Book Meme 2021!
Hey! This is going around and I haven't done a book meme in a while so I'm giving it a whirl!
1. Which book would you consider the best book you’ve ever read and why?
It would be impossible to say, but I do think that Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) has everything I want in a novel/series, which is a pretty rare thing.
2. Are you an Austen person or a Bronte person?
I've read both. Bronte is darker, so I think I lean toward Austen.
3. Are there any genres you will not read?
No, but I am not drawn to "informative" books. I feel that if I need info, there is plenty on the net. No need to read a book. I did buy a book about doing classes on Zoom recently, hoping that it would give me something to page through if I need anything. I probably won't be reading it from start to finish.
4. Are you a fast or slow reader?
Sometimes very fast, sometimes slower. I did take a speed reading class in elementary school so I am faster than average.
5. What was your relationship with books like as a child?
I went to Japanese school until the end of third grade and struggled with reading English books during that time. I remember plodding through Winnie the Pooh on the sofa with my dad, "Do you know what .... is, Dawn?" "Yes." "What is it?" "......I don't know." I enjoyed reading in Japanese though. Then the the time I spent in remedial reading class in the American missionary school trying to catch up with vocabulary... then finally on to speed reading. In fifth grade, I was hooked. We had a reading corner in the classroom with a little wooden "tree" house filled with cushions. I used to love sitting there reading through the whole Library section of Nancy Drew.
6. Are you the type of person who will read a book to the end whether you like it or not, or will you put it down straight away if you’re not feeling into it?
I will put it down if it is digital, but if it is a paper copy, I will finish to the end, most likely skipping through all the boring scenes.
7. Have you ever despised something you have read?
Night and Day by Virginia Woolf I couldn't finish this. (It was a digital copy. )
8. Do you prefer to read first person or third person?
If there is a good reason for it, then both are great!
9. Are you for or against multiple narrators in the same book?
I don't mind it, as long as the writer gives each narrator sufficient voice, and it is meaningful. I noted with Lilac Girls that I thought it should not have been divided into three narratives. Sometimes there are too many povs and characters too - the Wheel of Time was pretty crazy that way.
10. Bookmarks, dog ears or leaving the novel open and face down to keep your spot?
I try to use bookmarks. If I don't have one, a piece of scrap paper or a receipt. If not, then dog ears, maybe. I try not to put the book face down with my new (or hardcover) books, especially.
11. Do you prefer to read at a certain time of day?
Any time. All the time.
12. Do you need to finish a book before you can move on to the next one, or will you have multiple books going at once?
If I have more than one book, that is because one or more is just not very exciting or engaging. I have three books on the presently reading list on goodreads. One is a poetry book I read only in the bathroom. It is quite depressing too, to be honest, and hard to read much of. One is a fandom book, which is short excerpts of experiences. I pick it up when I have nothing else to do. Not that it is not interesting, it's just not exciting. It is also a paper book as is the poetry. Another book is the one I am mainly trying to finish - All the Light We Cannot See. This is on Kindle so I can read it anytime. It is quite long though.
13. How do you choose which book to read next?
Suggestions and posts by friends, recommended on Amazon, and two lists of have-to-read books I got previously on LJ. As I noted previously, I found one book by looking up books written in the same year as Night and Day on Wiki. I finally joined a book club on FB too. I am set for life.
14. What is your favorite children's book?
I have many. Never Ending Story and Momo are two favorites. I wanted to name my first child Momo from the book. Unfortunately he was a boy, LOL.
15. Do you agree that Jane Eyre should be considered a feminist novel?
No. I don't think calling novels "feminist" novels, even if they do have such a theme, is very productive to the cause. If you want an idea to stick, better go subtly imo.
16. What’s your favourite of Shakespeare’s plays?
I remember enjoying A Midsummer Night's Dream. I think I would like to restudy it sometime.
17. Do you know any poetry by heart?
Does the 23rd Psalm count? Then yes. :D
18. Did you enjoy the Hunger Games?
I did. The third was my favorite.
19. E-reader or traditional book?
Both have their merits. I like to read walking, so at night, e-reader is nice to have.
20. Do you read in the bathroom?
I recently started reading in the tub.
21. Ideal reading position?
curled up on the sofa
22. Hardcover or paperback?
paperback most of the time.
33. Nicest edition or cheapest edition?
Depends on the book.
24. Do you prefer happy endings or sad endings?
I like happy endings and am reluctant to read a book if I know it is sad, but if it is well written then I don't mind heartache either.
25. Do you enjoy concepts in books to be concrete or abstract?
abstract I guess?
26. A book you studied in school and ended up loving?
Notes from the Underground (Dostoevsky), Jane Eyre, Beowulf, ... I enjoyed many I studied in school .
7. Classics or modern literature?
I enjoy both.
28. Thoughts on adults reading YA?
I read YA myself. Some are satisfactory, some are not. The genre is not an issue.
29. Have you ever read a book in another language?
I can read books in Japanese.
30. Have you ever written your own book?
Not yet, but I will.