A Book MeMe

I discovered the following meme at Bewitched By Books which is a blog that I have recently been reading. Please visit if you have not already had the pleasure!

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? I like all three to a certain extent, but I usually lean more toward horror than the other two.

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback? Mass market papers usually work for me, unless it's a book that I really love which will be hardcover.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar? I like brick and mortar for the most part because there's just something about browsing among the books and having the chance to touch them.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? B&Ns because I can easily order from their website with my account and there's a larger selection of what I want.

Hitchhiker or Discworld? I have not read either of those, nor do I wish to do so.

Bookmark or Dogear? Bookmark!

Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction? Um, what's the difference? I really don't know.

Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title, or random? Random. However, I try to have all works by the same author together when I can.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell? If I love the book I keep it. I usually loan out, give away or sell any books that I don’t want to read again.

Keep dust-jacket or toss it? Keep it.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? Depends on the book. If it can be removed (not all library rentals can be) I will take it off. I ruined my GWTW jacket by leaving it on most of the time...

Short story or novel? Stephen King said that short stories were like a quick kiss from a stranger in the dark. I like that so I enjoy reading short stories when I go to bed so that I'm not up half the night reading when sleep is what I desperately need. I'm picky about what short story authors I read.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Chapter break if at all possible.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time?” Both!

Buy or Borrow? Depends on the book. If it's something that I really want than I'll usually buy it. Titles that I'm not sure of are borrowed from the library.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse? I start to browse and then read reviews to get a feel for how this title has been received. I tend to pay attention to the stars rather than what they say... *sweatdrops* At any rate it still all boils down to how much my interest was originally piqued by the book itself. An avid reader must prioritize after all.

Lewis or Tolkien? Tolkien.

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)? Depends on the author and the subject of the anthology. Robert Bloch? Hell, yes!

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? I'm a glutton for cliffhangers even though I know it will leave me wanting more.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? Any time is a good time to read. I'm usually able to get peace and quiet at night so much of my reading is done then.

Standalone or Series? Stand-alone novels are my poison. Once a series reaches past three or four books, it grows stale and loses the zeal that drew me in at the beginning.

New or used? I like new, but I know the value of used books. That beautifully bound edition of The Three Musketeers...!!! The only flaw was a white smudge on the cover and I purchased it for six dollars when it would have normally been very expensive, I imagine.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Top 5 favorite genre books of all time? The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, & Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Favorite genre series? The Scarlet Pimpernel series by Emmuska Orczy.

Currently Reading? Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs