Booking Through Thursday: A Second First Time?

I haven't done a BTT post in a while, but I really liked this week's question, and I'm trying to get back into the blogging habit - graduation is tomorrow night, y'all, and then I have four 10-hour days of post-planning until a summer of blissful freedom! Anyway, this week's question is:

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

Without a doubt, one book I wish I could go back and read again for the first time is Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. I was spoiled for this one because I actually saw the movie first. My (then-) boyfriend Max read the book first, then convinced me to get a copy, and my love for Chuck was kindled. If you've never read the book or seen the movie, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I would even go so far as to say that the book is a better version, although the movie is amazing. Shirtless Brad Pitt is a big plus. There's a big twist in the end that makes you go, "Whaaaa?" The book's ending is a bit more ambiguous (and creepy) and I would love to discover it anew all over again.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out btt for more opinions.

Sunday Salon 25 January 2009

Good morning, fellow Saloners! This hasn't been a really productive reading week for me (although I did finish The Last Days of Dogtown and Jane Austen in Scarsdale). I did, however, clean my apartment. I've also been working on my 101 Things list, I started a new diet - and I've already lost a few pounds! The new diet means my next few Recipe Tuesday posts will probably be kinda boring for everyone else, but I've really enjoyed the recipes I've found and the foods I've been eating. After I finish updating and making the blog rounds, I'll be reading The Willoughbys, which I won a month or two ago from Chris. It's a pretty slim book, so I hope I'll be able to get pretty far into it today. I still have several books to review from last year, so I'll be taking a lesson from some other blogs I've been reading a posting mini-reviews throughout the week.

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This week's Booking Through Thursday question(s):

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

My reading is mostly inspired by authors I enjoy already (Gaiman, Fforde, Austen, Palahniuk, Chabon) and by recommendations from friends and fellow book bloggers. When I was younger, my reading was inspired by my dad - he was a big sci-fi geek (he's the one who named me after a character in Dune), which made me want to read the books he had enjoyed. I just wish he had been around to discuss them with...but reading his favorite books helped me feel closer to him.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out btt for more opinions.

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This week's Weekly Geeks challenge deals with classic literature. I'm going to talk about question #1:

How do you feel about classic literature? Are you intimidated by it? Love it? Not sure because you never actually tried it? Don't get why anyone reads anything else? Which classics, if any, have you truly loved? Which would you recommend for someone who has very little experience reading older books? Go all out, sell us on it!

Being an English major, I adore the classics. My favorite classic lit author is definitely Jane Austen. I love the wit and social commentary in her novels, not to mention the romance and happy endings. I also really relate to her and her characters, especially Emma Woodhouse.

One of the best things I did during my undergrad was taking a "Spirit of Place in British Literature" class during the summer. We read a bunch of classic novels set in England, Scotland, and Wales, and then spent two weeks traveling around the country, finding the places mentioned in the books. I loved walking on the Cobb in Lyme Regis (the same place Louisa Musgrove fell in Persuasion!) and climbing Arthur's Seat (where the narrator or Confessions of a Justified Sinner sees God); having read about them beforehand made the experience even better. So my love of classic literature is kind of wrapped up in that trip as well.

Other authors I really like: Dickens (especially A Tale of Two Cities), Thomas Hardy, the Romantic and Lake poets (Byron, Keats, Shelly, Wordsworth, Coleridge), and, of course, Shakespeare.

What about you? How do you feel about classic literature?

Sunday Salon 18 January 2009 - Catching Up

Good morning afternoon, fellow Saloners! This week's post will be a little longer than normal, as I'm trying to cram a whole bunch of stuff into one post. I'm also participating in Carl's Out of This World Mini-Challenge, and will need to spend a little time today reading some sci-fi short stories. I already have a few picked out...

First up, I got an award! Laza has given me the Premios Dardo Award!

