Do signed copies excite you? Tempt you? Delight you? Or does it not matter to you?
I have a few signed copies of books that I really love. My copy of Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is signed by Chuck Klosterman, by copy of Angels and Airwaves is signed by Tony Kushner, and my copy of Notes From No Man's Land is signed my Eula Biss. I have other signed books, but the fact that these three are some of my favorite books in the world and they are signed means a lot to me. There are quite a few readings in Iowa City and if I have the author's book I will usually wait in line to get it signed, usually for no other reason than "I can so I will."
What about you? Do you love signed copies? Join in at Booking Through Thursday!
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Do you prefer reading current books? Or older ones? Or outright old ones? (As in, yes, there’s a difference between a book from 10 years ago and, say, Charles Dickens or Plato.)
I think I like to read a mix of current and older books. Actually, I think I enjoy current books more and actually read more of them, but I feel like I get a lot out of reading older books. I try to read at least one older book while I'm reading newer releases and just more current works. When I'm in school this is easy because most of what I read for class is older, but I do find that when I have the choice to read whatever I want I usually gravitate towards newer books.
Check out other answers at Booking Through Thursday.
Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?
I read book reviews a lot, mostly through blogs. I do read Bookmarks Magazine and the Believer as well, sometimes I find books I do or do not want to read through those magazines. I think reviews usually push me further in a direction about a book. Usually coming into a review I can already kind of tell if I'd like the book based on the subject matter and a review will often confirm my feelings. Sometimes I read a really positive review but coming away feeling like I don't want to read the book because things the reviewer liked about it I don't think I would like.
But when I review books, I do hope someone will decide to read books that I give positive reviews and perhaps be more wary of books I give negative reviews. I hope people who read my reviews regularly get a good sense of how my tastes work with theirs so that they can find books they really love. That is honestly why I read reviews anyway, to find more books I think that I will love.
Do you ever listen to book-related podcasts? If so, which ones and why? (Include the URLs for people who aren’t familiar with them.) Or, of course, there’s the flip side … did you even know that such a thing existed? (I ask because I know a lot of people who have no idea what a podcast is.)
I do listen to book-related podcasts, usually when I'm walking. My absolute favorite is Books on the Nightstand with Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman. I have added a ridiculous amount of books to my TBR because of their podcast and they always make me think about bookish related things, like e-books and big books, when I had really considered them before. I recently started listening to the Do Nothing But Read podcast with Amanda and Brandon. Amanda also hosts Do Nothing But Read Day I participated in a few weeks ago. They are hilarious and talk about different sorts of books than Books on the Nightstand does. I, of course, listen to KCRW's Bookworm with Michael Silverblatt. This features a lot of literary fiction, poetry, and essays and it's more of an interview podcast instead of two people talking about books. I look both platforms, and Michael Silverblatt is great at interviews. I learned about Patti Smith's memoir, Just Kids, through Bookworm and I probably wouldn't have read that book if I hadn't found out about it through the podcast. Those are really the only three podcasts I keep up with right now, but I'd love to listen to more! I prefer listening to podcats on my iPod so usually I use iTunes to hear about different podcasts.
How about you? Do you listen to podcasts? What are some of your favorites? You can also join the conversation at Booking Through Thursday.
If you were here last weekend then you know I bought a nook. Since Sunday I have almost finished two books (finished one and almost finished another) on the nook and I can say already that I have really enjoyed the experience of reading on it. I'm planning on posting an actual review towards the end of June, so if you're thinking about buying any e-reader be sure to check out my review later this month!
I am going to keep this post pretty short, mostly because my head hurts and I've had a bit of a rocky weekend. This week I posted a review of Scrolling Forward: Making Sense of Documents in the Digital Age, which is a really interesting book if you are interested in libraries or archives. I also posted a review of The Carrie Diaries, which is a fun summer read, particularly if you are a Sex and the City fan. I did my first Booking Through Thursday post about signed books and I talked about my third week at my internship. Last Saturday I had a guest post about The Graphic Novel, which got a great response so next Saturday check back for guest poster Ron to fill us in on his must read graphic novels!
As for reading this summer, I've done pretty well on the weekends on the beginning and end of the weeks, but since I work Tuesday-Thursday I'm usually pretty tuckered out at night and then I want to spend time with my family and the boyfriend. I am still getting quite a bit of reading done this summer. Originally I thought I would read more heavy books during the summer since I wouldn't be reading them during school, but I've found that the only stuff I've really gotten into have been memoirs, essays, and junk food (particularly Meg Cabot and romance novels). At first I was kind of bummed with myself for not reading more challenging books, but hell, it's summer. And frankly I don't give a damn.
