Some Bookish Questions: Another Round

I saw this at It All Starts With a Book and although I remember doing this last year, I thought I would also do this again as it looks interesting.  Besides, once I am finished, I am going to take a look at last year's answers and see what has changed.  Knowing my reading habits, I am sure very little has changed as I am very much a creature of habit.  If anything, it would be my book buying habits.

Let's take a look and see how I am doing now as a reader, shall we?





Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:
I am a sunflower seed addict, and tend to only eat them when I read.  I am trying to break the habit, but it hasn't been easy.  Otherwise, I don't really need to eat anything else while reading.  I don't tend to eat anything when using my ereader as I'm afraid to spill anything on it.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
I usually drink water, and maybe a Diet Rootbeer.  I always have a cup of Chamomile Tea before going to bed though as I find it relaxes me.  I usually read while drinking the tea; it's a nightly ritual.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I'll mark ARCs if I know I am not giving them away, but otherwise I don't usually tend to mark them up unless I see a quote that is just too good to pass up.  I'm not a purist by any means, but because I usually give them away, it's hard for someone else to read them if they're all marked up.  If I know I am keeping them, then no problem.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I'll use whatever is laying around.  As I have kids, I can usually find something to keep my place, whether it's a pencil, pen, toy, whatever will stay in the book.  The kids have been trained not to pull anything they find in any of my books without asking first, or by substituting something else.  They've learned over the years.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I read pretty much anything and everything, except westerns as I don't like them.  As I think about it, I'm not really interested in Erotica either.  Anything else is game!!

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
With two children, I can stop anywhere.  It's never really been a problem.  I actually find it easier to stop in the middle of the chapter as the end sometimes makes me want to keep reading, you know?

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
I have never thrown a book across the room or on the floor, other than a textbook and for different reasons, although I have been sorely tempted.  Karen Marie Moning's Fever series certainly tried my patience and I know I definitely felt that way when I read The Plains of Passage by Jean Auel.  It was knowing how long I'd have to wait until the next book came out before finding out what happened.  Other books like Book 7 of The Wheel of Time just tried my patience, period.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Never.  I am not a person who is does what she preaches to her students.  The only time I look things up in the dictionary is when I'm helping my kids with their homework and I have to, or when I'm looking up obscure words my students used in their essays and have never seen before and am not sure they even exist except in their own universe.  My ereader has a built-in dictionary and I haven't even opened it up.  I will however, encourage my children to use it.  I've always been strong in literature, spelling, and comprehension, so have never needed to use one.

What are you currently reading?
I am reading Chime, Blue, Always A Witch, Tempted by Fate, and The Agency: The Body at the Tower.

What is the last book you bought?
I am on a book buying ban so the last book I bought, Delcroix Academy: The Candidates, was in December.  It hasn't been as hard as I thought.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I have never read one book at a time in my life.  I wouldn't even know how to do that.  As you can see by the above list, I have five on the go at the moment.  Consider it learned at my mother's feet.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
Not really.  I can read anywhere, anytime.  I never leave the house without a book and can and will pull out a book wherever I am waiting.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
It doesn't matter.  Sometimes I get frustrated by series as they go on forever.  Sometimes they are like old friends you can revisit and feel comfortable with. 

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
I always recommend Jean M. Auel, Cassandra Clare, Anne Perry,

How do you organize your books? I don't really have a system for organizing my books other than the fact I have a specific bookshelf for review books so they don't get mixed up with books I've purchased.  Review books are put in a specific order so I know which ones I have to review next.  As both my husband and I are constantly pulling other books off the shelf, there is no organized system for our other books, although I've been wanting to do it for a long time.  I do tend to have a separate section for non-fiction books, and for my school stuff though.