Another book meme
1. Favorite childhood book?
Um, I think that would be "The Adventures of Neznaika and his friends" by Nosov. Although I loved the author's semi-autobiographical stories about his son.
2. What are you reading right now?
The Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None, I use the library quite rarely.
4. Bad book habit?
Dog-earing books. Reading while eating, or eating while reading, which sometimes results in food stains.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Yes, though I use it primarily for holidays and books in Russian.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I prefer to read one book at a time, but sometimes fall into reading several books at once.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Not much I think, my reading has become more varied, however I think the volume is still the same or similar.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)?
It has got to be "What did you expect from a witch?" by E.Nikitina (in Russian). I'm still not sure why I stuck with it. The attempts at humour were terrible and I wanted to kill the heroine about midway through the book.
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
It's a toss up between "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" and "Chronicles of a Curate".
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Rarely, since I only have one discomfort zone: romance (granted I love Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, but I mean "quivering loins" type of romance). I also don't read anything New Age or spiritual.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Pretty much everything except the stuff in point 11.
13. Can you read on the bus?
Yep.
14. Favorite place to read?
Anywhere I can be comfortable, so bed or sofa or armchair. But I do in on benches in sunshine and lying down on grass too.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
I lend quite easily as long I get my books back.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
All the bloody time. :(
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Very rarely and only in non-fiction books.
18. Not even with text books?
If I ever did, then I don't remember.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
Well, I read both in English and Russian and I don't have a preference. It's a different experience.
20. What makes you love a book?
Interesting characters, interesting plot or beautiful language.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If somebody is asking for recs and I know something that will suit them, I will rec a book. Otherwise I will only recommend books if I am gushing about them after reading.
22. Favorite genre?
.
Can't say I have an absolutely favourite genre, but I suppose crime fiction is the one I read the most.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)?
I rarely read horror, but I don't particularly wish to read more of it, unless I spot something that catches my eye.
24. Favourite biography?
Um, Longford's biography of Wellington for sheer volume. I also loved an autobiography by a famous Russian actor Oleg Basilashvili.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No.
26. Favourite cookbook?
Don't really have one, though Joanne Harris's "French Kitchen" is wonderful.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
"Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" by Ralph Leighton and Richard Feynman.
28. Favorite reading snack?
Oh, ANYTHING. SERIOUSLY.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Can't think of one. I have read a couple of books because of the hype, but I knew going in that they were unlikely to be much to my taste and it was really a case of morbid curiosity.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Rarely pay attention to critics.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don't have a problem saying whether I liked/hated a book.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Oh, ALL OF THEM?! But possibly Japanese or Chinese. Books in both are not translated enough.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Books don't really intimidate me.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
None.
35. Favorite Poet?
Um, not big on poetry but somebody like Pushkin, Lermontov or Blok.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
These days one or two, but at school and uni, usually had the limit maxed out.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
I have returned books not fully read, when it came to study material.
38. Favorite fictional character?
Sam Vimes and Vetinari and Nanny Ogg from Discworld series; Jack Aubrey from Patrick O'Brian's books. Erast Fandorin from Akunin's books; Gervase Fen from Edmund Crispin's novels; Roderick Alleyn from Ngaio Marsh's novels; Niccolo from Dorothy Dunnett's books; Dalziel and Pascoe; Lord Peter Wimsey. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin... I could go on. XD
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Hmm, the main character of "Perfume" by Patrick Suskind; Dexter from "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay. Niccolo from Dorothy Dunnett's books can be sometimes very much a villain.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Anything I want to read at the time.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
Oh, um, books proper possibly a couple of weeks, but I still read fic and blogs and articles at the time.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Lord of the Rings second time round.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
If I am fully into the book, nothing. If I am not, then any passing thought can.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Master and Commander; 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Onegin and the new Anna Karenina, also the latest Pride and Prejudice.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Um, I remember something like £80 in an actual bookstore, but more at amazon.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Don't really skim books, just read the blurb if it's someone I know. If not, then I could buy just on the strength of synopsis, or I will google the author before buying.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Anything. Characters, plot, language. Sometimes it's something I can't even put my finger on, just a general WTF feeling.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I try to keep them organized by fiction/non-fiction first, then subject matter, then series if any.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
ALWAYS KEEP.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Mmm, there are books I definitely don't want to read like Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey, but I don't avoid anything that feels like I would like it.
52.Name a book that made you angry.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, which I loved, made me angry because I have a different view of the characters then you are taught at school, so I was really angry at the 'general' opinion not the book.
53.A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Can't think of one. I usually expect to like all the books I buy. Just sometimes I love them a lot more than expected.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, Three by Ted Dekker, Rusalka by C.J. Cherryh. I also have a troubled relationship with C.S. Forester's Hornblower. The books are good, but the more I read the bigger my dislike for Hornblower himself was.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
All of my reading is guilt-free and pretty much all of it is for pleasure.
