A Bookish Q&A

Ana answered these questions and I decided to join in on the fun. I have been posting everyday in November, but did miss one day, and I am all for topics to not burn myself out. This was supposed to go up yesterday, but then I bought books and was excited...

What book (a classic?) do you hate?
- Well, I read North & South last year and I was not a big fan at all... I actually found it boring and annoying and skimmed more than read it. I know I am very much in the minority on this one... I tried the mini-series, but only got through the first part before giving up. I am just not a Gaskell fan it seems. I wanted to be part of that club, but it just didn't work out for me.


To what extent do you judge people by what they read?
- I don't think I really do. I am just happy to see people reading and that's about it. It doesn't mean I will rush out and buy that book myself. If a friend who rarely reads says 'You have to read this book', though, I will usually give it a chance. I get judged myself because I read fantasy and other things of that nature which is not necessarily 'mainstream'. So, I don't want to find that annoying and then turn around and judge other people.


What television series would you recommend as the literariest?
- I am not sure. I don't really watch a lot of television in general. And, actually, the sort of stuff I watch on television falls outside genres that I would normally read. It's strange.

Describe your ideal home library.
- Beauty and the Beast. Enough said, yes?

Books or sex?
- The good thing is that you don't have to actually choose.

How do you decide what to read next?
- ha, well, I haven't really been reading at all... Typically it is a combination of mood and commitments. I have always been a very moody reader; so I can bad with the commitments and things.  Sadly my current mood seems to lead to no reading.

How much do you talk about books in real life (outside of the blogging community)?
- Not very much, sadly. I do have two 'real life' friends that read, but we only talk in spurts and not always about reading. And, this is a new relationship. When we were younger I read and if they did, they didn't talk about it very much. So, this is why I blog. It is nice to talk to Vanessa about books, too, though.

Does blogging ever get in the way of reading for you, or does it enhance it?
- I think projects in general get in the way of reading. Right now I am trying to blog everyday in November (mainly because my blog died with my reading), joined Postcrossing, am getting things organized for Virtual Advent, co-hosting Where in the World are you Reading, co-hosting the Poetry Project, just did WWI Week at Historical Tapestry, Christmas shopping, getting Christmas cards started, playing Song Pop, etc. Plus the regular parts of life. I think I like projects a tad too much at times... And, there are others that I sort of 'fell of the wagon' with. When I do read, I don't really find it affects my blogging. Life just affects everything.

How often do you re-read books, and which have you re-read the most?
- I have always been atrocious at rereading... This has not changed. It has probably gotten much much worse... The two books I have reread the most are The Time-Traveller's Wife and A Wrinkle in Time. There are so many others I want to reread, but I am just bad at rereading.

Are there genres of writing that you won’t read?
- Not really... That has always been part of my problem. I have been known to dabble in everything... There are certain genres that I am drawn to, but there are always cross-overs and authors that bring me into an entirely different genre. Plus, as I said above, I will read what my friends suggest even if it is not my first choice.

When you go on holiday do you take a holiday from reading, or is your case full of books?
 - Books are part of vacation. Definitely!

 How do you shelve your books: alphabetically, fic and non-fic, or by theme etc?
- hm, well... At the moment most of my books are in storage. Normally I do alphabetical and by genre... The two shelves I have here, though, are well, not organized at all... It's a first for me... Last time I was organized it was by genre and alphabet, but I actually love rearranging my shelves and have had lots of different organization systems over the years.

 Tell me about an author you’ve recently discovered (whether new or old), and want to read much more of.
 - ... Man, I have no idea. 2012 has not been a great reading year for me. I have read a bunch of old favourites or authors I was aware of ages ago. I will have to think about it.

And finally for fun, what books do you want for Christmas?
- Well, I bought myself the 50th Anniversary edition of A Wrinkle in Time... So, have that one covered. Otherwise, I don't even know where to start... For someone not reading, my wish list doesn't show any signs of slowing down! I really wanted my own copy of Philip Pullman's new book and was floored when my sister told me she bought me a copy.