55 reading questions
Thursday, 12 March 2015 17:59![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
temporalyFound here through Google, taken from here, but originally from a deleted blog.
1. Favourite childhood book?
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. Honourable mentions (fiction) to A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones and Sabriel by Garth Nix. Honourable mention (non-fiction) to the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series. Disclosure that I hardly remember any details of these now. Additional disclosure that I read so much old Nancy Drew when I was around 10, and what I can remember is that a type of rat poison tastes like peanut butter, and I did a book report on this (kinda Orientalist, iirc) one about an ivory charm.
2. What are you reading right now?
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick.
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
Nothing now.
4. Bad book habit?
Buying new books while I still have books I haven't read.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Just an e-reader app on my smartphone. I used it to read the Sherlock Holmes and Raffles (by E.W. Hornung) canons, and The Machine of Death (edited by Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, and David Malki).
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
For non-fiction I sometimes read several, but I prefer one at a time for fiction/narratives.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I made a supposed reading blog on Wordpress years ago, but reviewed a grand total of 2 books. I think it's a no.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)? & 10. Favourite book you’ve read this year?
Er. What I've finished reading this year:
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not often? The genres I tend to be reluctant to read are hard/high SFF, horror, romance, legal/medical/whatever dramas/pulp thrillers, and very post-modern stuff (at least not for leisure reading). More specifically, I'm not into gratuitous sexual content. What I'd consider gratuitous isn't necessarily explicit, and depends on the book, and what I've heard about the author's work (*cough*Xanthisn'tonmyto-readlist*cough*).
I didn't say "never" because despite turning down friends' Jodi Picoult and Frederick Forsyth recommendations, not touching LoTR/Stephen King/Nicholas Sparks/James Patterson/Gravity's Rainbow, I took up Eragon (well, I learnt it wasn't for me) and Barbara Cartland recommendations (Ola and the Sea Wolf, in large print!). Glad I forgot the details.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Terry Pratchett. Soft/low SFF. Not-too-gimmicky pop-science and non-fiction.
13. Can you read on the bus?
Not for long, I get motion sickness and my balance is embarrassing when standing. Same in cars. But on the train, I can.
14. Favourite place to read?
At home, sitting on a chair or on my bed.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
If I like/need the book: sure, if I trust the person. If I don't like/need the book: sure!
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? & 18. Not even with text books?
I once wrote a note in pencil on the first page of a book I gifted an acquaintance (inviting them to erase it if they didn't like my writing), and highlighted and I think wrote a couple of things in The Bridge to Terabithia when I studied it in school. I try to avoid writing in textbooks, but I've done it.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
English, but only because I am a filthy almost-monoglot.
20. What makes you love a book?
I like works, not just books, that impress me but don't sound too arrogant. So that could be in terms of writing style, structure, and research. I like books that teach in a non-patronising way. I like books that are interesting, that keep me thinking about them and things explored in them and wanting to re-read them. I love books that stay at the top of my mind even with all the others I read, regardless of name-drop prestige.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
Eragon and Ola and the Sea Wolf have taught me the importance of a recipient knowing the tastes of the person recommending the book, and vice versa. If I read a book and think someone I know might like it, I'd recommend it.
22. Favourite genre?
A wide interpretation of the SFF umbrella?
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)?
Historical fiction and fiction/non-fiction that was contemporary when it was written but is now considered historical/classic.
24. Favourite biography?
I've only read 4 biographies/autobiographies:
1. Favourite childhood book?
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. Honourable mentions (fiction) to A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones and Sabriel by Garth Nix. Honourable mention (non-fiction) to the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series. Disclosure that I hardly remember any details of these now. Additional disclosure that I read so much old Nancy Drew when I was around 10, and what I can remember is that a type of rat poison tastes like peanut butter, and I did a book report on this (kinda Orientalist, iirc) one about an ivory charm.
2. What are you reading right now?
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick.
3. What books do you have on request at the library?
Nothing now.
4. Bad book habit?
Buying new books while I still have books I haven't read.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Nothing.
