reading meme
I'm thinking of starting to write some book reviews and posting them here. Any interest?
For now, here's a little related meme that I snagged from amaranthine3.
1. Favourite childhood book?
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
2. What are you reading right now?
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, The Partner by John Grisham, The Mighty and the Almighty by Madeleine Albright
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
I don't request books at the library. Actually I don't use it all that much anymore, every time I go the library doesn't seem to have the books I want most and the waiting lists are long.
4. Bad book habit?
I have a habit of putting a book down halfway through it and then never picking it up again.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Currently, nothing.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I normally read 2-3 books at a time. Right now I have one to read at work on my breaks, and then both a fiction and a non-fiction to read at home.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I don't blog except a running list of books I have completed (which does help me to go faster when I feel more accomplished), but I would like to start blogging some book reviews.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far?)
Well I did start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson but I couldn't get into it at all. So far I have enjoyed all the books that I actually completed.
10. Favourite book you've read this year?
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It was so so good!
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not very often, but I'm trying more and more to expand my reading horizon and so far its worked out really well for me.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Hmm...either historical fiction or books I loved from my childhood (I tend to read Narnia and Harry Potter a lot).
13. Can you read on the bus?
Yep, I can read pretty much anywhere.
14. Favourite place to read?
In the summer I love to read outside on the porch; in the winter I curl up in my favorite overstuffed arm chair or near the fireplace.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
I have no problem lending out books as long as I know I can trust the lendees to keep my books in the same great condition that they got them in.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Never! Why would you purposely ruin a book?
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only when I'm reading a book for class and I want to reference something that I might have trouble finding again--however, normally in this case I write a note with the page number.
18. Not even with text books?
Nope, textbooks I never mark up. It's normally non-fiction books and occasionally novels for literature class.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
English since its by far the easiest, though I occasionally try to read in Italian for practice.
20. What makes you love a book?
When I can't put it down! I love books that have constant action or intrigue so that I cannot bare to not turn the next page.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
Hmm, if I really like it and/or know that it is the kind of book a certain person would enjoy.
22. Favourite genre?
Historical Fiction, Mystery and Classical Fiction.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-fiction. I've read so many for school, but when I read for fun I like to escape into an imaginary world that non-fiction just doesn't offer. I am trying to improve on this; since I'm not in classes at the moment I try to read non-fiction occasionally to make sure I keep my brain working.
24. Favourite biography?
Oh, its been so long since I read a biography that there is no way I could pick.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No.
26. Favourite cookbook?
I wouldn't say that I have a favorite. I like vegetarian cookbooks and the Taste of Homes best recipes of the year cookbooks.
27. Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Path to the Spiders' Nests by Italo Calvino. It's a very good novel with a lot of layers too it. I love books that teach you about history through symbolism--in this case World War II from the Italian perspective. I really want to read more of Calvino's books.
28. Favourite reading snack?
I don't normally eat while I read, but when I first started reading the Harry Potter books I couldn't stand to put them down long enough to eat so I would move down to the kitchen counter and eat a Totinos Party Pizza while reading. Now every time I smell one of those Pizzas I get the urge to read Harry Potter and vice versa.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Once again I have to go with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It was so popular and the storline sounded so intense that I thought it would be really good, but I found in very boring. I might try reading it again soon, because it is possible that it just starts out slow...but I've never read a book quite THAT slow.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I really never read critics. I normally pick books that are recommended to me or that just have an appealing summation on the back.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I have no problem with that...I would never slander a book/author but if I had legitimate reasons for disliking a book I would not be afraid to make them known.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Hmm...that's an interesting question. I would have to say ancient Greek and Latin. It would be wonderful to be able to read all those important classics in their original tongue.
33. Most intimidating book you've ever read?
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I took an entire class on Virginia Woolf (only because the class was in London) and this was the only book that I managed to read in its entirety. While I did enjoy the overall message of the book, the writing is just very very dry.
34. Most intimidating book you're too nervous to begin?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I tried starting it once in Jr. High or High School but didn't get very far so I'm nervous to try it again, but it is definitely still on my list to hopefully one day finish.
35. Favourite Poet?
Edgar Allen Poe, though I prefer his short stories. I also like Emily Dickinson.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I normally check out three or four, it depends what I can find off of my list when I go there.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
Not too often, but if I can't get into a book and I have plenty of others to read then I will just return it. Then there are the books that you check out because they sound interesting and then they turn out to be something completely different than they really are *cough* Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife *cough*.
