(no subject)
Thank god that's over. I had to role play, which wasn't even so bad in the end, but I was angry, shaky and close to tears the whole morning, although there really was no good reason for that. The closest I come to explaining this overreaction is that my usual, probably deeply conditioned, reaction to someone expecting me to do something is to do it as best as I can. But in this case, while I am aware that I could do more, could do it better, it's something that I regard as at least ethically questionable (I believe people should choose books because they want them, not because of whatever subtle or not-so-subtle methods I use to sell them) and I already walk a fine line trying to balance motivation, enjoyment, anything I might get out of the job, against the frustration, the struggle with annoying Boss Person(s) and all kinds of other unpleasantness. On a psychological level I don't think I can do much more without driving myself into a state where this balance would tip pretty fast. And I sure as hell don't want to do more than I already do.
Internal conflict, system failure.
Pathetic.
Treated myself with chocolate.
Hardback or Paperback?
For practical and monetary reasons paperbacks, mostly. Good to carry around, but I dislike that they age so ungracefully. If I had the money and space I'd probably buy mostly hardcover books.
Highlight or Underline?
Neither. If I want to remember a passage, I dog-ear the page. If later on I don't recall why I'd done it, it can't have been that important.
Lewis or Tolkien?
Tolkien. I used to love the LotR trilogy. Since I didn't grow up in an English speaking country, I never read the Chronicles of Narnia as a child; a friend of mine lent them to me recently, but I can't seem to get into them.
E.B. White or A.A. Milne?
Who or who? ::blush::
T.S. Eliot or e.e. cummings?
Eliot, probably, because I've at least read and liked some of his poetry.
Stephen King or Dean Koontz?
Stephen King, but again only because I never read anything by Dean Koontz. I used to be a big fan, but I rather lost interest both in him and in horror as a genre since. I've been wanting to try the Dark Tower series for some time now, though.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Er. Again with the living in Austria... I buy my books at amazon and at my workplace, occasionally at Morawa or Amadeus.
Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Fantasy, mostly. I don't have much interest in anything that's too technical, although i'm quite fond of SF tv shows.
Horror or Suspense?
Horror. I think.
Bookmark or Dog-ear?
I don't own bookmarks as such, but I mostly try to use a piece of paper or something. At a pinch I'll dog ear, and not feel too bad about it. Only paperbacks get dog-eared, though. Hardcovers don't.
Alphabetize: By Author or By Title?
My own books aren't alphabetised, they're sorted by genre, read/unread or degree of fondness, but alphabetising by title doesn't make much sense to me.
Novella or Epic?
Epic. Or novel, at least. I'm hesitant to get involved in anything short, only to be left in the lurch after a hundred pages or so. I find novellas unsatisfactory, no matter how well they may be written. I like a book and its characters to stay with me for a longer time than that, I like long arcs, character developments, a broader scope, persons, details, &c.
Fiction or Non-fiction?
Fiction. I've read so much non-fiction over a long time for university that my brain (or soul, whichever you prefer) is still starved for imagination. It's something I had to re-learn to appreciate.
Historical Biography or Historical Romance?
Historical novels that are not primary romances. I will read historical romances, though, if they're well written.