Thank you to the lovely Litlove for this meme. She came up with a very clever version using quotes, which I’m not even going to attempt.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I generally avoid snacking so I don’t get greasy pawprints on my lovely books. You can’t beat a Victorian potboiler and a G&T, however.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I must confess to the occasional pencil mark in cheap modern reprints of novels. If I didn’t do that, I’d spend most of my pocket money on page flags. I’d never mark an old edition or a particularly treasured tome. I become apoplectic when I see library books with underlining in pen. The culprits should be whipped at the cart’s tail.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?Laying the book flat open?
I never turn down the corners…eek! I tend to rummage in my handbag and find an old receipt or an emery board. I do have a perfectly good selection of bookmarks, but they never seem to be anywhere near my books, for some reason.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both. I tend to favour Victorian fiction (unsurprisingly) and modern non-fiction.
Hard copy or audiobooks?
My attention span is dreadful with audiobooks, although I have enjoyed some of the excellent literary podcasts on librivox.org
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
As an inveterate completer-finisher, I have to read to the end of the chapter.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
If I happen to have a pen and paper, I’ll make a note and look it up afterwards. Otherwise, I tend to go and look it up online and then forget what I was doing in the first place.
What are you currently reading?
Fighting the Air by Florence Marryat, an emotional tale of unintentional bigamy, shipwreck, and the joy of families (bless ’em).
What is the last book you bought?
Facing the Footlights and Phyllida, both by Florence Marryat. She’s the only author whose books I can justify buying at the moment.
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I have to focus on one, otherwise I’d lose track and probably forget which ones I was reading. There also wouldn’t be room in my handbag.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I’d quite happily read all day, but normally snatch some time after breakfast and then a few hours in the evening. My favourite place to read is on the train, as there are few distractions and I can normally gather some momentum.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I always feel a great sense of loss when coming to the end of a book series, so would normally plump for standalone volumes.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I do tend to rattle on about East Lynne and The Diary of a Nobody. Everybody must read them. Immediately.
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
It’s entirely random, I’m afraid, although I’m quite good at remembering where they are. It’s much easier to spend five minutes looking for a book than to find the necessary week to put everything in order.
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I loved your answers – although a wicked part of me would quite like you to response AS IF you were Florence Marryat. What would she have said to dog-earing the corners of her books, for instance? I was also thrilled to see Victorian Secrets off the ground and must read la Marryat myself. Also, I note I haven’t read either East Lynne or The Diary of a Nobody, and must remedy that in the not too distant future!
Hmm, interesting idea, Litlove. Curiously, I don’t think Florence Marryat read a great deal, at least not during her adulthood. She was far too busy writing her 90 odd novels and generally being the family breadwinner. It appears that her abusive first husband used to stand over her and compel her to write faster, then he would pocket the proceeds. Grrr. I’ll confess that East Lynne perhaps isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m sure you’d love The Diary of a Nobody. Florence herself is parodied in it as Florence Singleyet, author of There is No Birth; she actually wrote a book called There is No Death.
I adore Ellen Wood and Diary of a Nobody. Excellent recommendations, both. East Lynne is one of my favorite books but I also loved The Shadow of Ashlydyat and St. Martin’s Eve. Wood is mightily underrated and I once dreamed of writing a proper bio of her (still do, but there are so many books i want to write!)
I will put Florence Marryat on my reading list, she sounds excellent.
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