Booking Through Thursday: Niche

There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)

But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.

What niche books do YOU read?

Hmm I guess my main niche would be graphic design and art history books. They are always something I've enjoyed. A few years ago I bought a few books on Tiki which I guess is really random! I also read a lot of self published books, comics, and zines.

What's your niche?

Booking Through Thursday: A Second First Time?

What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?

Probably all of my favorites but three that come to my mind right now are Willow and Twilight and Harry Potter. They all take you into really interesting worlds, very very different worlds from each other... and it would be fun to start with fresh eyes for them!

How about you?

Booking Through Thursday: Gluttony

Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

OMG YES! I buy way way way way way way way way faster than I can read. According to LibraryThing my TBR pile is 746 and I know not all my newer books have tags yet so yeah... I try and curb my book buying (a little) but it usually only lasts a few weeks or er days. I can't not go to the Library Book Store on Thursdays! Sometimes I can not go to Borders for a few weeks or put off an Amazon order, but I gotta go to the Library Book Store! My problem is I can't pass up a deal. I rather buy something i'm not going to read for a long time than have to pay full price at a later date. I love the deals! I just can't not buy something when it's like 25 cents. It's impossible! But be proud, I didn't buy anything at the library today and last week, only one book! There is hope for me yet!

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday: Graphic

- Do you read graphic novels/comics? Why do/don’t you enjoy them?

I do! I do! And I love them! I'm more of an indie comics girl than super hero comics. Well I love them because they combine two of my favorite things, reading and art!

- How would you describe the difference between “graphic novel” and “comic”? Is there a difference at all?

I'm not sure if this is technically correct, but to me a comic is much much smaller, usually much cheaper and not built like a book. But a collection of comics can form a graphic novel. And graphic novels are usually bound like a real book because they are a lot thicker. Rambling over...

- Say you have a friend who’s never encountered graphic novels. Recommend some titles you consider landmark/”canonical”.

Well, I haven't read it, but apparently Watchmen is the greatest graphic novel ever. I would tend to suggest authors like Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve) , Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), and Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan- still need to read this one.) I'm actually participating in the Graphic Novel Challenge this year to try and read some of the comics/graphic novels I've purchased over the last year or two!

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday: Worse?

Which is worse?

Finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author, or

Reading a completely disappointing book by an author that you love?

Definitely finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author. I feel like I would keep trying and trying and trying to recreate that magic and I would hate being disappointed over and over again. Yet I would keep trying! Whereas if there was one dud in an author's body of work I could just try another or go back to another I liked!

What about you?

Booking Through Thursday: Symbolic? Or Not?

Is symbolism an older literary device, like excessive description, that is not used much any more? Do you think there was as much symbolism as English teachers seemed to think? What are some examples of symbolism from your reading?

Oh gosh symbolism. I've always been very bad at finding symbolic meaning in writing. Especially poems, I could read a poem 100 times and probably still not get what the poet was trying to say! So really, I have no idea if symbolism is an older literary device or if it's still alive and kicking. I guess I could see how that is the case, but I really have no reasoning the back it. I have no idea if my English teachers were right, but they sure saw more than me!

Are you better at spotting symbolism than I am?

Booking Through Thursday: Windfall

Yesterday, April 15th, was Tax Day here in the U.S., which means lots of lucky people will get refunds of over-paid taxes.

Whether you’re one of them or not, what would you spend an unexpected windfall on? Say … $50? How about $500?

(And, this is a reading meme, so by rights the answer should be book-related, but hey, feel free to go wild and splurge on anything you like.)

This is just cruel! Because I did in fact get 1,000 dollars back. And instantly people were like "Think how many books you could buy." But I decided to put it into a Roth IRA, snooze I know.

BUT if I had this money to just do anything I wanted with? I'd probably buy almost everything off of my three amazon wishlists. I would also pre-order TONS and TONS of books. I'd be getting books in the mail left and right! And that would be AWESOME!

