Bookish Fun

Grabbed this meme from Barbara who answered the same questions on her blog last week.

1. Favorite childhood book? One of my favorite books from childhood that I thought was the biggest hoot was Skinnybones, by Barbara Park. I saved my copy for my own kids. However, the other day I pulled it out and was browsing it and the kid in the story is a major liar and quite disrespectful to his parents. As an adult reader, I see far less humor there than I did before. Funny how that works. (Har, har.)

2. What are you reading right now? Daniel Deronda, by George Eliot which is incredibly fantastic!

3. What books do you have on request at the library? None! I have forsaken the library because I just can't seem to get the books back in time and rack up fines left and right which frustrates me!

4. Bad book habit? Buying books faster than I can read them.

5. Do you have an e-reader? Well. Heh. What a complicated question. Readers here will note that I have long decried the horrors of the e-reader. However, my father-in-law gifted me with a Kindle. I choose to believe that he gave this to me chiefly because I'm a HORRIBLE traveler and I made mention of the fact that I was going so stir crazy on our 16 hour drive to his house that I would even consider a Kindle (to read audibly TO me as I cannot read in the car). So. I have one. But the power button hasn't been pushed yet.

6. Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once? I really prefer to have only one going at a time. Sometimes I'll try for two but inevitably I end up back with one.

7. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Having the blog pushes me to read for deeper meaning. I think I get more out of books as a result of having a book blog. I stop and consider passages for longer and allow time for things to sink in.

8. Least favorite book you read this year (so far)? Payne & Misery

9. Favorite book you’ve read this year? Frankenstein

10. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? My reading comfort zone, I think, is fairly large. If by leaving it you mean Christian fiction or chick lit, then seldom. But maybe I'm not as generous and diverse in my reading habits as I'd like to think.

11. What is your reading comfort zone? Christian non-fiction, general non-fiction, history, classics (I wouldn't have said so before just a few years ago!). Those primarily.

12. Can you read on the bus? Unfortunately I cannot read in moving vehicles. Thankfully, I think I can still read on airplanes. We'll find out soon!

13. Favorite place to read? On my living room couch, tucked into a cozy blanket.

14. What is your policy on book lending? Well. It's uncertain, that's what. I dislike loaning books to people who lose them or return them in sad condition. I no longer loan out any of my Lucy Maud Montgomery books because most are out of print and hard to find at present. (And I once loaned out one of the titles which was never returned.) I really wouldn't have a problem loaning things out of people had the general mindset that if they break or ruin something, they will replace it. I think that's a common courtesy. However, such a thought does not seem to occur to the general populace so I try to be choosey in what I loan out and to whom.

15. Do you ever dog-ear books? I'm starting to.

16. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? NO! But I'm trying to get into the habit of underlining. Baby steps.

17. Not even with text books? Nope.

18. What is your favorite language to read in? Um. English.

19. What makes you love a book? Depends on the genre. If we're talking about fiction then a solid story which has twists and turns and fun side plots. I like believable dialogue and a total LACK of references to modern things like iPads, McDonald's, etc. I like a story which makes you think about your worldview.

20. What will inspire you to recommend a book? If it contains the above elements, I am highly likely to recommend it. Daniel Deronda, for instance. The Mysterious Benedict Society. (Just thought I'd throw that one out there again!)

21. Favorite Biography? Hmm. That is a hard one. I think I'm going to go with Bonhoeffer: A Biography, by Metaxas.

22. Have you ever ready a self help book? Yup.

23. Favorite cookbook? "The internet."

24. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? Hmm. After some consideration, I think I'll go with The Envy of Eve.

25. Favorite reading snack? Probably chips and salsa. This is extremely evident if you open my copy of Daniel Deronda. (Thwwwppt!)

26. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. I can't think of anyone, even after some consideration on the topic. Generally speaking, when my trusted bloggy/reading friends recommend a book, I like it.

27. How often do you agree with critics on a book?As Barbara said, I don't read the critics. I pay attention to my trusted book bloggers.

28. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I really don't have a problem giving a bad review when I think a book deserves it (and some do!). I feel like publishers these days are willing to publish a great deal more than they should and so it leaves the readers to be even more on guard and discerning than might otherwise be the case. I want to weed out the "duds". I like having the duds weeded out for me! So I appreciate a negative review and am prepared to give them when I feel the situation calls for it.

29. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? Bleak House.

30. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? Atlas Shrugged. Shonya made it sound fabulous and tedious at the same time.

31. Favorite poet? No.

32. Favorite fictional character? I'm split between two, so I will mention them both. Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Pevensie.

33. Favorite fictional villain? The White Witch

34. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? I am most likely to take a book along that will not require me to think very much and will further the idea that I am on vacation. Usually this means I take a Lucy Maud Montgomery title or a Narnia book. And most of the time I take both. (That way the kids and I can read aloud should moments present themselves.)

35. The longest I’ve gone without reading. A week. And by the end of the week I am Super Grump by the way. I get antsy if I haven't read.

36. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?Unfortunately I have to say Facebok. Which is super pathetic and I KNOW it.

37. Favorite film adaptation of a novel. Predictably I shall say Anne of Green Gables.

38. Most disappointing film adaptation? Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. And "disappointing" is an understatement.

39. The most money I’ve spent in the bookstore at one time? Probably around $125. But that only on two occasions that I can think of and both occurred after the fire at our house wherein I lost a lot of our book titles and so I was rebuilding the library.

40. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Never. Only I'm trying to get into the habit of at least reading the first two pages to determine whether or not I'm going to appreciate the writing style. Most modern novels sound exactly the same for the first two pages, by the way.

41. Do you like to keep your books organized? YES!

42. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? Depends. If I really, really liked them then I want to keep them. If I felt halfhearted about it, then I'll find the book a new home. If it's a non-fiction self-help type that I feel I only need to read once, then I'll find it a new home.

43. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Ha! ha! Yes. The Twilight series. My husband won't let me read those because he doesn't want to hear me harping on and on about how much I will despise them. I sort of want to read them but only to find out how to better make fun of them, which might not be fair but it is how I feel.

44. Name a book that made you angry. Only one, hmm? I think the only type of book that makes me truly angry is one that writes with flippant or flat out bad theology because it bothers me how easily people are sidetracked by them. I really did not appreciate The Shack, nor did I care for Blue Like Jazz.

45. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? Bleak House!

Thanks, Barabara, for the list of questions! If anyone else gets around to doing this, let me know and I'll come read your answers!