Scooter Chronicles

Dewey over at The Hidden Side of a Leaf posted a reading meme that looked interesting to do. So here are my answers:

1. Do you remember learning to read? How old were you?

I don’t specifically remember a time when I was learning to read. I do remember having grammar lessons in elementary school though.

2. What do you find most challenging to read?

Novels that aren’t structured “correctly.” A good example is the work of both Cormac McCarthy and Charles Frazier. Neither of them use quotes when someone is speaking. It is confusing sometimes, because you aren’t always sure what is said or thought, or just part of the narrative.

I also had a copy of Franz Kafka’s “The Trial” that had a different structure problem. I am not sure if it was Kafka’s way of writing, or just a lazy/stupid editor/publisher, but the copy I had didn’t have paragraph breaks during conversations. There were quotes, but it didn’t matter how many people would be talking, their whole conversation could be in one paragraph. (At least McCarthy and Frazier have paragraph breaks between what characters say.) I only got through the first ten pages or so and quit. The book may be very good, but I couldn’t deal with that annoying layout.

3. What are your library habits?

Since moving back up to the Lehigh Valley, I haven’t frequented a library. I joined the Bethlehem library, mostly to look into audio books for driving back and forth to work, but as of yet haven’t taken anything out.

4. Have your library habits changed since you were younger?

Not really. Where Marcia and I lived right around the time Nigel was born, I used to go to the city’s library often. I was on a classic authors kick. But my habits when I was younger are the same today: I pretty much don’t go there.

5. How has blogging changed your reading life?

I think it has made me take more notice of the nuances of the books I read, since I “review” everyone I read. It might just be from being more mature and have more experience reading, but by thinking about what you liked and/or didn’t like about a book, and wanting to sound intelligent when reviewing a book, I think I do look deeper into the book I am reading then I did in the past.

6. What percentage of your books do you get from: New book stores, second hand book stores, the library, online exchange sites, online retailers, other?

In the last year I have gotten 90% to 95% of my books through an online exchange site, BookMooch.Com. Before that, I would say that 70% were bought through Amazon.Com. The rest I got from used book stores.

7. How often do you read a book and NOT review it in your blog?

Never have, and hopefully never will. If I had the time, and a good memory, I would want to post reviews of books that I read before I had a blog.

8. What are your pet peeves about ways people abuse books? Dog-earing pages? Reading in the bath?

You can successfully read a book without creasing the spine. Sure, it takes a gentle hand, and may be a little uncomfortable holding it, but it can be done. I do it all the time. I can understand that covers or pages may get accidentally nicked or bumped, because that happens from time to time. But creasing the spine (or dog-earing) is not necessary and drives me crazy.

By the way, dog-earing is so easy to avoid. That was why bookmarks were invented.

9. Do you ever read for pleasure at work?

I recently took up reading at lunch time since changing to my current employer. I do it because the other guys that sit in the same room I do are rather quiet compared to the last two places I worked.

10. When you give people books as gifts, how do you decide what to give them?

If I am buying a book from someone other then my brother-in-law David or former co-worker Jose, I always buy what they want (usually off their Amazon.Com wish list). Now, sometimes for gifts I will buy things from David’s wish list. But I know his tastes and have bought him books I know he would enjoy that he doesn’t have on his wish list or might not even know about. With Jose, like David, I know his tastes. Usually during my reading of a book, I will realize that it’s something that he would like and just make a mental note of it.