In the interests of wasting time...
Apr. 12th, 2007 12:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lareinenoireStolen from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
erastes
Paperback, hardback or Trade paperback?
I prefer hardback as a rule since I'm anal about bent spines, but I usually go with what's available at any given time. And paperbacks are better for travel, definitely.
Amazon or brick and mortar?
Both. Amazon tends to be less expensive, but I love proper bookshops, especially used bookshops. They smell nice. Though they are dangerous too since it is easier to close a web browser than to leave a bookshop.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Depends on what I'm looking for (or where I have giftcards, for that matter). These days, mostly Oxfam and Half-Price Books.
Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark. I use anything from actual bookmarks to ticket stubs, receipts, bits of clothing, etc. I don't like to dog-ear at all.
Favourite place to read?
Large fluffy armchair with cup of tea and natural light.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Separated by subject, roughly, and by physical size of book (paperbacks toward top of bookcase and large reference books at bottom). Ask me again later when all my books are in the same geographical location.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep, with a few exceptions that were sold or donated. Never throw away.
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep.
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
With. I don't really notice.
Short story or novel?
Definitely novel.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Never read Snicket, though I've been curious for some time.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks. A hazard when reading Terry Pratchett, Guy Gavriel Kay, or George R.R. Martin.
"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
Depends on my mood.
Buy or borrow?
Both, depending on financial circumstances. I'll often borrow first, and then buy my own copy. I grew up in a city with a phenomenal library system, so I've got an ingrained willingness to borrow books. ;)
New or used?
I tend to buy used unless I have a giftcard or I absolutely must read the book the second it appears on the shelves. If I'm lucky, the timings coincide.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
All three, though I tend to trust recommendations (hirosamund) most these days since I only have so much spare time.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Eh. Both have merits, but I like something in the middle.
Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Anytime!
Stand-alone or series?
Depends on the book. Occupational hazard with series is that sometimes one ends up in the situation I'm currently in with George R.R. Martin. Or, conversely, one arrives at the end of Dark Angels by Karleen Koen and wants MORE.
Favorite series?
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey (I assume all the books are included)
His Dark Materials and the Sally Lockhart trilogy by Philip Pullman
The Riverside books (not sure if the series has an official title) by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
The Julian Kestrel mystery series by Kate Ross
Favorite children's book?
The Dark Green Tunnel by Allan W. Eckert (similar to the Narnia books, but I read this one first), Bruce Coville's ghost trilogy, the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman, and Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn.
Favorite YA book?
A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
The Dark Green Tunnel
Favorite books read last year?
Meaning 2006, I assume?
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Mélusine and The Virtu by Sarah Monette
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Dark Angels by Karleen Koen
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Stars' Tennis-Balls by Stephen Fry
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Favorite books of all time?
Le comte de Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Othello and Richard III by William Shakespeare
Edward II by Christopher Marlowe
The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster
Phantom by Susan Kay
Possession by A.S. Byatt
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Least favorite book you finished last year?
The Lunatic Café by Laurell K. Hamilton. That series in general proved underwhelming enough that I gave up after aforementioned book. I think I'm over vampire fiction in general (unless the vampires are merely incidental).
What are you reading right now?
::glances at Giant Pile o'Books on desk:: Erm...
Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Le temple de Bocace by Georges Chastellain
Beginning Theory by Peter Barry (reread)
Intertextuality by Graham Allen
Political Allegory in Late Medieval England by Ann Astell
Margaret of Anjou: Queenship and Power in Late Medieval England by Helen Maurer
The Last Medieval Queens by J.L. Laynesmith
Richard III's Books by Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs
England's Elizabeth by Michael Dobson and Nicola Watson (reread)
The Armor of Light by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
Mélusine ou la noble histoire de Lusignan by Jean d'Arras
La chanson de la croisade albigeoise
Georgette Heyer's Regency World by Jennifer Kloester
The Sicilian Vespers by Steven Runciman
Blood and Roses: The Paston Family and the Wars of the Roses by Helen Castor
What are you reading next?
See previous question and add 'whatever my supervisor tells me to read' and 'whatever looks good at the time'.
Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?
It would depend on taste. Probably something by Philip Pullman since he's versatile as well as brilliant.
Favorite book to reread?
Lots. See 'favourites in general' list for an idea, though I'll reread just about anything I liked the first time round if the mood arises.
Do you ever smell books?
Yes. It's part of the reason why I don't do e-books.
Do you ever read Primary source documents?
All the bloody time. I'm a postgrad in English. It is my doom.