Booking Through Thursday: Numbers Game

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?

Well, sort of. I started a book a few months ago on the weekend planning to finish it up quickly and of course that didn't happen. It's still showing in my currently reading widget though. I think I'll start it again to get the full effect. Everytime I do this the same thing always happens! The only time it works is if I'm reading a book and it seems like it's taking too long (like a week) and I take a break and read another one and then go back to the first book. I don't do that very often though.

2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?

Two.

3. Is this normal for you?

Since the Fall I think I've done this twice and haven't finished either of these second books yet!

4. Where do you keep your current reads?

Well I take it on the bus with me everyday so when it's not in my messenger bag it's right by me, by my bed!

Booking Through Thursday: Library Week

I saw that National Library week is coming up in April, and that led to some questions. How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?

I used to use the public library very very often, but in the last 2 or so years I use it not as often. And that is because of the amount of TBR books I now have of my own! I'd always read the library books and not my own! But then that leads to me buying more books I could just get from the library. It's basically a big mess! BUT, I do go to the library once a week to browse the Friends of the Library Bookstore, lots of great deals to be had there.

I guess when I go to a coffeehouse/bookstore I don't really stay there, I get what I need and go. So no way has it replaced the library!

I went to the library constantly as I child, in the summer I'd bring home a stack of chapter books and just read them like THAT. I also discovered the gloriousness that is reserving books online, really before we had the internet lol! It was some weird program, and you had to use keyboard shortcuts, no mouse! I'd reserve and reserve like crazy and pick up huge stacks! I don't really have particular memories, apparently one time a librarian yelled at me, not sure why, maybe I was talking, how rude!

There is no specific type of library I like, I've been to all sorts and they all have something great to offer!

Let's hear some of your library memories!

Booking Through Thursday: Best Bad Book

The opposite of last week’s question: “What’s the best ‘worst’ book you’ve ever read — the one you like despite some negative reviews or features?”

Oh my gosh is this a HARD question! I really can't think of anything. The only thing that comes to mind is a few people saying they couldn't get into or didn't enjoy The Makedown which I reviewed a few weeks ago. I rather liked it and was surprised to hear that!

How about you?

Booking Through Thursday: Worst Best Book You’ve Ever Read

“What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”

I think I've used this answer before for something else but it really fits for this one, The Lovely Bones, I hated HATED that book!

How about yourself?

Booking Through Thursday: Movie Potential

What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers?

Or, What book do you think should NEVER be made into a movie?

How funny that this is the question this week. I was just thinking how very much I would love to see a movie version of Jennifer Echol's Going Too Far! I just finished the book this week so unfortunately I haven't written my review yet.

Here's a blurb from Amazon:

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

This book was beyond amazing and it would make one hot movie (look at the cover)! I would love to see these characters come alive on the big screen! I have no producer suggestions!

I can't think of a book that should never be a movie off the top of my head but I'm sure there are many!

Booking Through Thursday: The Best Book You've Never Read

We’ve all seen the lists, we’ve all thought, “I should really read that someday,” but for all of us, there are still books on “The List” that we haven’t actually gotten around to reading. Even though we know they’re fabulous. Even though we know that we’ll like them. Or that we’ll learn from them. Or just that they’re supposed to be worthy. We just … haven’t gotten around to them yet.

What’s the best book that YOU haven’t read yet?

Well there are tons and tons and tons of those but I'll have to go with Looking for Alaska by John Green. I get scolded on a regular basis for not having read it. I'm hoping to read it this year as part of a challenge though! I bought it, I just need to read the darn thing!

How about you?

Booking Through Thursday: Collectibles

Hardcover? Or paperback?

Paperbacks for almost everything. The only types of books I prefer hardcovers for are art/design books that have to stand the test of time and me touching me all the time. I pull them out and look at them a lot more than novels so they need to deal with more wear. Besides that, paperbacks all the way. They are so much easier to hold and don't poke you in the hands!

Illustrations? Or just text?

