Book Neme 1

[shistavanenjedi]

1. One book that changed your life:
Watership Down...not SF, Fantasy or Horror (unless you’re scared of General Woundwort!). It sounds strange, but it was this book that got me interested in writing. When I first read this book, it was an amazing work of art. After reading it, I just had to write!

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
Rogue Squadron, by Michael A. Stackpole

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Lord of the Rings...perhaps then I’ll finally learn how to understand and write Evish...LOL!

4. One book that made you laugh:
Any book by Simon R. Green. It’s his writing style. Even in his most serious, hardcore SF novel, he writes something that makes me laugh!

5. One book that made you cry:
The Children of Hurin, by Tolkien. So depressing that one...

6. One book that you wish had been written:
A new Rogue Squadron novel (s)...That’s a hint, Mike...

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
The first novel in the Legacy of the Force series...Then we wouldn’t have this pointless undermining of G L’s great work...

8. One book you’re currently reading:
The Good, the Bad and the Undead, by Kim Harrison

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
See my unread (yet!) list on Library Thing. That should give you an idea.

10. Now tag five people:
Bookworm, Big Fatty, Kestrel Kenobi...(and anyone else who reads this journal and comment here if you do!)

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Love all three, though I probably tend to be more of a fantasy fan than horror or Sci-Fi with my books.

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Hardback, because they last longer...but the book has to be worth it to justify the price...

Heinlein or Asimov?
Never heard of Heinlein...

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?

I prefer shops, because you can guarantee that you get it (and that it’s not been second-hand a million times...), but I’ll get them from an independent seller on Amazon if I can’t find them in the shops, or if I can get them cheaper. (An advantage when needing to buy expensive zoology books!)

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Neither. Don’t have Barnes & Noble in the UK as far as I know and Borders don’t have a store where I live. Besides, there’s this lovely independent book shop that specializes in Sci-Fi and Fantasy and get books in that no-one else does. I get mine from there.

Hitchhiker or Discworld?
Never read Hitchhiker and can’t stand the corporate greed surrounding Terry Prachett. Does that answer your question?

Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmarks...Why ruin your books?

Magazine: Asimov's Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
Don’t get them over here...

Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Prefer to alphabetize by author (and stick them in genres...) Easier to find stuff that way. Though the Star Wars books I prefer to keep in chronological order (accept when they’re in hardback)

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep, usually. It’s wasteful to throw books away...If there’s one I really don’t like, then I take it to a charity shop.

Year's Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Years Best SF series (edited by David G. Hartwell)?
Not really read either of them...so no opinion.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep it. What’s the logic in throwing it away.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Remove it. Gets annoying otherwise, and it’s less likely to be damaged.

Short story or novel?
Novels. Short rarely seem to be fleshed out enough for me, and the pacing’s usually wrong. I don’t see the point in short stories being published, unless they’re really exceptional.  

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Neither. Never been inclined to read Lemony Snicket and I don’t like the corporate greed surrounding Harry Potter. Rowling ain’t that great...

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks, usually, otherwise I lose my place. But I stop reading if I’m tired, because I can’t concentrate on it then, and then it makes no sense.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
Both!

Buy or Borrow?
Buy, usually. I don't know anyone who is interested in the same books as me and the library doesn't usually have the books I want...(besides, it takes me ages to read them from the library and I usually don't get round to it.)

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Browse, usually. Go by recommendation and it’s usually what the corporate greedys or the unimaginative want you to buy.

Lewis or Tolkien?
Tolkien. Tolkien was the superior writer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but the rest of the Narnia books don’t really do anything for me. (Besides, the Christian crap in them ruins what otherwise would be nice books...)

Hard SF or Space Opera?
Depends on my mood...

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Depends on the anthology or author. I’ve had good and bad experiences from both types of books. I usually go on whether I’m interested in the subject matter, or if I like one of the authors...

Hugo or Nebula?
Don’t really follow them.

Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
Don’t care either way...Some classics are complete trash and some new stuff should be classics...Read it if you enjoy it, don’t go on what a pompous literature academic says...

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Don’t mind either, really.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
All three...depends on if I have the time.

Standalone or Series?
Series, usually, because that just happens to be the format I buy most of my books in. 

Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
I started off by reading high fantasy, because that’s what was most common when I started reading that genre. I’ve since moved on to urban fantasy, because I like werewolves/supernatural stories. Both have their merits and I’ve seen the good, the bad and the down right ugly of both, so I’m not choosy.

New or used?
New, usually, but I’ll buy it used if it’s out of print, or in good condition and a cheaper price than new...

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Through Wolf’s Eyes, by Jane Lindskold.

Comments

[bookster523.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on the dogear question. It's horrible for the books. I also (respectfully) don't annotate. I've had teachers require us too, and I just can't do it. It ruins the book!

*huggles* I couldn't agree with you more on the Lewis or Tolkien question. Lewis has a lot of stuff I enjoy, but (again, respectfully) I try to avoid learning about the Christian elements. If that works for you, fine, but it ruins the book for me. And in Lewis, there are places where you can't help but notice it.

*goes off to post it in her LJ*

[shistavanenjedi.livejournal.com]

Another pet peeve of mine is people who bend the spine. It's why I don't like buying second-hand books, because people don't always treat them the way they should. I remember getting a Bernard Cornwell book from the library years ago which, when I took it back to the library, it fell apart as the librarian was scanning it back in because of all the damage from people reading it before me. Also I hate it when people take pages out of books...that's so selfish - why not photocopy the page they want?

I've also edited my anwsers as it was late on last night when I did this and I didn't realise I'd not anwsered them...