A book meme

Seen at Susie's blog

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I usually prefer paperback -- trade vs. mass market doesn't matter, but hardbacks are usually too big/heavy for reading in bed.

Amazon or brick and mortar?
Both! But, I spend much more on books at Amazon, because it's easier to search and order what I want. I do enjoy browsing brick & mortar stores though!

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Either/Both. Both offer education discounts for homeschoolers, so it's a toss-up. Both are located close enough to shop at easily, so it just depends where I am when the mood strikes to visit a bookstore.

Bookmark or dogear?
I NEVER dogear pages in a book. I use bookmarks sometimes, but usually I remember the page I left off on.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Neither. I keep "like" books together - so all my parenting books are together, spiritual books together, novels together, etc.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
I keep quite a few books, and sell some every few months to 1/2 Price Books. I never throw away a book!

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Toss it.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Since I toss them, I read books without ;)

Short story or novel?
I have no real preference - both have their appeal.

Click for more...

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Same answer as above.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I've read 5 of the Harry Potter books and none of the Lemony Snicket books. Harry Potter didn't hold my interest -- was interesting the first few books, but I got bored.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
When tired.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
"Once upon a time"

Buy or Borrow?
Both. If a book is available through our library, I borrow it -- especially novels / fiction / biographies. For reference type books, I'll still borrow first, and then decide if I want to buy it. For kid's books - we buy bunches.

New or used?
New, usually. I'm very picky about used books - mainly because of the smell of some of them. I sniff library books, too, before bringing them home -- if the previous borrower was a smoker or heavy perfume wearer, it stays on the shelf!

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
All of the above.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Cliffhangers are okay, but I prefer books with a satisfying ending.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Whenever I have a spare moment.

Standalone or series?
Both.

Favorite series?
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or Jan Karon's Mitford Series

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Favorite books read last year?
My top three from 2006:
Women in the Material World by Faith D'Alusio and Peter Menzel
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl by Timothy Egan
Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamante

Favorite book of all time?
The Once and Future King by TH White

** I read quite a bit, and enjoy it. Last year, I was keeping track of all books read in a journal - but dropped it this fall. Doing this meme reminds me that I should probably start it up again! It's nice to be able to go back and look at what I've read.