Thursday, June 28, 2007
BTT #24
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Desperation:
- What’s the most desperate thing you’ve read because it was the only available reading material?
- If it was longer than a cereal box or an advertisement, did it turn out to be worth your while?
- Well, there was the time on vacation when I ran out of books and ended up reading the horror novels I'd packed for my husband. And there was the time I was stuck bookless at my in-laws' (I think we'd intended to go home, but the weather got bad or something) and ended up reading my brother-in-law's erotica. Worst, though, was when I was stuck in a traffic jam with nothing to read. I ended up reading the owner's manual to the car from cover to cover (it was a really long traffic jam!).
- The horror novels were actually much better than I'd expected them to be. So was the erotica, once I got over being creeped out by them belonging to my brother-in-law. The owner's manual... well, I did learn a few things I didn't know about the car, but geez, it was boring.
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Thursday, June 21, 2007
BTT #23
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
School Days, Golden Rule Days:
Since school is out for the summer (in most places, at least), here’s a school-themed question for the week:
Since school is out for the summer (in most places, at least), here’s a school-themed question for the week:
- Do you have any old school books? Did you keep yours from college? Old textbooks from garage sales? Old workbooks from classes gone by?
- How about your old notes, exams, papers? Do you save them? Or have they long since gone to the great Locker-in-the-sky?
- I don't think I have any left. No, wait. There may still be some in the closet of the spare room in our house in San Antonio. I seem to recall a logic textbook and an accounting text. I know I intended to get rid of them, but I don't remember if I did or not. For certain, if I didn't, I will when we get back. There are a few non-textbooks from college--paperbacks I had to read for one class or another. Nietzsche, Jung, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, etc.
- Now, those, I got rid of. Finally. I dragged the boxes around for years until I finally realized, move before last, that I just kept dragging the boxes around and they'd never been unpacked once.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
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Thursday, June 14, 2007
BTT #22
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Dessert first:
- Do you cheat and peek ahead at the end of your books? Or do you resolutely read in sequence, as the author intended?
- And, if you don’t peek, do you ever feel tempted?
- No, I never peek ahead or read ahead. In fact, I don't even read the back-of-the-book blurb, because I don't like to read with preconceived ideas.
- Not at all. I love the feeling of expectation, of not knowing what's going to happen. If a book gets really tense, I might read faster, but I don't want anything to spoil the whole experience of the book.
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Thursday, June 07, 2007
BTT #21
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Encore
- Almost everyone can name at least one author that you would love just ONE more book from. Either because they’re dead, not being published any more, not writing more, not producing new work for whatever reason . . . or they’ve aged and aren’t writing to their old standards any more . . . For whatever reason, there just hasn’t been anything new (or worth reading) of theirs and isn’t likely to be.
If you could have just ONE more book from an author you love . . . a book that would be as good any of their best (while we’re dreaming) . . . something that would round out a series, or finish their last work, or just be something NEW . . . Who would the author be, and why? Jane Austen? Shakespeare? Laurie Colwin? Kurt Vonnegut?
- Evelyn E. Smith. She wrote a series about a middle-aged female assassin, Miss Melville, that I just loved. There were only 4 books (it lists 5, but the 5th book, to my knowledge, was never released--I've never been able to find it anywhere, not even Amazon or ebay--and if it's not on Amazon or ebay, it must not exist!), and I really, really wish she'd written more. It would also be lovely to have another story from Rex Stout (who looks a heck of a lot like my dad in that picture) and Agatha Christie.
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Thursday, May 31, 2007
BTT #20
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Paper or Plastic?
- Do you read e-books?
- If so, how? On your computer, or a PDA?
- Or are you a paper purist? Why?
- I've bought a couple, but I haven't actually read them yet.
- I don't have a PDA, so they're on the computer. I kept meaning to steal my daughter's PDA, but my husband nabbed it first, dammit. An e-book reader is going on my Christmas list. Anyone have any recommendations?
- I guess I'm a paper purist, but it's a practical thing, not a philosophical one. #2 is why I haven't read them yet. They're on the computer, and it's really a PIA to sit up at the computer to read, and uses up too much energy--see here or here for details. I'm doing great lately, but if I've got the energy to sit at the computer, I've got so much more stuff to do.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, May 24, 2007
BTT #19
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Parlez Vous?