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

This is a big honor, and I'm really excited about it. The fifteen that I'm passing it on to are:

1. Ali from worducopia
2. Veens from Giving Reading a Chance
3. Susan from Plays With Needles
4. Eva from A Striped Armchair
5. Nymeth from things mean a lot
6. Care from Care's Online Book Club
7. Andi from Tripping Toward Lucidity
8. Alex from Daemonwolf Books
9. Florinda from The 3 R's
10. Vasilly from 1330V
11. Bethany from B&b ex libris
12. Chris from Book Notes
13. Joanne from Book Zombie
14. Jill from Fizzy Thoughts
15. J. Kaye from J. Kaye's Book Blog

If I missed you, I'm really, really sorry. There are dozens of blogs that I read and love (I just updated my blogroll - check out some of the new arrivals!) but I didn't have enough room to list them all here. Next time, I promise! :)

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Next, I'm going to take a page from Florinda and start combining my weekly posts. This means that TSS, BTT, and WG will all be in one post, published on Sunday. Hooray for time-saving! This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:

* What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love?
* Why?
* And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them?

My absolute favorite singer/songwriter is Jennifer Nettles. Her song "Casual Dread" (which you can listen to on her website) was the inspiration for this blog's name. I've been a fan of hers for almost 10 years now (!), and although I prefer her older, folky-acoustic rock to her newer alt-country style, her lyrics have always been great. A lot of her songs focus on love and spirituality, and they're all great for rolling down your windows and singing along really loudly.
I also really like the lyrics (and music) of Indigo Girls. (Just so you know, I do listen to more than just Georgia-grown female alterna-folk-rock artists.) They have a bunch of great song lyrics, including "Closer to Fine" ("I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper / And I was free."), "It's Alright" ("It seems easier to push than to let go and trust but it's alright."), "Leeds" ("I crave inertia every move made so I can stop / Whatever this madness is in me spinning like a top on a bed of anxiety / over a deep dark drop down into nothingness into withoutyouness."), I could go on and on. And the music that goes along with the lyrics is just amazing.

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This week's Weekly Geeks challenge is a few questions:

For those who have been with the group, either from the start or joined within recent months, what does being a member mean to you? What do you enjoy about the group? What are some of your more memorable Weekly Geeks that we might could do again? What could be improved as we continue the legacy that Dewey gave us?

For those just joining us, why did you sign up for Weekly Geeks? What would you like to see here?

The best thing I get out of Weekly Geeks (beside all the great reading suggestions) is the community and sense of camaraderie. I love the tasks that have us going to new blogs and making new friends. I can't really think of a way that Weekly Geeks could be improved - I'm just glad that's it's still around! My favorite past WG tasks and the ones I would like to do again are: #17 (I want a chance to actually complete this one!), #23, #24 (I liked reading interesting facts about lesser-known authors), and #26.


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Finally, I'm going to leave you with a few fun links and one hilarious video:
* Can you name the Weasleys in two minutes? Silly question, I know...
* Free e-books: The Ruins of Gorlan and Coraline
* Obama-ize yourself
* KNiiTTiiNG!!, Wii-style


Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Booking Through Thursday: New Year's Resolutions

Today's Booking Through Thursday question(s):

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!

I actually have 101 resolutions, because I'm participating in the 101 things to do in 1001 days challenge. Several of the tasks I've chosen involve reading, including banned books, cook books, and craft books. I've also started my own reading challenge, so of course I'll be reading lots of Neil Gaiman this year!

But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out btt for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Wintery Books

Today's Booking Through Thursday question(s):

What I want to know today is … what are the most “wintery” books you can think of? The ones that almost embody Winter?

My new "wintery" book would definitely have to be Let It Snow, by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle (review coming soon!); it's actually three books in one, and they all revolve around a snowy night in a small mountain town. As Simple as Snow, by Gregory Galloway, also takes place partly during the winter, and it also has "snow" in the title. Another book that reminds me of winter, strange as it may seem, is Jane Austen's Emma. There's some pretty important scenes in the book that take place during and after a gathering in the wintertime. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now. :)

But you don't have to take my word for it. Visit btt for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Time is of the Essence

Today's Booking Through Thursday question(s):

1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read?

2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?

I definitely don't get to read as much as I would like to, at least not right now. Thankfully, this semester will be finished in a little over a week and I will have two glorious weeks of reading freedom. There are so many books I want to read; that's partly why I join so many challenges, so push myself and also to be introduced to new books and authors. I enjoy comfort reading (when I have the time) and I do have a few back-issues of Marie Claire that I need to get to. What I really miss, though, are comic books. I used to be able to pick up my new comics every Wednesday, but now that I live in the middle of nowhere, with no nearby LCBS (local comic book shop), they're really hard to come by.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Visit btt for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: 5 for Favorites

Today's Booking Through Thursday question(s):

1. Do you have a favorite author?

2. Have you read everything he or she has written?

3. Did you LIKE everything?

4. How about a least favorite author?

5. An author you wanted to like, but didn’t?

My absolute favorite author is Jane Austen. I've read all of her published novels and her three unfinished ones, but not her juvenile fiction (although I would love to get my hands on it someday). I enjoyed all of her novels, and I wish Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sandition had been completed because I'm sure I would've liked them as well. As fragments, they're not bad.

