explained them to me. LOL
Booklogged - Why thank you! I enjoy a good funny book and I've heard the Discworld series is goo for that.
Kookie - Thank you! I will look forward to seeing your responses to the meme. I've only read three of the Lemony Snicket books and reading them back to back was probably not the smartest idea (too much alike). Maybe someday I'll get to the rest.
Great Meme!! I may even have to do this one as well! I loved your answers...but as I was going down the list, all I could think of to answer was All of the Above!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great story about the hardback books.
ReplyDeleteInteresting meme! I'll have to check it out.
Asimov is pretty entertaining. He has some clunkers but who doesn't?
I had fun reading your answers. Smitten is a good word, I would have to say that I'm smitten with Heinlein as well.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fun meme. I adore The Princess Bride, both the book and movie. When I was younger, it was one of the few movies I could quote beginning to end. Unfortunately, my copie was borrowed out (and never returned) years ago.
ReplyDeleteStephanie - I felt like that too! Haha It was a lot of fun, thanks!
ReplyDeleteCarrie K - I'll have to give Asimov a try. I think my husband has a book or two by him lying around somewhere.
Carl - Thanks for the meme! I like the word "smitten" too. :-)
Nyssaneala - Thank you! Princess Bride is my husband's favorite movie (one of them anyway) and he's the one who got me to try the book. Both versions are great fun.
So many people have The Alchemist on their list of favorites, I must I've got give it a look
ReplyDeleteThe Alchemist and The Princess Bride definitely hit my all-time favourites list!!
ReplyDelete(You are so very welcome for Oliver!)
i love memes but i prefer them short. it does make for good bonding moments.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Jane Eyre made the cut as one of your favorite all-time books - it's one of mine, too. Did you watch the recent Masterpiece Theatre production of Jane Eyre? It was wonderful and the actor who played Mr. Rochester (Toby Stephens) was perfect.
ReplyDeleteLesley - I'm didn't catch Jane Eyre, but I've heard it is really good. Hopefully I will be able to catch it when it airs again.
ReplyDeleteNessie - I see a lot of memes but don't usually take part for one reason or another. I agree that shorter tends to be better more often than not. :-)
Stefanie - If you do read The Alchemist, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Heather - Great minds think alike! Haha