Average Jane and Books

I've loved reading from the moment I learned how to read.

I was the kid who strained her eyes trying to read by the dim light of the nightlight when I was supposed to be going to sleep.

I would sit off to the side of the playground at recess and read my book until the teachers expressed their dismay that I wasn't playing. Then I'd sit on the teeter-totter with someone and continue reading as we went up and down.

In the summer, I'd climb up my favorite tree with my current book in hand and then prop myself among the branches to read.

Thanks to Twitter, I've met a lot of librarians lately and it's inspired me to want to start reading more books again. Oh, and since @BonnieGlick (former librarian) showed me her Kindle, I may not be able to resist getting one.

Which brings me to yet another book meme. This one came from Florinda, who says she stole it from The Boston Bibliophile. Feel free to steal it yet again!

1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback? I like trade paperbacks. They're substantial but not as heavy as hardbacks.

2. Barnes & Noble or Borders? They're pretty much indistinguishable to me. I'll go to whichever one is convenient.

3. Bookmark or dog-ear? I used to dog-ear, but now I'm a pretty faithful bookmarker. If I'm reading a hardback, I'll tuck one of the dust jacket flaps in as a bookmark.

4. Amazon or brick and mortar? Mostly Amazon.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Stack in huge piles until they begin falling over, then move to any shelf or surface that will hold them.

6. Keep, throw away, or sell? I don't do much selling anymore. Mostly I give them away (or BookCross them), except for the occasional keepers.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep it.

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it? I leave it on.

9. Short story or novel? I prefer novels.

10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. I tried to like Lemony Snicket, but there's something about the books that I just don't dig.

11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Unless I'm reading right before bed, I'll stop at chapter breaks.

12. "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? Once upon a time. I'm a sucker for fairy tales and fantasy.

13. Buy or borrow? I mostly buy, but I'm trying to get back into the library habit.

14. New or used? I once was a used book junkie, but these days I buy all new.

15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? The top reasons I'll buy a specific book these days: 1) It's for a book club, 2) Someone I know (or whose blog I read) wrote it, or 3) I saw it recommended online somewhere.

16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I don't have a preference.

17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? I like to spend entire weekend days reading. I also keep a book or two on my bedside table to read before I fall asleep.

18. Stand-alone or series? Either one is fine with me.

19. Favorite series? Harry Potter

20. Favorite children's book? Any of the L. Frank Baum "Oz" books.

21. Favorite YA book? The "His Dark Materials" series is YA, right?

22. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? "Sock" by Penn Jillette. Here's my blog post about recommending it to a new book club where everyone HATED it.

23. Favorite books read last year? "Water for Elephants," "The Little Book," "Blindness," "I Was Told There'd Be Cake," "Waiter Rant." I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch.

24. Favorite books of all time? The "Lord of the Rings" series; the "Hitchhiker's Guide" series, the "Harry Potter" series and "Gone With the Wind" (as un-PC as it is). If I weren't so lazy, I'd go down to my bookcase and just look to see what my keeper list consists of.

25. What are you reading right now? My bedside book right now is "Stuff White People Like," which I picked up at BlogHer last year.

26. What are you reading next? "Not Done Yet" by Laurie Kingston. I'm setting aside this Saturday just to read it.

27. Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old? Probably the Nancy Drew books.

28. Favorite book to reread? I like to revisit the "Hitchhiker's Guide" series periodically. No matter how many times I read them, they still make me laugh out loud.

29. Do you ever smell books? I can't help it, my sense of smell is very acute.

30. Do you ever read primary source documents, like diaries or letters? Yes. They're quite the phenomenon these days. I believe they're called "blogs."