I’ve been in a blogging rut lately and it isn’t that I don’t want to be here, I just have so much going on in my head that I can’t seem to find the mental space to write. It shouldn’t surprise you that I’m constantly being inspired by my friend Rachel, so when she shared this book quiz on Monday, I knew I needed to jump on her bandwagon. The original list can be found here.
Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
The answer to this question completely depends on the book. I do love a good hard cover book with a pretty jacket, so as long as they will display beautifully on my shelves I’m all for the original covers (hello, Book of the Month club!). If the dust cover is ugly or shiny, let’s just skip right ahead to the trade paperback instead. I generally avoid all mass market paperbacks — especially those with movie poster covers — but sometimes, you just want to read a book!
Amazon or brick and mortar?
I really need to shop around for some fun, local bookstores, because the majority of my books arrive in the mail or are digitally delivered. I do love browsing in person when I have the time — I love pulling random books off of the shelf because of their covers — and the girls love to spend all of their birthday money at Books-a-Million.
Locally owned bookshop or big name chain store?
This answer goes hand in hand with the first one — does anybody know of some fabulous, locally owned, Birmingham book stores that I need to visit?
Bookmark or dog-ear?
If I’m borrowing a book, I definitely use a bookmark or the flap on the dust cover to mark my place. If it’s a book of my own, I don’t think twice about folding over a page. If it’s something particularly moving and I feel led to mark up the entire thing, I’ll employ a stack of tiny post-it notes to do the job.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
I try to keep my unread books together, so that I can find exactly what I’m looking for without searching the entire house. Beyond that, I randomly group books based on color and size, depending on where they are being displayed.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Why in the world would you throw away a book?! I’m kind of hoarder when it comes to my books, but I’ll happily donate Josh’s ugly paperbacks or children’s books we’ve outgrown. I’ve sold some at yard sales in the past, but I’d rather donate them to our classrooms or pass along to a friend.
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
This totally depends on what the book looks like — both the dust cover and the fabric cover. We have tons of books whose covers were AWFUL and the jackets were all tossed long ago. The spines are almost all black and we display them all together on our bookshelves. I apologize to you purists!
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I usually leave it on and use the flaps to mark my place.
Short story or novel?
Definitely novels — short stories are just too short.
Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
I’m probably going to avoid this possibility completely.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Always chapter breaks.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Oh, I love a good thriller — let’s go with a dark and stormy night.
Buy or borrow?
Buy. We are so guilty of spending way too much money on books, but it is one of the few things I just can’t feel guilty about.
New or used?
Either!
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
I love to browse and look for interesting covers, but I definitely keep a running list of books recommended on blogs and podcasts that I enjoy. Those are almost always my first picks when choosing a new book.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Is there a bad choice here?!
Morning, afternoon or nighttime reading?
I love to read for a few minutes in the mornings, especially before the sun comes up and everyone is still tucked in bed. The majority of my reading, however, takes place late at night. Josh and I usually read for an hour (or two!) after we put the girls in bed for the evening.
Single volume or series?
I prefer single stories unless the entire series is already available and has great reviews.
Favorite series?
On the more literary side of things, Chronicles of Narnia, but if we’re talking guilty pleasure, then The Selection Series was a recent favorite!
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
I feel like I recommend this one to so many people! I think it’s pretty mainstream, but not many of my friends have read it.
Favorite books read last year?
All of my five-star reads from last year are at the top of this post.
Favorite books of all time?
I’ve never blogged about my all time favorites, so maybe I should add that post idea to my ever growing list!
