A Bookish Meme

I haven't done one of these here meme thingies in such a long time. This one, borrowed from A Guy's Moleskine Notebook, seemed right up my alley, so how could I resist?

1. Favorite childhood book? Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH from Robert C. O'Brien hooked me on reading.

2. What are you reading right now? Another Country by James Baldwin; Mademoiselle de Maupin by Théophile Gautier; The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith; If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino

3. What books do you have on request at the library? None at the moment.

4. Bad book habit? Buying more books than I need, since my pile already takes up 2 shelves packed two rows deep with books and more piled on top of those.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady from Florence King. I finished reading it, but need to write my review.

6. Do you have an e-reader? Nope.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? Several at once, a habit I picked up in high school.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Definitely. I'm reading more LGBT books. Not sure why that is, but it's true.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?) So far, I would have to say Getting Even by Woody Allen.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Not too often, but I plan on reading more non-fiction. I have a few lined up already.

12. What is your reading comfort zone? Horror, LGBT fiction, prize winners

13. Can you read on the bus? Haven't tried since high school.

14. Favorite place to read? The couch in the living room with the TV on at a low volume.

15. What is your policy on book lending? I lend quite a few books, keeping track of who has what in my LibraryThing account. I try not to lend too many books, though. Right now, three people have some titles from my collection.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books? No.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Not recently.

18. Not even with text books? Not with them, because they needed to be in good condition to get money back during college.

19. What is your favorite language to read in? English, but I can read French; it just takes much longer.

20. What makes you love a book? Characters that I like (whether heroes or villains) and a good story. I've stopped reading books when the story dragged or made no sense whatsoever. if I'm scratching my head wondering what the hell's going on, chances are, I'm going to stop reading and either give the book away or donate it.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? Characters and story....and if I enjoyed reading it.

22. Favorite genre? Horror -- ghosts and zombies.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) Non-fiction. I'm so hesitant because I'm afraid it will come across as a text book and bore me to tears.

24. Favorite biography? Well, I don't read too many of these, but I just finished Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King and loved it. She's very funny and has that Southern charm about her writing style.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book? When I first came out, I read quite a few books about dating and what it meant to be gay.

26. Favorite cookbook? I don't have one.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? I guess inspirational for me means something that made me want to continue with trying my hand at submitting something for publication. That would be Sheep and Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp because all the tales seem so simple yet complex at the same time. They provide a great example of not being afraid to try something different and having it work.

28. Favorite reading snack? I don't eat while reading. Too distracting. ;-)

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. Since I enjoy reading award winners, I picked up a copy of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, read about 10 pages and wondered why I didn't read a few pages at the bookstore before purchasing. Would have saved me about $17.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? Not often, mostly because they tend to be flowery and overly creative with their blurbers. What I think of a book usually disagrees with what they think of a book. That's why I prefer reading bloggers' reviews because they seem more aligned with how I read a book.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I always dislike retaliation of any sort, like what happened with my review of Anathema Rhodes. A few fans of the author left negative comments on the post, attacking me. But if i don't like something, I don't like something. I won't write something happy and cheery just because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Spanish.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys. 1,500 pages -- very intimidating.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? Palimpsest by Gore Vidal

35. Favorite Poet? I don't have one since I don't read much poetry.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? One, because I'd probably lose track with all the other books around the apartment.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread? Not very often.

38. Favorite fictional character? Perenelle de Marivaux from Blood Pressure and Bite Marks by Terence Taylor

39. Favorite fictional villain? Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Horror, ghosts, zombies -- something that will keep my interest on the long flight.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. 2-3 days.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? A funny TV show.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Awesome book. Awesome movie.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation? Dune by Frank Herbert (film by David Lynch)

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? Probably about $75.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Not often enough.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? The story and/or characters turn illogical, unbelievable, stereotypical. Can't stand that.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized? Alphabetical by author's last name

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? I do both, but tend to keep more than I really should.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Keep me away from Harlequin/romantic type drivel.

52. Name a book that made you angry. Hasn't happened.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? Getting Even by Woody Allen.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? Best Actress by John Kane