Book meme

I found this book meme when I was out snooping around today and thought it fit very well this weekend, since I’ve just joined my first Reading Challenge.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? I like hardbacks because they look nicer on the bookshelves and prefer (mass market) paperbacks because they’re usually less expensive and easier to tote around. But I’ll take whatever I can get…

Online or brick and mortar? Nothing beats browsing through a ‘real’ bookstore, poring over book jackets and reading excerpts and finding special treasures. But I most often find myself browsing online, late at night, in my pajamas.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Definitely Barnes & Noble, online or brick and mortar. They get me.

Bookmark or dogear? I NEVER dogear, highlight, or otherwise mar the pages of a book. I *heart* bookmarks. And I use sticky notes for special passages that I want to be able to find again.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? No, no, no! First, you gather all the books by genre, then sort by sub-categories within genre, then arrange by size (so those darn bookshelves look nice) but if several books are written by the same author, those are grouped together and ordered by date of publishing. And then when you buy a new book, you have to take all the books off of all the shelves and re-do it. Geez, is that so hard?

Keep, throw away, or sell? One time, as a gesture of goodwill, I gave away some books to the local library. But the woman at the desk just threw my bag of books on the floor and acted as though they weren’t special or had any feelings whatsoever. It hurt my heart to leave them there so I’ve kept all of my books since. If I decide I must get rid of books in the future, I will take them to the Lakeview Museum to sell in their formerly-owned bookstore. I think that would be easier because I could believe that my books ended up in the homes of fellow art lovers — who would obviously understand how to treat special little literary creatures.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? I always keep the dustjacket…

Read with dustjacket or remove it? …because I usually wind up using it as a bookmark when I can’t find a ‘real’ one. Besides, they often have a photo of the author and I like to know who’s telling the story.

Short story or novel? Almost always a novel. But I also enjoy non-fiction.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? I like to read many different authors but when I find someone I really love, I end up reading everything they’ve written (Michael Connelly comes to mind here).

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Who?

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Chapter breaks, unless I’m just so tired I can’t read another page…but even then, I try to find a break in the action before stopping.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Well, I really don’t appreciate fairy tales so I guess “It was a dark and stormy night”…?

Buy or Borrow? Hello, my name is Debra and I’m a Book Buyer. I love books and once I read one, it becomes almost like a friend. I love knowing it is sitting on my bookshelf whenever I want to read it again. I only regret this when I happen to move…but that isn’t often enough to make me stop.

New or used? I buy books. Period. But I rarely buy new books at full price. Barnes & Noble has a great bargain section that I peruse often. I think right after Christmas I found 12 books for between $2 and $4 a piece!

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Yes!

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I like an ending to the story but it doesn’t have to be tidy or even to my liking.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? I’ve been reading a little bit on my lunch hours midday fifteen minute breaks, but I prefer settling in at night with a good book. It helps me forget a bad day. And if it was a really good day, it’s like the thick, gooey, chocolate icing on the cake.

Stand-alone or series? Other than the Harry Bosch series of Michael Connelly (which I love more than I can express), I can’t think of another series I’ve read, but I’m open to the possibility. Any recommendations?

Favorite series? Um, the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. You really aren’t listening to me, are you?

Favorite children’s book? I loved Charlotte’s Web and The Jungle Book when I was a kid. Oh, and some of the books by Beverly Cleary, although none of their titles come to mind now. I just remember a little girl named Ramona.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Foul! Trick question! The author and publisher have heard of it so there’s no way to answer this.

Favorite books read last year? The one that sticks out to me is Use What You’ve Got, and Other Business Lessons I Learned From My Mom by Barbara Corcoran. I even blogged about it back when I didn’t blog about books!

Favorite books of all time? Well, of course, anything by Michael Connelly would be on the list, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, Holy Bible by…well, you know. But I really love I Know Just What You Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women’s Lives by Ellen Goodman & Patricia O’Brien. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a description of my friendship with my best friend.

Least favorite book you finished last year? I don’t finish books I don’t find some value in…and I rarely find a book without at least some value. Much like people.

What are you reading right now? I’m reading The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. It’s my first book by this author and I’m really enjoying it. Review soon to come.

Okay, I’m probably supposed to tag people now so if you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged. Leave me a comment if you participate so I can come check out your answers too!