Questions about books...

[fajrdrako]

for August 19, 2010:

1. Favourite childhood book?

1. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
   
2. The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit
   
3. Sir Francis Drake - I don't remember the author's name, and how I would love to know it! I read this in 1962, probably.

2. What are you reading right now?

1. A Free Man of Colour by Barbara Hambly
   
2. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (a reread)
   
3. Marley and Me by Josh Grogan
   
4. Teach Yourself Russian by K.V. Mayorova, O.I. Menshutina, and N.Y. Surzhikova

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

1. Unlock the Hidden Job Market by Duncan Mathison
   
2. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
   
3. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

4. Bad book habit?

Having more books I want to read than time to read them.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

1. A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
   
2. Horizons by Mary Rosenblum
   
3. The Lunatic, the Lover and the Poet by Myrlin A. Hermes (Could that possibly be his real name?)

6. Do you have an e-reader?

Yes, the Sony PRS-700.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

One at a time, but for logistical reasons, it seldom happens. I don't really care much, either way, but when I'm really into a book, I read it till I'm finished.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

Only that I have somewhere to make comments about any book I want to talk about.

9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far?)

Uhh... maybe Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs, which I started and didn't finish.

10. Favourite book you’ve read this year?

Without doubt, A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

I don't have a comfort zone for books, unless I'm going for a light read, or a comfort read (which often means rereading Dorothy Dunnett). I read a variety of things. I like different, sometimes challenging, material.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

I don't associate reading with comfort zones, though if I'm ill or overtired and simply want comfort, I reread old favourites. I like variety. My comfort zone seeks out the new and the good. Or new books by old, favourite authors - that's exciting.

13. Can you read on the bus?

Sometimes. It's variable. Sometimes I'll read till I get queasy, and stop.

14. Favourite place to read?

At home, sprawled on sofa, chair or bed.

Or, even better, on the deck of a ship or boat.

15. What is your policy on book lending?

I lend only to people I trust. (And sometimes still don't get the book back.)

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?

No, never. Not that my books are always unsullied: I carry them around in my purse, and sometimes tear them in half to fit, though I haven't done that in decades. There's till the occasional chocolate stain.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

Sometimes, usually with a pencilled star to mark significant passages. Sometimes with a square bracket in the left hand margin to bring attention to a paragraph.

Sometimes, if I want to keep track of favourite scenes or follow a theme, I'll note the relevant page numbers on the inside front cover, in pen. I did this with Karin Lowachee's novels, to mark the appearances of Captain Cairo Azarcon.

18. Not even with text books?

Sure. With stars; see above. What I never, never do, is use highlighters in books. That's anathema.

19. What is your favourite language to read in?

English. It's easiest. Italian and Esperanto are beautiful, Latin is challenging, French is fun - and there aren't many other languages I'm competent in enough to actually read, though I like reading about them.

English is the one where I get the nuances best. And I love English: it's so expressive and musical.

20. What makes you love a book?

Intelligent perception on the part of the author, emotional content, and writing style.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

If I love it, I'll recommend it.

22. Favourite genre?

Historical fiction. Alas, there isn't much good historical fiction published these days. Don't talk to me about Philippa Gregory.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)

Huh? If I want to read something, I read it. I suppose I could say I don't often read historical novels and would like to read more, but they aren't being written or published enough.

24. Favourite biography?

1. That book about Sir Francis Drake I read as a kid.
2. Ariel by Andre Maurois, which I hardly remember now, but it set me reading every subsequent biography of Percy Bysshe Shelley.
   
   Do autobiographies and memoirs count for this category?
   
   
3. Timelines by Arthur Miller
   
4. China Correspondent by Agnes Smiley.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

Yes. Frequently. I like the genre.

26. Favourite cookbook?

1. The American Whole Foods Cookbook
   
2. The Harrowsmith Cookbook vol.1
   
3. The Joy of Cooking.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

I Am What I Am by John Barrowman.

