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I PROMISE I'm not stalking her!

It just so happens that Woodsiegirl has been blogging lots of things recently that catch my attention, and interest! So, I'm copying her Q and A!

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

Depends where I am when reading. Usually, it's on the bus to / from work, or in bed, neither of which are snacking hot-spots for me. If I'm spending a few hours on the couch reading, then yup, usually crisps....but those crisp-smeared hands never touch the book until they've been cleaned!

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

No writing in books! I have enough trouble removing the underlined passages in books at work (which at least tend to be historic, and in pencil...current users know I'd gut them if they inked up the library books!). I didn't write in books while studying either - I remember things better if I've written them myself, so I'd write notes on lined paper instead.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

Bookmark or laying it open carefully, without cracking the spine. Having bought a lot of old, charity shop books, I know pages tend to fall out at the points where the spine's broken first...and I have a liking for smooth spines, if it's a new book. If I've read a book, it can be hard to tell, as the spine's usually still perfect.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Fiction. I have to read enough non-fiction information in daily life to not want to deal with it in my free time. Unless it's about murders of course. Yes, I am morbid, and love forensic science.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

Hard copy. Not sure that I've ever listened to an audio book. I read really fast, so to have to sit and listen to someone reading out what I could read for myself in a quarter of the time would drive me mad.

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?

End of chapter if possible. If not, I'll just put the book down where ever I feel like I can't read any more for (evenings) or when my stop's coming up (commute).

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it

up right away?

Nope. I can usually work it out from the context, and if I can't, I'll just ignore it. One word's not usually critical to understanding things. If I remember, I may check it out later, but usually, I just forget!

What are you currently reading?

"Arthur and George", "The Shadow of the Wind", and "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters"

What is the last book you bought?

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, new. I tend to bulk buy from charity shops though, so often it's hard to tell what I bought last as it's just a bagful, but SSSM I really wanted to read, so pre-ordered from Amazon.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

As you can see from my current reading list above, I can have anything from 1 to 4 books on the go at once.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

Afternoons, or evenings. If I have nothing else to do (cue hysterical laughter here) I love an autumn afternoon or evening on the sofa, lost in a book, with a cosy blanket.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

I like stand alones. As my usual book sources are charity shops, finding the parts of a series is a rare event, so books that stand alone suit me better. Although, if I like a series, I'll buy the books new, to ensure I can read the whole lot.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

I love the Time Travelers Wife, but haven't read Audrey Niffenneger's new book, so I don't know if I can recommend the author. I'd recommend the book (I'm ignoring the misspelling of the title!), and tell anyone who's seen the film to forget that pile of pants and read the book! I also have a weakness for David Eddings fantasy books - brings back my teenage years :)

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

Organise? Books? Nah, that's for work! My books go on the shelves according to...erm...no rules. See? It's all higgledy piggledy - books I've bought, gift books, read books, unread books, toys, photographs, scrapbooks, craft stuff...my bookshelves are a glorious mess :) And to be honest, there's not even all that much room for books!

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