posted this really fun questionnaire that helped me get to know her reading personality better. She said readers should feel free to cut and paste in their own blogs so here I am participating in her awesome questionnaire!
Here are a few bloggers who have answered the questionnaire so far. Click the links to see their answers:
If I have missed you, leave a comment with a link to your answers on your blog. I'd love to read them!
1. Favourite childhood book:
2. What are you reading right now?
3.
What books do you have on request at the library? None, but I am looking for In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff. My library doesn't have it! *cries*
4. Bad book habit:
Buying but not reading. My Mount TBR is ridiculous.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Yes, I own the Sony Reader PRS-505 and a Kindle 2 but I still read mostly paper books
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I prefer to read one book at a time, but as you can see, that isn't happening right now. Middlemarch is best read with a more fun book on the side. *shakes a fist at those pesky Middlemarchers!*
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Absolutely. I've opened myself up to reading a lot of different genres I wouldn't have considered a few years ago.
9. Least favourite book you read this year:
10. Favourite book I’ve read this year:
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Oh, I don't know. I think I read a pretty wide variety of stuff, so maybe only 10%?
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Fiction (Fantasy mostly). I am beginning to really enjoy non-fiction though.
13. Can you read on the bus?
Yes, but I never ride the bus. When I did, I usually strike up conversations with people instead. Hehe!
14. Favourite place to read:
On my couch with a dog curled up beside me--too bad they are usually acting like baddies though!
15. What’s your policy on book lending?
I loan books, but I've had to let go of getting upset if they come back in poor condition. My policy now is: Don't lend anything you care about getting back.
16. Do you dogear your books?
17. Do you write notes in the margins of your books?
No, but I have a notebook I will take notes in and I often mark passages I like with small Post-It Notes.
18. Do you break/crack the spine of your books?
*GASP*!!! Not if it can be helped. I'll admit it though. I'm not very careful with library books because the spines are often already cracked.
19. What is your favourite language to read?
I can only read English. I would love to be able to read in Spanish though and have that as a life goal.
20. What makes you love a book?
I'm beginning to love the fun in books. If the plotline has a quirky character I usually end up liking it. I'm a plot girl though. Good prose isn't enough. If you can't make me care about the story, I think you are not a very effective writer.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
I typically recommend books that I think people will like based on their reading tastes. There are few books that I recommend because I think everyone on the planet should read them. The one book I constantly recommend is Bad News by Tom Fenton. Absolute life changer and big indictment on the state of American news organizations.
22. Favourite genre:
High Fantasy
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did):
Historical Non-Fiction (I am trying to remedy this now.)
24. Favourite Biography:
I'm not sure that I have one. I don't read many biographies. I guess Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther was probably one of the most memorable I've read.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
I've read a few books on marriage. Suffice it to say, they were generally not good for my marriage. It was right after I got married and they made me feel like I needed to be June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson. Not a fan of self-help AT ALL.
26. Favourite Cookbook:
I don't have a favorite cookbook, but I love using AllRecipes.com or local recipe books that are put together by people.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction):
28. Favourite reading snack:
Crackers/chips, yogurt with fresh fruit...mostly I drink iced coffee or tea while reading.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience:
30. How often do you agree with the critics about about a book?
I feel bad saying this, but I don't read a lot of critics reviews of books. I mostly get recommendations from bloggers and Shelfari friends.
31.
How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I
am ok with it. I think we are all such a varied species that we all see things differently. What I don't like, someone else may love. Case in point: I just thought Middlesex was ok and @Nymeth (Ana) from Things Mean A Lot loved it. I don't like mean-spirited reviews (and I have read a few), but I think that constructive criticism is good. It only shows people have different tastes which I think is a good thing.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
Spanish most definitely. Everything in the store is printed in Spanish and I hear it a lot when I'm out in public. I would love to be able to understand and communicate with Spanish speakers.
34.
Most intimidating book I’m too nervous to begin:
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I do want to read this someday, but I am afraid. I would say Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce, but I honestly have no desire to read James Joyce after what I've heard about his writing.
35. Favourite Poet:
John Keats or Samuel Taylor Coleridge (I don't know a lot of either of their work, but I do love the poems I've read by them)
36. How many books do you usually have checked out from the library at any given time?
One to two books. I live really close to the library so I try to only check out what I can read in the two week span I'm given.
37. How often do you return books to the library unread?
Not very often.
39. Favourite fictional villain:
Tyrion from George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. He's kind of a villain, but not really. I like characters that I shouldn't like, but still do and he's one of my favorites.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation:
Definitely fun fiction and usually try to bring a book that is available for my e-book reader because I can read multiple books on vacation.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading:
Maybe a month or two. I didn't read a lot for fun while I was in school, but I read A LOT while in school--it was just textbooks. It counts!
42.
Name a book you could/would not finish:
The Fifth Book of Peace by Maxine Hong Kingston. I tried...I really did. It was boring and portion in Hawaii was the kicker. I put it down and didn't pick it back up.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Everything distracts me. I have to have quiet when I read. I think that's why I don't read 200 books a year like some people do. How do you guys do it?!!!
45.
Most disappointing film adaptation:
Eragon...but the book was just as bad as the movie. I don't see how people can like it. Christopher Paolini was pretty blatant about his plagiarism of other fantastic fantasy authors. Made me want to vomit.
46. Most money I’ve ever spent in a bookstore at one time:
$70 USD
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Never. I read the back to see if it's something I'll like, but I never thumb through the pages.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
If the story is boring, I'll give up. I rarely ever do though. I always think it will get better.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I do like to, but I have too many now and so I've organized them into shelves that have been read and TBR shelves. I would like to alphabetize by author eventually though. I used to do that when my shelves were more manageable.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once they’ve been read?
I prefer to keep my books, but I have started giving them away because I just have too many. I give away the ones I don't think I'll read again. I feel like I have the propensity to become a book hoarder which is probably not a good thing.
52.
Name a book that made you angry:
Web of Debt by Ellen Hodgson Brown--Worst book I ever read. The vast majority of it was conspiracy theory drivel and Libertarian propaganda. The woman actually talked about the Middle Ages like it was a wonderful time for people to live and thought that getting rid of "Ron Paul" Dollars was just a big government conspiracy to control our monetary system. I hated it so much that I refuse to even sell it to donate it. It will become a book wreath in my house since I don't believe in burning books.
54.
A book I expected to like but didn’t:
Marked by P.C. Cast (Terrible, terrible book)
55. Favourite guilt-free guilty pleasure reading:
Terry Brooks' Shannara series (except the first book...I wasn't a big fan of The Sword of Shanarra)
Do you want to take the quiz? Go ahead and post the questionnaire on your blog! Also, check out the other blogs that have done this quiz that I listed at the top. Thanks to The Literary Lollipop for posting it! This was fun!
However, things have not been all bad. I still talk to some of my blogging friends like I’ve mentioned above, but I’ve also made some new bookish friends at work. My work, *gasp*, even has a book club! It has been a life saver. They are the only people I talk face to face with about books and without them I think my life would be less full. I like that we can complain about some of the books we’ve read together and laugh about some of the situations characters we’ve read about have been in. I like the deep discussions we’ve gotten in about some of the books we’ve read, and I like ribbing them for ruining my TBR list (just today my coworker from the UK introduced me to the Folio Society—I am still shaking my fist at him for mentioning those beautiful books). 
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