I don't have a least favorite author. There are a few books I've read that I didn't really enjoy (one of the Op Center novels by Tom Clancy - I can't even remember which one it was!) and others that I was just sort of "meh" about (The Ruins). I haven't bothered to read anything else by those authors, but that's more because I stick to what I like rather than out of any sort of active dislike. So there's not really an author I wanted to like, but didn't, either. Although I really wanted to like The Last Temptation of Christ, which I started reading for the 1% Well-Read Challenge, but I just had to stop. I loved the movie, but the book just wasn't holding my attention. I'll probably try and read it again some other time, but for right now, I'm giving up on it.

But you don't have to take my word for. Visit btt for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Thankful

Today's Booking Through Thursday question:

Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.
Now, you may have noticed that the global economy isn’t exactly doing well. There’s war. Starvation. All sorts of bad, scary things going on.
So–just for today–how about sharing 7 things that you’re thankful for?
This can be about books, sure–authors you appreciate, books you love, an ode to your public library–but also, how about other things, too? Because in times like these, with bills piling up and disaster seemingly lurking around every corner, it’s more important than ever to stop and take stock of the things we’re grateful for. Family. Friends. Good health (I hope). Coffee and tea. Turkey. Sunshine. Wagging tails. Curling up with a good book.
So, how about it? Spread a little positive thinking and tell the world what there is to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for:
1. My family. I love spending holiday time with them. This is the first year my sister (the newlywed) is getting to host Thanksgiving, so I came down yesterday to "help" (i.e., play with my nephew and watch her clean). Mom's coming later, and then we're having a big dinner with both families (us and Sis' in-laws). Should be interesting...
2. Literacy. I love reading, and I love writing. I'm thankful that I can do these things, and I'm thankful that I can help others do these as well. Which leads me to...
3. My job. I love being a teacher. I've had some crap jobs - retail clothing store sales associate, dishwasher, grocery store deli clerk - so it's great to finally be doing something that 1) utilizes my degree, and 2) makes me happy. Especially in the current economic climate.
4. My friends. These guys pretty much fall under #1, too, but they can have their own category as well. My roommate is great (and keeps us well-stocked with baked goods), my fellow teachers are a wonderful support system, and my non-teaching friends are always there when I need them. My blogging friends rule, too; it's nice to know that someone besides me actually reads these missives and gets something out of them. :)
5. Technology. Seriously, where would we be without the Internet, iPods, cellphones, digital cameras, etc? I take my Nintendo DS with me everywhere!
6. C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine. I am addicted to this stuff. It's amazing. I actually have, like, 10 different flavors in my bathroom right now (there was a sale not too long ago, and I stocked up) and I always have at least one in my purse. Yum!
7. Last but not least, tofurkey! Or just tofu in general, I suppose. I don't eat meat, but I love having something to sink my teeth into while sitting around the table.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out Booking Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Why Buy?

Today's Booking Through Thursday question:

I’ve asked, in the past, about whether you more often buy your books, or get them from libraries. What I want to know today, is, WHY BUY?

Even if you are a die-hard fan of the public library system, I’m betting you have at least ONE permanent resident of your bookshelves in your house. I’m betting that no real book-lover can go through life without owning at least one book. So … why that one? What made you buy the books that you actually own, even though your usual preference is to borrow and return them?

If you usually buy your books, tell me why. Why buy instead of borrow? Why shell out your hard-earned dollars for something you could get for free?

As much as I love my local library, it is woefully tiny and inadequately stocked for my reading needs. I do check out books - usually YA fiction or books I've heard about but am not positive I'll enjoy - but the majority of my books come from purchases. I think I've pretty much broken it down into three categories:
1. Books I know I'll love and want to read again. These are usually books by authors that I enjoy (Jane Austen, Chuck Palahniuk, Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman) or graphic novels (Y: The Last Man, Fables, Sandman).
2. Books that I get super-cheap or as part of a gimmicky promotion. "Buy 2 Get 1 Free," Friends of the Library sale, the discount bin at Waldenbooks...
3. Books that I really want to read, but can't get from a friend/the library/BookMooch/BookCrossing. Sometimes these lead me to new books for category #1, and sometimes they are just a Big Mistake and end up being BookCrossed/BookMooched/donated/given away.

