I saw this over at Rab’s Bookish Planet last year and finally got around to giving my answers.
Yeah, there’s probably a little .gif overkill here—I used a couple without thinking, and then the rest of the prompts looked boring. So I had to go hunting and gathering some more. If it’s too much for you, leave a comment below and I’ll refund your subscription price.
1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?
First, I’ve really cut down on the TBR, so it’s really only 19,873. So let’s give me a little credit.
At the beginning of a year, or month, or periodically (say, when I’m assembling a WWW Wednesday or a Month-end retrospective, or…) I’ll do some sketching out about the order I’ll be tackling books. Or I’ll say I want to read Book X by May. So I’ll schedule it for mid-March to be sure I read it by late April (no later than June). Or, it’ll have something to do about release dates (either because of NetGalley or it’s a book in a series I want to read as soon as it comes out), or library due dates, or a Book Tour date, or when I agreed to read something an author/publicist gave me…ugh. I really don’t know how I decide what to read next. It’s madness, I say. Madness.
There’s a strange alchemy of whim, obligation, and happenstance, I guess.
I really envy those people who have a list/rotation/schedule and pretty much stick to it.
2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?
Almost always committed. I talked about it in Book Blogger Hop: From Beginning to End?. There’ve been a few times that when I’ve stuck it out, I end up changing my mind about a book, too. Which is enough to reinforce the behavior.
Mostly, it’s curiosity—can the author fix this? Where are they going with it? Is it maybe worth it?
3. The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?
It’s been a few years since this happened to me—the last time it happened, I won’t say I picked short books, or a series of novellas or anything. But I did stay away from books that I knew would be slower reads. As I recall, that involved grabbing a 370+ book and leaving a 220 for later—that author just always slowed me down. The details are vague, that was 2015, I think…so, who knows really what happened. Since then I blow past my goal in October or so.
4. The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?
Not well. Not well at all.
Book 4 of my Codex Alera collection is a different height (it was the one, not surprisingly, that I couldn’t get from my local store). A few years back, the dimensions of the Stephanie Plum mass-market paperbacks changed—I’ve got 20+ of these all with the same dimensions (except page count variance), and all of the sudden, they’re taller and skinnier? ARGH. A few years before that, the Michael Connelly mass-market paperbacks did the same thing. I made my position clear to Connelly’s publishers and started buying the hardcovers—I’m sure they learned their lesson! (I won’t do that for Plum, though, I’m learning to live with change.)
It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. I put up with it because I’m cheap (sort of). But…ugh.
5. Everyone and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?
I draw strength from swimming against the stream. I’m a maverick. I’m a lone wolf. The Irresponsible Reader contra mundum! (yes, I really did compare my opinions on popular fiction with Athanasius’ stand against the Arians…)
Okay, that’s not true. Mostly, I just shrug my shoulders and move on with a sense of confusion and bemusement. Frequently, I can put my finger on what everyone else likes that I didn’t (or vice-versa when I’m alone throwing 5-stars at something), and that helps. Rarely changes my mind, but at least I can understand where everyone’s coming from.
There are too many books out there I can agree with, or pay attention to, that I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how messed up everyone else is when it comes to liking the wrong books.
6. You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?
Who, me? Cry? I’m far too masculine for that kind of thing…
Actdually, it doesn’t happen often—but it has (especially when I listen to an audiobook at work). Not because I’m great at planning things like that, or avoiding those kind of books when I’m at break/lunch at work, it just hasn’t happened. Thankfully, when a book does move me to tears, it’s rarely a full-blown thing, just very I just get watery-eyed and a tear or two will trickle. Which I can cover up with a fake sneeze or two.
I remember when I read my kids The Prydain Chronicles that a couple of moments in The High King hit me hard (despite having read the books countless times growing up), and they all kind of gave me odd looks as I pulled myself together.
This has nothing to do with the question, really, but I was just struck by the memory of a classmate in 8th grade breaking down at a couple of deaths in the Dragonlance Chronicles—which really bothered me, because that particular teacher had already warned her about reading them when she was supposed to be doing Math, and I was afraid she’d get the copies she’d borrowed from me confiscated.
7. A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!?!?!?
I used to re-read the previous 1-3 books as I waited for a favorite series to drop a new installment. But I don’t have time for that any more. With some series, I’ll to the audiobook for the previous novel as a way of getting my brain back in gear. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I listened to Lost Hills to prime the pump for Movieland which released today. I’m also listening to Amari and the Night Brothers and Daughter of the Morning Star this week to prep for the August installments of those series.
But on the whole, since I’ve started book blogging I don’t need to re-read the series/previous books—these posts cement most of the details I need in my mind. Or I can re-read my post in time for a new book.
Still, those authors/publishers that include a “where we are in the series” kind of page or three? I love you so much. Seriously. Hit me up for blood transfusions, marrow donations, etc. if you need one.
8. You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?
There are some books that I just refuse to loan—signed copies, some with personal meaning, or books that you just can’t find anymore. I hem and haw a bit, when someone asks for one of those, but give a pretty firm “no”—with regrets. By and large, though, I loan books out without much problem. I do tend to ask people to note the condition the book is in when I hand it to them and ask that it look pretty much the same when I get it back.
(and I’m always prepared to go buy myself a new copy, just in case)
Years ago, I had a friend who’d borrow books from me once or twice a year—and then find himself writing notes, highlighting sentences, and so on. And he’d feel bad and buy me a copy without my asking (or even wanting…I liked using his notes! So did he, though). He ended up moving across the country before he got to the point where he’d stop borrowing and would just start taking a recommendation from me and just buy a copy for himself. I kind of miss our little routine.
9. Reading ADD. You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?
I haven’t had a reading slump in so long, I honestly don’t know. I don’t have time for them.
I think what I’d do is grab a Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin or a Spenser novel—maybe another beloved book if I needed another genre. But usually one of them, it’d remind me that I liked books and I’d be able to jump on whatever was next.
10. There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?
A lot. Not as many as I want, obviously. But…I’m buying about 13 books a month so far this year. Wow. That suprised me (only 7 in February, somehow). How I decide what will be a purchase and what will be borrowed from the library is instinctual, I don’t know if I can put it into words.
Thirteen? Good grief. I hope this isn’t one of the 10% of my posts that my wife reads.
As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.
Grab a book, any book.
