BTT: Weeding 'em out

When’s the last time you weeded out your library? Do you regularly keep it pared down to your reading essentials? Or does it blossom into something out of control the minute you turn your back, like a garden after a Spring rain?
Or do you simply not get rid of books? At all? (This would have described me for most of my life, by the way.)
And–when you DO weed out books from your collection (assuming that you do) …what do you do with them? Throw them away (gasp)? Donate them to a charity or used bookstore? SELL them to a used bookstore? Trade them on Paperback Book Swap or some other exchange program?

I would say that the last time I really weeded down my library was when my mom moved out of the house I grew up in and all my stuff had to either fit in my and my husband's (then boyfriend's) 600 square foot apartment or a handful of bins in a storage unit. It was rough. Most of them ended up in a garage sale and some went to my sister (without my knowledge...ugh...don't even get me started. Her bookshelf full of MY books that she won't give back just makes my blood boil). So, for a couple years I really had to keep my book collection in check which was a little easier than it is now because I wasn't reading quite as much and space was an issue.

Once we moved into our house, a little over a year ago, I really got to enjoy having books again. I've now dug all my books out of storage and have collected new ones from library sales and other (more expensive) means. I still try to keep the collection in check though. I post ones that I'm not in love with on PaperBackSwap (so I can get new ones), pass others around to friends and family, and have sold some duplicates. I don't think that I've ever actually thrown a book away though...Even the horribly water damaged copy of Middlesex is still hanging around!

BTT: Fluffy Reading

What’s the lightest, most “fluff” kind of book you’ve read recently?

Well, it's summertime which means that I've been reading things that can easily be enjoyed while either sitting up at the lake or on my back porch sipping an ice cold drink. This means LOTS of fluff! Most recently was the seventh book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris, All Together Dead.

I haven't even reviewed it on here because after reading the last 6 Sookie books, there isn't a whole lot that changes. Sookie's living her life partially in the real world where she's a waitress, but mostly in the supernatural world where she's used for her telepathic abilities by the vampires and were-animals. She of course gets herself into some big-time trouble but manages to escape. Such is the main storyline throughout these books, with mostly just the main love interest (that Sookie sure does get around!) and the deadly situation changing . But, they are fun, quick little reads and their mass market paperback size makes for convenient toting around. Perfect for summertime!

What was the last "fluffy" book you read?

BTT: The Best and the Worst

I didn't do last week's BTT, so I'm going to combine both last week's and this week's into one since they are so closely related.

8/13/09: What’s the worst book you’ve read recently? (I figure it’s easier than asking your all-time worst, because, well, it’s recent!)

This would probably have to be The Mist by Stephen King. It was cheesy and kind of dumb and really, just like any other lame "monsters are taking over the world!" story. It was way too predictable, the characters were the same ones that you expect in any story like this (the hero, the nonbeliever, the child, the "I told you so!" person...), and the ending didn't give any resolution. Not Mr. King's best and even the prospect of seeing Mark Wahlberg makes me want to see the movie.

8/20/09: What’s the best book you’ve read recently? (Tell me you didn’t see this one coming?)

Now this question is TOUGH. I feel like I've read a ton of really great books lately! Although, a lot of them are a part of a series. I finished the Jessica Darling series recently and that was witty and hilarious, especially the fifth book. And, I also just recently finished the fourth book in the Outlander series, Drums of Autumn which, of course, was wonderful. The only non-series book that sticks out to me lately would be Without You: a memoir of love, loss and the musical RENT by Anthony Rapp. That book just really struck my heartstrings, it was so well excuted. I know that that might by an odd way to describe a book, but the use of the lines and lyrics from Rent in relation to the different points in his life really made the book stick out to me.

What about you? What are your recent bests and worsts??

BTT: Serious Reading

What’s the most serious book you’ve read recently?

This is kind of a tough one for me because all the "serious" books that I read, while they have serious themes and stories, actually have a lot of humor in them. The two books that come to mind are Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT by Anthony Rapp and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Without You focuses on Anthony's life and how he deals with his mother's cancer, diagnosis to death. Persepolis is about Marjane's life in wartown Iran where people were dying or disappearing was just an everyday occurance.

But, while both these memoirs are about very serious things, they both have enough sarcasm, wit, and humor to make them just a bit funny too. That helps because when you get done reading them, you can think "wow what a moving book!" rather than "wow, I could use some Prozac now..." I guess that I just need my serious with a good dose of humor!

