THE BOOK HABITS MEME

I first read about the book habits meme on Amanda’s blog at Floor to Ceiling Books where she states

I have seen this on Genre Reader and the original post is hosted on The World in the Satin Bag.

Having read (and enjoyed) Amanda’s answers I decided to do this myself, so here goes…

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
Yes, I snack while reading. Often it is chocolate or sweets, but nuts (raw, honey-roasted, salted, whatever), crisps, rice cakes, or biscuits can also help the reading process. A sign of a really engrossing book is that the snacks do not get eaten!

What is your favourite drink while reading?
Generally it is water, I drink a lot of water! Sometimes I’ll make a cup of herbal tea or mug of hot chocolate, but water is the default.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I rarely write notes in a fiction book but I have come to rely on post-its when reading a book for review. I use little coloured index tabs to flag interesting quotes etc.
Text books, however, are often heavily marked with highlighter pen, a habit picked up many years ago when at college. Now the only text books I read are on computing (Java anyone?) and these tend to be a riot of fluorescent ink.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I generally use bookmarks, mostly those free advertising ones available at the cash desk in bookshops. If I haven’t got one to hand, I’ll use postcards, train tickets, receipts or anything I find in the black hole that is my handbag! My last resort is to dog-ear the corner, though I will use the cover flap of a hardback to keep my place. The only time I lay a book flat open is when I’m reading in bed… I often wake up in the morning to find the light still on and my book lying face down beside me.

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?
Predominantly fiction. But I read popular science, environment/green politics, history, rock biographies, new age/spirituality/Buddhism too. I’m eclectic! I’d say 5 fiction books to 1 non-fiction.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I try to stop at the end of a chapter or section, but this doesn’t always work out. I can pick up from where I left off though, even in the middle of a paragraph.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No, never. I will abandon a book if I don’t like it though. I have no qualms about NOT finishing a book… life is too short to waste time reading something you dislike!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
It is rare that I find an unfamiliar word, and I can generally work out the meaning from the context. It is only with recent technological advances i.e. my iPhone that I have the ability to look up a word when reading on the move, so it’s something I learned to deal with years ago!

What are you currently reading?

• Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
• Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (book club)
• The Mammoth Book of SF Alternate Histories ed. Ian Watson and Ian Whates
• Dante’s Journey by J.C.Marino

What is the last book you bought?
All in one order from Amazon:

• The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman
• The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
• Apartment 16 by Adam Neville
• The Marks of Cain by Tom Knox
• Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
• The Magician’s Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I read more than one at a time. There’s one in my handbag for train/tube trips or when an opportunity presents itself. Another is for bedtime reading and then I’ll allocate time for specific books, usually those I am going to review.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
Anytime, any place, anywhere! If I have a spare few minutes, I’ll fill that time by reading. But reading in bed is my favourite.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
Both! But I can get impatient for the next in a series to be published.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Yes, there are several. Stephen Baxter, Jacqueline Carey, Mark Charan Newton, Jaine Fenn to name a few.

How do you organize your books?(by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)
By size, then author’s name and publication date. I have different genres in separate locations…