Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
Book Preference Meme

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?

I've gotten away from horror--I am more easily creeped out nowadays compared to my youth. Stephen King is still aces in my book though--his last collection of short stories was brilliant. I don't like hard science fiction, the kind I call Technology Porn, but I don't mind a good fantasy once in awhile as long as there are no fairies or dragons. And I really don't like Tolkien-esque stuff. There has to be humor. And time-travel; it's been awhile since I've read a bad or uninteresting time-travel story.

Hardback or Trade paperback or Mass market paperback?

I prefer hardcovers in general--the print is better and the book is easier to handle. Paperbacks are good for travel, though, but the print is often small and/or hard to read.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?

I try to stop at my local indy bookstore as often as possible, but sometimes Amazon is the way to go for random reasons.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?

Uhm, I always liked Borders better, but they are long gone. I own a Nook, so I do send money the BN way regularly.

Bookmark or Dog-ear?

I usually bookmark since I'm usually reading library books. If it's my own, however, whatever it takes! :-)

Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?

I liked Asimov's mysteries better than his SF. I prefer Fantastic SF, I guess.

Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title, or Random?

Arranged by subject then alpha by author/main entry. At least that's the theory ... more realistically, though, everything's higgledy-piggledy on my shelves.

Keep, Throw away or Sell?

I donate a lot to the library's booksale (unless they are ruined in which case I throw them away!!), or to the library's shelves, for that matter.

Keep dust-jacket or Toss it?

I often remove it on my own books while reading, but I keep it for later.

Read with dustjacket or Remove it?

Oops, see above.

Short story or Novel?

I like both. I work with a couple of people who can't stand short stories. I don't understand that.

Stop reading when tired or at Chapter breaks?

I stop wherever these days.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time?”

I'm not much of a believer in happily ever after, so I'll go with dark-and-stormy.

Buy or Borrow?

Over 90% of what I read is borrowed.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?

Yes. All of the above. I don't have any kind of methodical system for this. I read reviews for work--that's part of my job!--and I read Book Marks magazine for (mostly) myself. And of course we librarians tend to be full of advice about books to read.

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?

Either way works for me.

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?

Not too tidy, please, but I do want some sort of resolution.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?

Hmmm. I guess I don't do that much morning reading. I read at bedtime or at least in the evening a lot. Afternoon, sometimes.

Standalone or Series?

I have dozens of series I try to keep up with, but I like a good standalone just fine too.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?

"Nobody"?? Not really. I love the series set in Colorado by R.E. Derouin. It's self-published but he absolutely NAILS the town in which it's set. I also like The Book of Ruth and The Thirteenth Tale and Glass Soup, none of which were enormously well-known.

Favorite genre series?

As I said, there are dozens. I like Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky, Nevada Barr, J.A. Jance, Bill Pronzini, Lawrence Block, Diana Gabaldon, old Robert Parker....those are the ones that spring immediately to mind.

Currently Reading?

ebooks: The Bone Garden (Gerritsen), Stuff Matters (Miodownik) [both on Nook], and Back on Murder (Bertrand) [on my phone]
audiobook: The Naming of the Dead (Rankin)
hardcovers: Trespasser (Doiron), Jesus (Martin), and Ready Player One (Cline) [at work]