BBAW: Reading Meme

I am joining BBAW here mid-week after visting Basel and Zurich the past few days. I'll post about my Tori Amos concert more extensively on the weekend, but the short version for those who care is that I'm still waiting for Northern Lad, but I was incredibly lucky and got upgraded to front row at the Zurich show (thanks to Rachel and Steve who are attending every European show) and it was beyond words amazing! In Basel, I was row 6 which was also spectacular. Great set lists and energy for both shows.

I missed posting about my favorite blogs though, and I really wanted to do that. So I will soon. Better late than never right? And my interview partner and I had some timing issues, but if you are dying for an interview with me, here's my interview from last year at Literary Escapism.

And now for the actual content you came for...

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
No snacking while reading. Otherwise it turns into oversnacking – not pretty! (Confession - I am snacking right now on some Starburst that author Michelle Zink sent me!)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I don’t write in my books, but I will rip off a piece of paper to mark pages with quotes I like.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I grab whatever’s handy and use it as a bookmark. Dog-ears are a big no-no. I might lie a hardcover flat open, but never, never a paperback. I hate spine creases.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Mainly fiction, but I do enjoy non-fiction as well.

Hard copy or audio books?
I cannot pay attention to audio books. I get too lost in my own thoughts when I am not actively engaged by the act of reading.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put a book down in the middle of a sentence!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
It rarely ever happens that I come across a word I don’t know when I read in English. But when I read in German or Spanish, I will look up the word if I feel it’s vital for my understanding of the story.

What are you currently reading?
I’m between books! I just finished a middle grade novel that I’m reviewing tomorrow – THINGS ARE GONNA GET UGLY by Hillary Homzie. And I’m just about to start Thomas Randall’s THE WAKING: DREAMS OF THE DEAD because I need to get my questions in for an author interview.

What is the last book you bought?
I bought a bunch of books at the same time and you can see all of them here. The last impulse buy I made was TOKYO CANCELLED by Rana Dasgupta, but I haven’t read it yet. It's about 13 people stuck at an airport who tell stories to pass the time and looks really fascinating though it got mixed reviews.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

One novel at a time, but I might have a short story collection going and a non-fiction read in addition to the novel.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

Any spare moment I can find. Seriously. But I like it best when it's someplace I can snuggle up with my fluffy kittehs.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Stand alone. Though series can have their charms too - as long as they avoid cliffhangers.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

David Mitchell – especially GHOSTWRITTEN.

FINGERSMITH by Sarah Waters.

HUNGER GAMES and all my other dystopian favorites of course.

I am forever lending out Lemony Snicket.

THE LIKENESS by Tana French.

French noir writer Sebastien Japrisot’s stuff, especially TRAP FOR CINDERELLA.

My YA favorites this year have been IF I STAY by Gayle Forman and DUST OF 100 DOGS by AS King.

As for classics, HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad and THE AWAKENING by Kate Chopin.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

My books are organized roughly by genre, though my husband would claim that they are disorganized.

So that's it! Learn anything new? ;)