Reading Habits.

I've seen this in a few places (not sure where it started), and since I am lacking inspiration for a real post today, I thought this would be fun to fill out. :)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
I try to avoid snacking while reading...it generally leads to too much snacking. :) However, I like a small bowl of popcorn every once in awhile!

What is your favourite drink while reading?
It used to be diet coke, but since I am cutting back (and trying to quit) on drinking pop, I've been turning more and more to tea and flavored water. I have a new addiction to Mio, so I've taken to always flavoring my water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I used to write in my books far more than I do now. Most of the books I read while in college have writing in them somewhere. Nowadays I use little post-it tags to mark passages and pages I want to come back to, or that have quotes I like (any quote that I use in a post here comes from those that I mark). I have nothing against writing in books, but if I buy a used book, I always check for writing. Other peoples' highlighting, etc bothers me.

I've also been keeping a separate journal just for thoughts on my reading. I like having everything in one place so I can flip through it.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I am huge fan of bookmarks. :) I own something like 80-90 of them, and I am constantly looking for more. I used to dog-ear pages before, but don't anymore. I'm also one of those people who tries not to break the spine of my paperbacks to make them last longer. Since I purchase pretty much everything I read, I want my books to stay in good condition. Sometimes a little abuse can't be helped, but I don't purposefully do things to hurt my book! It drives my friend Kyla crazy. She is really one of the only people I trust to lend books to, and she says she always feel pressured to keep my books perfect. :) It makes me chuckle. I know that I'm just crazy, but I figure if I am investing in building myself a library, I want my books to last until I'm 80 and want to revisit an old favorite.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I read more fiction now, but I really like non-fiction. I'm partial to history titles, biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. I miss my history books especially...

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I prefer to stop at a chapter break, but sometimes I just get too tired to finish. :) Some books have really long chapters, so sometimes I just can't get through to the end. But really, I can stop anywhere (I do try to finish a "scene" before stopping in the middle of a chapter).

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
I've done both. :) I threw Atlas Shrugged at the wall quite a few times, as well as tossing it on the floor for my cat to sleep on. It is a rare occasion for me to throw a book, so you know something was up if I did!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Depends. I usually try and figure it out based on context and most often I figure it out. If it is something I can't figure out, then I'll look it up. :)

What are you currently reading?
I've been focusing on Middlemarch since starting it last Sunday. I've also poked back into Nicholas Nickleby a little bit (I think I have to just finish it this coming week and be done with it). Not sure what I'm going to pick up next!

What is the last book you bought?
I've actually bought quite a few in recent weeks. I discovered the new Penguin English Library series and bought quite a few....like....16 or 17? They've slowly been trickling in...which is driving Matt crazy, but it had been quite some time since I'd bought a bunch of books, so I don't feel bad. ;) I'll show them off once they all get here.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
I really like reading while in bed. I know a lot of people have a hard time with that, but I feel really comforted being in bed with a good book. I especially love those opportunities and books that make me stay up all night just to know what happens. That's harder being married and having to make sure that I don't bug Matt with the light. :)

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
It depends on what kind of mood that I'm in. There is something pretty amazing about sinking into a big long series. It allows you to get to know the characters so well! But I also love a good stand-alone. Most classics ARE stand-alones, so I have been getting a good mix between those and some fantasy titles.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
I've been pushing a couple of books on people recently-The Mill on the Floss, Portrait of a Lady, and David Copperfield. And, as always, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. :)

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.) 
The shelves that I do have are alphabetized. The only exceptions are books that are too tall to fit on the normal shelf, books belonging to a collection or set, and my Shakespeare titles. I prefer to have books in a set all together (all my Penguin clothbounds are together-they look way sweeter that way). I will also pull books out every month or so to put on my nightstand. The nightstand pile is what I hope to get through in that month. Sometimes books stay there for a month or two before being read...some stay longer...and some books never make it there! But generally speaking, once it is on the nightstand, I make it a priority.

I also have books all over the apartment-some on my desk, there is a pile on an end table in the living room, and a couple in my bag that I've been lugging to the park. :) I call it controlled chaos.


I think the only other interesting reading habits I have are these:
-I keep a written record of books read each month. They are all in a spiraled journal and I've had it since the beginning of 2008.
-I have a big printed out list of the titles on my 250 list taped to the back of our "office" door. I highlight each title as I finish it. I'm a big fan of crossing things off, so it helps me visualize my progress!