Thursday, October 8, 2009

Reading Habits Meme

Saw this going around so I thought I'd join.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Rarely. If anything, I drink something: ice water, iced tea; hot tea

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Frequently. I'll mark passages, either in fiction or non-fiction, I like, mostly to help with my reviews.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
I remember the page number. If not, anything to put in the book, often the pencil I use to mark passages.

Laying the book flat open?
Not usually. I like the book in my hands.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both. Lots of history on the non-fiction side. Pulp, crime, SF, etc. on the other.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
In recent years, I have been favoring audiobooks. I still like hard copies (ebooks included) but audiobooks allow me to read many more books than I otherwise would. Plus, I get the story read to me. How cool is that?

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
At any point. With audiobooks, often, I arrive at my destination at points other than chapter breaks so I pretty much read that way with a hard copy, too.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Pretty much never. I might make a mental note (if listening) or underline the word on the hard copy but I never stop reading and look up a word. It breaks the flow.

What are you currently reading?
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.
Gabriel Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear

What is the last book you bought?
Gabriel Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear

(Via New Mystery Reader, I've just been sent The Last Dickens and Bury Me Deep)

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I read at least two books at a time, one audio and one (or more) in hard copy. Last week, I was reading Gabriel Hunt, listening to The Lost Symbol in the car, and listened to The Beasts of Tarzan at the office.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Any time, any place.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
With my introduction to Tarzan this year, I'm see the fun of series books. There's something nice about familiar characters returning. However, I like the clean slate of a stand-alone, too, the unpredictability.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
The Shadow of the Wind
Gabriel Hunt books
Mystic River
The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow
Money Shot by Christa Faust
Ender's Game

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
On the shelf. Paperbacks stacked horizontally; hardbacks/trade paperbacks stacked vertically. All my Hard Case Crime books are together on the shelf or displayed on my wall. Other than that, no order at all.

6 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

This is a neat meme. I will have to do this. Cool. I'm similar to you in most ways, but I typically only mark in my Nonfic books. And, I've never done an audiobook.

Randy Johnson said...

I think you might like The Last Dickens. I did anyway, learning more about C.D. than I'd ever known.

Perplexio said...

Are you perchance on Goodreads.com?

That's how I track what I'm reading and recommend books to friends. I find it to be quite an enjoyable site... Facebook for bookworms if you will.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I would never be able to bring myself to put a mark in a book and yet I break the spine of every one because that's how I keep my place.
I have two copies of SHADOW OF THE WIND-someday I hope to read one of them.

Barbara Martin said...

Like you, I make a pencil mark in margins for places to comment about in my reviews. Later I will erase those marks. I rarely lay a book flat to read as often it is in my hands. I, too, have never listened to an audiobook, but more in remembrance of a main character in HARVEST HOME who had no choice at the end.

Scott D. Parker said...

Charles - When you come to re-read the Harry Potter series, catch the audio. The narrator does an excellent job, arguably one of the best audio productions out there.

Randy - About 3 hours into the book, chapter 8 or 9. Good so far.

Perplexio - Haven't been to Goodreads.com. Will have to get there.

Patti - Am curious: why are you averse to marking in a book?

Barbara - I ended up blogging about why I mark in books. It's a time capsule for me. You should keep your marks in your books.