A few weeks ago, my favourite literature blog Tales from the Reading Room published the Calvino meme. Of course I started doing my own version of it, but somehow it never got finished. At least, not yet. Now, author Litlove jumps ahead of me once more with another questionnaire on books and reading habits. This one’s slightly easier to do and I thought I’d quickly slip this one in between.
Hardback or paperback?
The cheapest paperbacks I can find. You should always have a dirty orange Penguin sticking out of your jacket pocket.
Amazon or brick and mortar?
Shops, the grottier the better. I also don’t have a credit card, which makes online book purchasing an impossibility anyway.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
No B&N here and I’ve never heard of Borders. We have a Waterstone’s in Brussels, but I have no issues with what the shop is actually called: it needs to have the most books possible. With an apparent Fnac monopoly over here, that can be a problem.
Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark, train ticket, dog-ear, squashed mosquito, spit… whatever. As long as it’s my own copy of course.
Alphabetize by author, alphabetize by title or random?
Ha ha, how I laugh. I fear it’s very random for me: three rows deep, on the shelves, underneath the night stand, in the bathroom. They’re everywhere. Now do you see why I still don’t have a decent catalogue on Goodreads?
Keep, throw away, or sell?
When travelling, throw away, I’d say. Otherwise keep. Sell, if it’s really awful and you can trade it for a new one.
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Depends on the artwork. I’d never toss an Alasdair Gray dust jacket, but a Reader’s Digest book of the month cover, why not?
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Never thought of this, but I tend to remove them and put them back on after, granted I can still find them.
Short story or novel?
Novels, for the most part, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Ashenden series by Somerset Maugham, for instance.
Collection (by same author) or anthology (by different authors)?
One author, preferably. Switching styles and eras because someone decided these stories fit well together is not my thing.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I have absolutely no idea what people see in this Harry Potter creature, so although I haven’t read any Snicket either (only saw the trailer to the movie) I’d definitely go for that.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Stop reading when eyes are swimming, or when I give up or whenever. I can’t deal with chapters or windows of reading opportunity.
‘It was a dark and stormy night’ or ‘Once upon a time’?
None of the above. Give me ‘A screaming comes across the sky’, ‘In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since’ or ‘All this happened, more or less’ anytime.
Buy or Borrow?
Buy and, increasingly, borrow from the library. Borrowing from friends can be awkward, with vague, uneasy deadlines and responsibilities clouded by the degree of friendship existing between the borrower and the lender.
New or used?
Used whenever it’s possible. I much prefer discovering second hand books, with whatever notes, bookmarks or other traces of ownership (except mosquitoes or spit) they may contain.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Browse, mostly. Recommendations usually tend to be forgotten, ending up on scraps of paper that then resurface as bookmarks in second hand books: a vicious circle.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Sensible endings, really. I don’t need everything spelled out, but open endings, either caused by bad writing or aimed at a sequel, sound particularly unpleasant.
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Any time, 24/7 and everywhere: settee, bed or bath.
Standalone or series?
Standalone, by all means. Some exceptions might be HG2TG or things like À la recherche du temps perdu (if and when I ever read that of course).
Favourite series?
Well, if you must: Jeeves is rather unbeatable, isn’t he?
5 February 2007 at 6:46 am
Quote,”‘It was a dark and stormy night’ or ‘Once upon a time’?
None of the above. Give me ‘A screaming comes across the sky’, ‘In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since’ or ‘All this happened, more or less’ anytime.”
The first of your preferences is a re-write of “It was a dark and stormy night’ while the second two both fit into ‘Once upon a time’. I wonder if there are any other story starters – - -
5 February 2007 at 4:18 pm
Well, you do have a point there, Archie. Much has been said about stories and how they all are just variations of the same basic ideas. In the end, it’s true and I think one would have to look far and wide to find something that is actually fundamentally different. I’ll just have to try and write it myself perhaps :-D
6 February 2007 at 9:32 am
Hey, Nils my friend! I was thinking of sending you an email. And I will. I enjoyed your answers very much indeed (although remind me never to lend you a book), and you’ve brought back to mind Somerset Maugham’s wonderful Ashenden. He’s the one short story writer I really wholeheartedly love. I’m with you on the Jeeves as well.
6 February 2007 at 9:35 am
Thanks, Litlove. As always, I’m much looking forward to that e-mail. I’m glad you liked my take one. I still want to do the Calvino Meme very much so look out for that… some time.
7 February 2007 at 12:37 am
Oh, what a fine idea. I think I’ll have to put up some answers of my own on my blog. I concur re cheapest possible. First choice is the library, of course, but then you can’t use spit or a crushed mosquito for a book mark.
7 February 2007 at 12:45 am
Very true, P. I’d love to see you participate. It’s rather pleasing seeing other’s people’s answers, but then again, I suppose that’s what this whole meme thing is about. I’m looking forward to it.
7 February 2007 at 1:46 am
Hm… I wonder if I somehow can translate this into blogs…. since I don’t read ordinary books any more, I read blogs instead… *s*
Nah… no idea. I’ll just go on for ever.
The never Ending Blog Story.
7 February 2007 at 6:48 am
No books anymore, eh? Don’t think I could survive that. Well, feel free to try and make an alternative blog version. It may be hard though: dust jackets on blogs, borrowing blogs, second-hand blogs? Might be harder than it seems.
7 February 2007 at 7:21 am
Nils, thanks for this–I’m going to do this over on my blog, too. These days, seeing as how I work there, it’s Barnes & Noble for me, but there’s a Borders practically across the street, so I’m in there a lot too.
As an aside (sort of), I’d like to hear how you read, as well. I’m going to blog about this later, but I’m usually in there with a pencil, scribbling notes all over the place, underlining, dog-earing, and generally going to town. It’s thorough, but not the fastest way to read.
BTW, I’ve catalogued many of my books here, if you’re interested.
7 February 2007 at 7:29 am
I couldn’t say how I read exactly, not at the drop of a hat, other than that it’s often as wild, erratic and eclectic as my collecting habits are. If you do make that post I’ll maybe have a rather more practical answer ready by then.
I’m still trying to figure out if adding all my books to some online list is worth the effort. It’s not that I’m actually going to trade or discuss them in much depth on the web. For now, I’m rather drawn towards Goodreads, but I’ve an account at LibraryThing as well (where there’s also only one book in my list). Goodreads is free, btw, unlike LT and there’s Shelfari as well, but that seems to be more of an Amazon-ish shopping guide…
Anyway, have fun with the meme. I’m looking forward to that.
8 February 2007 at 4:34 am
[...] Nils posted a “quick and dirty guide to [his] reading habits,” which I thought was totally, well, book (cool), as the kids are apparently saying these days. So, here’re my responses: [...]
11 February 2007 at 4:59 pm
[...] and/or “I am still alive” posts, but then I just never get around to doing them. So what are your reading habits? Mine are remarkably similar to Nils’, so just go read [...]