Reading!
jennygordon posted some interesting questions about reading. Here are my answers:
What do you read? Mainstream, genre, Young Adult?
I mainly read YA; fantasy, historical, contemporary, whatever. If it's about teenagers, I'll probably at least give it a try. If it's about adults... well, I might read it, but the chances are much lower, especially if it isn't mystery/fantasy/romance.
What do you never read?
This is an impossible question for me, because every time I say I don't read some sort of fiction, I find a book in that genre that I do enjoy. As of now, though, I don't think I've found any westerns I particularly love. And I technically read non-fiction, but almost exclusively skimmed & for research purposes.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
It should be telling that I find this an odd question-- why would you pick one time to read?!? If I have a spare moment & I'm not writing, I'm reading (this happens frequently in line at Starbucks).
Bed, Bath or Bus?
All three, at least, when I used to ride the bus to & from classes. I've also been known to read at my desk and at lunch tables and on the couch during TV shows I'm not paying much attention to, and when standing in the middle of the kitchen waiting for pasta to finish boiling and... yeah.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback or eBook?
All of them. I buy a lot of hardback, because I tend to buy on release days-- also, they take way more abuse-- my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is losing pages & my Twilight is so covered in post-its from paper-writing it's ridiculous.
I love trade paperback because they're a nice size to hold and I like the matte finish & foiled covers the best.
Mass market is good to stick in my purse, plus a number of fantasy series I love come out in mass market, so I tend to get a lot of those. Also, if it's something I'm iffy about, I tend to buy the mass market instead.
AND I adore my Sony Reader for eBooks. It is seriously like an extra limb; I read all my manuscripts (multiple times), can easily access my CPs' maunscripts and critique group submissions (AND make notes), plus I've got hundreds of published books with me all the time, just in case I need a quick dose of Pride and Prejudice or a tidbit of a romance novel. Seriously love-love-love it.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark, though I tend to use anything and everything from receipts to pretty ribbon & charm marks to hold my page.
Alphabetize by author, title, or random?
I separate by YA/MG, Fantasy, Mystery, Classics, Picture Books, and Random Adult Lit (for fiction, non-fic is totally different). Then alphabetical by author's last name, unless there are multiple authors for a series-- then I put them in under the series title. I have too many books to be disorganized about them or I'd never find what I was looking for when I needed it.
Keep, Throw Away, or Sell?
Keep. Sometimes give away, if it's a book I have multiple copies of, but that doesn't happen often.
Short story or novel?
Usually novels, but there have been a ton of fantastic YA short story anthologies lately, so they're growing on me.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I've been known to put books down mid-sentence. Years of reading under desks during classes have trained me not to bother to wait for chapter breaks or even a break in a scene-- if I'm done, I'm done.
Buy or Borrow?
I am the world's worst book-borrower. I try never to take someone else's book anymore, because I have a weird TBR system and tend to get thrown off if I have to read something belonging to someone else. Really, don't try and make me borrow your book-- if I'm interested, I'll buy & read eventually.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation, or Browse?
Almost never reviews, unless it's a writing/non-fic/research book. Recs are more likely. But usually I browse, whether online or in stores and go from there.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Depends on the book. If I know I'm reading Book 1 of X, I don't mind cliffhangers as much. If I think I bought a standalone & it turns out not to be, then I'm a bit annoyed. But as long as there's some semblance of "this story ends here," even if it goes on to "and another is just beginning!" I'm good.
Standalone or Series?
I've been a series girl since I learned how to read. Sometimes I like a good standalone, but I gravitate toward series.
Favourite book of which nobody else has heard?
Er... No clue. "Wildwing" by Phoebe Erickson? I haven't read that in years, though.
Top 3 favourite books read within the last few years?
I'm gonna cheat a wee bit...
1) The Demon's Lexicon books by Sarah Rees Brennan
2) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
3) Graceling/Fire by Kristin Cashore
Top 5 favourite books of all time?
I'm gonna cheat a wee bit here, too...
1) The Harry Potter Series
2) The Emily of New Moon trilogy
3) Anything by Agatha Christie
4) The Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare
5) Jane Austen's works
Now what are your answers? :)
What do you read? Mainstream, genre, Young Adult?
