11.12.09
Booking Through Thursday 11/12
Suggested by JM:
“Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.
That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.
Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?
- Yes! life is way too short to waste time on books you’re forcing yourself to read! I try to give myself a limit. If the book doesn’t grab my interest in at least the first 5 chapters then I’m dropping it. Unless it’s a series that I really like, then I’ll have to force myself to read it. (The only one exception was the Blue Bloods series, which I dropped as if it was a slimy slug on my hand. That series I have no regrets dropping).
I have so many books to read, I can’t afford to waste time on books I don’t like to read 
11.05.09
Booking Through Thursday 11/5
Which do you prefer? Biographies written about someone? Or Autobiographies written by the actual person (and/or ghost-writer)?
- I like both although I’m not much of a biographical reader. When I do, it always has to be something historical to it. No celebrities please. No current people either. I like reading about the past. 
What’s your answer?
10.29.09
Booking Through Thursday 10/29
Suggested by Jennysbooks:
Something I’ve been thinking about lately: “What words/phrases in a blurb make a book irresistible? What words/phrases will make you put the book back down immediately?”
- I don’t really know about the first question. Usually if it’s a quote that stands out I’d keep in mind of where it is and then go back to it and write it down in my book journal. However things that make me put the book down and cast it aside? usually it has something to do with body parts mashed together or getting kissed on, sighs and moans, or body fluids being exchanged. Then I just roll my eyes and the book goes into the donation chute at the library. Usually anything with an animal and “killed brutally” makes me put the book aside too. I like blood and gore, but not to my furry friends. People are ok though we got a billion of those to go around 
unless it’s mass extinction or zombie invasion..then we’re in big trouble. I’m straying from the topic aren’t I?
What’s your answer?
10.22.09
Booking Through Thursday 10/22
If you could ask your favorite author (alive or dead) one question … who would you ask, and what would the question be?
- My question would be to Jane Austen and I would ask her, how she felt with all these Jane Austen spinoffs on the shelves. Would she feel flattered? offended? happy? angry?
10.15.09
Booking Through Thursday 10/15
We’re moving in a couple weeks (the first time since I was 9 years old), and I’ve been going through my library of 3000+ books, choosing the books that I could bear to part with and NOT have to pack to move. Which made me wonder…
When’s the last time you weeded out your library? Do you regularly keep it pared down to your reading essentials? Or does it blossom into something out of control the minute you turn your back, like a garden after a Spring rain?
Or do you simply not get rid of books? At all? (This would have described me for most of my life, by the way.)
And–when you DO weed out books from your collection (assuming that you do) …what do you do with them? Throw them away (gasp)? Donate them to a charity or used bookstore? SELL them to a used bookstore? Trade them on Paperback Book Swap or some other exchange program?
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Weeding books from collection? huh? me? nawwwwwwwww actually I had to a couple of months back, but I gave them to a second hand bookstore. Next time I want to give them away though, I’ll be giving them to the animal shelter thrift store. They help the kitties
Also, depending, especially with my ARC’s and books authors/publishers have given to me to review, once finished I actually save them in a small pile and offer them to a small group of friends and I send them away. The ones leftover, I’m going to give away to the library.
I don’t do the paperback exchange or any swaps, it’s …expensive. You pay a liver and a brain for shipping in Canada. The blood thirsty bastages.
The majority of the books I have are put away in containers waiting for me to open (like a pirate’s treasure chest har har) dust free and all in mint condition. I don’t really like to part with my books unless I don’t like them or I’ve read them and wouldn’t read them again. I get attached to books easily..it’s like giving away a part of my soul…
what’s your answer?
10.01.09
Booking Through Thursday 10/1
Suggested by Monibo:
Saw this article (from March) and thought it would make a good BTT confessional question:
Two-thirds of Brits have lied about reading books they haven’t. Have you? Why? What book?
- Several books come to mind. One was called I Heard the Owl Call my Name by Margaret Craven and the other was Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. Why? those two were the most boring books I read and I HAD to read them at school not to mention do a stupid report on them. So what I did? I gave them to mom and she would read them and tell me what’s going on. Then I just wrote what she told me. Hey, it worked. I passed Even mom thought those two books were boring and it was agony for her to go through it (although that’s what moms do don’t they? they go through punishment for their child) (har har) to make it more funny, some people actually copied from my book report too HAHAHAHAH.
Other than that, those were the only two books I “faked” reading. After that school was a little more nicer and chose better stuff to read like Shakespeare. Now that was fun.
09.24.09
Booking Through Thursday 9/24
What’s the saddest book you’ve read recently?
- I’d have to say, it’ll have to be The Blue Notebook by James Levine. It features the story of a child prostitute in India who was sold by her father. It’s quite bleak and there’s nothing happy about it. Even the ending wasn’t really that happy (albeit, vague).
What’s your answer?
09.17.09
Booking Through Thursday 9/17
What’s the most enjoyable, most fun, most just-darn-entertaining book you’ve read recently?
(Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily mean funny, since we covered that already. Just … GOOD.)
- I would have to say it’ll be The Light of Burning Shadows by Chris Evans. Now THAT was an exciting book. It was an interesting mix of magic and Napoleon era warfare. There was lots of battles, plenty of magic, and even some swashbuckling humor to add to the mix. Think of Richard Sharpe adventures (if you have read them) mixed with fantasy. It’s a great book (even the first one of that series is good too). Pick it up if you feel like having some entertaining action to read.
09.10.09
Booking Through Thursday 9/10
Today’s Booking Through Thursday question is:
What’s the most informative book you’ve read recently?
- It’s a tie between When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman (History) and Contagious by Scott Sigler (Science). The first book has a lot of history that I am not very familiar with and I found myself wanting to look up these characters on Wikipedia to get a feel for who they are and how they played a part in this book. Whether it’s historically accurate I am not sure, but it sure seems like it. I found myself learning a lot about this time period and it’s become a very rewarding experience. Whereas in Contagious there’s a lot of science involved in the book but it’s not complicated or difficult. It’s easily explained with simple examples (as I’m not very scientifically oriented) so you can picture and understand what’s going on there’s hardly any huge scientific words so it’s not as intimidating as you think.
That’s really as informative as I can get! what about you guys?
09.03.09
Booking Through Thursday 9/3
Today’s Booking Through Thursday is:
What’s the biggest book you’ve read recently?
(Feel free to think “big” as size, or as popularity, or in any other way you care to interpret.)
- According to size; right now it’ll have to be The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray it’s a whopping over 800 pages. I’m trudging along though. So far it’s worth the read. Now if you’re talking about big as in popularity I’d say right now The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Anyone else reading a big huge book like me?
