Why Do I Read and Some Stuff About Me

It might seem a bit silly to be posting about this now, but I'm gonna do it anyway because I want to. Plus, it's a great excuse to use this pretty Wordle image that I created after seeing one on The Book Coop blog and deciding that I needed one of my very own! And plus plus... I know you're all just dying to know. ;)

So here goes - my reasons for reading, as displayed in a Wordle image. :D

That was fun. :) Now onto "Becky's Reading Habits 101", via The Literary Lollipop's questionnaire.

1. Favourite childhood book? Little Women
 
2. What are you reading right now? Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

3. What books do you have on request at the library? None, actually!

4. Bad book habit: Placing books face-down to keep my page (but only for very short amounts of time!)

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? Again, nothing. I'm trying to read what I have!

6. Do you have an e-reader? No. I want a nook though!

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? Only one at a time is my preference, but I can do more if they are different types: Short stories, audio, graphic novel, etc.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Not really... I've always read a wide range of books. :)

9.Least favourite book you read this year: Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris or Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind The Magic. What a load of crap. =\

10. Favourite book I’ve read this year: That's definitely harder! I'd have to say Horns by Joe Hill or The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Umm, probably like 5% or something.

12. What is your reading comfort zone? Fiction, generally. Historical fiction, horror, contemporary fiction a little less, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, classics.

13. Can you read on the bus? Yes.

14. Favourite place to read: A big comfy chair!

15. What’s your policy on book lending? I prefer to lend a book after I’ve had a chance to read it and generally like getting them back, but that last part often poses a problem. :(

16. Do you dogear your books? NO! I hate bent and crumpled pages.

17. Do you write notes in the margins of your books? Nope.

18. Do you break/crack the spine of your books? I have been known to do that... Yes. But I generally try not to.

19. What is your favourite language to read? English, but I wish I could read French

20. What makes you love a book? If I can identify with the characters, and if it is honest. These are absolute musts for me, regardless of the story.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? If the novel has touched me in some way, or changed my opinion on something or expanded my knowledge etc, I want to share it with others.

22. Favourite genre: Horror or Fantasy

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did): Plays

24. Favourite Biography: I don't read a lot of these, but I would say "An Ordinary Man" by Paul Rusesabagina

25. Have you ever read a self-help book? (And, was it actually helpful?) Yes, I have read one, but I don't think that it was helpful.

26. Favourite Cookbook: I don't really read them.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction): Probably "Losing Julia" by Jonathan Hull

28. Favourite reading snack: Chocolate donuts

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience: "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie R. King

30. How often do you agree with the critics about about a book? I don't know... I don't pay attention to professional reviews.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? Not very. If I disliked a book, I will say so.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose? French

33. Most intimidating book I’ve read: "Shogun" by James Clavell

34. Most intimidating book I’m too nervous to begin: "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoyevsky

35. Favourite Poet: Umm... I don't read poetry. Not a fan.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out from the library at any given time? Probably no more than 3.

37. How often do you return books to the library unread? Usually none. I think 1 in the last year.

38. Favourite fictional character: That's hard!! I would have to say Ron Weasley or Roland Deschain or Eddie Dean.

39. Favourite fictional villain: The Crimson King or The Overlook Hotel

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation: A Stephen King novel. I never leave home without one!

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading: A couple days... I don't like not reading. It BURNS! AAAH!

42. Name a book you could/would not finish: "Howards End"... Snoozefest. I wish that I hadn't finished "Beloved" by Toni Morrison though. It was awful.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? Everything. I'm easily distractable. I need quiet, or white noise, traffic, or, best of all, a thunderstorm. Heaven.

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel: The Lord of the Rings

45. Most disappointing film adaptation: The Harry Potter movies.

46. Most money I’ve ever spent in a bookstore at one time: $50 US

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Never - I like to know as little as possible before experiencing it for myself.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through? If the book is boring. Offensive stuff doesn't usually offend me, but boring books do.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized? Not really... They go where they fit!

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once they’ve been read? Depends on the book. I will keep a book that I think I will want to read again.

51. Are there any books that you’ve been avoiding? Not really.

52. Name a book that made you angry: Harry Potter and The Bible - in case you missed it before... this is a load of crap.

53. A book I didn’t expect to like but did: "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

54. A book I expected to like but didn’t: "Beloved" by Toni Morrison

55. Favourite guilt-free guilty pleasure reading: Stephen King, Harry Potter, YA books. :)

Now we