Category: Book Love

I need some inspiration to post more often, so here goes, another meme. This book meme was created by alg.

(I’m not even going to pretend that I’m going to finish this in 30 days. Pfft, I say, pfft to you [that], sir.)

Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)

Some series certainly go on for-ev-er, don’t they. I can’t really name any that should have ended, though, because I tend not to read series past the fifth book or so, especially if they rehash the same storyline over and over and over and over and over again. I got bored with Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events for precisely that reason and quite reading after the fourth book (however, I later learned from a friend that things in the series got more interesting after that point, so I ended up going back to finish the series).

In general, I don’t think there’s such a thing as too long or too short. If the author enjoys writing a series and readers enjoy reading, then there’s no reason why it might not go on indefinitely. Those who do get bored are free to quit reading, as I’m apt to do.

Vice-versa, if an author feels she’s done with a story, then, hey, she’s done. The story ends there. So be it. I can reread if I love it that much, or I can sit and imagine how the world might unfold in my own head (I do that a lot anyway). Besides there are plenty of other books out there that I would love to discover.

Although, if Cornelia Funke wanted to revisit the the characters and world of Inkheart, I certainly wouldn’t mind it. (^_^)

The Rest of the Days:
Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 – The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months
Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 – A book or series you hate
Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A book that disappointed you
Day 12 – A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 – Favorite character in a book (of any sex or gender)
Day 15 – Your “comfort” book
Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 – Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 – Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 – Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 – Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 – Most annoying character ever
Day 24 – Best quote from a novel
Day 25 – Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 – OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 – If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 – First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 – Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 – What book are you reading right now?

[x-posted to my livejournal. If you feel inclined, you can comment either here or there.]

Since I cannot resist a list, I feel I should mention that NPR has up their audience picked list of the best 100 thriller books. They range from horror novels to spy games to mysteries. There are some I have read, some I really should read (I’m looking at you Children of Men), and some I probably won’t ever read (The Da Vinci Code, for example).

So, I’ve only read ten out of the 100 books (I”m not a big thriller reader, though I love horror), and of the ten, six are by Stephen King (due to my fixation with his books in high school).

7. The Shining, by Stephen King< (Loved this one when I read it. In fact, maybe I should read it again. Hmmm.)
12. The Stand, by Stephen King (Another King fav.)
14. Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton (I actually read this for my freshman English class, and it was good fun.)
17. The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton (Good, but not super memorable to me though.)
22. It, by Stephen King (Ooooh. Yes. This one gave me some joyful chills.)
37. Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King (Mmm. Battling vampires…)
44. Pet Sematary, by Stephen King (Yeah… This one was fab, too.)
45. Dead Zone, by Stephen King (As I was saying…)
74. Feed, by Mira Grant (This was a great read. I <3 zombie politics.)

[x-posted to my livejournal. If you feel inclined, you can comment either here or there.]

1. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
2. Inkdeath, by Cornelia Funke
3. FEED, by Mira Grant
4. Feed, by M.T. Anderson
5. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. The Company of Heaven: Stories from Haiti, by Marilene Phipps-Kettlewell
7. Gothic and Lolita Bible (v. 3)

If you want to read my reviews of each of these books, then click here to see my longer post over on livejournal.

Since I’m not keeping up too steadily with my writing posts, I’m going to start posting some book related posts here, too. Maybe some reviews, maybe some things like this book meme, which a couple of people are doing over at the LibraryThing forums, and I thought I would post it here, too. Just for the hell of it.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
What ever is available really. Something salty usually, and easy to grab while keeping my eyes on the page, like pretzel sticks. If I were to go for something sweet, it would probably be peanut M&Ms.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Water, since that’s my default drink. Though if I’m in the mood I’ll brew myself a cup of black tea with milk and sugar as a close second.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
While it doesn’t horrify me, I don’t mark my books for a couple of reasons. First, because I’m often reading a library book, and I would never mark something up that doesn’t belong to me. Second, because I usually don’t think about it. I’ve always liked the idea of marking up books while you read though. It helps you to think critically about what your reading, and would be very helpful in writing book reviews later. I would have to learn to develop the habit though, and I just don’t think it’s going to happen (unless I started to get paid for writing book reviews).

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ear? Laying the book flat open?
I strive to use a book mark each time, but the real answer is all of the above. I like using real books marks, ones that look cool or were constructed by me, but I’ll use whatever’s lying around, from envelopes to payment slips. I only lay it flat open when I’m reading at lunch and want to just pause for a moment in reading to either grab my food or some other necessity. And I dog-ear only as a last resort when there are no other means of keeping my place in the book.

Fiction, Non-Fiction, or Both?
Both! More Fiction than Non-Fiction, but I always enjoy learning about something new or seeing something discussed from a new perspective, which is a really great thing about non-fiction.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
My slightly OCD self definitely prefers to read to the end of a chapter, or at least a denoted section. If that’s not possible due to time (or that there are no chapters or sections), then I can stop in the middle, providing I at least get to the end of the paragraph, preferably the end of the last paragraph or the first paragraph on the page.

Are you a person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
Only on really rare circumstances. I have to hate, and I mean hate, the book, which doesn’t happen often. Crime and Punishment got close to being thrown, but is too much of a classic to disrespect. The novelization of the Stargate movie did get thrown (I still don’t know why I even bothered with it).

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Rarely. I just assume I’ll figure it out from the context of the rest of the sentence.

What are you currently reading?

• The Company of Heaven: Stories from Haiti by Mariléne Phipps-Kettlewell – Good, so far, though I’m not eagerly reading them. They seem more like portraits than stories.
• The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan – Sequel to the zombie novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which I loved for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that the word “zombie” was never actually used.
• To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf – Just started to read the introduction, so not much to say yet.
• The Gothic & Lolita Bible, Vol. 3 (U.S. version) – Japanese fashion and pop culture fun

What is the last book you bought?
I bought a stack of books when I last bought a book.

Are you a person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
As you can see from above, I have a habit of reading lots of books at a time. At least two, usually. Though if I’m feeling overwhelmed by life, the universe, and everything, I might revert to reading only one book.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?

My favorite is reading late at night, laying down on the couch or in my new recliner. It feels like I’m skipping out of school or cheating or something if I read during the day – so I like to do that too! EDITED: Whoops! I copied this over from the other page, and so accidentally left one of the old answers in. My real answer: I read anywhere and everywhere. I always have a book with me. (My family mocks me for it.) I love finding a quiet nook to read in, though, especially if there’s a comfy chair that I can curl into.

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones?
I mostly reach for stand alones, as I’m not always willing to commit to a series. But from time to time, I’ll go for a series if it captures my fancy enough. I usually don’t read past five books or so, with the exception of Harry Potter and the Series of Unfortunate events, both of which had clear endings in sight.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Neil Gaiman, being one of my favorite authors gets recommended the most. Lately I’ve recommended Eat, Pray, Love several times. It all depends what kind of book a person is looking for, really.

How do you organize your books? By genre, title, author’s last name, etc?
At home, it’s by genre (poetry, speculative fiction, nonfiction, etc) and then it’s by the size of the book and how it can best fit on the shelf so that all my books fit and the room doesn’t look cluttered. Really. My organizational skills pretty much break down at the book shelf level. I always have a vague idea of where a particular book might be, but it’s always did through the whole stack for it.

How about you guys? What are your answers?

[x-posted to my livejournal. If you feel inclined, you may comment here or there.]