6. Do you have an e-reader?
Just an e-reader app on my smartphone. I used it to read the Sherlock Holmes and Raffles (by E.W. Hornung) canons, and The Machine of Death (edited by Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, and David Malki).
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
For non-fiction I sometimes read several, but I prefer one at a time for fiction/narratives.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I made a supposed reading blog on Wordpress years ago, but reviewed a grand total of 2 books. I think it's a no.
9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)? & 10. Favourite book you’ve read this year?
Er. What I've finished reading this year:
- Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
- Strata by Terry Pratchett
- Linguistics: A Graphic Guide by R.L. Trask and Bill Mayblin
- Get People to Do What You Want by Gregory Hartley and Maryann Karinch
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not often? The genres I tend to be reluctant to read are hard/high SFF, horror, romance, legal/medical/whatever dramas/pulp thrillers, and very post-modern stuff (at least not for leisure reading). More specifically, I'm not into gratuitous sexual content. What I'd consider gratuitous isn't necessarily explicit, and depends on the book, and what I've heard about the author's work (*cough*Xanthisn'tonmyto-readlist*cough*).
I didn't say "never" because despite turning down friends' Jodi Picoult and Frederick Forsyth recommendations, not touching LoTR/Stephen King/Nicholas Sparks/James Patterson/Gravity's Rainbow, I took up Eragon (well, I learnt it wasn't for me) and Barbara Cartland recommendations (Ola and the Sea Wolf, in large print!). Glad I forgot the details.
12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Terry Pratchett. Soft/low SFF. Not-too-gimmicky pop-science and non-fiction.
13. Can you read on the bus?
Not for long, I get motion sickness and my balance is embarrassing when standing. Same in cars. But on the train, I can.
14. Favourite place to read?
At home, sitting on a chair or on my bed.
15. What is your policy on book lending?
If I like/need the book: sure, if I trust the person. If I don't like/need the book: sure!
16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? & 18. Not even with text books?
I once wrote a note in pencil on the first page of a book I gifted an acquaintance (inviting them to erase it if they didn't like my writing), and highlighted and I think wrote a couple of things in The Bridge to Terabithia when I studied it in school. I try to avoid writing in textbooks, but I've done it.
19. What is your favourite language to read in?
English, but only because I am a filthy almost-monoglot.
20. What makes you love a book?
I like works, not just books, that impress me but don't sound too arrogant. So that could be in terms of writing style, structure, and research. I like books that teach in a non-patronising way. I like books that are interesting, that keep me thinking about them and things explored in them and wanting to re-read them. I love books that stay at the top of my mind even with all the others I read, regardless of name-drop prestige.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
Eragon and Ola and the Sea Wolf have taught me the importance of a recipient knowing the tastes of the person recommending the book, and vice versa. If I read a book and think someone I know might like it, I'd recommend it.
22. Favourite genre?
A wide interpretation of the SFF umbrella?
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)?
Historical fiction and fiction/non-fiction that was contemporary when it was written but is now considered historical/classic.
24. Favourite biography?
I've only read 4 biographies/autobiographies:
- Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
- The Diary of Anne Frank
- Newton by Peter Ackroyd
- Back Story by David Mitchell (Mitchell and Webb, not Cloud Atlas)
I'll cop out here because they each had their strengths.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Aside from the one in question 9, I've read The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman (it's pleasingly atypical self-help!) and this 100 things-style one about happiness I forgot the title of (it was a gift, don't feel like digging it out of a cabinet now to check the title).
26. Favourite cookbook?
Don't have a favourite. All the ones I've read were pretty straightforward cookbooks.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Linguistics was encouragingly non-intimidating, Get People to Do What You Want was too, and the other two were inspirational, i.e., written by Pterry (and not being Snuff).