Both! Sometimes individually, sometimes together! I love graphic novels and design books so sometimes you just don't need words!

First editions? Or you don’t care?

Don't really care. Though, I do have an ARC of a book that was pulled from the shelf for plagiarism so that's kind of interesting. Doesn't really have anything to do with the question but yeah...

Signed by the author? Or not?

Signed books are always nice but I still love my un-signed books :)

So, what about you! This was a fun one!

Booking Through Thursday: Storage

Question: I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

Er, in the past I sort of arranged by genre and now I totally don't arrange. i haven't had room on my bookshelves for a long time now so they basically just go where there is room, in stacks mostly! A few months ago I tried to rearrange a bit to clump genres back together and it sort of worked but then I got new books and now it's a big mess again. Refer to this post to see what i mean. (Those pictures were totally taken after doing some straightening).

Booking Through Thursday: Author's Talking

Do you read any author’s blogs? If so, are you looking for information on their next project? On the author personally? Something else?

I do read author blogs more and more lately! My favorite to read is Melissa Walker's blog! She talks about a lot of great things but my favorite feature is Cover Stories! Where author's tell the stories behind how their covers came to be!

I guess when I read author blogs it's more to find out more about them rather then when say their book is being released. Although it's always fun to hear about a new book coming out as well!

What's your favorite author blog?

Booking Through Thursday: Too Much Information

Have you ever been put off an author’s books after reading a biography of them? Or the reverse - a biography has made you love an author more?

With authors I usually tend not to know much about them (unless they are really well known) besides the little blurb on their book jacket or maybe their tiny bio on their website. So I guess usually I'm not turned off by a bio. It definitely could happen. It happens a lot with actors when they act crazy or have a big ego *coughchristianbalecough* and then I'm instantly put off by them for a few years. I might still see their movies during that time but think about how they acted a fool and are stupid the whole time.

I've definitely wanted to read an author's work based on other things they had done. One great example would be Miranda July. I loved her movie, You Me and Everyone We Know so I just knew I had to read anything she had written (still working on that)...

So I could definitely see it going both ways for me here!

Booking Through Thursday: Inspired

Since “Inspiration” is (or should) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?

I think my reading is inspired by a lot of things. My interests are always growing and changes so that's reflected in my reading. It seems I get really excited about a genre for a year or more and then move onto another (but still remain interested in the rest as well, so I basically go around collecting more genres that are of interest to me) I think the last few genres I started reading were: memoirs, short stories, graphic novels, and now YA.

I'm also inspired by what others are reading and talking about. That's why the book blogosphere is so great! Browsing a bookstore or looking at recommendations online are great too. I also love falling in love with the idea of a book through its cover, hoping the book is as great as the cover.

Usually when I find out about something that I think may be of interest I always look to see if there is a book about that subject matter!

Not sure if that really answers the questions by yeah...

What inspires your reading?

Booking Through Thursday: The Best

It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?

I didn't make a list at the end of 2008/beginning of 2009 because I thought I'd be to hard to pick, but I'm going to try in the spirit of BTT!

Just a  few of my favorites of 2008:

Perfect On Paper by Maria Murnane review

The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik review

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle review

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers review

Violet In Private by Melissa Walker review

These are just a few of my favorites!

What's one of your favorites of 2008?

Booking Through Thursday: New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year, everyone!
So … any Reading Resolutions? Say, specific books you plan to read? A plan to read more ____? Anything at all?
Name me at least ONE thing you’re looking forward to reading this year!

Well after completing my first reading challenge recently I'm gearing up to participate in three more! The 2009 YA Challenge, The 2009 Graphic Novel Challenge, and The 2009 ARC Reading Challenge. I limited the number of challenges I joined to genres that I was hoping to read more of this year (YA and Graphic Novels and ARCs which I've been reading all along) so they would help me along on those goals. I'm definitely going to try and finish these!!!

I love making lists so there is nothing more exciting than being able to check something off a list!

What are your reading goals for 2009?