From MWR:
Hardback or trade paperback or mass-market paperback? New-looking used hardcover (hooray for Powell's) or trade paper.
Amazon or brick and mortar? Both. Amazon for things I'm having shipped elsewhere, or for the latest Harry Potter (I'd much rather pick it up from my doorstep at 8 am on the day of release than wait in line at midnight--but then I'm lazy that way). Powell's, with gift receipt, for things I'm giving in person (I give lots of books as gifts), or for my latest book group book.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? Usually neither, unless I'm traveling.
Bookmark or dog-ear? Bookmark.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? This is assuming that my library is organized. It's pretty random right now, with a lot of the books in boxes in the closet until the attic bookshelves become liberated from toys. The shelves above my bed are my "to-be-read" space.
Keep, throw away, or sell? Keep, loan out, give away, sell to Powell's, donate to the library (hooray tax deduction--great for the books Powell's doesn't want), depending.
Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep.
Read with dustjacket or remove it? Leave it and use it as a bookmark if another is not handy. Mavis leaves the dust jacket at home if he's carrying the book with him on his commute, so it doesn't get battered/torn.
Short story or novel? Novel, definitely. I very rarely read short stories, because they almost invariably leave me wanting more.
Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? I don't really like short stories all that much, but if I find someone I do like (like Katherine Anne Porter), I want to read them all.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I've read all Harry Potters multiple times. I keep thinking I need to read the Lemony Snickets (Number One's about the right age to start), but haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe when I buy them for Number One. I also knew the illustrator of the series, Brett Helquist, when I lived in New York. I don't think there is such a thing as outgrowing a good book.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Stop reading? People do this?
"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? I generally don't judge the quality of a book by its first sentence.
Buy or Borrow? Yes.
New or used? Yes (Powell's is great for new-looking used copies at a fraction of the cost of new, especially right after Christmas when people have had to sell back gift books for which they did not have a receipt).
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Almost never browse. Reviews and awards, recommendations if they are from someone whose taste I trust.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Yes.
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Yes. But usually at night after the kids are in bed.
Standalone or series? Yes.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. Not completely unknown, I must admit.
Favorite book(s) read last year: Daughter's Keeper by Ayelet Waldman.
Favorite books of all time? Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Middlemarch by George Eliot, anything by Jane Austen, The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. Lots more that don't come to mind at the moment.
Tag? The Scaries.
4 comments:
Meme as "me me" is just too clever and too dead-on. I wish I had come up with it.
Thanks. I've been making something of an effort with my tags--inspired in part by your "what passes for introspection."
Although, now that I think about it, I'm not 100% sure I didn't unconsciously borrow it from someone/where else. I hate that.
Always glad to inspire others.
The Hans Smit quote was all for you, my dear. So far it's only appeared once.
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