38. Favourite fictional character?
Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia, Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter, Marisa Coulter from His Dark Materials, Jane Rochford from The Boleyn Inheritance (I know she isn't fictional, but I consider the villain that Philippa Gregory morphed her into to be fictional).
40. Books I'm most likely to bring on vacation?
Chelsea Handler's books.
41. The longest I've gone without reading.
Probably several months when I'm SUPER busy at school. But even then I have a lot of educational reading to do.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.
43. What distracts you easily when you're reading?
It takes quite a bit to distract me besides someone talking directly to me... or when people around me are gossiping and it sounds particularly interesting. shhhh.
44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?
The first in the series both of Narnia and Harry Potter, Holes by Louis Sachar.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Narnia 3! What an abomination. Oh also The Scarlet Letter. The movie was so terrible...that it almost made me like the book.
46. The most money I've ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
I really don't know. Probably 30-40 dollars.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I will normally read the back cover, but that's about it. I never skim, even when I'm "supposed to" for an assignment.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
I do that ALL the time. Normally it either means I tried to read too many books at once or I got super busy for a few months and couldn't read at all so when I finally had time it had been so long that I just moved on to another book.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yep, I organise them alphabetically and by size...except for my non-fiction books which I just throw on that particular shelf at random.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
I keep my books unless I didn't enjoy them, in which case I take them to the used book store and exchange them for store credit ;) Non-fiction/text books I sell online if I don't think I will want to reference them later.
51. Are there any books you've been avoiding?
Classic novels. I love them but they tend to take me longer so they always get pushed down to the bottom of my list.
52. Name a book that made you angry.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (why did Harry turn into such a whiny git?).
53. A book you didn't expect to like but did?
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I normally don't go for sci-fi books and I didn't like the movie so I didn't think I would like the book at all...but I ended up loving the whole series.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn't?
Wideacre by Philippa Gregory. I love all of her English royal books, but this series was just plain weird. And kind of creepy/smutty.
55. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
I will have to say Harry Potter. It is the one series that I can read over and over again but never tire of.
For now, here's a little related meme that I snagged from amaranthine3.
1. Favourite childhood book?
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
2. What are you reading right now?
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, The Partner by John Grisham, The Mighty and the Almighty by Madeleine Albright
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
I don't request books at the library. Actually I don't use it all that much anymore, every time I go the library doesn't seem to have the books I want most and the waiting lists are long.
4. Bad book habit?
I have a habit of putting a book down halfway through it and then never picking it up again.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Currently, nothing.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I normally read 2-3 books at a time. Right now I have one to read at work on my breaks, and then both a fiction and a non-fiction to read at home.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I don't blog except a running list of books I have completed (which does help me to go faster when I feel more accomplished), but I would like to start blogging some book reviews.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far?)
Well I did start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson but I couldn't get into it at all. So far I have enjoyed all the books that I actually completed.
10. Favourite book you've read this year?
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It was so so good!
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not very often, but I'm trying more and more to expand my reading horizon and so far its worked out really well for me.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Hmm...either historical fiction or books I loved from my childhood (I tend to read Narnia and Harry Potter a lot).
13. Can you read on the bus?
Yep, I can read pretty much anywhere.
14. Favourite place to read?
In the summer I love to read outside on the porch; in the winter I curl up in my favorite overstuffed arm chair or near the fireplace.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
I have no problem lending out books as long as I know I can trust the lendees to keep my books in the same great condition that they got them in.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Never! Why would you purposely ruin a book?
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only when I'm reading a book for class and I want to reference something that I might have trouble finding again--however, normally in this case I write a note with the page number.
18. Not even with text books?
Nope, textbooks I never mark up. It's normally non-fiction books and occasionally novels for literature class.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
English since its by far the easiest, though I occasionally try to read in Italian for practice.
20. What makes you love a book?
When I can't put it down! I love books that have constant action or intrigue so that I cannot bare to not turn the next page.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
Hmm, if I really like it and/or know that it is the kind of book a certain person would enjoy.
