A Book Meme

I haven't given up on the Sunday Book Reviews, I've just been indulging in authors that don't really need my two cents (Anne Tyler, John Irving). So this is my Sunday share instead, even though I am late.

Picked up at Pattie's Place.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? I can't say that I'm that picky. I love a hardback book, but I hate to pay for one. A good book is a good book, however it is presented.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon when I'm looking for something specific and I just want to get it in my hands ASAP... but nothing beats a brick and mortar bookstore for a relaxing day out. I can happily browse a bookstore for hours and hours.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? See above answer. If I am on vacation and both are available, I will likely spend some quality time at each one.

Bookmark or dogear? I have been known to dogear, but my daughter is breaking me of that habit (she hates it when I dogear her books). I have tons of bookmarks. I guess I sort of collect them, but I'm more likely to actually mark my place in books with a scrap of paper, a receipt, a library check-out slip or whatever else is immediately handy. My bookmarks are collecting dust on a shelf in my desk.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? I tend group my books by subject, but I've never taken the time to alphabetize.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I'm trying to reform myself as a keeper. The goal these days is to not collect them in the first place. Or, at least, not to just collect them randomly and without specific purpose. I often resell my bookclub reads on Amazon if I don't manage to acquire them at the library. I currently only buy and collect books from Kansas authors (I prefer signed copies.)

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? If it is a book I own I will remove the dustcover while reading and store it where it won't get bent or messed up.

Short story or novel? Both. Probably more novels than short stories, but I like to read both.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? I probably lean toward short story collections by the same author.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. I still haven't managed the entire Lemony Snicket series. Made it through books 1-4 and then skipped to 13 (daughter summed up the middle books for me).

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Chapter breaks... except I have a bad habit of falling asleep while reading at night and then I usually have to just start the chapter over again.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Once upon a time it was a dark and story night... it all works for me.

Buy or Borrow? I typically convince myself to use and abuse my library, but if there is anything I'm a sucker for, it's a book.

New or used? I have nothing against used books, but I love to be the first to crack the binding.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Probably reviews and recommendations. My list of to-reads is always longer than I will ever manage.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Hmmm.... doesn't everyone like a tidy ending? But when the cliffhangers are done well, I am satisfied.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Yes.

Stand-alone or series? Generally stand-alone, but I tend to read many books by one author in a row.

Favorite series? Harry Potter is the only series that comes to mind that I have read recently.

Favorite children's book? I'd probably have to throw most of the Judy Blume books here. I don't think I would have managed growing up without them. I'm a huge fan of many Dr. Seuss books. What's more fun that to read aloud The Lorax, Yertle the Turtle, or The Sneetches? I enjoy Shel Silverstein poems for the same reason.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Depends on how you define nobody... I refuse to say that Kansans are nobodies and I believe Max Yoho is probably fairly well recognized by many Kansas readers. Outside of Kansas, however, it might be that few people have heard of The Moon Butter Route or The Revival. If you fall into that category, you should look him up. He writes some very entertaining stuff.

Favorite books read last year? Fiction: Between, Georgia, by Joshilyn Jackson; Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd; The Mercy of Thin Air, by Ronlyn Domingue. Nonfiction: Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss; Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States, by Bill Bryson.

Favorite books of all time? The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley; The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan; We Were the Mulvaneys, by Joyce Carol Oates; The Center of Everything, by Lora Moriarty... gosh... the list is endless!

Least favorite book you finished last year? Gap Creek, by Robert Morgan

What are you reading right now? Back When We Were Grownups, by Anne Tyler and the guy not taken, short stories by Jennifer Weiner.

What are you reading next? Probably another Anne Tyler book.