Getting back into the swing of things, I found the following meme on a book review blog and decided to answer the questions. Please visit for some great reviews and other fun posts.
Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback? It depends on how badly I want to read the book right away. Usually some type of paperback, since it doesn't weigh as much.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? With the construction at Carousel Mall here in Syracuse, Borders is definitely not as easy to get to. They do carry my opera magazines, but Barnes and Noble is somewhat closer and carries more classical music. All that said, local new and used book stores are often more interesting.
Bookmark or dog-ear? Bookmark.
Amazon or brick-and-mortar? If I can get it here for a decent price, brick-and-mortar. There's nothing like perusing a real copy. I am not, however, adverse to using Amazon.
Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random? My mom's a librarian, so I'm a little hyper organized - it's by subject first, then by author, then by title, unless it's a series, in which case I keep the series in reading order. In case you were wondering, I grew up reading Narnia in the American fashion, with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first, and I have the old white background covered paperbacks.
Keep, throw away, or sell? Keep it forever if I really, really love it. I never throw away - I usually donate what I don't want to keep to the public library book sale, share with friends, or give my good faith-based reading to the church library.
Keep dust jacket or toss it? I keep dust jackets, but don't usually read with it in place.
Read with dust jacket or remove it? Remove it.
Short story or novel? It depends on how much time I have and what I'm in the mood for - usually a novel, though.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter, simply because I haven't read any Lemony Snicket.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Chapter breaks, unless I'm ready to fall asleep.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? It depends on my mood. I do tend to pull out "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper during a wild snowstorm.
Buy or borrow? Both - sometimes I'll borrow from the library first for a "perusal" copy, and if it's something I know I want to keep, will buy it.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? A mixture of all three, but I love browsing the most - you never know what you'll find.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Tidy.
Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? Do I have to pick just one?
Stand-alone or series? Whatever I can get my hands on. I'm on a series kick right now - but they must be read in order.
Favorite series? Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Dark is Rising, Bodie Thoene's series, Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, Tamora Pierce's works.
Favorite children’s book? for an early read: Dr. Seuss (The Lorax is my personal favorite). I grew up on the classics as well.
Favorite YA book? I agree with skrishnabooks - The Dark is Rising series is quite good, and I thrived on Tolkien as a YA reader. YA historical fiction was also a mainstay of my reading lists.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Good question - that would depend on what you yourself read :-) The author Francine Rivers was a favorite recent discovery that not too many in my circle have read - yet.
Favorite books read last year? I'll have to get back to this one.
Favorite books of all time? Christian Bible (Psalms and Romans in particular), Bodie Thoene's Zion Covenant (the series that starts with Vienna Prelude - hey, I'm a musician), LOTR,
What are you reading right now? We Have This Moment in the Grace Chapel Inn series, several books on thyroid disorders and vegan nutrition, and for my musical work: Caldwell and Wall's Excellent in Singing pedagogy series and rereading Grout's A History of Western Music in anticipation of a possible doctoral degree. (Nothing like a little light bedtime reading..... :-)
What are you reading next? For my light reading, a couple more volumes of the Grace Chapel Inn series.
Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old? Dark is Rising, Dear America, LOTR
Favorite book to re-read? Not Grout - that's a necessary evil. Definitely the Christian Bible, probably LOTR for non-fiction.
Do you ever smell books? Sometimes.
Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries? Absolutely - it's insight into a human being that you simply can't get anywhere else.
