BBAW: Reading Meme

Is anyone else finding it hard to keep up with all the BBAW posts? I'm having a blast finding new blogs to read and subscribing to them, but I just can't keep up. I don't want to feel overwhelmed since the point of BBAW is to have fun, so I'm just going to go with the flow.

Anyway, here are my answers to the reading meme making the rounds today. Visit the Book Blogger Appreciation Week site to see what other bloggers had to say. I'll be real honest -- I couldn't answer the questions in five words or less. I'm in a chatty mood.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

Not really because most of my reading is done on the train. I can't stand sitting next to someone who's crunching the entire ride, so I can't bring myself to do it. My butt has been telling me for a long time to quit snacking, and I'm listening for the most part, but when I need something to munch on I love potato chips. The kettle cooked kind. The crispier the better. This is why my house is chip-free.

Do you tend to mark your books as your read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I used to highlight and jot notes in the margin when I was in college, but only when it was necessary. I used to write my name in all of my books, (maybe because I liked to see my signature in a book?) but I don't do that any more.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

I used to have major book OCD, but lately I've been dog-earing (gasp!) when I find a passage that grabs me and I might want to quote it in my review. Other than that, I use bookmarks. My favorites are a foam cross bookmark The Girl made me in kindergarten and a plastic bookmark with a romantic poem that my hubby gave me about 9 years ago. The tassel is long gone, and it actually cracked in half, but I taped it back together and still use it. My hubby rolls his eyes at me and says he could buy me a new one, but I refuse to let him. I have lots of other bookmarks that I use, too, of course.

I still have OCD when it comes to covers. I hate creases, and broken spines make me cringe.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Fiction is my first love. I like non-fiction, but I'm really picky. Mostly history books about WWII or Vietnam. Big shocker, I know.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

There's something about the feel of a book in my hands. I love the smell of the pages. Well, most of the time. But audiobooks make long trips go by fast, so I can't exclude them.

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?

When you read on the train, you can't always finish a chapter. Believe me, I'm speaking from experience when I say if you're not paying attention, you'll miss your stop. I've heard the train operator say my stop is next, convince myself I can finish a page, and then look up in horror as the doors close before I can get off. Not a good thing when you have a bus or another train to catch.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

Honestly, I'm too lazy to look up words. I would have to be really, really curious about a particular word for me to reach for the dictionary. Is that bad?

What are you currently reading?

Night of Flames by Douglas W. Jacobson is my commuter read of the moment.

What is the last book you bought?

I can't recall at the moment. Whatever I bought at the last library sale.

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

I used to read only one book at a time, but I've had a short attention span in recent weeks. I have about 5 books on my nightstand, and I'll choose one before I go to bed and read a few pages. But these books don't come with me on the train. I usually take one book on the train that is the main book I'm reading, with the next book I want to read riding along in my bag for when I finish.

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

I like reading on the train because it makes the long commute fly by. I enjoy reading on the morning commute because I'm more awake. In the afternoon, I tend to doze a bit, but I still get a good amount of reading done. At home, I like to read on the couch or in bed, but I tend to fall asleep when I read in bed.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

I prefer stand alone books, but I will read a series if it's good. My problem is that I'll read book one in a series and not keep track of the subsequent installments. Or I'll read the latest part, and they'll be a cliffhanger ending that makes it hard to wait for the next book to be released.

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

I love Amy Tan and Anita Shreve. I'll read anything they write. As for newer authors, I highly recommend Michelle Moran.

How do you organize your books?

I don't. I still haven't replaced the bookcase that collapsed several months ago, so books are all over my bedroom. They're neatly stacked, though, and I've separated the review copies and the other books I haven't read from the ones that I have. So I guess there's some organization, but not much.

So there you have it. If you're still reading after all that, bless you. I tend to ramble.

Off to see what the rest of you bookworms had to say...