Booking Through Thursday (6)

"Booking Through Thursday" is a weekly meme hosted HERE. Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

This week's prompt...

Sometimes I feel like the only person I know who finds reading history fascinating. It’s so full of amazing-yet-true stories of people driven to the edge and how they reacted to it. I keep telling friends that a good history book (as opposed to some of those textbooks in school that are all lists and dates) does everything a good novel does–it grips you with real characters doing amazing things.
Am I REALLY the only person who feels this way? When is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL.

Earlier this year I had all kinds of plans to read tons of history books and nonfiction.  I have a house FULL of history books because (a) my husband and I both studies history as undergrads and (b) my husband is pursuing his PhD in history.  However, school and work tend to keep me busy--like, really busy. So, I have a tendency to stick with YA fiction books because (a) I love them and (b) they are generally quick, engaging reads that are relaxing to pick up.


So, what's my answer you might ask? Well, during my early, ambitious months of the year, I bought and read Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage and I have to say that it was incredibly well-written and very compelling.  It was a page-turner--trust me! I even cried toward the end, despite knowing what was coming because that was how attached I had become to the "characters." (This was even one of the first reviews that I wrote on my blog back in February)  This book honestly made me want to read more history and biographies....but I haven't made the time to do so since then.

(Also, as a side note, right after I finished college and before I got married and started working full time and went back to school, I read A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown and it was incredible--just in case you're looking for a gritty memoir to read.)

What's YOUR answer? 

Booking Through Thursday (5)

"Booking Through Thursday" is a weekly meme hosted HERE. Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

This week's prompt...

It’s National Book Week. The rules: Grab the closest book to you. Go to page 56. Copy the 5th sentence as your status

(As a side note, I don't actually think National Book Week is a real "thing."  There are plenty of book-related "holidays" and weeks, such as Children's Book Week in May and Banned Books Week in September, but National Book Week...not so much, at least not officially.  However, every week should be National Book Week, right?!)

"Ah, well, he was a smart intruder," Mary said.

What's YOUR answer? 
Leave me a link & link up with the main meme page!

Booking Through Thursday (4)

"Booking Through Thursday" is a weekly meme hosted HERE. Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

This week's question...

What’s the largest your personal library has ever been? What’s the greatest number of books you’ve ever owned at one time? (Estimates are fine.)
Is your collection NOW the biggest it’s ever been? Or have you down-sized?
What’s the fewest number of books you’ve ever owned (not counting your pre-reading years)?

Ummm...I plead the fifth? :-)? I think it would be a safe (conservative) bet to say that my husband and I own well over 500 books....and those are just the ones in our house. We have bookshelves in almost every room in the house (really only excluding bathrooms and the kitchen).  We also have books stored in both of our parents' houses.  Right now my personal library is probably the largest that it has ever been! When I was in high school and college, I bought and owned significantly fewer books. Actually, I didn't even purchase a book case for college until at least halfway through my junior year and then it was mostly for school books. As my senior year progressed and I got back into reading, I think my collection probably grew slowly to about 25-50 books (not including school books). That was probably about the smallest it has ever been just because I had gotten rid of so many books from when I was younger through donations.

What does YOUR book collection look like?

Booking Through Thursday (3)

"Booking Through Thursday" is a weekly meme hosted HERE. Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

This week's question...

What, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you’re reading?
(Given a choice, of course!)

For the most part, I really prefer quiet when I'm reading.  I'm too easily distracted to listen to anything else while I'm reading.  However, I get carsick if I read in the car, and the only (odd) way that I've found to combat that sickness (for those times when I just HAVE to read, lol) is to listen to music through my iPod (a little loudly).  Having the music isolates me, if that makes sense, and allows me to ignore the fact that I'm in a moving vehicle, lol. So, when I'm in the car, there are a couple of different artists/albums that I regularly listen to.

• Gåte, Iseliljia and Jyrgi
• Elis, God's Silence, Devil's Temptation
• Nightwish (basically anything by Nightwish)

What is YOUR reading music of choice?

Booking Through Thursday (2)

"Booking Through Thursday" is a weekly meme hosted HERE. Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

This week's question...

With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.

How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?

Oooo...see, I knew I'd eventually have to talk about eBooks.  I'll start by admitting up front that I own a NookColor and I adore it (that shouldn't be new news as it's posted in my profile).  When my dad (the gadget freak) wanted to get me an eReader, I was a little on the fence about the prospect.  I'm quite attached to my physical books (as you might have learned if you read last week's post) so I thought that I would never be converted to eBooks.  Welll, six months later I'm not a total convert, but I definitely enjoy their convenience and they have a special place in my book buying habits (which I also talked about last week--depends on the cover).

So, anyway, to the real question here, I think that possibility of all these extra "goodies" in books is quite interesting.  There's sure to be a lot of potential in that market with more and more people growing up "plugged in."  I haven't experienced a lot of these "extras" for myself, but I think that they stand to make the eBook market more unique and potentially more profitable because eBooks will actually offer something BEYOND what the traditional book offers.  Right now the only differences (for me) are price (although not always) and convenience. I don't know that the prospect either excites or chills me.  EBooks and traditional books alike will probably always have a place in my reading life--I truly don't believe that one will usurp the other completely.

What is YOUR take on eBooks?

Booking Through Thursday (1)

"Booking Through Thursday" is a weekly meme hosted HERE! Join in the fun!

All things being equal (money, space, etc), would you rather own copies of the books you read? Or borrow them?

Wow, good question! See...I LOVE buying books. It's actually sort of a problem.  When I walk into a book store, I (almost) never walk out without a book in hand (unless my husband is there to drag me out kicking and screaming).  If money and space weren't an issue, I would rather own a copy of a book.  A beautiful, physical copy that I can call my own and sparingly lend out to others.  There is just something incredibly special (that I fully believe was ingrained into my thinking when my grandmother starting buying me books at a young age) about owning a book.  But not just owning...walking into a book store and buying it.  Now THAT'S retail therapy my friends!

But let's be realistic.  I have a small-ish house that already holds 3-5 shelf book cases, 2-3 shelf bookcases, and a smaller 4 shelf folding case...and they are basically all full.  And that doesn't include the boxes of books in my parents' attic and the shelves of books in my in-laws basement full of books that don't fit in our house.  Also...my husband and I are students.  Money = tight.  So...in the interest of being non-idealistic--I only buy a physical book (a) if I've read good reviews from people I trust, (b) been able to read part of the book online (thank you, HarperTeen), and (c) am in love with the cover art.  If (a) and (b) are true, I might buy a Nook version.  Otherwise...I show the library some love!  My library card gets a lot of use these days!

So, what do you think? Buy or Borrow?