Another fun meme!

I found this meme on Susan's blog last week, although I think a few others have been playing along recently as well.

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?

I prefer trade paperback, and that's what I have the most of on my shelves. I like hardbacks, although they are uncomfortable for me to hold for long periods of time. I don't love mass market paperbacks, but I have a few. They are nice to take to the beach or an airplane because they're small and I don't worry so much about them getting dirty or left behind.

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon? I've never heard of Waterstones, and we don't have a Borders in our area, so I will say Amazon. We do have a Barnes + Noble though.

Bookmark or dog-ear? Although this makes Susan gasp, I dog-ear my pages occassionally. I do use a bookmark, but if I start reading and it's nowhere to be found, I don't hesitate to dog-ear the pages. But not with borrowed books!

Amazon or brick-and-mortar? I love browsing Barnes + Noble and if I have coupons I will use them. I'm not always the most patient person when I really want a book. That said, I have found some incredible deals on Amazon, and shipping doesn't usually take more than a week.

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random? Oh my goodness, it just occured to me that people do this. I have never even tried to tackle this! My books are on my shelves randomly.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I don't trash books! I have a friend and good reading buddy who I constantly switch books with. I think she donates at the end of the cycle, and I normally take them to a resale shop for credit to buy more books. I keep my favorite reads.

Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep it, only after removing it to read the book. I am not good with dust jackets; it's hard to keep it crisp while I read.

Short story or novel? Novels, definitely. I'm not good with short stories, although I would attempt it I suppose.

Buy or borrow? Both. I probably buy more, but I borrow and trade a lot with my reading buddy I mentioned earlier. We tend to have similiar reading styles, which works out well for our wallets.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? Oooh, good question. I tend to scour USA Today for their seasonal recommendations and I usually get good books that way. I also read book blogs and tend to right down plenty of suggestions from bloggers. I browse a lot, but I've found that the books I've bought this way sit on my shelves longer than when I get a recommendation.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I do like to feel like there's been some sort of resolution at the end, although it's way too cliche to make every book have a "happily-ever-after." I don't mind cliffhangers if it's in a series, although I don't read many of those.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? Weekend mornings are a great time for me to read, when the house is really quiet and peaceful. I hardly ever read in the afternoon, but I read a lot before going to sleep at night.

Stand-alone or series? Stand alone. I'm not big on series books.

Favorite series? Can't think of any...not too big on these.

Favorite children’s book? Oh, I have many, but the 2 standouts are If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Where the Wild Things Are.

Favorite YA book? Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is the only one I can think of right now. I don't read too many in this genre. Not opposed to it, just don't get this far in the store.

Favorite books read last year? The Audacity of Hope, The Last Lecture, Change of Heart, In the Woods, The DaVinci Code.

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old? I have no idea!

Favorite book to re-read? I rarely re-read books. I can't remember the last time I did!

Do you ever smell books? Of course! I love the smell of new books.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries? I have read The Diary of Anne Frank, but other than that, I don't believe I have read any other letters or diaries.

What are you reading right now? I started Don't Know Much About History last weekend, but I have to read that in chunks I think. Not something I can just fly through. I also started Bergdorf Blondes, but I'm not liking it.

What are you reading next? I'm thinking Julie & Julia, and of course, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.