This week's Booking Through Thursday is all of these questions!
1. Favorite childhood book? Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes was my favorite picture book. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery was my favorite chapter bok.
2. What are you reading right now? In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Best American Essays 2008, and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.
3. What books do you have on request at the library? Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion.
4. Bad book habit? Putting them down on the table with the spine up.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? The Catcher in the Rye, About a Mountain by John D'Agata, Sleeping Naked is Green by Vanessa Farguharson, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
6. Do you have an e-reader? Yes, I have a nook.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? Several, although lately I've been focusing more on one at a time.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Oh yeah, I read a lot more and I'm more conscious about what I think while I'm reading.
9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?) The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Not very often.
12. What is your reading comfort zone? Genres I know I can count on like literary nonfiction, graphic novels, young adult series, and classics.
13. Can you read on the bus? Yeah I do it all the time.
14. Favorite place to read? Outside as long as I don't have the sun to my back.
15. What is your policy on book lending? I'll lend to anyone I'm friends with.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books? I used to but now I use bookmarks and sticky notes.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Often.
18. Not even with text books? Still do it here.
19. What is your favorite language to read in? English though I can read some French.
20. What makes you love a book? Strong female characters, strong characters of any kind, detailed description but not flowery language.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? If I come away from a book thinking it either changed the way I look at something or helped me learn a lot about a subject or life.
22. Favorite genre? Literary nonfiction.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) Current literary fiction.
24. Favorite biography? Wild Child: Life with Jim Morrison by Linda Ashcroft.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book? I've read fitness walking books and study books.
26. Favorite cookbook? Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
28. Favorite reading snack? Popcorn or oranges.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think I expected too much from it.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? Depends on the critic. I usually agree with book reviews from the Believer. Bookmarks is more touch and go.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I feel that I always give reasons for why I don't like a book so I don't mind giving negative reviews. I try to find something good even in books I dont like.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Dutch.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? Middlemarch by George Eliot.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
35. Favorite Poet? Emily Dickinson.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? I didn't have a library card until last week (I know, I know!) but including the university library I would say about 3 or 4.
37. How often have you returned book to the library unread? Frequently when I was younger, which is why I didn't get a library card again until last week.
38. Favorite fictional character? I have way too many! One I always remember fondly is Marcus in About a Boy by Nick Hornby.
39. Favorite fictional villain? Lydia Gwilt from Armadale by Wilkie Collins.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Some literary nonfiction and historical fiction.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. Three or four months probably.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. Most recently I have been very challenged by Surviving Paradise. Not sure if I'll finish it or not.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? Noise, other conversations, my own nagging thoughts.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? Jane Eyre! The PBS version.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation? I wasn't too fond of The Lightning Thief.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? Oh boy, no clue. Definitely upwards $150 dollars.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Not that often, surprisingly.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? Boring plot.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized? I like to keep them on shelves, but in no particular order.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? I prefer to keep them.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Gone With the Wind, even though I said I'd read it by the end of the summer.
52. Name a book that made you angry. I can name an essay that made me angry. Ticket to the Fair by David Foster Wallace.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? I wasn't sure if I'd like Candy Girl by Diablo Cody and really enjoyed it.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere by Jan Morris.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? The Luxe series.
What is the first book you remember reading? What about the first that made you really love reading?
My grandma taught me how to read and I remember reading The Three Little Pigs more vividly than other book we read together. I twas a pretty old copy, one my dad had when he was a kid, and I remember thinking all of the animals looked kind of mean, not just the wolf. My grandma has a different way of reading, she doesn't really do voices but she changes her pitch higher and lower for the feelings of the characters. She used to read the book and then give it to me to try and read to her. The first book I remember that really made me love reading was actually a book series called Pony Pals. I read it in first grade and thought it was so neat because it had journal entries and pictures in it, so it felt like you were friends with the characters in the book. In third grade I read Anne of Green Gables and that was also a big favorite of mine, it was a longer chapter book at the time and I remember feeling pretty accomplished when I finished it.
What about you? You can join in at Booking Through Thursday!
“I couldn’t sleep a wink, so I just read and read, day and night … it was there I began to divide books into day books and night books,” she went on. “Really, there are books meant for daytime reading and books that can be read only at night.” - ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera, p. 103.
Do you divide your books into day and night reads? How do you decide?
