Booked

Good Morning!

It’s 8:30 and the driveway is clear of snow, breakfast has been eaten, papers have been read, and coffee is now being drunk.

Thank you Newt for tagging me on this Book MEME. It was fun and different.

Hardback, trade paperback, or mass-market paperback?
I really like the size of a trade paperback, so I usually do that. And I’m appalled at how much paperbacks cost these days!

Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
Oh, I would be lying if I said I didn’t partake of Amazon’s savings. But I would much rather go to a bookstore than order online. Buying books isn’t just about convenience; it’s an outing.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
No preference, really. I go to the Borders because the Barnes and Noble is at the mall and I don’t want to mess with that traffic. Plus, that store is always packed and I get claustrophobic. The Borders closer to me is newer and not as crowded.

Bookmark or dogear?
Bookmark! I love bookmarks, actually. I’m always buying them when I see something really different. Of course, then I can’t find my bookmark, so I end up putting a receipt or something there as a bookmark.

Alphabetize by author, by title, or random?
Oh alright, alphabetized by author then title. I also organize them by genre: literature, poetry, criticism, fiction, mystery, horror, and everything else. Not every book in the house gets this treatment, but I have a bookcase that is considered “Kell’s Books.” Al has his own, too. Of course, a lot of my books are from college, and I should probably give them away—wait, that’s the next question.

Keep, throw away or sell?
I do give them away when I can stand to. I used to take them to Half-Price Books when I lived near one. I always tell myself I’m going to be brutal and really thin it out, but I usually end up giving away very few.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep it. If I actually buy a hardback, then I want the dust jacket.

Read with the dust jacket or remove it?
I always start out with the dust jacket because I use the inside flap as a bookmark a lot of the time (is that a bad thing? Am I ruining the integrity of the dust cover?). Eventually though, I get tired of fighting it and take it off.

Short story or novel?
Novels. I do enjoy short stories and think it takes a lot of talent to pull off a short story, but I’d rather read a novel.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Collection. It’s always interesting the different stories that one writer can come up with. Anthologies are usually half of people I’ve heard of and like and half that I don’t.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter. I never did read the Snicket books.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I want to be tired at chapter breaks.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
I’d probably head to the dark and stormy night more often.

Buy or borrow?
Borrow from the library. I like that I can try out a writer without the financial obligation. I want to buy; I used to buy a lot, then I started knitting and the money got a little diverted.

New or used?
I’m with Newt—either, as long as it’s in good condition and doesn’t smell.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations or browse?
All three, but book reviews less than the others—I’m talking about the Times reviews and things like that. I like blog reviews. Mom ☺

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Like 'em both, but I want it to follow through.

When do you read: morning, afternoon or night?
I don’t have a particular time, but I tend to read early in the morning or late at night. That’s when the house is really still and I can get lost in the story.

Standalone or series?
Both, but I don’t like getting into a series in the middle if I can help it.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Shepherdess by Joan Jarvis Ellison. It’s a memoir rather than a novel, and I really enjoyed it. But if you’re not into wool and sheep and things like that, you probably wouldn’t like it.

Favorite books read last year?
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Booked to Die (and the others) by John Dunning
The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue
(Hey! Those were on Newt's list!)

Favorite books of all time?
Possession by A.S. Byatt
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Dubliners by James Joyce