28. Favorite reading snack?
I don't usually eat while reading. I just drink water/coffee/tea, if I remember.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy (I've only read the first two books) wasn't ruined, I still liked it, but my expectations were just a bit too high because all I'd heard before was praise.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Often? I can't remember any critics' reviews of books I read that I completely disagreed with.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I haven't read a book that pushed me hard enough to write a negative review yet. I only feel like reviewing books I like or have mixed feelings about. But I make verbal comments about ones I disliked.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
Cop-Out II: What Are Birds? We Just Don't Know. I really don't have enough information to choose right now.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood has a pretty broad scope, but it's written clearly enough. I only had a shallow understanding of a lot of references in How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu, but I still enjoyed it. But I think a more honest answer is that full-on intimidating is also outside of my comfort zone, so I'm having a hard time judging.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
I have a paperback Les Miserables lying in a drawer. Plus other stuff (see question 23) I don't have with me now.
35. Favourite poet?
I don't read enough poetry to have a favourite. I should one day.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Zero to three. Lately more towards zero.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
Rarely. The most recent was one about logic a couple of years ago, because I was too busy to read it.
38. Favourite fictional character?
I don't have a top-of-my-head answer...Death from Discworld? Crowley from Good Omens?
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Don't have a favourite. Maybe I should read more villain-heavy stuff.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Something from my pile of unread books that isn't too heavy (in both senses). If I've read everything or I don't want to bring the remaining ones, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I've never kept track, but I guess around three months, if you don't count textbooks and articles.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
From most to least recent: Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk, The Luck of Brin's Five by Cherry Wilder, and Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Loud, annoying conversations.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? & 45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
My Discworld-default answer is invalid, since I watched the Hogfather film without reading the book. I wouldn't count it since I'm not sure exactly how it was adapted. The only other film I remember reading the book of was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was a good effort but not favourite-worthy. I read Stardust by Neil Gaiman but only watched less than half of the film (because of time constraints, not because I couldn't stand it). The most recent non-film novel adaptation I listened to was the December 2014 Good Omens radio drama, which I thought watered down some characters, but was generally well-cast and innovatively adapted. Again, can't answer most disappointing because there are so few contenders and I wasn't too disappointed in any. And Sherlock Holmes canon? That's a story for another day.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
S$60-ish.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Always, unless the book is sealed in plastic.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
A really annoying author tract that comes out of nowhere? But even then I might like to know the full argument. Maybe a sudden focus on characters I don't care about that lasts the rest of the book. Less hypothetically, if I don't understand what's going on and need to do more research to do so. Or if I get tired of it and need a palate cleanser.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I try to keep books by the same author together. I hope to organise by genre one day.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
If I think I'll re-read them, I'll keep them. If not, I give them to thrift shops. The only time I've gave a book I've read directly to someone, I mentioned in question 17. It was The Galosh by Mikhail Zoshchenko, as a parting gift to an acquaintance who was really into Russian history. I've given two other books (Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and Good Omens) as gifts to friends, but those weren't my own copies.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Apart from the kinds in question 11, and books too intimidating for the moment, no.
52. Name a book that made you angry.
I've been avoiding books I think will make me angry. I guess I should start reading some that will anger me in the "I disagree with this but at least I see what it's trying to do" sense, not the "oh please why isn't it over yet I don't care about it" sense.
Closest so far, but still really mild, was The Savage Garden by Mark Mills. I could have put this under question 54, but I was just really frustrated I wasn't reading something else when I was reading this.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji. I was worried it would be too exposition-heavy, but it was a page-turner for me.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu. I felt like it would have been better as a play, the characters were flat, and it was pretty predictable. On that note, what I thought was a better murder mystery set in Singapore was Inspector Singh Investigates: The Singapore School of Villainy by Shamini Flint.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Something from my pop-science stash, maybe Packing for Mars by Mary Roach or The Secret Pulse of Time by Stefan Klein. Or an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. For fiction: Good Omens.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Aside from the one in question 9, I've read The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman (it's pleasingly atypical self-help!) and this 100 things-style one about happiness I forgot the title of (it was a gift, don't feel like digging it out of a cabinet now to check the title).
26. Favourite cookbook?
Don't have a favourite. All the ones I've read were pretty straightforward cookbooks.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Linguistics was encouragingly non-intimidating, Get People to Do What You Want was too, and the other two were inspirational, i.e., written by Pterry (and not being Snuff).
