Thursday, May 13, 2010

My Reading Habits!

Kathy at Inside of a Dog got this from Simcha at SFF Chat Blog who came across this fun meme at Floor to Ceiling Books (who got it from The World in the Satin Bag) about books and reading habits and I thought I would give it a shot myself.

(I loved this picture so much - I had to put it on with this meme!  I found it when I was looking at Floor to Ceiling Books.)


Here I go...everything you ever wanted to know about my reading habits...

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:  I do snack when I read - not religiously or anything, but I do like to nibble while I read!

What is your favorite drink while reading? I wish I was able to say Sobe Adrenaline Rush - - - but of course I cannot, because they stopped making it: and thus crushed me, but I am attempting to carry on by substituting Red Bull - - alas...it is SOOOOO NOT the same, but I drink it anyway.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?  I am a notorious for writing in books - as long as they are my own.  I always have a book in my bag but not a notebook, so I write random information in books: notes about other book recommendations, lists of things I just remembered, whatever I need to remember. 

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?  I am a constant bookmarker.  I will use just about anything handy to mark my place.  I am a bartender on weekends and regularly mark my page with sip sticks (those short skinny straws) - but more often than not if you look at my current read you will find my place marked with a dollar bill.  I would never dog-ear the page!!! A friend of mine likes to drop random dog-ear comments just to see if it always makes me crazy - - and it does!  Shame - take better care of the book the author spent so much time writing and you are spending so much time reading!  I have left a book laying flat ope, but it is the exception rather than the rule for me. 

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?  I will read non-fiction, if I have to.  Or...if my sister gives me the book.  Otherwise - - I am a fiction reader through and through.  I am a single mom with 2 jobs, 2 children, 1 boyfriend (who also has a child), 4 dogs, 5 cats, 1 rabbit, and 1 horse - - - -  I get enough reality.   

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?  I try to get to the end of a chapter before I quit reading, but I read while I work (bartending) so I have learned to stop mid-sentence when I have to, but do then end up re-reading and stopping at the end of the page as soon as I get a chance.
Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?  I am not a book thrower - I do leave them in piles around my home, but only until I get them read or put into a different stack.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?  Not unless I can't figure it out by context clues or at least get the gist from the scene.
What are you currently reading?
and Falling, Fly by Sklyer White
Changeless by Gail Carriger
Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

What is the last book you bought?
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?  I usually have more than one book going at the same time, I start them on different days, but I seem to finish the one I like the best first.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?  Anywhere and everywhere - any time I have a minute.  I steal a lot of my reading time from the night; I don't seem to need as much sleep as others do.  I spend a fair amount of time reading in the bar (on break, before, or after my shifts) and am amazed that so many people find it strange.  I can read in a packed bar with a band playing, but I can't read while I listen to my ipod with my earbuds in - doesn't make much sense does it.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?  I read both, but truly love series because I never seem to want the story to end.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?  I think that child should read Stand Tall Mary Lou Melon, every early reader should read Igraine the Brave, every middle schooler should read Lloyd Alexander, and every high schooler should read Chris Crutcher (Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes). 

How do you organize your books?(by genre, title, author’s last name, etc?  I keep most of my books in alphabetical order, by author last name.  I have a bookcase in my living room that simply holds the newest in the collection; these are not alphabetized, but they are sorted by series and author.  The majority of my books are currently in boxes (currently meaning the last 2 years or so).  These boxes are alphabetized: a box, b box, and so on.  One day I will be finished with the room in my house that is to be my library and they will all come out of the boxes and be shelved alphabetically by author last name.  (hopefully this day will occur in my lifetime!)

If you participate in this meme too, please comment and maybe link here so I can see what you have to say.