28. Favourite reading snack?

1. Buttered, salted, freshly-popped popcorn
   
2. Ripple potato chips with onion-flavoured cream cheese dip
   
3. Fresh ripe cherries

Okay, my comment about chocolate stains was misleading. It's more likely to be butter stains, or cherry stains.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

...Never? I tend to ignore hype. But again, I tend to avoid over-hyped books, unless I am intrigued by them.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

Depends on the critic. I don't often read reviews.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

Fine. My reviews tend to be honest, I hope.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?

Er, but, I can read in a foreign language: Italian, French, Anglo-Norman, Latin, medieval Latin, and Esperanto, though one could argue that French isn't foreign in Canada even if it's not my mother tongue, and Esperanto isn't foreign to anyone. If you rephrase the questions as, "if you could read in a foreign language you don't already read in, which language would you choose?" I'll say Japanese. It would be fun to read all those manga, and I'd love to be able to properly read a language that isn't Indo-European.

I can read a little in German, but not well, and I'm out of practice. It would be good to be able to read in German again.

Comic books are particularly fun in different languages. I have a mini-collection of Asterix the Gaul in numerous languages, and Winnie the Pooh as well.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?

Any math text.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?

There is no such thing. Really, books don't intimidate me. Why should they?

Okay, okay, I recently acquired a copy of Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum by William of Tyre, and it's a teeny bit intimidating because it looks like a very vast and dense quantity of Latin. But it isn't as difficult as it seemed at first. It's only intimidating in a nice, challenging way that I look forward to.

35. Favourite Poet?

1. T.S. Eliot
   
2. Catullus
   
3. A.A.Milne

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

Too many. Well, usually, on an average, throughout my adult life, about 20 to 30 at a time. About two years ago I set myself a limit of 10 books at a time. I kept to that... most of the time. After I broke my arm in June, I returned all books and had none at all for two months. That's going cold turkey. Currently I have three from the public library (see above) and none from the university libraries.

They ought to sell patches.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?

Often enough. I couldn't even guess at percentages. It would probably be embarrassing if I could.

38. Favourite fictional character?

Francis Crawford of Lymond.

39. Favourite fictional villain?

Magneto, Master of Magnetism.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?

I tend to buy books while on vacation, rather than taking them with me. Travelling with Dunnett novels is always fun.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.

...Gone without reading? Why would I do that?

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.

War and Peace. I got halfway through the Battle of Borodino three times.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

Distracts me from what? From reading? Nothing, if the book is good.

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel?

The Lord of the Rings

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?

The Walter C. Scott version of Jane Eyre.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

No idea.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?

Never. I don't skim books before reading them. That would spoil the fun of reading them. I cherish that first virgin read, with as few preconceptions as possible.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

Being bored by it.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?

Yes. Not that I generally succeed, but I like the concept.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

If they're really good, both - i.e., I'd keep a copy for myself and buy extras as gifts. If it isn't good, I donate it to the library or thrift shop. There's no rule here. Often as not they are library books, so returning them to the library is the thing to do anyway.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?

...Can't think of one, though there are writers I don't intend to ever try reading again, because they bored me in the past.

52. Name a book that made you angry.

I get annoyed when books get facts wrong, or make conclusions based on falsehoods or half-truths. Can't think of one that actually angered me. Stupidity is annoying, but not worth anger. I suppose I would get angry if I tried reading, say, the collected speeches of Stephen Harper, but I know better than to do that.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?

...The Phoenix and the Carpet. I was sick in bed, aged nine or so, and dying for a new Enid Blyton book in the "Adventure" series. My father gave me The Phoenix and the Carpet to read instead, and I fell in love with it.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?

Any number of things I pick up at the library because they look as if they might be interesting, but aren't. For specifics... Maybe the Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker. I love his Spenser novels, and I like the Sunny Randall novels for the most part, but couldn't get into Jesse Stone.

55. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading?

I never feel guilty about what I read. I have no shame.