Meme Monday

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?
Pat the Bunny... or something that used to belong to my parents/siblings.

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?
Current: The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig
Last: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
Next: A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Atonement by Ian McEwan

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?
Maybe Wuthering Heights, but I hope I will finally read it someday.

5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”
None. Or possibly The Stand by Stephen King.

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
I will usually read the last line of a book when I buy it or pick it out (which is a while before I actually read it).

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I read them. I think they're interesting.

8. Which book character would you switch places with?
Lyra from HDM.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place,
a time)?
Lots of books remind me of childhood. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo reminds me of February 2001 (I haven't read it since).

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I stole a couple of books from a hostel in the UK... well, the first one was a bookcrossing book so I felt I had the right to take it, but it still probably counts as stealing. For the others, I traded a book for the one I took, but that also still probably counts as stealing. One of the books was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer though, which I had to take so I could finish it.

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I think I gave my friend one of my copies of Skellig by David Almond.

12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (I never finished either of these the first time I was supposed to read them).

14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?
Money?

15. Used or brand new?
Either.

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
I've never read any Stephen King. But I am hoping to get to On Writing this year.

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
The Notebook. The movie is far superior to the book.

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
The Golden Compass.

19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this
question?
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?
I usually read whatever my friend Alison recommends to me, even though we have pretty different tastes in books.

Meme Monday (NaNoWriMo edition)

Meme from here.

When and how did you find out about NaNoWriMo? From people's 101 in 1001 lists.

How many times have you done NaNoWriMo? Counting this one, one.

How many times have you won? If you haven’t won, what was your best result? n/a and n/a

How did you do last year (or your last participation)? n/a

Where do you write and with what do you write? I write in bed usually, or on the floor. I like to write lying down with my computer. I have however written parts of my novel in my car in a notebook with a pen.

How do you find time to write? I write in the morning. I usually make myself write for an hour straight. The first four days of writing I hit my word quota in that one hour of writing. If you divide it up evenly, writing 50,000 words in 30 days means you only have to write 1667 words a day. It's not that bad.(But I'm currently behind by ~5000 words... argh!)

Are your partners, friends and family allies or enemies? I've only told one other person I'm doing this. She's been great.

What are your strengths and what do you use to help you get to the end? I'm a fast typer. I don't have any issues with writing down everything that comes into my head for a particular scene. I think that's only because I'm not treating this like a real work. I know it's rough, I know a lot of it's crap.

What are you weaknesses, obstacles and challenges that hinder you from finishing? One of my weaknesses in writing is descriptive passages, but I'm trying to turn that into a strength by describing everything I can in my novel. It also adds to the word count, so bonus there. My biggest challenge is making myself write in the time I have. Sometimes it's hard to get started. Once I do though, I'm usually OK for the day.

Do you plot/outline/plan or do you write by the seat of your pants? How much do you plot or how unprepared are you? I plotted a little before the month started and I try to have a rough idea of what scene I'm going to write next when I stop each day. That way I can jump right into the writing the next morning. But I am currently learning a lot about my characters and the story as it goes along. I have no idea how it's going to end.

Do you participate in the real life community, go to write ins and meet ups in your area? I don't have time. They all meet when I'm busy.

What are your writing aids? Special snacks, music, totems, rewards or punishments? I rewarded myself with a prize when I hit 10,000 words. I have another prize for when I hit 25,000 words. I try not to listen to music or do anything else while I'm writing. That way I really concentrate on what I'm doing.

Meme Monday

I finally finished the beast that was the first meme for Meme Mondays. This one is much shorter (even shorter since I deleted some of the questions) and comes from here. Go there for the full meme.

What's your favourite reading spot now that the weather's turning? (if your climate is changing for the warmer, the question still applies!) Bed. I almost always read in bed unless I'm not at home, or it gets unbearably too hot (but I have a high tolerance, especially when my only movement is turning pages).

What single book sums up the Autumn/Fall season for you? The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier. I have reread it every year for the past few years, usually around this time. Autumn can be a stressful season what with the homework and holidays. I like rereads and children's books at this time because they're comforting and familiar.

What books are you hoping/expecting to read between now and Christmas? (a selection is fine)... I'd love to reread all the Harry Potters and the Chronicles of Narnia before I see the films.

What's the best book you read over the summer? I really enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 

Do you like to turn leaves, or are you a Kindle convert? Definitely a fan of paper books.

Meme Monday

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
~$400, I think. It was on textbooks.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
If I’m just browsing and see something that looks interesting, I usually open the book to somewhere near the back and read a little before I buy it. If I’m looking for a specific book that I’m really set on reading, I usually pick it up without looking through it first.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

Only really bad writing or terrific boredom.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?

Yes, but I now have too few shelves and too many books, so there are a lot of them sitting in unorganized piles on my floor.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

Keep books.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy as mentioned before.

52. Name a book that made you angry.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I thought the end was such a cop out.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I didn’t think I would because it was recommended to me by a friend with very different taste in books.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?

