Tagged

I have been tagged with a book meme by blogger extraordinaire Christian and yes, I had to look up the word meme cuz I'm that much of a geek. I was pleasantly surprised at its meaning, too. It's apparently a word made up by none other than Richard Dawkins which refers to a "unit of cultural information transferable from one mind to another". How cool is that??? So, here goes my transference (you may want to have a cigarette handy :-)


Hardback, trade paperback, or mass-market paperback? I like hardbacks...durable, weighty, substantial. But paperbacks are easier to carry and some of them can be quite luscious. Oryx and Crake, for example is high quality in every aspect. I actually make people feel the soft pages, they're almost like cloth. (To this my hubby replied, "Have you always been this odd?" Geez, you think he'd know the answer to that question by now.)

Amazon or brick-and-mortar? Going into a bookstore is all part of the happy experience. One of three pleasures I will never give up for the sake of saving time.


Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes & Noble is only five minutes away, Borders is twenty. Before we had our twins, Borders was a great Friday night of browsing and sitting in the cafe getting caffeinated while watching whatever local band or poet was there. Now we go to B&N cuz of the closeness and the fact we can fit a twin stroller through their aisles.

Bookmark or dogear? Dogear=sacrilege. I seriously cannot bring myself to do this. I have this really pretty beaded bookmark but I've usually got about five books going at a time so anything goes--receipts, envelopes, pictures, etc. You think I'd just get some more bookmarks, right?

Alphabetize by author, by title, or random? When I was a kid I arranged my books on the shelf by size, quite to my parent's amusement which they still make fun of me for. Now I like the eclectic, messy looking bookshelf, and I realize size is not the best way to categorize important things in one's life.

Keep, throw away or sell? Throw away? Never. The only books that leave my possession are the ones I am moved to give to people who I think would be inspired by them.

Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep it, put it back on when the book goes back on the shelf.

Read with the dust jacket or remove it? Dust jackets are annoyingly formal. Plus, have you ever worn a shirt that is constantly slipping off your shoulder and you have to keep adjusting it all the time? uggg. This is the book jacket to me.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Silly question. It's like asking an alcoholic how much they drink. "All of it." Like I said, I'll read anything.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I like the name "Lemony Snicket". It's great fun to say. I've read a few of my daughter's Potter books and I don't get all the controversy? Is it just because there is magic involved? Or is just because I'm in the south?

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Because of my limited time, I read when I can and stop when I have to.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? OOO..dark and stormy night...YES.

Buy or borrow? Own...possess...treasure...

New or used? Love them all. Do try to buy new whenever possible to support writers.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations or browse? Browse for pure pleasure, but I usually have a "must read" list with me when I go.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Oh, pleeeeeeze don't leave me hanging. This is why I never got the appeal of Soap Opera's.

When do you read: morning, afternoon or night? yes. yes. yes.

Standalone or series? I do like it when a character is continued through different books, like Preston & Childs' Agent Pendergast character. But, all of my favorite books have been stand alone.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? I'm going to say Backbeat: A novel of Physics just because I don't think the author, J. Frederick Arment, has written anything else yet. It was a great story. Or how about, Dogs Who Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home? Heard of that one? It was enlightening.

Favorite books read last year? I can almost always find something to love about a book, but I guess if I have to narrow it down: Oryx and Crake, Ghost Dancer, Second Genesis, and Calculating God.

Favorite books of all time? Oryx and Crake, Atlas Shrugged, Les Miserables, Count of Monte Cristo, The Dancing Wu Li Masters

Short story or novel? Novel. I like to live with the characters for awhile, get to know them. And I'm a big fan of description...give me pages and pages of it...which is hard to do in a short story.

So, that's it. And considering I have no idea if anyone else reads this blog, I guess I'll just say, "If you read this, consider yourself tagged." (Besides Christian, of course.) Thanks Christian, it was fun!