It seems insane to essentially waste money on books, but I can't help myself! They aren't that expensive, especially when compared to video games (another one of my passions), and I do try to get a deal on them when I do buy.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Visit Booking Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Conditioning

Today's Booking Through Thursday question:

Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?

I actually don't have an absolute on this. My books that I've re-read over and over (the Harry Potter series, anything by Jane Austen) are pretty rough-looking, although I prefer to think of them as "well-loved." A friend of mine once saw my copy of HPATPOA (my favorite HP book, and thus the raggediest of the lot) and almost had a conniption. I have some books that stay pretty pristine (usually hardbacks), but on the whole my books take a little wear-and-tear. Some of them even have - *gasp* - writing in them, a habit I got into in college. The only books I refuse to deface in any way are library books, because that's unfair to other readers.

Booking Through Thursday: Coupling

I'm still trying to get caught up from the Read-a-thon; I have tons of reviews and a long overdue wrap-up post to write, but those are going to have to wait until after I finish grading this week's assignments and get my lesson plans under control. For the record: tenth graders find Julius Caesar incredibly boring, until you start comparing it to Mean Girls. It's amazing how easy it is to compare Ancient Rome to Modern Day High School.

Today's Booking Through Thursday question is:

“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like–sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’s just me.”

As a Jane Austen fanatic, I'm sure I'm supposed to name Elizabeth and Darcy or Emma and Knightley, but my favorite literary couple is actually Lady Jessica and Leto Atreides from Dune. Sure, the relationship itself doesn't last long - I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it and might possibly in the future - but the love between them endures to the final line of the book. She even gives him a son because she knows how happy it will make him. And he never even legitimizes their relationship! Which probably has something to do with my supremely screwed up ideas on marriage...

But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out Booking Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Book Meme

Today's Booking Through Thursday question is actually a meme. Here goes:

What was the last book you bought?

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao for me, and a bunch of books from the Scholastic Book Club for my classroom.

Name a book you have read MORE than once:

Oh, there are several. All of Jane Austen's novels; the Harry Potter series (I reread each previous book before a new one came out, in addition to rereading whenever the mood struck); Dune, by Frank Herbert; and several YA novels that I rediscovered when I moved. I'm sure there are others - I love rereading. It's like reconnecting with an old friend.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Two books immediately come to mind: Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn and Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

Some authors I always buy, no matter what (Chuck Palahniuk, Jasper Fforde, Neil Gaiman). Other books I buy because the summary sounds interesting, I like the cover, or because someone whose opinion I trust has recommended it to me.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Fiction. It's fun to lost myself in a completely different world.

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

I think plot comes first. Look at the Twilight series. That's not great writing (the smoldering looks! the passionate, all-consuming love!) but the story is intriguing. I'm reading a book right now with so many commas splices, I'm tempted to take my Big Red Pen to it (but I refrain, because it's a library book). It's distracting, but the plot is interesting enough to make up for it.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Emma Woodhouse! I see so much of myself in her, and I love that she's not perfect.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?



...and a few more I've added since I took this picture.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

The last book I finished was Breakfast at Tiffany's two weeks ago. I'm currently reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Once and Future King, and ... I think that might be it. I hope.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

I have, but I can't remember what it was now. That's how great and memorable it was.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out Book Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Well, That Was Different!

Today's question(s):

What was the most unusual (for you) book you ever read? Either because the book itself was completely from out in left field somewhere, or was a genre you never read, or was the only book available on a long flight… whatever? What (not counting school textbooks, though literature read for classes counts) was furthest outside your usual comfort zone/familiar territory?

And, did you like it? Did it stretch your boundaries? Did you shut it with a shudder the instant you were done? Did it make you think? Have nightmares? Kick off a new obsession?

