Reading Meme

This post was actually the topic for Wednesday, but since Wednesday is my special 6-word memoir post, and I wanted to do this topic, I decided to make it an additional post for Monday. Again, I hope you don't mind two posts in one day. I just really enjoyed these questions that the BBAW committee came up with. So here we go:


Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? I do write in my books, but only with pencil and very minimally. Mostly to just underline or star an area so I can quickly find it later. I remember immediately what I marked it for as soon as I see it.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?Laying the book flat open? Oh dear God! While I have my "dog-ear this site" subtitle on my blog, I do not dog-ear my books, nor do I lay them flat open. I cringe when I see either of these practices in action. I have a plethora of bookmarks, and if I don't have a bookmark handy, I'll use an old movie ticket or a receipt or anything else that is small and flat and won't damage the spine or the pages.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? Mostly fiction but I do read non-fiction if it's a topic that interests me.

Hard copy or audiobooks? BOTH! I love my audiobooks when I'm walking, exercising, crafting or working in the garden. And of course, when I'm driving in the car. But nothing will ever replace my love of the printed book.

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 try to always read to the end of a chapter, but if it's too far off and I have to stop (i.e. lunch breaks at work, waiting room of the doctor's office), I'll stop at a break in the chapter or where a sentence ends at the bottom of a page. I don't ever stop where there isn't some kind of noticeable break.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Yes, if I can't discern its meaning from the context. Most times I can understand it from context, though.

What are you currently reading? I'm typing this on Saturday and I'm currently reading Brian McGilloway's GALLOW'S LANE and listening to Louise Penny's THE CRUELEST MONTH. Ha! I didn't notice before, but this is rare that neither is an American author.

What is the last book you bought? They haven't arrived yet, but this past week I ordered A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART by Timothy Hallinan and BLOWN AWAY by Shane Gericke.

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 read only one print book at a time. I might have two audio books going simultaneously with the print book. I usually have one audio in my car and another on my mp3 player. So I could have three books going at the same time, but always only reading one print at a time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? I always read before bed, but I'm willing and ready to read at any time in any place. It is VERY rare for me to be without a book since I usually have one tucked in my bag, my purse, the car, etc.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? In a general statement, series because I love character so much. Character can be developed so much more over a series of books. But that being said, some of my favorite books of all time are stand alones: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, LORDS OF DISCIPLINE, SHUTTER ISLAND, etc.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? I'm forever recommending Craig Johnson, Alafair Burke, Michael Koryta, Louise Penny, Timothy Hallinan, Thomas Holland, Chris Grabenstein, Jane Cleland, Rosemary Harris. It really depends on who is asking for a recommendation, but you can pretty much be guaranteed Craig Johnson will come out of my mouth! I've yet to recommend his books to someone and have the reader not absolutely ADORE them.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) organize books? You mean people do that? I have chaos mostly. I have a special shelf on one book case that is for signed books - those are organized on that shelf by author. I have a shelf that is the "high priority" shelf in that same bookcase. Those are just shoved in there. The second bookcase houses classics: two shelves are American Lit, one shelf Brit Lit, and one shelf World Lit. And then I have chaos everywhere else: six large Rubbermaid containers of books - my TBR pile. If I'm looking for something particular, it usually takes me a little while to find it.

And there you have it. Now you know some of the dirty secrets about my reading habits! Enjoy the rest of Book Blogger Appreciation Week!