Right. Enough time wasted. I've got errands to run.
erastesPaperback, hardback or Trade paperback?
I prefer hardback as a rule since I'm anal about bent spines, but I usually go with what's available at any given time. And paperbacks are better for travel, definitely.
Amazon or brick and mortar?
Both. Amazon tends to be less expensive, but I love proper bookshops, especially used bookshops. They smell nice. Though they are dangerous too since it is easier to close a web browser than to leave a bookshop.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Depends on what I'm looking for (or where I have giftcards, for that matter). These days, mostly Oxfam and Half-Price Books.
Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark. I use anything from actual bookmarks to ticket stubs, receipts, bits of clothing, etc. I don't like to dog-ear at all.
Favourite place to read?
Large fluffy armchair with cup of tea and natural light.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Separated by subject, roughly, and by physical size of book (paperbacks toward top of bookcase and large reference books at bottom). Ask me again later when all my books are in the same geographical location.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep, with a few exceptions that were sold or donated. Never throw away.
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep.
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
With. I don't really notice.
Short story or novel?
Definitely novel.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Never read Snicket, though I've been curious for some time.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks. A hazard when reading Terry Pratchett, Guy Gavriel Kay, or George R.R. Martin.
"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
Depends on my mood.
Buy or borrow?
Both, depending on financial circumstances. I'll often borrow first, and then buy my own copy. I grew up in a city with a phenomenal library system, so I've got an ingrained willingness to borrow books. ;)
New or used?
I tend to buy used unless I have a giftcard or I absolutely must read the book the second it appears on the shelves. If I'm lucky, the timings coincide.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
All three, though I tend to trust recommendations (hi
rosamund) most these days since I only have so much spare time.Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Eh. Both have merits, but I like something in the middle.
Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Anytime!
Stand-alone or series?
Depends on the book. Occupational hazard with series is that sometimes one ends up in the situation I'm currently in with George R.R. Martin. Or, conversely, one arrives at the end of Dark Angels by Karleen Koen and wants MORE.
Favorite series?
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey (I assume all the books are included)
His Dark Materials and the Sally Lockhart trilogy by Philip Pullman
The Riverside books (not sure if the series has an official title) by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
The Julian Kestrel mystery series by Kate Ross
Favorite children's book?
The Dark Green Tunnel by Allan W. Eckert (similar to the Narnia books, but I read this one first), Bruce Coville's ghost trilogy, the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman, and Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn.
Favorite YA book?
A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
The Dark Green Tunnel
Favorite books read last year?
Meaning 2006, I assume?
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Mélusine and The Virtu by Sarah Monette
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Dark Angels by Karleen Koen
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Stars' Tennis-Balls by Stephen Fry
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Favorite books of all time?
Le comte de Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Othello and Richard III by William Shakespeare
Edward II by Christopher Marlowe
The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster
Phantom by Susan Kay
Possession by A.S. Byatt
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Least favorite book you finished last year?
The Lunatic Café by Laurell K. Hamilton. That series in general proved underwhelming enough that I gave up after aforementioned book. I think I'm over vampire fiction in general (unless the vampires are merely incidental).
What are you reading right now?
::glances at Giant Pile o'Books on desk:: Erm...
Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Le temple de Bocace by Georges Chastellain
Beginning Theory by Peter Barry (reread)
Intertextuality by Graham Allen
Political Allegory in Late Medieval England by Ann Astell
Margaret of Anjou: Queenship and Power in Late Medieval England by Helen Maurer
The Last Medieval Queens by J.L. Laynesmith
Richard III's Books by Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs
England's Elizabeth by Michael Dobson and Nicola Watson (reread)
The Armor of Light by Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett
Mélusine ou la noble histoire de Lusignan by Jean d'Arras
La chanson de la croisade albigeoise
Georgette Heyer's Regency World by Jennifer Kloester
The Sicilian Vespers by Steven Runciman
Blood and Roses: The Paston Family and the Wars of the Roses by Helen Castor
What are you reading next?
See previous question and add 'whatever my supervisor tells me to read' and 'whatever looks good at the time'.
Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?
It would depend on taste. Probably something by Philip Pullman since he's versatile as well as brilliant.
Favorite book to reread?
Lots. See 'favourites in general' list for an idea, though I'll reread just about anything I liked the first time round if the mood arises.
Do you ever smell books?
Yes. It's part of the reason why I don't do e-books.
Do you ever read Primary source documents?
All the bloody time. I'm a postgrad in English. It is my doom.
Right. Enough time wasted. I've got errands to run.