Here’s an idea from Julie:
I had an idea for a BTT question when I was taking a peek at one of my bookcases yesterday and spotted my old copy of the Aeneid in Latin sitting there. Maybe this question has already been done—but if not… Do you have any foreign language books and if so can you (still) read them?
- I have a handful of books in German, but I haven't tried reading one in a long while. When the kids were small, I used to read children's stories to them in German, and that wasn't a problem at all. I suspect if I pulled one of them off the kids' shelves, I could still read it okay. I keep meaning to try, but...
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Thursday, May 17, 2007
BTT #18
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Bookless:
- It happens even to the best readers from time to time… you close the cover on the book you’re reading and discover, to your horror, that there’s nothing else to read. Either there’s nothing in the house, or nothing you’re in the mood for. Just, nothing that “clicks.” What do you do?? How do you get the reading wheels turning again?
- That's where having a huge TBR pile and a random selection system comes in handy. The TBR pile is so big--over 400 books--that I never run out of books. And because I pick my next reads randomly, I don't end up with that frozen feeling of not feeling like reading anything in the pile.
In fact, that's why I started choosing my reading stack randomly. I used to look at this big TBR pile and not be able to find anything to read. Turns out, I just kept looking at the same books over and over, and overlooking the same ones time after time. The TBR challenges help, too, to get me to read something I'd have otherwise overlooked.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, May 10, 2007
BTT #17
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Ask Not Where, But Where Not?:
- So, judging by last week’s answers, apparently the question I should have been asking was:
Where DON’T you read??
- Well, let's see. I don't read in the shower. Don't laugh. Somebody told me once they put a book in a Ziploc bag so they could read it in the shower. I'm not quite that bad. And I don't read while I'm driving. I can't read on a treadmill--it makes me motion-sick. I only read in the car if I've taken Dramamine, and it's a very long drive. I don't read while waiting with someone, unless they're reading or playing a Gameboy or something, too. I don't read at the movie theater, though there've been a couple of times I wished I'd brought a flashlight along because the movie was so bad, or during performances of any kind (plays, concerts, etc.).
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
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Thursday, May 03, 2007
BTT #16
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
R. I. P.:
- No, not THAT kind of R.I.P.
Reading. In. Public.
Do you do it? Why or why not?
- Oh, sure, I read in public. Mostly whenever I'm waiting. The dentist's office, the DMV, waiting for the kids to get out of school, you name it. And always, always on trains, planes, and buses. Waiting = reading. I always stick my current read in my purse when I leave the house just in case I end up having to wait somewhere. I'm not so bad that I read at red lights, though. Well, at least not usually.
I'm very shy by nature, and while over the years I've gotten better at situations when I'm expected to be sociable, I'm definitely not about to strike up a conversation with a total stranger for the 10 minutes we're sharing a waiting room.
Then there's the rebellious aspect. I was told when I was a teenager that it's rude to read if someone else is in the room. Even if that someone else is watching TV. The concept still baffles me, so maybe part of the reason I pull out a book when I'm waiting somewhere in public is to thumb my nose at that rule.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Friday, April 27, 2007
BTT #15
Late this week. Sorry about that.
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Note: scroll down for the ThursdayThirteen.
Seasonal reading:
- Does what you read vary by the season? For instance, Do you read different kinds of books in the summer than the winter?
- If so, do you break it down by genre, length of book, holiday, or...?
- No, not at all. I read randomly from my TBR pile regardless of the season. I can see the logic behind saving big thick books for when there's plenty of uninterrupted reading time, but I simply don't do that.
- Occasionally for a book discussion or a TBR challenge, I'll read a book that fits the season or a holiday, but without some outside influence, there's no change.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, April 19, 2007
BTT #14
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
'Fess Up!
- Okay, there must be something you read that's a guilty pleasure . . . a Harlequin romance stashed under the mattress. A cheesy sci-fi book tucked in the back of the freezer. A celebrity biography, a phoned-in Western . . . something that you'd really rather not be spotted reading. Even just a novel if you're a die-hard non-fiction fan. Come on, confess. We won't hold it against you!
- I'm probably going to sound sanctimonious here, but I don't really mean to. The only thing I might not want to be spotted reading in public is erotica, and only if it's quite obviously erotica on the cover. If you scroll around here a bit, you'll notice I'm not particularly shy about letting everybody know exactly what I'm reading and what I think of it.
Like lots and lots of other people, I used to be defensive about being seen reading romance in public. Later it was just the mantitty covers that embarrassed me. But the more I got involved in reader/writer communities online, and the older I got, the more I felt like taking a little, mini stand.
