How Do You Book?

Amy has a wonderful post about reading over on her blog. She borrowed it from another blogger and it looked like fun, so I thought I would keep it going (I guess that makes it a meme.) It also fits right in with the swap that I’m currently helping Amy with, the Summer Reading Swap.

1. Favorite childhood book?

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. My grandma Eileen gave me that book for Christmas and she passed away at Easter when I was 7. For some reason, I identify the book with her (even though it's likely that my parents bought the book with money she sent them).

2. What are you reading right now?

I'm on book 8 in the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

None. I don't use the library.

4. Bad book habit?

Not returning books to the library on time. That's why I don't use the library.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

See above.

6. Do you have an e-reader?

Yes! I use Kobo and Kindle apps on my iPad. And I'll probably use the iBooks app once they get a decent selection in Canada. Right now, they are still negotiating with Canadian publishers and there isn't very much choice.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once.

I usually stick to one book. If I try to have two books on the go, one of them is usually neglected.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

Not in any identifiable way related to blogging.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)

I'm into Scandinavian police procedurals, so I thought I would check out the "Inspector Harry Hole" (great name! go ahead, say it out loud, I dare you) series by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian. I started The Redbreast. I just couldn't get into it. I don't like the author's storytelling style. He jumps all over the place. I prefer a more linear story. Another book I tried to read but I just couldn't find any sympathy with the characters was Orpheus Rising.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Every once in a while I will pick up something from the Globe and Mail's list of bestsellers, or something that catches my eye on a subject. For instance, last month I read Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M., about the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's. I hated the author's writing style (no thesis, just threw all the research together in roughly chronological order, no transitions from one subject to the next -- a very poor effort, indeed) but I plowed through it. I now know more than I ever wanted to about Audrey Hepburn's career and how the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's came to be made.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

Anything well written. I tend to avoid genre fiction except Urban Fantasy (vampires, etc.) and Mystery/Suspense. I prefer police procedurals and psychological thrillers -- anything resembling true crime -- rather than mysteries that take place in English manor houses.

13. Can you read on the bus?

I don't suffer from motion sickness, so I can read anywhere there is good light.

14. Favorite place to read?

Usually in my bed before going to sleep. The "night reading" feature of the Kobo and Kindle apps is perfect. White lettering on a black background -- no disturbing my husband while I read (and no awkward booklights to try to attach to a physical book). I will also stretch out on the living room couch to read during the day.

15. What is your policy on book lending?

Most people I know don't read what I read, so I don't get a lot of opportunity to lend books. My Friday Night Knitting Club books made the rounds of the Knit & Chat ladies. I didn't have a problem with that.

16. Do you ever dogear books?

I used to when I was younger. Now when I read a physical book I tend to lay it open at the page I'm at (trying not to break the spine) or use a bookmark.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

In university I used to do it a lot. I don't have much reason to anymore. Except for cookbooks, sometimes.

18. Not even with text books?

See above.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?

Pretty much English. I love reading books that originated in other languages, though. Unfortunately, then you are dependent on the skill of the translator. (Yes, I've come across some really bad translations in my time.)

20. What makes you love a book?

Good writing. Knowing what to write and -- more importantly -- what to leave out. Knowing how to construct a plot so it progresses without being choppy. Knowing how to make a character "real" by adding human quirks, instead of just invoking stereotypes. Paying attention to dialogue so that all characters have individual speech patterns, instead of all sounding just like the author. Avoiding anachronisms and geographic errors. For British authors, making Americans sound like Americans, instead of like British people trying to sound American. For series authors, paying attention to continuity. I have a strong mental "eye" and "ear" for detail, so errors and sloppiness really bother me!

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

I have to know that it is a book the person will like. A lot of the books I like are full of horrific language and sexuality and gore. I am okay with it, but you cannot universally recommend a book like that.

22. Favorite genre?

I love the diversity of generic Fiction/Literature, but lately I've been reading a lot of Police Procedurals (a sub-genre of Mystery/Suspense) and Urban Fantasy (which my university professors might classify as "Magic Realism").

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)

Historical fiction.

24. Favorite biography?

The biographies I have read are mostly of poets, philosophers, or black people. (Weird, I know.) I was going to say "black activists", but not every black person whose biography I've read has been an activist. I guess my favourite biography was one edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (you know the guy who had a beer with President Obama?), The Bondwoman's Narrative, by Hannah Crafts.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

Of course. Everything from the schlocky ones (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus), to capital-f Feminist ones, to books about careers and parenting -- it's a big genre. And if you've ever had to raise an ADD child, you need all the (self) help you can get.