I don't do this consciously really. I do the majority of my reading at night so don't really have that option. That being said, I always have a book in my backpack with me. Right now I'm reading Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Enlightened Sexism. Enlightened Sexism is more research heavy nonfiction, so I read it more at night while Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is easier to dip in and out of, so I read whatever I can during the day and continue it in the evening.
What about you? Join in at Booking Through Thursday!
Name a book or author that you truly wanted to love but left you disappointed. (And, of course, explain why.)
One book that really disappointed me was Slam by Nick Hornby. It was one of the few books I've ever read where I couldn't make it past 50 pages. Part of me wonders if I just wasn't in the mood for the book at the time I read it, but it's gotten lackluster reviews on Goodreads as well so I think it might just be a lemon. I adore Nick Hornby, but this book just didn't do it for me. The character in the book is a young boy who likes to skateboard and if I remember correctly his home life is not so great. This was written as a young adult book and I think Hornby took down his writing style way too much. It was not the usual clever, witty Hornby I knew. That book actually kind of put me off Hornby for awhile.
Have you read this book? Did you react differently or similarly to me? Do you have an author who left you disappointed?
Even though it’s usually a mistake (grin) … do movies made out of books make you want to read the original?
Sometimes. I generally don't read a book just because there is a movie coming out, but if it's a book I want to read anyway the fact that a movie is coming out encourages me to read it sooner. I've actually read two of my favorite books after reading the movie versions of them. High Fidelity and About a Boy were, and still are, two of my favorite movies. I watched them both several times before finding out they were based on books. Then I realized they were both based on books by the same author- Nick Hornby. I ran to the store to get the books, read them both (I like the book High Fidelity more but I think I like the movie About a Boy more), further fueling my obsession with Nick Hornby.
What do you think? Check out other answers at Booking Through Thursday.
You’ve just dropped your favorite, out-of-print book into a bathtub, ruining it completely … What do you do now?
I've never been faced with this situation before. My guess is that I would first start jumping up and down and hollering. Then I would remember that I work in the preservation department at the library, so I'd probably toss it in the freezer (we actually do this where I work) until I could get it to work and then I'd ask around the department for help. Convenient.
How about you? Join the conversation at Booking Through Thursday.
Which fictional character (or group of characters) would you like to spend a day at the beach with? Why would he/she/they make good beach buddies?
I think a good beach buddy would be Bridget from Bridget Jones's Diary. She is hilarious and a total clutz like me so I wouldn't feel stupid. We could catch-up on gossip, talk about our attractive boyfriends, and discuss more important issues like world peace. Bridget also loves shopping and eating, which I enjoy too, so I could see us having a good time doing both of those things on the boardwalk.
Who would you choose? Join the conversation at Booking Through Thursday.
Do you have friends and family to share books with? Discuss them with? Does it matter to you?
I talk about books with people I know a lot because I take so many English classes where everyone has to read the same book. This can be extremely enjoyable or incredibly painful depending on the class, the professor, and the book we're reading. Talking about books is probably my favorite part of being an English major. Outside of the classroom I have a small group of friends who read a lot of the same books I read and we talk about them when we get the chance. These are usually less in-depth conversations that are more about what we liked or didn't like about the books, but the kind of books we've read typically yield this kind of talk rather than a more formal analysis. I would say it does matter to me, I don't need to have someone to talk to about every book I read, but I think I get a lot more out of reading when I can talk about how I feel about the book with another person. Sometimes my boyfriend ends up listening to me drone on about books he hasn't read just because I have things to say about it. He's a good sport though! And of course I have all of my blogging friends who I love to talk books with!
How about you? You can join in the conversation or look at other responses at Booking Through Thursday.
Well, folks, I don’t know about where you are, but right here, it’s HOT.
So … when you think about “hot reading,” what does that make you think of? Beach reading? Steamy romances? Books that take place in hot climates? Or cold ones?
When I think of "hot reading" I mostly think of beach reading. I don't go to the beach very often because all the beaches in Iowa are at lakes and I just cannot do the squishy, muddy bottoms of lakes, so beach reading to me more means reading outside. And when I think of books I can read outside I tend to think of books that I don't have to devote a lot of attention to, like Bridget Jones's Diary or one of the Luxe books. This is because sun generally reflect off the pages or the sun is shining in my eyes, so I tend to skim the books. This isn't my favorite way to read as you can probably tell, and since it's been so hot I haven't gotten a lot of reading done lately.
How about you? What does hot reading mean? Join in at Booking Through Thursday.
