BBAW Meme: My Reading Habits!!

To continue in the spirit of Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW), I am participating in the daily meme. I am choosing to only answer a few questions, simply because of my limited time to write at the moment, but you can click here for the full list of questions (and a list of the many who have answered them). Enjoy!!

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Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

Typically, my answer will be . . . "I will not scar this beautiful piece of work!!!" However, that is not always true! I will often read a book here and there for work purposes (book classes or book discussion groups) and will make notes in the margins, underline, circle, etc. in pencil. I will never use a pen or highlighter. They just seem much too permanent for me. I guess I feel the only permanent marks should be those that came with the book to begin with (e.g., illustrations and text). Oh, and chances are if I have written in a book, I prefer to get a clean copy for myself at a later date (if I do not already have one)!

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

I prefer not to dog-ear (I really do not care for the wrinkled pages!) or laying the book flat open (it destroys the spine). Though, I will shamelessly admit that I have done both of these at times in my lifetime!! I do LOVE bookmarks though!!! My favorite one (that has somehow gone missing) is an amazing illustration of Albert Einstein. In it's place, I have been using a collection of Harry Potter bookmarks, one for each Hogwarts' House. I keep them all in the nice plastic cover and display Griffyndor on top!!

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Both, depending on my mood. My preference is typically fiction though!

Hard copy or audiobooks?

Both! Audio in the car for commuting and hard copy otherwise. I still cannot get into e-versions, so all "otherwise" books are truly hard copies!!

What are you currently reading?

• Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (literally pages away from finishing!!)
• Fool by Christopher Moore (audio version and plan to finish this one today as well!)

I am planning on picking up two new books today in place of these:

• Legacy by Cayla Kluver
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

What is the last book you bought?

I bought two at the same time and can't wait to get to them!!

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Both! I love that I can carry on with certain characters that I may love (e.g., Harry Potter, Eragon, etc.) and continue in their worlds beyond just a single book. I love being able to return over and over again, a new adventure every time (and get sad when they series is complete). However, it is nice to have the stand-alone books as well where I can have quicker closure!

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)

My favorites are put up out of little hands' reach and alphabetical by author's last name. All others are attempted to be alpha by author's last name, but I do not currently have the room to do all of them at this time. Many are just in piles where they can fit on my shelves!! My TBR stack is not organized at all, though when I have my shelves built by my husband, I intend to alpha by author's last name too!