26. Favorite cookbook?

A book I was given as a wedding present, The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

What is an inspirational book? Maybe I don't read inspirational books, haha, because I can't think of one.

28. Favorite reading snack?

A cup of tea. If I try to eat anything while reading on the iPad, it gets very messy, what with the touch screen and all.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

I long ago learned to ignore hype and go against the grain. I really thought Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. would be a better book than it was. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with hype, though.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

Lately, I don't read a lot of critics or reviews of books. I remember reading one critic who said he disliked the writing of Stieg Larsson, who wrote the Millenium series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.) because Larsson didn't use enough similes and metaphors. Yikes! I have no idea what type of books that critic must be used to, because in my opinion it is truly a STRENGTH to write straightforwardly without relying on metaphor and simile. I would imagine, though, that it is because Stieg Larsson comes from a journalism background that he writes that way.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

I'll say what the truth is. If I don't like a book, I don't like it, and I'm not afraid to say it. If someone else tells me they did like it, that's fine. I won't shove my opinion down their throat. Everyone has their own opinion.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?

Swedish.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?

Fear and Trembling, by Soren Kierkegaard. But I didn't read the whole thing; only the parts I had to for a university course.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?

I think I'm a little too old for this question, or something. Why would I be too nervous to begin reading a book?

35. Favorite Poet?

I would have said Sylvia Plath, but I don't think she's my favourite anymore. Dylan Thomas might be taking over, since I saw Geraint Wyn-Davies in Do Not Go Gentle at Stratford this year.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

See question 3.

37. How often have you returned a book to the library unread?

Well, not often. Mostly when my son is doing a project for school that mandates the use of library research, and we check out lots of books on the subject but not all of them end up being used in the project.

38. Favorite fictional character?

Scout, from To Kill a Mockingbird.

39. Favorite fictional villain?

Moriarty, the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes.

40. Books I”m most likely to bring on vacation.

Whatever I'm into at the time.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.

Just after I graduated with a degree in English, I went a long time without being able to enjoy reading because I'd just spent five years analyzing everything to the nth degree. That feeling gradually wore off, but it took a long time, probably a couple of years. I wouldn't say I went totally without reading during that time, but it was hard to read for pleasure, so I didn't do much of it.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.

Lots of them. I used to finish every book I started, but you get to a certain age and it's not worth your time anymore. I didn't finish the aforementioned The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, or Orpheus Rising by Colin Bateman.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

My cat is always trying to distract me when I'm reading. Sometimes she is successful in interrupting me.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

To Kill a Mockingbird.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?

Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels that have been adapted to the True Blood series on HBO. I like the books and I like the show, but there are huge differences in the storylines. Sometimes the TV series is an improvement (like introducing the character of Lafayette) -- but sometimes not (the whole last half of Season 2).

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

Probably close to two hundred dollars. It depends on whether I add knitting books to the fiction selections. Also depends on whether my son is putting his books on the pile. Then it REALLY adds up.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?

Less often now that I am reading e-books. Perhaps that's why I've stuck mainly to familiar series, authors I know, and free books.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

I get bored of books if they fail to capture my attention, or if extracting the story from the verbiage is too much work, or if the characters are not people I identify with. Badly written books make me angry, but I often finish them anyway, unless I get bored.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?

Hmm, yeah. I like alphabetical order by author, or for physical books, tallest to shortest. Or some combination of the two.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

I just sold a whole pile of accumulated books to a woman who is opening a used bookstore. Does that count as giving them away? But before that, I had to accumulate the pile, so I guess I kept a lot of books.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?

I avoid a lot of books, but not actively. Usually I just stay away from genres that don't appeal to me.

52. Name a book that made you angry.

Any badly written book makes me angry, I guess for wasting my time. My son likes book adaptations of TV series like CSI. So I read one once and it made me so angry because the author did not have even a basic understanding of the characters, and made them do and say things that I know they wouldn't have. (Laid-back, emotionally reticent Sara Sidle cutting loose and swearing a blue streak for no reason? Um, I don't think so.)

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?

Nietzsche. I had to study his work in Philosophy class at university, and my previous experience with German philosophers made me expect not to like it, but I like Nietzsche. (Not so much a book, but an author I guess.)

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?

The aformentioned Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. I expected a proper book with a thesis and transitions. All I got was a bunch of research thrown together in vaguely chronological order. I could have googled that myself!

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?

Vampires, shapeshifters, necromancers, etc. They are to reading what potato chips are to eating (only fat-free, so no guilt involved).