Reading habits

Saw this meme on Woodsiegirl’s blog and can see through the Twitter that all the cool kids are doing it, so thought I would too.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack?
Just endless cups of tea.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I do in pencil. Obviously only in books I own. I quite like using the tiny post-its rather than marking the page.
I used to write in books a lot when I a photography undergrad and now feel embarrassed looking through at my naive comments in the margin of Susan Sontag, Roland Barthes etc.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I use bookmarks – usually flyers, tickets or postcards. My favourite is a Morrissey flyer that I can angle so that Moz peers over the book at me while I’m reading.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I usually have both on the go at once. I enjoy a good biography.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy. I am tempted to try audiobooks for some of the classics. I’ve got a complex about the fact that I haven’t read any Dickens, Bronte etc and see this as a sign that I might be uncultured and/or thick.

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?
I like to read to the end of the chapter.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I would if I was reading for academic purposes, but I wouldn’t if I was reading for pleasure.

What are you currently reading?
I’ve just finished Dorian: An Imitation by Will Self which was really good, and am starting We Are All Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka. I’m currently reading War Paint: Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry by Lindy Woodhead but am struggling a bit to get into it.

What is the last book you bought?
Talk of the Town by Jacob Polley. It was in the bargain bin at Borders. I usually get everything from the library (I juggle accounts in 4 boroughs), anything I can’t get I put on my Christmas list.

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 read multiple books at a time. My bedside book is usually something that is hardback/too heavy to carry around. My tube/tea break reading is usually something portable. If my tube reading is something a bit dark then I have another book to read when I’m home alone!

Do you have a favourite time of day and/or place to read?
I read every night to help me go to sleep and read on the tube. I guess my favourite place to read would be by the pool on holiday, knowing that I’m not going to be interrupted and have nothing to do for a week other than read and eat!
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I rarely read series, but I go through phases of reading everything by a particular author then moving on to another one.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Probably Nicci French, my favourite is Killing Me Softly. And Jodi Picoult, my favourite is The Pact.
This could be more indicative of who I recommend books to rather than my own tastes. I tend towards slightly bleaker writing (Jean Rhys, Heather Lewis, Tama Janowitz, Sylvia Plath, Suite Francais, anything about Kurt Cobain) and rarely have the opportunity to recommend this type of thing.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
I have one shelf of not-read-yet items and library books. Other than that I loosely keep non fiction within genres: art/photography books, my other half’s cookery books. Biographies mix in with fiction and both are wherever there is space on the shelves.
I’ll probably get kicked out of CILIP for admitting this, but my bookshelves at home are a complete state. This is due to the constrictions of sharing a one bed flat. I dream about moving to our next home and having my own study with custom made shelving.