BBAW Meme: Reading Habits

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I don’t so much eat while I’m reading as I do read while I’m eating. I went for a few years where I couldn’t eat unless I had something to read. (Unless I was talking to people like at family dinners, of course.)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
It doesn’t horrify me, but I don’t do it. I always feel like if I did, I’d reread the book years later and look at my scribblings and they would all seem so juvenile/stupid/what-was-I-thinking?!? So I just don’t, although I’m not saying I wouldn’t at some point in the future.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Bookmarks, definitely bookmarks! The idea of dog-earing a book does horrify me. If I don’t have something to use as a bookmark (I don’t use actual bookmarks, just scraps of paper, etc.) I sometimes just make a note to myself to remember what page I was on.

Laying the book flat open?
You know, I used to do this all the time. And then I realized it was bending the covers of my paperbacks and I had to stop. Now, although I’m not 100% opposed to it, I’m bothered enough to not do it.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but mainly fiction. And in the realm of fiction, mainly YA. (That’s probably somewhat obvious. This is a YA lit blog.)

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy!! I have issues with audiobooks. The issue is generally that the voice of the narrator never matches the voice I think the narrator should have and it throws me off.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put a book down at any point. Though I love chapters in my own writing (I need for each chapter/scene break to be about the same length. It’s a bit OCD I think), I don’t pay them much attention when I read.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
It depends. A lot of times I can glean the information from the context, but when I can’t I usually look it up.

What are you currently reading?
I just finished reading Kendra by Coe Booth (review to come but suffice to say – LOVED IT!), but right now I’m reading nothing. I have a few books people have given me that don’t particularly interest me but I might have to break and read one of them. Maybe it’ll be good?

What is the last book you bought?
Probably The Lovely Bones, from the local Friends of the Library secondhand bookstore. As far as new books go, I don’t remember. I haven’t been buying new books since I haven’t been working and I haven’t worked in months.

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

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Time: always. Place: everywhere.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
There are a few series I really love, but overall I definitely prefer standalones. I don’t like feeling compelled to buy every proceeding book, especially if I end up not loving the series. Plus, I often feel like the book that is written is the story about the character’s life that needs to be told and oftentimes going beyond that seems gratuitous. (Not always, but in many cases.)

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Not really. There are a couple of books I’ve definitely recommended to more than one person, but most of the people I recommend books to (or as they call it, “required reading”) are specific/picky in their reading tastes so I’m always recommending different books for different people. I recently had my mom read The Lovely Bones, my dad is reading Columbine, and my sister read Tuesdays With Morrie a few months back. All very different books.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
By size. Am I the only one that organizes this way?