22. Favourite genre?
Historical Fiction, Mystery and Classical Fiction.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-fiction. I've read so many for school, but when I read for fun I like to escape into an imaginary world that non-fiction just doesn't offer. I am trying to improve on this; since I'm not in classes at the moment I try to read non-fiction occasionally to make sure I keep my brain working.
24. Favourite biography?
Oh, its been so long since I read a biography that there is no way I could pick.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No.
26. Favourite cookbook?
I wouldn't say that I have a favorite. I like vegetarian cookbooks and the Taste of Homes best recipes of the year cookbooks.
27. Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Path to the Spiders' Nests by Italo Calvino. It's a very good novel with a lot of layers too it. I love books that teach you about history through symbolism--in this case World War II from the Italian perspective. I really want to read more of Calvino's books.
28. Favourite reading snack?
I don't normally eat while I read, but when I first started reading the Harry Potter books I couldn't stand to put them down long enough to eat so I would move down to the kitchen counter and eat a Totinos Party Pizza while reading. Now every time I smell one of those Pizzas I get the urge to read Harry Potter and vice versa.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Once again I have to go with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It was so popular and the storline sounded so intense that I thought it would be really good, but I found in very boring. I might try reading it again soon, because it is possible that it just starts out slow...but I've never read a book quite THAT slow.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I really never read critics. I normally pick books that are recommended to me or that just have an appealing summation on the back.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I have no problem with that...I would never slander a book/author but if I had legitimate reasons for disliking a book I would not be afraid to make them known.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Hmm...that's an interesting question. I would have to say ancient Greek and Latin. It would be wonderful to be able to read all those important classics in their original tongue.
33. Most intimidating book you've ever read?
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I took an entire class on Virginia Woolf (only because the class was in London) and this was the only book that I managed to read in its entirety. While I did enjoy the overall message of the book, the writing is just very very dry.
34. Most intimidating book you're too nervous to begin?
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I tried starting it once in Jr. High or High School but didn't get very far so I'm nervous to try it again, but it is definitely still on my list to hopefully one day finish.
35. Favourite Poet?
Edgar Allen Poe, though I prefer his short stories. I also like Emily Dickinson.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I normally check out three or four, it depends what I can find off of my list when I go there.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
Not too often, but if I can't get into a book and I have plenty of others to read then I will just return it. Then there are the books that you check out because they sound interesting and then they turn out to be something completely different than they really are *cough* Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife *cough*.
38. Favourite fictional character?
Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia, Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter, Marisa Coulter from His Dark Materials, Jane Rochford from The Boleyn Inheritance (I know she isn't fictional, but I consider the villain that Philippa Gregory morphed her into to be fictional).
40. Books I'm most likely to bring on vacation?
Chelsea Handler's books.
41. The longest I've gone without reading.
Probably several months when I'm SUPER busy at school. But even then I have a lot of educational reading to do.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.
43. What distracts you easily when you're reading?
It takes quite a bit to distract me besides someone talking directly to me... or when people around me are gossiping and it sounds particularly interesting. shhhh.
44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?
The first in the series both of Narnia and Harry Potter, Holes by Louis Sachar.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Narnia 3! What an abomination. Oh also The Scarlet Letter. The movie was so terrible...that it almost made me like the book.
46. The most money I've ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
I really don't know. Probably 30-40 dollars.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I will normally read the back cover, but that's about it. I never skim, even when I'm "supposed to" for an assignment.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
I do that ALL the time. Normally it either means I tried to read too many books at once or I got super busy for a few months and couldn't read at all so when I finally had time it had been so long that I just moved on to another book.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yep, I organise them alphabetically and by size...except for my non-fiction books which I just throw on that particular shelf at random.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?
I keep my books unless I didn't enjoy them, in which case I take them to the used book store and exchange them for store credit ;) Non-fiction/text books I sell online if I don't think I will want to reference them later.
51. Are there any books you've been avoiding?
Classic novels. I love them but they tend to take me longer so they always get pushed down to the bottom of my list.
52. Name a book that made you angry.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (why did Harry turn into such a whiny git?).
53. A book you didn't expect to like but did?
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I normally don't go for sci-fi books and I didn't like the movie so I didn't think I would like the book at all...but I ended up loving the whole series.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn't?
Wideacre by Philippa Gregory. I love all of her English royal books, but this series was just plain weird. And kind of creepy/smutty.
55. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
I will have to say Harry Potter. It is the one series that I can read over and over again but never tire of.