I seem to be a “theme” poster lately, first it was flowers, now it is books. I’ve seen this Meme floating around the Blogosphere lately, and thought I’d take a crack at it.

1. Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? By far, my preference is Trade Paperback. However, I will not skip reading a book because it is a hardback or mass market paperback.

2. Amazon or brick and mortar? Preferably a used book store, but I will buy books anywhere and anytime. I am also a big borrower and lender of books. I often have packages mailing out that are books to various people.

3. Barnes & Noble or Borders? If I am doing one of them, I find B&N to be better priced than Borders.

4. Bookmark or dogear? I use bookmarks for where I am reading. However, if it is my book, I will often dog-ear the corners if there is something profound I want to come back to – and underline too. On a side note, Eddie doesn’t use either – he just remembers the page number. Amazing.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? I tend to keep my books in themes – history, family, paperbacks, fiction, and religion. I tend to keep them either by height or by era or some other such way in their theme. Eddie wants to build a wall of bookcases and I can’t wait!

6. Keep, throw away, or sell? I try to only keep the ones I know I will re-read. As mentioned above, I will loan out often, resell to used book stores, give away, put in garage sales, whatever works.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it? I keep it, but I take it off to read a hardback book.

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it? Oh, see, here’s this question. See above.

9. Short story or novel? I really don’t like to read short stories, but I read both novels and non-fiction

10. Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Not being a short story reader, usually I will read a collection over an anthology.

11. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I’ve read all the Harry Potter books, I have the first Lemony Snicket in my “to read” pile. So far, it hasn’t floated to the top.

12. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I try to stop at chapter breaks, but sometimes, I have to stop at the end of a page (preferably if it ends on a sentence). I read a book recently that was all one long chapter, that drove me batty.

13. “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Once upon a time.

14. Buy or Borrow? Either. I’m not picky.

15. New or used? Preferably used, but if I’m waiting for it, I’ll buy new.

16.Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? I cheerfully admit, I’m very taken by covers – I’ve been sucked into some really bad books because they had gorgeous covers. I will also go through a pile of the same book at a store looking for the best covers. Other than that, I glean information about what books I want to read from all sources – the newspaper and magazines, online, friend’s recommendations, previous experience with the author, browsing.

17. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Tidy ending, please. It doesn’t have to be happy, but does have to have a definite ending.

18. Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? I’m not picky, but most of my reading is done at night. My grandmother (hi!) taught me long ago it is ok to crawl into bed with the express intention of reading for an hour or two.

19. Stand-alone or series? Either way.

20. Favorite series? Little House on the Prairie.

21. Favorite children’s book? Millicent the Monster

22. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Ali and Nino by Kurban Said

23. Favorite books read last year? The Time Traveler’s Wife

24. Favorite books of all time? So many to choose from, but to start:
1. Here be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3. Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine by Ann Hood
4. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
5. Facing East by Kh. Frederica Matthewes-Green

25. Least favorite book you finished last year? The News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck. It was a book club choice. Blech. But, it has a pretty cover, doesn't it?

26. What are you reading right now? For the first time, I’m reading the Kristin Lavransdatter books. I just finished The Bridal Wreath, and am in the first part of the Mistress of Husaby. I also just finished The Lost Gospel of Mary by Kh. Frederica Matthewes-Green. Excellent book, I think the title is doing it a disservice.

27. What are you reading next? The third Kristin Lavransdotter, natch. After that, I’m thinking of “The Joy of the Holy”

Feel free to answer and let me know that you did - maybe I'll find a new book for the pile?

Keeper of the Light. For years, I have known online a lovely author from Canada, Bev Cooke. I rejoiced with her when her first novel was published, and after getting a copy from Grace (thanks again!) and a signed bookplate from the author (thanks again!), I am now rejoicing for me.

Xavier and I read a chapter a day of a book in the morning – we have done both fiction and non-fiction, and we just finished “The Keeper of the Light”. It’s a lovely story about faith and love, with true feelings expressed often, a good grasp of history, and characters that you care about (I sniffled my way through St. Macrina’s widowhood). I highly recommend it, and am looking forward to Bev’s next book.


Hear an interview with her at Ancient Faith Radio.