Books

Elle at A Complete Thought tagged me for a meme a few days ago. I’m finally getting around to posting my answers. This was a fun one – I like books!

1. Do you remember how you developed a love of reading?
I remember my mom and dad reading to me when I was just little. And then I also remember my dad reading Huckleberry Finn and The Hobbit out loud to us as a family when we were older. My parents are both huge readers, so it came naturally to me, there being so many good books around the house and them talking about things they enjoyed reading so often. I also remember summer reading and puppet shows at the library as a kid and how much I loved being at the library. I discovered early on the joy of losing yourself in a good book and the way you feel kind of bittersweet when you come to the end of a particularly good and engaging story, especially a longer work or maybe a series – like you’re saying good-bye to old friends. To me that’s what makes a good book – when you hate to turn that last page and you actually miss the characters when you’re finished reading their story. I read a book once where one of the main characters died very unexpectedly and I was sad for days afterward. I kept telling myself it was just a fictional character, for crying out loud, but it was written so well I felt like they really could have been real people and I felt kind of silly for wanting to talk about it with someone else who “knew” her, but I didn’t know anyone else who’d read that book!

2. What are some books you loved as a child?
Anne of Green Gables, The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Watership Down, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hardy Boys books, Nancy Drew books, Dr. Seuss. Little Women, Caddie Woodlawn, retellings of Disney stories (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc.)

3. What is your favorite genre?
Hmmmmmm……I suppose mystery or detective or legal thriller fiction, though I like certain types of science fiction (not so much the stranger fantasy types but more along the Star Wars or Foundation Trilogy types). Well, certain types of fantasy – The Lord of the Rings comes to mind – epics, I suppose? I also really enjoyed Amy Tan’s books.

4. Do you have a favorite novel?
Just one? I don’t know that I can narrow it down. I like a lot of books. I’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings trilogy more than once……I also like To Kill a Mockingbird and A Separate Peace – those are two that I read more than once and that have stayed with me. I loved Stepping Heavenward, too. I just recently read Hood by Stephen Lawhead, which I’d heard about from Lisa at Lisa Writes and I liked it and really want to read the next book in the series now. I tend to like series. I know there are others I’ll wish I had included here, but my brain is shutting down for the evening and I can’t think of any more at the moment. If I think of others, I’ll write a future post and share….

5. Where do you usually read?
Anywhere I can. On the couch, in bed, in car line as I wait to pick up kids from school, in the kitchen as I stir or wait on pots to boil, in the bathtub, on the back porch, on the front porch, anywhere I can grab a few minutes.

6. When do you usually read?
Any free moment I can that won’t take away from something more important I need to be doing, but usually once the kids have gone to bed in the evening or during Boo’s nap time.

7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
Absolutely. Sometimes so many I can’t keep track. But usually only one novel and a few nonfictions at a time.

8. Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
Non fiction takes more concentration, so it takes longer to get through a book if I want to really absorb what I’m reading. I usually read fiction quickly, not liking to put it down once I start, and will read several chapters in a sitting. Sometimes nonfiction will take me a while to get through just one chapter, and, like Elle, sometimes I read nonfiction out loud – somehow it’s easier to understand if it’s read aloud. This is true of my Bible reading, as well. I’ve found that I can understand the Bible much better when I read it out loud. I also will mark up nonfiction books with underlining or notes in the margin and will often take notes in a notebook as I read, too, none of which do I ever do with a fiction book.

9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
Usually check them out of the library (fiction). Most of my nonfiction I buy.

10. Do you keep most of the books you buy?
Some yes, some no. Nonfiction, mostly yes - especially if they are books I marked in. Fiction – depends on how well I liked the book.

11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them?
I read A Little Princess with the boys a while back– they really liked it and got into the emotion of the story, which surprised me a lot. We also recently finished Treasure Island, obviously a hit with my pirate loving boys. We’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia together and I introduced J to The Hardy Boys, which he really enjoys. Right now we just finished reading Holes by Louis Sachar together tonight and we all enjoyed it – and I only found one or two small words I had to edit out as I read – a definite plus! M likes the Curious George books and Magic Treehouse books, and I’m glad he’s enjoying them like his big brother did. We also read and cried about Ol’ Yeller a while back. M likes Because of Winn Dixie, also, and got to take our copy in to school so his teacher could read it to the class last year.

12. What are you reading now?
The Children of Men by P.D. James, The Excellent Wife, Pilgrim’s Progress

13. Do you keep a To Be Read list?
Only an informal mental one. Occasionally I’ll write down the title of a book I want to remember to read if I see a review or hear something mentioned by a friend or fellow blogger that peaks my interest.

14. What’s next?
I checked out Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner from the library when I checked out the book I’m currently reading – thanks for the suggestion, Elle! Also, I’ll be starting Because the Time is Near by John MacArthur soon.

15. What books would you like to reread?
Watership Down – planning to read it with the boys, Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, Perelandra Trilogy by C.S. Lewis

16. Who are your favorite authors?
John MacArthur; Elizabeth Peters; Agatha Christie; Elizabeth George; Sharyn McCrumb; Tony Hillerman; Michael Connelly; Ruth Rendell; David Baldacci; C.S. Lewis; J.R.R. Tolkein; Michael Crichton; Pat Conroy is an excellent writer, and I love some of his earlier stuff, though I hated Prince of Tides; John Grisham; Charles Dickens

I have dropped the ball on the whole tagging thing the last several of these I’ve done. Maybe I should tag a few people this time. How about Heather, Leslie and Shawnda. If anyone else reading wants to share your answers, consider yourself tagged!