Day: November 12, 2007

Reading Meme found via Dewey’s.

1. Do you remember learning to read? How old were you? English is not my first language, and I had learned to read in that first language when I was really young, about four or five. I’m illiterate in that language now, but have plans to pick up again. As for English, I learned the alphabet when I was around five. I remember reading small kids books or being read to in grade 1/age six and seven.

2. What do you find most challenging to read? Like Dewey, I find French challenging to read mostly because I never liked French grammar, and I’ve lost all the diction I learned when I was in immersion.

3. What are your library habits? I love my public library even when they sometimes charge me wrongly. I go once a week, on the same day (it’ll rotate next December probably). I request stuff online, and sometimes I browse through Express Reads and new books. Mostly my TBR list is just too long for that.

4. Have your library habits changed since you were younger? I use to go to the library in the summers, and only occasionally during the school year, but starting in high school, I went at least once a week. Sometimes I went twice, just to browse, pick up requested books and dvds, but not to hang out or anything. The library helped get me through high school I think.

5. How has blogging changed your reading life? I’ve been blogging on and off for seven years. It use to be more important to me. This blog has been nice to get me back into reading and discovering some books, but not drastically. I still read a lot less than I did three-four years ago. The reading challenges are really good motivators. I like making lists like that. I also didn’t intend for this blog to be focussed so much on books or expect it would attract the book blog crowd, I’m quite pleased though. Everyone is smart, interesting, and I really don’t have many bibliophile friends. It’s nice knowing about other people who read books like I do.

6. What percentage of your books do you get from: New book stores, second hand book stores, the library, online exchange sites, online retailers, other?  On an average year, I’d say 1-5% is from a new book store because I can’t really afford new books. I don’t really go to second hand book stores, but I do buy bookfair used books. I don’t read them as much as the library books, but I’ll say 20%. I borrow books from friends so that’s another 5-10% sometimes, but it changes. The library has always been my main source of books so it encompasses the remaining 65-75%.

7. How often do you read a book and NOT review it in your blog? What are your reasons for not blogging about books? Sometimes. I just read Slam by Nick Hornby, and I’m not sure when I review it. I also didn’t review The Road last June. I think it comes down to my mood at present, sometimes my lackluster desire to talk about the book because I feel I’d be going in circles or not sure what to write about it.

8. What are your pet peeves about ways people abuse books? Dogearing pages? Reading in the bath? The copy of Rebecca I had from the library had page 311 partially ripped out. It was horrible. I also don’t like when people write notes in library books or do anything to library books. Eating with books is okay, but don’t eat with your mouth over it. Ugh.

9. Do you ever read for pleasure at work? Sometimes I read at school. I have no time to read at work. I use to in my previous jobs.

10. When you give people books as gifts, how do you decide what to give them? Well, I’d like to consider I give them books they would like. I don’t really buy many books fullstop, but I’ve given a bookstore gift certificate before too. There is no shame in a gift certificate in a book store if you know they buy books. Like knitting, I only give books if I know they’ll read, enjoy, and appreciate them or with highly likelihood they would.