BTT: What's so funny?

What’s the funniest book you’ve read recently?

Hmmm...this is kind of a tough question for me! I don't really read many books that are flat-out funny. Sure there are plenty that have me giggling at certain parts, but none that I can think of where I'm just laughing out loud the whole time. But I guess the ones that have made my husband look at me like I'm crazy because I'm sitting on the couch, book in my lap, giggling to myself would be the first two books of the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty and the fourth Outlander book (which I'm currently reading) called Drums of Autumn. While there are some serious and some sweet and some HOT things going on in DoA, I have been finding myself giggling a bit at some of the descriptions and reactions of the characters. Of course when you put a 20 year old girl from the late 1960's into the 18th century there have got to be at least a few funny moments huh!?

What's the funniest book you've read as of late? Any good recommendations for a laugh-a-minute book? (fiction or not)

BTT: Celebrity memoirs

Suggested by Callista83:
Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

I'm not a huge reader of celebrity memoirs. Right now, the only one that I can think of that I've read is Tito Ortiz's...and that's only because my husband has it (and many other memoirs of UFC fighters) and I was looking for something light and easy to read. It definitely fit the bill! Other than that, I have Annie Duke's memoir sitting on the bookshelf (picked the hardcover up at a garage sale for 50 cents) and I'm kind of looking forward to reading Forrest Griffin's new (ish) book since I think that he's hilarious and adorable (in an I-punch-people-in-the-face kind of way I suppose). Also, if I find Chelsea Handler's books somewhere on the cheap, then I'd probably pick up those...but other than that, I'm just not too motivated to read a celebrity memoir. I just like novels too much!

As for a non-existent celebrity memoir that I'd like to see? Hmm...well...I don't know! I get all my celebrity juice cravings satisfied by Perez!

BTT: My Book Niche

There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)

But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.

What niche books do YOU read?

I'm definitely a science nerd at heart. While I love reading all kinds of fiction, sometimes I really enjoy a good science-based nonfiction book. Books that stick out are The American Plague about the Yellow Fever epidemic and I have The Best American Science Writing of 2008 sitting on my nightstand just begging to be read. One of my favorite science related reads is my Getting a Grip on Genetics book that I received from my 8th grade science teacher when I graduated high school.

It's awesome. It's well written and has tons of information and explanations, as well as pictures and diagrams explaining the principles. It's a little elementary for me at this point, but it's still fun to pick up and flip through every once in a while. Also, this is part of a whole series! They cover tons of topics from astronomy and physics, to philosphy and evolution. I highly recommend them!

The other niche of books that occupies my house is my husband's obsession. Any and all books about MMA, the UFC, and fighters' memoirs. So far he's read about the rise of the UFC, Chuck Liddel, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, etc. etc. I don't get the appeal but, hey, at least he's reading!

What niche of books do you really enjoy?

BTT: 15 in 15

I saw this over at Shelley’s, and thought it sounded like a great question for all of you:
“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”

Okay, so 15 books that will always stick with me...I guess it doesn't matter WHY they stick with me huh? Some are just good memories of times spent reading them or they might be just a really great book that I will always remember and recommend to others. So here goes!

1. Frederick by Leo Lionni. My very favorite book as a child.
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I've read this countless times.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This one get such mixed reviews, I think that I just read it at the right time in my life.
5. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I was very imaginative as a child and I think that this one really fed that.
6. The Diary of Anne Frank
7. all the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. Such a great story.
8. The Wind in the Willows.
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. LOVE it.
10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
11. Night by Elie Weisel
12. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky
13. Marley and Me by John Grogan
14. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
15. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I haven't finished this one yet (about 50 pages left) but it's such a great memoir and it's in graphic novel form so I know that it will stick with me for a while.

So there it is! What are some books that will always stick with you?

BTT: Wish I hadn't have read that...

This week's question:


In the perfect follow-up to last week’s question, as suggested by C in DC:
Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?

This is a tough question! But, I've thought about it long and hard, and I don't think that there is a book that I look back on and say "I wish I hadn't have read that!" I mean, sure, I've read some not so great books (like The Shack comes to mind) but I usually get something out of them or at least am able to have a conversation with someone about it discussing why we did or didn't like a particular book. Also, very recently (as in yesterday), I wished that I hadn't have read the epilogue to The Host because I thought that it would have been better without it, but I still enjoyed the book as a whole.