For me, that book was definitely Op Center: State of Seize, by Tom Clancy. I am not a fan of formulaic action-adventure books, but this one was a Book Crossing book that I found in the wild and picked up on a whim. I ended up being between books one day and grabbed it to have something to read on my lunch break at work. I got through it pretty quickly (it was fast-paced and an easy read), but I don't think I'll be reading any more. I just didn't really care about the characters - Clancy seemed to take it for granted that I had read his previous books and would be familiar with the huge cast, which was not the case. The story also shifted around several times; there were multiple p.o.v.s and settings, which I found confusing. So, I did make it through that one, but it did not turn me into a Clancy-convert.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Visit Booking Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Gold Medal Reading

Today's question has two parts:

First:
* Do you or have you ever read books about the Olympics? About sports in general?
* Fictional ones? Or non-fiction? Or both?
And, Second:
* Do you consider yourself a sports fan?
* Because, of course, if you’re a rabid fan and read about sports constantly, there’s a logic there; if you hate sports and never read anything sports-related, that, too … but you don’t have to love sports to enjoy a good sports story.
* (Or a good sports movie, for that matter. Feel free to expand this into a discussion about “Friday Night Lights” or “The Natural” or whatever…)

I don't believe I have ever read a book about sports, aside from a BSC book involving the Krushers or that one where Jessi competed in a synchronized swimming event. I'm sure I've read books where sports have been involved in the story, but none that were exclusively about sports or the Olympics. I'm not really a sports fan in general, but I LOVE hockey. I don't really have a desire to read about it, though; I just enjoy watching it. I like baseball, too, and my boyfriend is trying to get me to watch "real" football (meaning soccer - he's Latino), but I just can't get that into it. I'm not that into sports movies, either, aside from The Mighty Ducks series (just the first two, though) and Bring It On (if you want to consider cheerleading a sport). Oh, well.

You don't have to take my word for it. Visit Booking Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Endings

Today's Yesterday's question:

What are your favourite final sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its last sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the last line?

My answer for this week is going to be pretty similar to last week's; I've read several books with memorable final lines, but I base my opinion of the book on the whole thing, rather than just the beginning or ending. I will say, though, that I have read quite a few books that were just okay and managed to earn a good rating with a really great ending. I think because it's the last impression we have of a book, it tends to stick with us longer.

Some of my favorite final lines:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." - A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." - Animal Farm, George Orwell

"Winston loved Big Brother." - 1984, George Orwell

"Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south, south-east, east..." - Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

"'Think on it, Chani: that princess will have the name, yet she'll live as less than a concubine - never to know a moment of tenderness from the man to whom she's bound. While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine - history will call us wives.'" - Dune, Frank Herbert

Booking Through Thursday: Beginnings

Today's Yesterday's question:

What are your favourite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its first sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the first line?

I generally don't pay much attention to first lines - it usually takes me more than a few lines to get into a story, so even if the opening doesn't grab me, I'll still give it a few pages before I put it aside. So I don't have any books that I liked (or disliked) specifically because of their opening lines. I do have a few opening lines that I enjoy, though:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." - Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." - 1984, George Orwell

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." - The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

BoingBoing has a link to an article about great first lines in sci-fi novels. It's very interesting, and well worth a look.

Booking Through Thursday: Vacation Spots

Today's Booking Through Thursday question:

Another question inspired by the Bunch of Grapes on Martha’s Vineyard having burned down on the Fourth of July. Do you buy books while on vacation/holiday? Do you have favorite bookstores that you only get to visit while away on a trip? What/Where are they?

One of my new favorite vacation traditions is buying a cookbook featuring the cuisine of the place I'm visiting. I love to cook, and it's fun to remember a vacation by eating like I'm still there. I also like to check out books by local authors - bookstores will usually have a special section, just for them. Reading about the places I visit is also fun - I talked about this during the FBN's Summer Reading Extravaganza.
I also like to check out Friends of the Library sales where ever I go. Some smaller towns may not have bookstores (or may just have the huge chains that you can find anywhere), and I like to support libraries. It's also interesting to see what people in a certain area enjoy reading about. There are two libraries near my little town, for example, and the reading materials available at both differ widely.
One of the best bookstores I ever found while on vacation was in England. I can't remember the name of the shop, but it was in Dorchester. Every "classic" book was available for 50p - about 75 cents at the time (now about $1 or so). I bought so many books that trip, I was worried I might need another suitcase just to get them all home!

But you don't have to take my word for it. Visit Booking Through Thursday for more opinions.

