Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
It depends. If it’s a books I’ve been waiting to come out for a while, then hardback. Plus it looks nicer on bookshelves. But mass market paperback is not only cheaper, but also means you can fit more onto your bookshelves. Not really a fan of trade paperback though.
Amazon or brick and mortar?
Again, it depends. I like browsing through book stores. But if I’m looking for something specific, it’s more likely that said store won’t have what I want. Then, it’s Amazon.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
I’m Canadian. I shop at Chapters.
Bookmark or dogear?
Bookmark, definitely.
Alphabetize by author or alphebetize by title or random?
Organized by genre. In each genre, it’s organized alphabetically by author’s last name. In each author, it’s organized by date of publishing. Unless it’s a series, in which case it’s organized in the reading order. Also, if I have both series and stand-alones by one author, series always go first.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Throw away?! Why would you throw away a book?? I keep them unless I really didn’t like the book. In which case, they go to the library or used bookstore.
Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep it. It makes it pretty on the shelves.
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Remove it. I don’t like getting fingerprints on it, or wrinkling it.
Short story or novel?
Novels. Unless it’s by an author I love, or about a certain subject, I don’t enjoy short stories. I prefer getting deeper into the stories.
Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
I prefer by the same author, though have been known to make exceptions in the case where the books are about vampires, Alice in Wonderland, or have been edited by one Will Ferguson.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry. Definitely Harry. Love Harry Potter. Love. Read the first Lemony Snicket, and did not enjoy it.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter Breaks. Or breaks in the middle of chapters. It’s easier to remember what’s going on that way.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
It depends on the type of book. If I want a fairy tale, I want “Once upon a time,” but if I want something with atmosphere, I want “It was a dark and stormy night.”
Buy or Borrow?
I mostly buy. I’ll borrow if my stack of unread books is unreasonable and can’t justify purchasing a new book to myself.
New or used?
Both.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Mostly through recommendation or browsing. Book blogs have helped a lot too.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Even in a series I prefer a tidy ending. I hate those books in a series with cliffhangers where you know you have at least a year to wait until the next book comes out.
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Usually over my lunch hour at work, and then in the evening.
Standalone or series?
Both. I usually end up enjoying a series as a whole more than a standalone, just for the fact that you get more character development in them.
Favorite series?
Oh gosh. Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Sara Douglass’ The Troy Game, The Axis Trilogy and The Wayfarer Redemption. C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series. There are many others, but I will stop there.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
How To Be A Canadian (Even If You Already Are One) by Will and Ian Ferguson…. Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery… Most of my favourites, everyone’s heard of. Or at least everyone who reads.
Favorite books read last year?
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell, New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, Catherine Webb’s The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle, Shanna Swendson’s Enchanted, Inc. and Once Upon Stilettos.
Favorite books of all time?
Not including the “Favourite book that no one’s heard of” …. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, the Narnia books, Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Kristin Britain’s Green Rider . . . the list goes on and on.
