What Are You Reading Meme

This particular book meme is floating around out there, and so I thought I would give it a try. I pulled this off of Bibliolatrist's blog.

What are you reading right now?

I am actually in between books at the moment, having decided to set my current book aside for another time or perhaps not at all. I just cannot get into it. Next up on my schedule to read is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?

I really must get to Stephen L. Carter's New England White, and so that will be up after I finish Mr. Krakauer's book.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?

I just got a free sample of a facial cream of some sort. I believe it came with a pamphlet.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?

A badly written court report. If you are turning in a legal document that will be put on the record, wouldn't you want to try and make sure it is as perfect as possible?

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?


I am the librarian of my personal library and, so of course, I know my own first name, but that is not what the questioner meant, is it? Alas, I have not set foot in the local public library in over a year and a half. I doubt anyone there would even know what I look like, much less my name.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?

My recommendations tend to be individualized based on the types of books a person likes to read. While I may sing high praises of Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I know my friend Stefanie would not find much enjoyment in reading it. I would more likely recommend she try a Harlan Coben novel or perhaps something by Mo Hayder. My mother would definitely enjoy the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I talked my husband into trying Michael Connelly awhile ago, and now he's further into the series than I am. Moloka'i is my latest recommendation to my friends who enjoy historical fiction.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?

I do read while I eat sometimes, especially during my lunch break at work if the other people in the breakroom leave me alone or are not talking very loud on their cell phones. I've been known to go eat and read in my car for my half hour break just to settle down in a quiet place.

Showers are not conducive to reading, and so no, I do not read while I bathe.

I sometimes will read during commercials when watching a movie or TV, but with the advent of DVR's and DVD's, that happens less frequently than it once did.

More often than not, I do not read with music on in the background, although I can and I have in the past. A lot depends on the volume of the music and what type of music is playing. I love music, and if a song is playing that I am familiar with, I am likely to sing along, which hurts my concentration when trying to read a book.

The only time I read a book when I am on the computer is if the internet is running very slow, or I'm just sitting at my desk reading with an occasional glance at my e-mail. I tend to do one or the other rather than both at the same time.

I do not think my husband would appreciate me reading during sex, not to mention it would ruin the mood. And I definitely do not read while driving, although I have been known to sneak a peek at my book while waiting at a drive-thru.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?

I do not recall being teased about my reading habits by other children. My dad used to say that the only punishment that might work on me was to take away my books, but that never happened.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

Michael Palmer's The Society. I just had to see how it would all play out in the end. I used to be able to pull all nighters when I read a book, but the older I get, the harder it is to stay awake. When I am desperate, I try reading with one eye to let the other rest and then switch eyes, but that does not really work. If my body wants to shut down, no matter how exciting a book may be, I will fall asleep. My husband has had to extricate several books that I've fallen asleep cuddling.