See, I know I'm not stupid. And it finally occurred to me that someone who would criticize or think less of another person because of what they read is not someone whose opinion I value. So I make it a point to not hide my book, whether the covers have mantitty or chicks in chainmail (sf/f, silly) or even if they're kids books.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
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Thursday, April 12, 2007
BTT #13
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Where does the time go?
- Have you ever missed an important appointment because you have become so engrossed in a book you forgot the time or were up so late reading that you didn't wake up in time? Been late to work because you couldn't resist the temptation and left the house too late?
- I can't think of a specific appointment I've missed, but there have definitely been times when staying up too late reading has caused me to oversleep and change my plans for the next day. Lately, though, it's more likely to be the internet than a book that has me up late, or losing track of time.
Night before last, for instance--I was just going to finish one more thing before making dinner. Next thing I knew, my husband was calling the local Turkish take-out. I should probably feel guilty about that.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
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Thursday, April 05, 2007
BTT #12
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Truly Biblical:
- Just out of curiosity, as we enter into Passover and Easter season . . . have you ever read the Bible? Just the odd chapter or Psalm? The whole thing? (Or, almost the whole thing? It's some heavy reading, of course, and those "begats" get kind of tedious.)
- If so, was it from religious motivation or from a literary perspective? Stuck with nothing else to read in a hotel room the Gideon's have visited? Any combination?
- If not, why not? Against your religious principles? Too boring? Just not interested? Something you're planning on taking care of when you get marooned on a desert island?
- And while we're on the subject . . . what about the other great religious works out there? Are they more to your liking?
- Yes I have. The whole thing, King James version, cover to cover.
- More of an obsessive young teenager motivation, and a feeling that it was something I ought to do. And a teeny bit of so I could say I'd done it.
- Well, I've already done it, so it doesn't apply, but I wouldn't do it again.
- Great religious works? I don't think I even know of any. I have enjoyed fictionalized versions of biblical stories, and the occasional modern analysis of parts of the bible from a mythological or scientific perspective, but I don't really seek them out.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, March 29, 2007
BTT #11
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Location, Location, Location, Part 2:
- Where do you do most of your reading? Your favorite spot? (Show a picture, if you want to!)
(And yes, I understand that these might not be the same thing--your favorite spot could be the beach, but you do most of your reading at home . . . in which case, tell me about both!)
- Here's where I do most of my reading:
And yes, now that you mention it, I do love to read at the beach:
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, March 22, 2007
BTT #10
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Keeping it short:
- Short Stories? Or full-length novels?
- And, what's your favorite source for short stories? (You know, if you read them.)
- Generally speaking I'm not a fan of the short-story format, because far too many of them seem focused not on telling a story, but on showing how clever the author is. Note: there's a huge difference between a short story and a novella, and I get really testy when people confuse the two (it's a personal failing, I know. *sigh*). That said, though, I still read them from time to time, and enjoy them, even--as in the case of Tod Goldberg's anthology Simplify--love them.
- I used to read a lot of short stories in science fiction or mystery magazines, but I quit subscribing a few years ago. Now it's almost always anthologies, and almost always because a must-buy author has a story in it.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, March 15, 2007
BTT #9
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Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Writing in Books, Part 3:
- Speaking of writing in books, what about writing the entire thing? Do you write? Aspire to write? Dream about writing?
- If you do write, do you do it for yourself, or because you hope to be published? (Or because you ARE published?)
- I've always written stories, but mostly what happens is that I write enough of the story to know how it's going to turn out, then I lose interest. One of these days, though, I want to actually finish something--if nothing else, just to know I can do it.
- At the moment, it's strictly because I've got an idea I want to explore. Should I ever finish something, though, I'd probably want to pursue publication.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
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Thursday, March 08, 2007
BTT #8
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Booking Through Thursday
Lending Library:
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Booking Through ThursdayLending Library:
- Do you lend your books to other people? If so, any restrictions?
- Do you borrow books from other people? (Friends or family—I'm not talking about the public library)
- And, most importantly—do the books you lend/borrow get returned to their rightful owners??
- I currently only lend my books to my immediate family. It's without restrictions--I'm just happy that they're reading! I do ask them to be reasonably cautious, and they are. My son was very upset when the Steven Brust book in his backpack that he'd borrowed from me got damp on the edges when he walked home from the bus stop in a torrential downpour. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I didn't get mad at him either. I was, however, pleased that he was conscientious enough to ask me if I wanted him to replace it.
