Books Galore (the meme)

stole this sucker from my new friend sarah louise over at manypinksneakers. it looks fun.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? depends on how desperate i am. if i have my pick, i'll nearly always go with trade paper, but sometimes hardbacks are necessary. for example, ain't no way i'm waiting for harry potter 7 to come out in paperback.

Amazon or brick and mortar? preferably my beloved b&n (see below), even online, but amazon has its place.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? must say i'm still brand-loyal to b&n. i love me some children's books! of course, i hardly ever buy them (there was a miniset of beatrix potter on sale this christmas and i had to get them, of course), but having worked at a b&n where we were constantly failing to meet plan on sales, i know how much each book counts. the borders is closer than the b&n to me here at school, but i still will make the trek out to the boonies every time.

Bookmark or dog-ear? dog-ear - with bookmarks, i always run the risk of them falling out.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? alphabetize by author within genre. or, go to librarything.com and switch it up daily!

Keep, throw away, or sell? keep if i like it; throw away if it's doggone awful; sell if it's mediocre (ie, the dressmaker). [you'll note, perhaps, i linked that one to amazon.com - that's only because i didn't like it ;-)]

Keep dust jacket or toss it? keep it, unless the book itself is gorgeous.

Read with dust jacket or remove it? with - the only kind of bookmark i trust.

Short story or novel? novel.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? totally depends on my mood. lemony snicket is utterly hilarious and does not take itself seriously. harry potter, while riddled with funny parts, is quite serious and epic. i have both moods regularly.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? try "stop reading when so exhausted burning eyes refuse to stay open... at a chapter break."

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? depends. i'm more interested in the ending.

Buy or borrow? mostly buy.

New or used? new

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? for theology and biography, i often rely on book reviews; i love going off recommendations and browsing for fiction. recommendations, of course, are only as reliable as the recommender.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? tidy ending that makes you think alot. (eg., the thirteenth tale)

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? mostly nighttime reading, but i'll read morning, noon, and night without blinking.

Stand-alone or series? either. both are fun.

Favorite series? harry potter. the chronicles of narnia. the pendragon cycle.

Favorite children's book? Favorite YA book? children's book: each peach pear plum. young adult book: i really liked the princess diaries, but girl in a cage is probably my favorite. oh, but eragon is good. and so is al capone does my shirts.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? i would say fair sunshine: character studies of the scottish covenanters, except i've never actually finished it. but it's the only thing i can think of, so it will have to do.

Favorite books read last year? good heavens... the thirteenth tale, baby proof, size 12 is not fat, everyone worth knowing, the devil wears prada, relic, and harry potter and the halfblood prince, to name a few.

Favorite books of all time? God's passion for His glory, holiness by grace, the pleasures of God, don't waste your life, fine china is for single women too, a return to modesty, pride and prejudice, mama day, the kitchen god's wife, inklings, the time traveler's wife, and mannnnnny more.

Least favorite book you finished last year? the camel club. ugh it was excruciating. i made fun of it the whole time - reading awful bits to dad and laughing maniacally.

What are you reading right now? mount dragon

What are you reading next? probably either hood or goodbye, jimmy choo.

[Made this one up myself in lieu of Sarah Louise's last one, which i don't have an aswer for] Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old? the thieves of ostia, the first book in a series of mysteries set in rome. the series has four main characters: the daughter of a wealthy seaman, the son of a Jewish leader (who is a Christian, incidentally), a now freed slave who was captured in Nubia, and a mute boy who grew up largely on the streets.