A Book Meme

I came across this meme on Cindy's blog and had to participate.

1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? I remember Mama talking about how I'd walk around with my chalk and chalkboard and ask her how to spell words. By the time I was four, I could read well.

2. What are some books you read as a child? I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. I also read Jack London's Call of the Wild several times. Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew were good, too.

3. What is your favorite genre? I prefer fiction (historical, mysteries, Southern, contemporary), but I've recently taken an interest in biographies. I also enjoy some non-fiction.

4. Do you have a favorite novel? I don't have one favorite, but there are several series that I'm a big fan of: the Monk mysteries, Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries, Ann B. Ross' Miss Julia series, and Karen Kingsbury's Redemption, First Born, and Sunrise series. I also enjoyed Jan Karon's Mitford series.

5. Where do you usually read? I usually read in my rocking chair, but I also read on the couch, in bed, in the car (when someone else is driving, but also when I'm waiting in the drive-through line at the bank or pharmacy), in waiting rooms, while I'm brushing my teeth, etc. I always have a book with me. Even when we're out somewhere, there's probably one in my purse.

6. When do you usually read? Whenever I get the chance.

7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Definitely. It's usually a mix of fiction or a biography along with a work of non-fiction.

8. Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? I typically read non-fiction when my mind is fresh, and I read it more slowly than fiction. Usually with fiction, I'm enjoying being lost in the story, but I usually have a specific purpose for reading non-fiction, even if it's just learning from curiousity.

9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? Most of my books come from the library. I've got limited shelf space, so I don't collect many. The only series I'm currently collecting are the Monk mysteries.

10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? On the rare occasions I buy books, I do keep them. There are some I've had to get rid of and others I've had to put in storage, but I hate doing that.

11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? I read different books than the types my boys like, but a few easy favorites I've shared with them have been Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, and several Dr. Seuss books.

12. What are you reading now? I've just started reading Grace Is Enough by Willie Aames and Maylo Upton-Aames. (It was recommended by Cindy!) For "professional development", I've got a few in progress: Build It Big and Why We Buy. I'm also reading two for "personal development": Real Moms and Boundaries for Kids. Is that too much at once?

13. Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list? Most definitely. Actually I have a TBR stack. There are 10 library books stacked on the table by my rocking chair that I'm working my way through. Is that too many?

14. What's next? After I finish the Aames' autobiography, I'm going to read another Sue Grafton (K Is for Killer), then a Mary Higgins Clark (Where Are You Now?). I also have Miss Julia Strikes Back and Around the World in 80 Dinners in my stack.

15. What books would you like to reread? There are so many I want to get through the first time, I'm not really wanting to go back to anything else again. If I ever do, though, it would be Call of the Wild.

16. Who are your favorite authors? Sue Grafton, Karen Kingsbury, Jan Karon, Mary Higgins Clark, to name a few.

Thanks, Cindy. This was fun!

Now I'm going to tag Mama, Lindsay, and Stacy. If I didn't tag you and you like to read, feel free to post your answers in your own blog - and be sure to let me know so I can read it!