Books Galore: Questionnaire!

Part of running a good blog is making sure you read other good blogs. If only for the inspiration they bring. One of my favorite blogs to stalk read is She Learns as She Goes. Today her post  inspired me to also fill out this little reading questionnaire. (If you do one too we'd love for you to comment with a link to it!)

I'm always yapping about how I am obsessed with reading so some of my answers may be a bit intense!

Do you snack while you read?
Normally, I never eat while reading. I'm too zoned in to realize I need food. However, there have been a few times where I refused to put a book down and had to eat supper around it. Usually though, I'm too focused to break it for something as silly as food.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Just like eating, I rarely drink while reading. I have been known from time to time to drink some caffeine to help keep me awake and reading, though!

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I went through a phase where I would underline or use brackets to section off a sentence that I thought was particularly inspiring or just plain awesome sauce. I had to stop this habit while reading Airborn by Kenneth Oppel...I liked all of the Matt and Kate scenes too much and was basically underlining entire pages.

Then I went through a studious phase in school where I'd annotate in my school books. It's a good practice when dealing with Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad),  Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), and...dare I say it...Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. (For my thoughts on THAT subject read this post.)

I had to buy another copy of Hamlet because the first was so annotated I could barely read it!

Now, though, I keep a pen and pad near me when I read just in case I NEED to remember something. I try to keep away from writing in books anymore.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? 
I may be weird about my eating and drinking habits while reading, but I'm just plain lazy when it comes to book marks. Usually I just use the receipt it came with or just a random bit of paper. Whatever it is though (and here comes the weird part) I keep with that book forever. Once I'm done reading I slip it under the front cover. So...yeah, all of my books have the original book mark in them. That's normal, right?

Are you the type of person who tends to read to the end of the chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I used to go until the end of a chapter then put it down. Now, I have a really hard time doing that because at the end of a chapter there is usually a cliffhanger or motivation for me to turn the page. So I'll read to the end of a chapter then HAVE to read the next page and then I tell myself I'll stop at the next chapter. This goes on and on until, finally, I just put the book down during a lull in the middle.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or onto the floor if the author irritates you?
I only throw a book if there's a spider. Even then I do it with care. If I threw a book every time I had an irritating author then at least 25 percent of my book collection would be damaged. I make it a point to read really awesome books...and really terrible ones. I've had authors do away with wonderful characters and completely crush great plots before. I've had authors tell me how I feel and spit in the face of plot opportunity. 

I game rage in my head, though!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you look it up right away?
Normally I can use the context clues and keep going. When I read on my Nook I can just click the word and BAM there's my definition. If I can't grasp a word and the book is kicking ass, I'll write it down and come back later. If not knowing the word is altering my reading experience, I'll go look it up.

What are you currently reading?
I'm kind of bad about reading multiple books at once. If you are connected to me on my GoodReads account (here) then you probably have seen some of my recent ones.

Right now I'm reading: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; Redshirts by John Scalzi; Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski; The Collector by Victoria Scott; Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton; High Five by Janet Evanvich; Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie.

You're probably thinking that I'm a big bag of lies on this one, but I promise I'm reading all of those. Minus the first two, I'm about 75 to 85 percent finished reading them. When it comes to books, my memory is spot on. I can pick them back up and finish without rereading.

I told you I was addicted.

What is the last book you bought?
Elegantly Wasted by C. Elizabeth Vescio

Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski

The Collector by Victoria Scott

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
I'll read anywhere at anytime. However, I like reading in a place where I can lean back and prop up my book so I usually find myself in bed with a punch of pillows behind me. For time, well I usually love reading late at night and early in the morning...when everyone else is asleep so I won't be bothered!

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE series books. If it's a really good one I don't want it to stop. Sometimes I won't pick up a book unless I know it will have a sequel. However, some of my favorite books have been standalones so I can't exactly shy away from them all.

Is there a specific book you find yourself recommending over and over?
Recently I've been shouting Elegantly Wasted by C. Elizabeth Vescio off of roof tops. (See my post about that here.) It's a wild ride and I can't wait until the second one comes out.

There's only really be one other book that I recommend to everyone and their mothers and that's The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. 

Both are fantastic reads and I have read them both more than once.

How do you organize your books?
I want to say I have a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast but the sad fact is that I recently moved so all of my lovely books are in boxes. I will be building a huge bookcase soon so I can seem all of them daily! However, right now I do have three or four on my night stand and about a handful on my couch in my office. Plus, my Nook is always near me!

That concludes the reading questionnaire. I really like anything book-related because I'm so passionate about reading! Remember, if you do your own we'd love to have you link us to it in the comments!

Hope you enjoyed!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Top image found here.