Um, I think that would be "The Adventures of Neznaika and his friends" by Nosov. Although I loved the author's semi-autobiographical stories about his son.
2. What are you reading right now?
The Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None, I use the library quite rarely.
4. Bad book habit?
Dog-earing books. Reading while eating, or eating while reading, which sometimes results in food stains.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Yes, though I use it primarily for holidays and books in Russian.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I prefer to read one book at a time, but sometimes fall into reading several books at once.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Not much I think, my reading has become more varied, however I think the volume is still the same or similar.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)?
It has got to be "What did you expect from a witch?" by E.Nikitina (in Russian). I'm still not sure why I stuck with it. The attempts at humour were terrible and I wanted to kill the heroine about midway through the book.
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
It's a toss up between "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" and "Chronicles of a Curate".
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Rarely, since I only have one discomfort zone: romance (granted I love Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, but I mean "quivering loins" type of romance). I also don't read anything New Age or spiritual.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Pretty much everything except the stuff in point 11.
13. Can you read on the bus?
Yep.
14. Favorite place to read?
Anywhere I can be comfortable, so bed or sofa or armchair. But I do in on benches in sunshine and lying down on grass too.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
I lend quite easily as long I get my books back.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
All the bloody time. :(
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Very rarely and only in non-fiction books.
18. Not even with text books?
If I ever did, then I don't remember.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
Well, I read both in English and Russian and I don't have a preference. It's a different experience.
20. What makes you love a book?
Interesting characters, interesting plot or beautiful language.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If somebody is asking for recs and I know something that will suit them, I will rec a book. Otherwise I will only recommend books if I am gushing about them after reading.
22. Favorite genre?
.
Can't say I have an absolutely favourite genre, but I suppose crime fiction is the one I read the most.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)?
I rarely read horror, but I don't particularly wish to read more of it, unless I spot something that catches my eye.
24. Favourite biography?
Um, Longford's biography of Wellington for sheer volume. I also loved an autobiography by a famous Russian actor Oleg Basilashvili.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No.
26. Favourite cookbook?
Don't really have one, though Joanne Harris's "French Kitchen" is wonderful.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
"Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" by Ralph Leighton and Richard Feynman.
28. Favorite reading snack?
Oh, ANYTHING. SERIOUSLY.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Can't think of one. I have read a couple of books because of the hype, but I knew going in that they were unlikely to be much to my taste and it was really a case of morbid curiosity.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Rarely pay attention to critics.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don't have a problem saying whether I liked/hated a book.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Oh, ALL OF THEM?! But possibly Japanese or Chinese. Books in both are not translated enough.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Books don't really intimidate me.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
None.
35. Favorite Poet?
Um, not big on poetry but somebody like Pushkin, Lermontov or Blok.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
These days one or two, but at school and uni, usually had the limit maxed out.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
I have returned books not fully read, when it came to study material.
38. Favorite fictional character?
Sam Vimes and Vetinari and Nanny Ogg from Discworld series; Jack Aubrey from Patrick O'Brian's books. Erast Fandorin from Akunin's books; Gervase Fen from Edmund Crispin's novels; Roderick Alleyn from Ngaio Marsh's novels; Niccolo from Dorothy Dunnett's books; Dalziel and Pascoe; Lord Peter Wimsey. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin... I could go on. XD
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Hmm, the main character of "Perfume" by Patrick Suskind; Dexter from "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay. Niccolo from Dorothy Dunnett's books can be sometimes very much a villain.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Anything I want to read at the time.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
Oh, um, books proper possibly a couple of weeks, but I still read fic and blogs and articles at the time.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Lord of the Rings second time round.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
If I am fully into the book, nothing. If I am not, then any passing thought can.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Master and Commander; 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Onegin and the new Anna Karenina, also the latest Pride and Prejudice.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Um, I remember something like £80 in an actual bookstore, but more at amazon.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Don't really skim books, just read the blurb if it's someone I know. If not, then I could buy just on the strength of synopsis, or I will google the author before buying.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Anything. Characters, plot, language. Sometimes it's something I can't even put my finger on, just a general WTF feeling.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I try to keep them organized by fiction/non-fiction first, then subject matter, then series if any.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
ALWAYS KEEP.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Mmm, there are books I definitely don't want to read like Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey, but I don't avoid anything that feels like I would like it.
52.Name a book that made you angry.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, which I loved, made me angry because I have a different view of the characters then you are taught at school, so I was really angry at the 'general' opinion not the book.
53.A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Can't think of one. I usually expect to like all the books I buy. Just sometimes I love them a lot more than expected.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, Three by Ted Dekker, Rusalka by C.J. Cherryh. I also have a troubled relationship with C.S. Forester's Hornblower. The books are good, but the more I read the bigger my dislike for Hornblower himself was.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
All of my reading is guilt-free and pretty much all of it is for pleasure.