Booking Through Thursday: Doomsday

Today's Booking Through Thursday question:

What would you do if, all of a sudden, your favorite source of books was unavailable?
Whether it’s a local book shop, your town library, or an internet shop … what would you do if, suddenly, they were out of business? Devastatingly, and with no warning? Where would you go for books instead? What would you do? If it was a local business you would try to help out the owners? Would you just calmly start buying from some other store? Visit the library in the next town instead? Would it be devastating? Or just a blip in your reading habit?

I have five book suppliers that I rely on: my local library (both for borrowing and purchasing, from the Friends of the Library sale), online retailers (I was using Amazon, but have recently switched over to Powell's), book swap sites (BookCrossing and Book Mooch), Waldenbooks (which is kinda far away, so I only go when I have a special order called in), and Wal-Mart (an unfortunately necessary evil when you live in the middle of nowhere).

The one that would devastate me the most by going out of business would probably be BookCrossing. I have so many books registered on that site, and I love seeing where they go and who else reads them. I've also used it to send books all over the place; last year I sent a box of books to a guy down in Brazil to help him build up a library. BookCrossing is unique, and I don't know what I'd do if it suddenly went under. I don't really invest any money in it right now (I can't really afford to buy labels, so I just print off my own), but if I knew the owners were having trouble I would find money from somewhere to help them out. That site is wonderful!

I would also be upset if Waldenbooks disappeared on me. There are NO bookstores in this area, so when I discovered that store (30 - 45 minutes away), I was overjoyed. It's on the way to the university I was attending last year, which made it convenient to shop there. Now, though (with gas prices the way they are), I can only go if I'm running a few errands in that area. I love the people at the store. They hosted a Harry Potter book 7 release party at midnight the day the book came out, give a discount to teachers, special order anything I want, and are just generally nice and knowledgeable. It's a smaller store (in a really tiny mall), so that probably helps. They already get a lot of my money, but I'd be willing to spend more if I needed to.

My county library is really small, and they usually don't have the best selection of books. Special ordering from other libraries takes way too much time; I had to wait so long for a copy of The Devil Wears Prada that I ended up just buying it at a grocery store and kicking myself for spending the $6 after I finished. There's another library in the next county over (which is, like, 15 minutes away), and even though I can't check out books from there, I could still buy from the FotL without any problems. So that wouldn't be too bad. Same goes for my online suppliers; if they were to go under, I could probably find another one to use without a second thought. Not interacting with a real person makes it harder to feel loyalty to a company.

Last but not least, Wal-Mart. In all honesty, if the Wal-Mart in my town were to go out of business, I don't think I would care. They provide a lot of jobs for the people around here, but their customer service sucks and the book selection is pitiful. I usually go there for the latest YA fiction, because it's super cheap and I don't have to go very far.

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Booking Through Thursday: Definition

Today's Booking Through Thursday question:

What, in your opinion, is the definition of a “reader.” A person who indiscriminately reads everything in sight? A person who reads BOOKS? A person who reads, period, no matter what it is? … Or, more specific? Like the specific person who’s reading something you wrote?

This is a really hard question. At first, I'm tempted to say that a person who reads, no matter what they read, is a reader. But I think it goes a bit deeper than that. In my education classes, we stressed the importance of encouraging students to read and take on the label of reader. We encouraged that with anything school-related, actually - at the Early College, if a student self-identified as a "Mathematician," they were heaped with praise. Sounds silly, right? But it worked! So, considering this from an educator standpoint, I would say that anyone who self-identifies as a reader, would be a reader.

Also, I don't think readers of books are the only people who can be "readers." I consider reading comic books or graphic novels a form of visual literacy. I had a friend in college who was equally adept at studying physics, music, and creative writing because he could "read" equations and compositions as easily as a short story. Does that make him a super-reader? Probably. Years ago, I read a kid's book called Sixth Grade Sleepover. One of the characters couldn't read, but she faked it by listening to audiobooks and trying to follow along with the words. Does that make her a non-reader? (That's probably not the best example, honestly, because she vows to learn how to read at the end of the book, but it was the best I could come up with. The point is, audiobooks are still books, and they are most definitely a form of reading.)

Like I said, it's a difficult and interesting question. The English major in me is insisting that only novel readers and lovers should be considered readers, but the teacher in me wants to encourage everyone to consider themselves a reader. Any other thoughts?

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