Reading Habits

A meme-thing about reading habits, gacked from Charles. Questions are in italics.


Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:

I eat or drink while reading sometimes, but not every time. And there's no particular thing I go for while reading. Sometimes I'll be eating a meal, sometimes I'll just feel like popcorn or a bagel or some tea (peppermint with honey) or whatever else pops into my head and is available in the kitchen.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I have to admit I find marking in books pretty horrifying. Even when I was in school I never wrote in my books, clear workbooks -- the kind composed of newsprint, which have lines obviously long/tall enough for the full answer to be written in -- excepted. I don't even write my name in my books. (Which, BTW, is why I just eyeroll when people say that obviously Shakespeare never owned any books because we haven't found any books with his name in them. Not everyone does that, ya know?)

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

Usually I use bookmarks. I have a stack of 3x5 cards, left over from when I was taking language classes and made bazillions of vocabulary flashcards, which now serve mainly as bookmarks. If I don't have a bookmark to hand, I'll occasionally lay the book down very carefully, over the edge of another book if possible. Bending the spine is anathema, almost as much as writing in a book.

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?

Both, although mostly fiction these days. My non-fiction is about a quarter research for some project and the rest just whatever interesting stuff comes to my notice.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I prefer to read to the end of a chapter, and if not that, then to the end of a scene. It's rare that I'll stop in the middle of a scene; I have to be so tired I'm having massive trouble keeping my eyes open, or travelling and forced to put the book away Right Now because it's time to get on the plane, or something like that.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?

Depends. If I'm reading an e-book at the computer, there's a dictionary right there and I'll look it up. If not, I'll try to remember it and look it up later. I can usually figure out the gist of a new word, though, from the roots and/or context.

What are you currently reading?

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Whatever issue of Asimov's I'm currently on (I read those in spurts)
I Do! ed. Kris Jacen
Almost Everyone's Guide to Science by John Gribbin
14 Years of Loyal Service in a Fabric-Covered Box by Scott Adams

What is the last book you bought?

"Taylor's Personal Best" by Aaron Michaels

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?

I always have a bunch of books going, usually a few I'm currently working on (a couple of books by the couch, a couple of books in the bathroom, a couple upstairs) plus a larger set of older books I started earlier but which were supplanted by newer and more interesting books. I usually get back to them eventually, sometimes starting over because I don't remember what was going on. If a couple of years go by and I haven't, I've occasionally been known to give up. [duck]

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?

Whenever. I like reading before I go to sleep, and on planes if I'm not sleeping there. I spend a lot of time on cruises reading. But really, whenever I have some time.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?

It really depends on the book or series. Some series just go on and on and on and clearly should've been put out of their misery some number of books ago. Some stand-alone books have wonderful characters and world-building and really could support sequels. I don't deliberately lean toward one or the other, though.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?

I recommend Laney Cairo's Bad Case of Loving You to anyone who even hints that they're thinking of trying m/m romance, because it's just that awesome. Lois McMaster Bujold gets a lot of recs, and Connie Willis, and Jo Beverley. Mike Resnick's Santiago is great, and Dave Brin's a master at creating aliens, up there with Larry Niven. And, and, and.... [laugh/flail] My recs list would be another post all by itself.

How do you organize your books?(by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)

First, split up fiction and non-fiction. Non-fiction is then sorted by subject, then by sub-subject, such as time/place for the history books, and particular craft for the craft books. Then alpha by author, then by title order, unless the author wrote a series in which case series books go in series order.

Fiction is sorted by genre, then by author, then by title, with the same series exception as above.