I guess if there ever is a book that I really wish that I hadn't have read, I would probably quit reading it before I get to the end! Life is just too short to read bad books!

BTT: A Second First Time

I've been totally slacking in blog-world lately (but really doing a lot around work and the house!) so I'm going to do this week's BTT and last week's just to make up a little :)

5/21/09: What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?

This one's kind of a tough question! One obvious one would be To Kill a Mockingbird. It is just such a fantastic book that I'd love to be able to read it for the first time again, not knowing how it was going to end. I'd also like to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the first time again because I was young and innocent, and saw it for an awesome adventure, not for all the symbolism. More recently, I would love to be able to read Outlander for the first time once again. The main characters, Jamie and Claire, just pull you into the story and I'd like to experience falling in love with them all over again! (Lucky for me I still have books 4, 5, 6 left to read!!)

5/14/09: Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

Ugh, yes! A thousand times yes! I have so many books piled up around the house that I'm excited to read but there's only so much time in the day. And lately, that reading time has been less and less since the weather has been nice enough to do some work to the outside of our house. I have a really bad habit of buying new books when I find ones at book sales, garage sales, or the bargain section of the bookstore. Just last week I had an extra 15% off coupon for B&N and of course I couldn't let that go to waste! (even though my husband was sitting there going "Don't you have enough books to read???")

I have really been trying to curb the book buying for a while so I can get a little more caught up on the books that I have, but then PBS is there saying that books are available from my wishlist and I have 8 credits just burning a whole in my pocket! Oh, what's a girl to do!? Maybe I could quit my job and read for a living?? haha...well, maybe not...

BTT: When a loved one betrays you...

Which is worse?
Finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author, or reading a completely disappointing book by an author that you love?

Reading a book that sucks from an author you LOVE is the worst by far!! It takes me a long time to determine whether or not I truly love an author mostly because when I find a book that I like, I'm not one to go out searching for everything else that author has written, it takes time for me to decide to read more of their books. I definitely don't think that if one book is good, the rest of an author's books will be good as well. I mean, a good book could just be a fluke or a one-time-idea kind of thing right?

But, when I do find an author that I love and I have read a lot of stuff from (and enjoyed it all) then I wait impatiently for their next book to come out and then....It SUCKS! there's nothing more disappointing than that. My prime example: Stephenie Meyer. Okay I wouldn't say that she's a GOOD writer or that I really love her, but I really enjoyed the first three books of the Twilight series. But Breaking Dawn...UGH. Awful. Horrible. This can't possibly be the build-up-to-nothing final ending to this series can it?! Blech. I have The Host sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read, so we'll see how adventures in Meyer-land go with something non-Twilight sometime soon.

PS I'm a bad blogger as of late and have two reviews that I need to write! Hopefully I'll be on it tomorrow...

BTT: Where's the symbolism?!

This week:

Question suggested by Barbara H:
My husband is not an avid reader, and he used to get very frustrated in college when teachers would insist discussing symbolism in a literary work when there didn’t seem to him to be any. He felt that writers often just wrote the story for the story’s sake and other people read symbolism into it.
It does seem like modern fiction just “tells the story” without much symbolism. Is symbolism an older literary device, like excessive description, that is not used much any more? Do you think there was as much symbolism as English teachers seemed to think? What are some examples of symbolism from your reading?

Ugh, symbolism. I think that my senior year English Lit teacher, Ms. Rose (yes, Ms. not Miss, not Mrs., MS.!) totally ruined the idea of symbolism for me. She would make us over-analyze every book we read and "find the SYM-bolism!" and then if you were "wrong" should would let you know it with a loud, harsh "NO! That's not it AT ALL!" I think I still have nightmares...Usually I could luck out and go with the easy almost always right answer of light=knowledge, understanding and dark=the unknown, confusion.

I do think that most literature tends to be over-analyzed in hopes of finding all the symbolism. I guess that since now I solely read for pleasure (and of course I gain knowledge through it...but that's not my reasoning behind reading something), I don't even think about finding the symbolism in a book. I'm sure that there's lots there (some that the author put in intentionally, and probably some that the lit crits just SAY is there...) but I just don't need to find it to enjoy the story. I do get some "wow, author, I see what you did there!" moments when I'm reading, but I just don't really go into deep thought about it.