28. Favorite reading snack?
I don't usually eat while reading. I just drink water/coffee/tea, if I remember.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy (I've only read the first two books) wasn't ruined, I still liked it, but my expectations were just a bit too high because all I'd heard before was praise.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Often? I can't remember any critics' reviews of books I read that I completely disagreed with.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I haven't read a book that pushed me hard enough to write a negative review yet. I only feel like reviewing books I like or have mixed feelings about. But I make verbal comments about ones I disliked.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
Cop-Out II: What Are Birds? We Just Don't Know. I really don't have enough information to choose right now.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood has a pretty broad scope, but it's written clearly enough. I only had a shallow understanding of a lot of references in How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu, but I still enjoyed it. But I think a more honest answer is that full-on intimidating is also outside of my comfort zone, so I'm having a hard time judging.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
I have a paperback Les Miserables lying in a drawer. Plus other stuff (see question 23) I don't have with me now.
35. Favourite poet?
I don't read enough poetry to have a favourite. I should one day.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Zero to three. Lately more towards zero.
37. How often have you returned books to the library unread?
Rarely. The most recent was one about logic a couple of years ago, because I was too busy to read it.
38. Favourite fictional character?
I don't have a top-of-my-head answer...Death from Discworld? Crowley from Good Omens?
39. Favourite fictional villain?
Don't have a favourite. Maybe I should read more villain-heavy stuff.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Something from my pile of unread books that isn't too heavy (in both senses). If I've read everything or I don't want to bring the remaining ones, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I've never kept track, but I guess around three months, if you don't count textbooks and articles.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
From most to least recent: Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk, The Luck of Brin's Five by Cherry Wilder, and Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Loud, annoying conversations.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? & 45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
My Discworld-default answer is invalid, since I watched the Hogfather film without reading the book. I wouldn't count it since I'm not sure exactly how it was adapted. The only other film I remember reading the book of was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was a good effort but not favourite-worthy. I read Stardust by Neil Gaiman but only watched less than half of the film (because of time constraints, not because I couldn't stand it). The most recent non-film novel adaptation I listened to was the December 2014 Good Omens radio drama, which I thought watered down some characters, but was generally well-cast and innovatively adapted. Again, can't answer most disappointing because there are so few contenders and I wasn't too disappointed in any. And Sherlock Holmes canon? That's a story for another day.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
S$60-ish.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Always, unless the book is sealed in plastic.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
A really annoying author tract that comes out of nowhere? But even then I might like to know the full argument. Maybe a sudden focus on characters I don't care about that lasts the rest of the book. Less hypothetically, if I don't understand what's going on and need to do more research to do so. Or if I get tired of it and need a palate cleanser.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I try to keep books by the same author together. I hope to organise by genre one day.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
If I think I'll re-read them, I'll keep them. If not, I give them to thrift shops. The only time I've gave a book I've read directly to someone, I mentioned in question 17. It was The Galosh by Mikhail Zoshchenko, as a parting gift to an acquaintance who was really into Russian history. I've given two other books (Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder and Good Omens) as gifts to friends, but those weren't my own copies.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Apart from the kinds in question 11, and books too intimidating for the moment, no.
52. Name a book that made you angry.
I've been avoiding books I think will make me angry. I guess I should start reading some that will anger me in the "I disagree with this but at least I see what it's trying to do" sense, not the "oh please why isn't it over yet I don't care about it" sense.
Closest so far, but still really mild, was The Savage Garden by Mark Mills. I could have put this under question 54, but I was just really frustrated I wasn't reading something else when I was reading this.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji. I was worried it would be too exposition-heavy, but it was a page-turner for me.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu. I felt like it would have been better as a play, the characters were flat, and it was pretty predictable. On that note, what I thought was a better murder mystery set in Singapore was Inspector Singh Investigates: The Singapore School of Villainy by Shamini Flint.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Something from my pop-science stash, maybe Packing for Mars by Mary Roach or The Secret Pulse of Time by Stefan Klein. Or an Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. For fiction: Good Omens.