I expected to like Lighthousekeeping  by Jeanette Winterson more than I did. I also expected to like Then We Came to the End  by Joshua Ferris more than I did. I didn’t even finish it.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?

Anything from my youth.

This is the last of the first meme for Meme Monday! Now I have to find another for next week... I liked just being able to hit post for the last four weeks.

In other news, I'm starting nanowrimo this week. Check it out here. The website is pretty slow. I think that's because today is the first day, so the site is getting a lot of traffic. I fully expect to fail miserably at this challenge (why did they put it in November? If the rest of the world is like me, this is one of the craziest months of the year), but hopefully I'll get some writing done. We'll see. 

Also, most of my posts this month will be related to NaNoWriMo. Just a warning.

Meme Monday

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I hate the library at home. At school last year, anywhere between one and ten.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Sometimes. I tried to only check out books I knew I would read.

38. Favorite fictional character?

I don’t really have favorite characters in books. If I had to pick, I’d say Lyra Silvertongue from HDM or Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.

39. Favorite fictional villain?

See above.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Whatever I'm reading at the time, YA novels, rereads.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I have no idea. I go through phases where I'll read like mad for a while then not read at all.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The Lord of the Rings, but I'm going to finish The Return of the King one day, if only to say that I did it. 

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Too much noise around me, especially conversations. I'll often find myself eavesdropping instead of concentrating on what I'm reading.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (tentatively... I've only seen this one once).

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Almost every other film adaptation of a book I've read (there are lots of movies made from books I've never read and I don't really care about those). The Golden Compass and Disney's The Bridge to Terabithia are high on the list though. They looked so awful from the trailers that I didn't see either of them. 

I've been on a mini-vacation this weekend and am so happy to be back home sleeping in my own bed. It's been a lot of fun, but I can't wait for my schedule to go back to normal.

Meme Monday

26. Favorite cookbook?
I do not cook and do not have a favorite cookbook.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
This Is Water by Davis Foster Wallace.

28. Favorite reading snack?

I don’t eat too often while I’m reading. I find it hard to hold the book and eat at the same time.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Maybe The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, but this doesn't happen much for me with books. Strange since it happens with movies all the time.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I rarely read book reviews.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
If I think a book deserves one star (on goodreads), I give it one star. I don’t feel bad about it.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Japanese or French. Most of the translated books I own are Japanese (Murakami) or French (Dumas).

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, or The Lord of the Rings.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, but I will conquer it one day.

35. Favorite Poet?
I like what I've read of Frank O'Hara. Also Shel Silverstein. 

I'm also going to a bookstore today. I was trying not to buy any more books for the month (ideally the year), but I have to give in and get my own copy of When You Reach Me. Hopefully I can resist the call of other books while I'm there.

Meme Monday

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Only when I am desperate and have no other way of marking the page.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
I used to when I was in school but I never write in my personal copies of books.

18.  Not even with text books?
See above.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English.

20. What makes you love a book?
I love a book when it teaches me something, anything. However, I also love books that simply entertain.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

It depends. I have to have really enjoyed the book and I have to think the other person will enjoy it too.

22. Favorite genre?
Fiction?

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Biographies

24. Favorite biography?
I read Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin this year. It's technically a memoir, but it was very good.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
No

PS Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! (I celebrated by watching HIMYM. Sadly, this week's episode didn't mention Canadian Thanksgiving.)

Meme Monday

I bumped the number of questions up from 5 to 10. That way I should finish within the month. Also, the questions all came from here.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
Nope, but I sometimes read e-books on my computer. 

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I usually read a book quickly enough that there's not a lot of time to read another one at the same time, but even when I read one more slowly, I still usually only read one at a time.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Well, I just started this blog, so no.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
My friend recommended a book by Cassandra Clare to me. I didn't get past the first chapter. And I usually finish every book I start.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee was excellent. It was my first time reading it. I had read parts of it freshman year in high school, but never read the whole novel until this summer.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not too often.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Novels.

13. Can you read on the bus?
Yes.

14. Favorite place to read?
In bed.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
Depends on the person. My biggest pet peeve is when someone breaks the spine of one of my books. I don’t really mind other damage (as long as it’s minor). I'll lend a book to anyone once, but if it comes back broken I'm not likely to let them borrow another one.

Meme Monday

 Here are the first five questions to a book meme. I'll try to post five more answers each Monday until I've finished this meme (there are 55 questions). Then I might move onto something else or find another meme. Meme is a weird word, but I figure Meme Mondays is nice because of the alliteration.

1. Favorite childhood book?

I loved series: The Baby-Sitters Club, The Boxcar Children, Animorphs, Nancy Drew, the Ramona Books. But I read so much more as a child than I do now, so it's difficult to remember which one was my favorite.

2. What are you reading right now?
Burning Bright by Tracy Chavalier and The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
I despise my library. Whenever I want a book, they never have it. I wanted to check out Wuthering Heights  by Emily Bronte one day, and they have ZERO copies.How is that possible!?

4. Bad book habit?
Buying them and then not reading them but I'm working on this.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
See answer to 3.