chasing bawa

I love questions about reading habits because reading is a solitary pursuit and I like to know what happens behind closed doors. This is a meme I saw on The Reading Life which is just the kind of questionnaire I like.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? Sometimes. Either chocolate or Japanese rice crackers.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? Horrible, horrible thought. I don’t mind other people writing in books, my sister often did, but I can’t physically force myself to do it.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Dog-ears…I know there are lots of people shuddering now as I confess. Recently I have started using the beautiful bookmarks that accompany the Persephone books.

Laying the book flat open? Frequently.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both? Both, although I veer more towards fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks? Hard copy. I have a couple of audio books, but haven’t gotten round to listening to them, even though one of them is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History read by the lady herself.

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 can stop reading at any point. I’ve been trained on the bus and tube.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Never. I always hazard a guess. Sometimes I get it wrong.

What are you currently reading? We Danced All Night: A Social History of Britain During the Wars by Martin Pugh (non-fiction) and A Vein of Deceit by Susanna Gregory (a historical mystery).

What is the last book you bought? Ornament and Silence: Essays on Women’s Lives from Edith Wharton to Germaine Greer by Kennedy Fraser, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and Murder in the Holy City by Simon Beaufort.

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 normally have two or three on the go at any one time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? Sunday mornings in bed, the very last thing at night and on the tube/bus.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? I like both, although I have a weakness for series.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? Recently it’s been Jasper Fforde and Scott Lynch. If I can, I also try and sneak in Donna Tartt.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) By genre or series. Otherwise, it’s an organised mess.