I mainly read YA; fantasy, historical, contemporary, whatever. If it's about teenagers, I'll probably at least give it a try. If it's about adults... well, I might read it, but the chances are much lower, especially if it isn't mystery/fantasy/romance.
What do you never read?
This is an impossible question for me, because every time I say I don't read some sort of fiction, I find a book in that genre that I do enjoy. As of now, though, I don't think I've found any westerns I particularly love. And I technically read non-fiction, but almost exclusively skimmed & for research purposes.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
It should be telling that I find this an odd question-- why would you pick one time to read?!? If I have a spare moment & I'm not writing, I'm reading (this happens frequently in line at Starbucks).
Bed, Bath or Bus?
All three, at least, when I used to ride the bus to & from classes. I've also been known to read at my desk and at lunch tables and on the couch during TV shows I'm not paying much attention to, and when standing in the middle of the kitchen waiting for pasta to finish boiling and... yeah.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback or eBook?
All of them. I buy a lot of hardback, because I tend to buy on release days-- also, they take way more abuse-- my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is losing pages & my Twilight is so covered in post-its from paper-writing it's ridiculous.
I love trade paperback because they're a nice size to hold and I like the matte finish & foiled covers the best.
Mass market is good to stick in my purse, plus a number of fantasy series I love come out in mass market, so I tend to get a lot of those. Also, if it's something I'm iffy about, I tend to buy the mass market instead.
AND I adore my Sony Reader for eBooks. It is seriously like an extra limb; I read all my manuscripts (multiple times), can easily access my CPs' maunscripts and critique group submissions (AND make notes), plus I've got hundreds of published books with me all the time, just in case I need a quick dose of Pride and Prejudice or a tidbit of a romance novel. Seriously love-love-love it.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark, though I tend to use anything and everything from receipts to pretty ribbon & charm marks to hold my page.
Alphabetize by author, title, or random?
I separate by YA/MG, Fantasy, Mystery, Classics, Picture Books, and Random Adult Lit (for fiction, non-fic is totally different). Then alphabetical by author's last name, unless there are multiple authors for a series-- then I put them in under the series title. I have too many books to be disorganized about them or I'd never find what I was looking for when I needed it.
Keep, Throw Away, or Sell?
Keep. Sometimes give away, if it's a book I have multiple copies of, but that doesn't happen often.
Short story or novel?
Usually novels, but there have been a ton of fantastic YA short story anthologies lately, so they're growing on me.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I've been known to put books down mid-sentence. Years of reading under desks during classes have trained me not to bother to wait for chapter breaks or even a break in a scene-- if I'm done, I'm done.
Buy or Borrow?
I am the world's worst book-borrower. I try never to take someone else's book anymore, because I have a weird TBR system and tend to get thrown off if I have to read something belonging to someone else. Really, don't try and make me borrow your book-- if I'm interested, I'll buy & read eventually.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation, or Browse?
Almost never reviews, unless it's a writing/non-fic/research book. Recs are more likely. But usually I browse, whether online or in stores and go from there.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Depends on the book. If I know I'm reading Book 1 of X, I don't mind cliffhangers as much. If I think I bought a standalone & it turns out not to be, then I'm a bit annoyed. But as long as there's some semblance of "this story ends here," even if it goes on to "and another is just beginning!" I'm good.
Standalone or Series?
I've been a series girl since I learned how to read. Sometimes I like a good standalone, but I gravitate toward series.
Favourite book of which nobody else has heard?
Er... No clue. "Wildwing" by Phoebe Erickson? I haven't read that in years, though.
Top 3 favourite books read within the last few years?
I'm gonna cheat a wee bit...
1) The Demon's Lexicon books by Sarah Rees Brennan
2) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
3) Graceling/Fire by Kristin Cashore
Top 5 favourite books of all time?
I'm gonna cheat a wee bit here, too...
1) The Harry Potter Series
2) The Emily of New Moon trilogy
3) Anything by Agatha Christie
4) The Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare
5) Jane Austen's works
Now what are your answers? :)