No, I never knew this existed, but, hey, when I saw it, I thought I'd participate by sharing a little about me per questions provided:
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Of course I eat while reading...since I'm reading most of my waking hours...usual foods, so, it depends upon the time...and the type of book... After all, if you're reading a pdf file on a laptop, eating spaghetti is just not possible!
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I do just about anything to ensure I have gotten the message of the book. I dog-ear most books, extensively...
Reallllly have a problem with e-books for that purpose. It takes me Longer to read/review e-books!
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
MY place is normally retained by turning the book over or a bookmarker... Dog-ears are used for the last at night...and for every page I'm thinking about using in some way... If I have something to write with handy, I underline, highlight or make notes!
Laying the book flat open?
Now, I have to say that if YOU provide me a coffee table type of book, with hardback, etc., I'm going to treat it very well... Other than that, hey, time is most important for me...I do what's I got to do! But I do unfold dog ears after I review most of the time...LOL
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
All, but I prefer fiction now...HEY, I'm supposed to be Retired!!!
Hard copy or audiobooks?
Both...but...audiobooks can be very tricky for reviewing...extremely hard to doublecheck names, find excerpts, etc.!!! Plus, I had one recently where the reader had an accent that, for me, detracted from the book for reviewing purposes...otherwise, if I had just been listening, I would have enjoyed hearing this gentlemen...
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?
Depends upon what else is happening. If I'm enjoying tea and toast for breakfast, I'll normally finish a chapter, but if I'm behind on a deadline or planning a spotlighted author or book tour, then I break, do what I've remember I had to do, and go back to read as my mind reminds me of something to do!
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Not if I can understand the sentence based upon content. It's surprising how many words you really do know, but rarely use during conversation. I, do, however, ALWAYS check while writing my review for spelling and definition of interesting words that pop into my mind. For instance, I used "quirky" fairly recently for the first time...you can bet I made sure it was what I wanted to say before I published it!
What are you currently reading?
What is the last book you bought?
An earlier book by James Houston Turner, author of the Talanov series that I so enjoyed (two so far) that I went and bought an earlier book of his...
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 can keep two or three going, depending upon type and length. I may stop and start a children's or shorter book and get it ready to review while I'm still reading the longer ones...so that my reviews are published routinely..If I'm reading an anthology or non-fiction, that requires an adjustment based upon content and complexity..
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
All Day; Every Day... Place depends upon book size... I read kindle or small books while getting ready to call it a night! A Favorite Chair with good lighting is used for most of the day-time reading...
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Both! But if it a series, I get brave enough to seek out earlier books; I hate to start in the middle! And then I hate to not know when the followup book comes out. I was thinking about a book I read about a year ago and wondering if the followup had ever been published yet! I'll probably check after I publish this! LOL
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I would if I reviewed books by my favorite authors...e.g., J.D. Robb... I may do blurbs sometimes, but most of the books on my blog are being reviewed at the request of somebody... I do have one, Ruby Moon-Houldson, author for whom I did a marathon of an entire series, at her request...I enjoy doing series and she has done two fiction series, plus singles as well as non-fiction. Soooo, a prolific author might get posted quite often. I think I've probably read 20-25 of her books and also spotlighted her for some time...
By the way, I don't post any book I would not minimally recommend. E.G., I might not enjoy a certain genre personally, but in reviewing a good book, I certainly would recommend it to lovers of that genre...
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
My Personal library: I have book shelves in all rooms...Most non-fiction is by topical area. Collected authors such as James Patterson, Robert B. Parker, are maintained as a collection...Single books stuck in where I find the space!
All books I do not have space to retain, which are many, are donated to the library or other charitable organization. I do not, however, share or pass on ebooks. They are deleted or retained in my library. I believe in copyright violation issues...
Let me just add a little at this time...I am constantly behind in doing reviews. There is no way to schedule when books will reach you in the mail, nor know how long they will be. As I earlier said, ebooks and audio books present a challenge to me since I don't immediately review every book right after I've read it...
I try to make my blog diversified, so will do book tours, spotlights, poetry, etc., for that purpose...which means that time is taken away from reading. I also am a freelance reviewer and get requests from writers, publishers, publicists, and have even been asked to review sites...
If I've received a book and not yet reviewed it, I appreciate a double-check from the requester and do not mind being questioned about when a review might be completed. I do tend to give priority to earlier clients inasmuch as possible, but that is just part of establishing a good relationship and does not reflect favorites...
Now, I want to make something very clear. I read every word in books...starting from the cover through to the back cover, including acknowledgements, etc., and at least look through a glossary, table of contents, reference materials, etc. My review is based upon the overall quality of the book. I approach each new book and adjust my reading based upon a variety of reasons and attempt to ensure I have a good understanding for what the author's objective might have been in writing the book. Many have said that I'm good at doing that. More importantly, however, in doing this, I am able to recommend every book that I post and rarely post any type of criticism about the book. Instead, I gear my reviews to the particular audience that I believe will enjoy that book.
I do not believe in rankings of books. Comparing a book by a well-established and published author cannot, in my opinion, be effectively done by a ranking. It does not make sense to say that I rank J.D.Robb as my favorite author with a "5" and then assume that anybody without her background should be lower ranked!
If you want to know what I thought about any given book, please read my review rather than depend upon the ranking I was forced to add on any given sites such as Amazon, Good Reads, etc.
Thank you for any comments and feedback you may leave!
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