- I almost never borrow books from other people. I do borrow them from my kids and husband, if you can call it borrowing, since it's generally books I've bought for them. On the rare occasion that I've borrowed a book from someone else, I was really nervous about keeping it in good shape and reading it quickly so I could return it in a timely manner.
- Books I borrow always get back to their rightful owners, if it's outside the family. Once I've read a book I've borrowed from a family member, it tends to go on the communal shelves, though since the communal shelves are mostly mine, and the kids have their own shelves in their rooms, maybe it's not the same. It's not like they can't find them. There have been a handful of times when I've loaned out a book and either not gotten it back at all, or gotten in bad in bad shape--my mom let her dog chew up a couple of the books I loaned her, for instance. So any more, I just don't loan them out. If I really want to share a book with somebody, I'll give them a copy. That way neither of us has to worry about returning it.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, February 22, 2007
BTT #7
Writing in Books, Part 2:
- A couple weeks ago, we asked about how you take care of your books, with one of the questions asking whether you write in your books. Well, what about books that are meant to be written in? Like, say, a journal or diary? Do you keep one? Obviously, if you're answering this, you have a blog--do you just let your blog be your journal? Or do you also keep one for private stuff also?
- I do have a lovely little Reading Notes journal. But it's solely a list of books I intend to buy and book/author recommendations. I don't keep a journal or diary, except for my blog, and that's mostly about my thoughts about what I read.
Labels: BTT
Friday, February 16, 2007
BTT #6
I'm a little late this week--again--sorry about that!
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
So, in honor of Valentine's Day . . .
- Love stories? Yes or No?
- If yes, "romances" as a genre? Or just, well, stories that have love stories? (Nobody's going to call "Pride & Prejudice" a "romance," right?)
- Yes.
- Both. I enjoy the romance genre, and I enjoy non-romances with a "love interest". I enjoy non-romances without a love interest, too. What I don't like is tragic "love stories"--Romeo and Juliet, that sort of thing. They fall in love and then they die. How depressing. I much prefer no love story to that kind.
Categories: BookingThroughThursday
Labels: BTT
Thursday, February 08, 2007
BTT #5
TLC:
What kind of care do you take of your books? Let's review, shall we?
- Are you careful with the spines? Or do you crack your books open to make them lay flat?
I don't deliberately crack the spines, but I will prop them open so I can read while flossing, for instance, and that sometimes does crack the spine. They never lie flat, though.
- Do you use bookmarks? Or do you dog-ear the corners? If you do use bookmarks, do you use those fashionable metal ones? Or paper?
I always use bookmarks, and never dog-ear the corners. What kind depends on what's handy. They're mostly paper, or those nice filmstrip ones I get from Annie.
- Do you write in your books? Ever? If you do, do you make small marks, or write in as much blank space as you can find? Pen or pencil? Highlighter? Your name on the front page?
Nope. When I was a kid, I'd write my comments about the book in it, but I stopped doing that when I was 12. Until about 10 or so years ago, I used to write my name on the front page, but I stopped doing that, too.
- Do you toss your books on the floor? Into bookbags? Or do you treat them tenderly, with respect?
I don't know about treating them "tenderly," but I don't toss them on the floor, either.
- Do you ever lay your book face-down, to save your place?
Only in an emergency, and then it's usually over the arm of a chair or something like that.
- Um--water? Do you bathe with your books? Hold them with wet hands? Read out in the rain? Anything of that sort?
Oh, yes, I definitely read in the bath. I make sure my hands are dry, though, and I've never dropped one in the tub.
- Are your books lined up on a bookshelf? Or crammed in any which way? Stacked on the floor?
I've got pix here. They're mostly on shelves.
- Do you make a distinction--as regards book care--between hardcovers and paperbacks?
Well, generally speaking, the hardcovers are more expensive, so I'm a little more cautious about things like lending them out, etc.
- And, to recap? Naturally, you love all of your books, but how, exactly? Are your books loved in the battered way of a well-loved teddy bear, or like a cherished photo album or item of clothing that's used, appreciated, but carefully cared for?
Like the clothing--used, appreciated, cared for. I don't trash my books, but I'm not obsessive about taking care of them, either.
- Any additional comments?
I love my books, but I love the stories in them more than the actual paper and ink.
...more
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