BTT: extra moolah.

This week's question:


Yesterday, April 15th, was Tax Day here in the U.S., which means lots of lucky people will get refunds of over-paid taxes.

Whether you’re one of them or not, what would you spend an unexpected windfall on? Say … $50? How about $500?

An extra $50? oh I'd definitely go out and get a couple books with that...make them paperbacks and I'd probably run into DSW and get a new pair of shoes from the clearance racks too.

An extra $500? Well, I'd get hubs more for his birthday...and I'd probably buy some new summer clothes...but I don't think that I would make any particularly huge purchase with it. Now if it was $500 for me AND my husband it would probably go towards something really boring like grass seed (our lawn is awful) and getting some old bushes taken out from the front garden beds. Ah, the joys of home ownership!!!

What would YOU do with a little extra moolah in your pocket???

BTT: Numbers Game

This week's question:

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
3. Is this normal for you?
4. Where do you keep your current reads?

I read only one book at a time 99.9% of the time. I just cannot seem to keep track of different story lines when reading more than one at a time, and if I start two around the same time, I always end up liking one more and just focusing on that one. So having only one book going is definitely normal for me. My mom is the kind of person who always has two going. A "home book" and a "car book." I just can't do that though!

My current read goes EVERYWHERE with me! It's on my nightstand at night/in the morning when I read, it's in the living room in the evening, in the morning it goes in my purse (yes, I always carry a big purse) and I take it to work, lunch, wherever. You never know when you'll have a spare second to read! It's always a bad day when I forget my book.

BTT: Library Usage

Suggested by Barbara:
I saw that National Library week is coming up in April, and that led to some questions. How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?

I use my public library a couple times a month right now. I've accumulated a lot of books of my own lately, so I've been trying to read those before heading to the library for more. Also, my library doesn't have the largest selection (I'd be surprised if my whole library was any more than 1200 square feet) so there's a lot of stuff that I want to read that I can't get there anyways. The bookstore has replaced the library only a little bit lately just because of the limited selection that my library has.

I went to the library all the time as a kid! My hometown library was at least twice the size of my current library and I thought that it was so cool that I got to go downstairs all by myself (to the children's/YA section) while my parents stayed upstairs.

Now-a-days, I like the sleeker, more modern designed libraries. They tend to have more spacious and convenient shelving layouts. I don't usually go to the library to actually read since I would rather do that at home or at a coffee shop. I like to be able to speak with others about books, find new releases (or old ones I didn't know about), and have a few people around that also enjoy books.

BTT: The Best of the Worst

Suggested by Janet:
The opposite of last week’s question: “What’s the best ‘worst’ book you’ve ever read — the one you like despite some negative reviews or features?”

This is a tough question! After thinking about it for a bit, I decided that the first book that I really liked, but not many people did (probably due to the Is-It-A-Memoir controversy) would be A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I thought that it was great, raw and gritty and sometimes really tough to read because of the grotesque descriptions. But, in the end, I really enjoyed it. This could be because I read it like fiction and not like it was a true story. You have to think that even when something is a memoir, details could easily become glorified and stories exaggerated.

The other book that came to mind is Twilight, well the whole series really. While these books are insanely popular in main-stream culture, they are not so well liked by the "literary" community. While I will definitely admit that Stephenie Meyer's writing is NOT good, the characters are really great and the story lines are exciting and action packed. And also cheesy, but I can use some good CHEESE every once in a while!

So are there any books out there they everyone and their mother said are HORRIBLE, but you liked???

BTT: The Worst of the Best

This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:

“What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”

Oh, this is a good question and kind of a tough one! The first thing that came to mind for me was Life Of Pi by Yann Martel. I heard nothing but raves from everyone (my mom, sister, the nest book club board, and it won the Man Booker Prize) so I was pretty excited to read it. BLAH. It wasn't AWFUL but I just don't get how it is SO great. I think that maybe I had my expectations set too high before I started it, and the book just let me down. I remember when I finished the book thinking, "really, that's it?"

The next book that came to mind was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Once again, lots of rave reviews for this one and it was given to me to read by my best friend. The beginning really caught my attention and the ending was exciting but oh man, those middle couple hundred pages were like pulling teeth to get through. I would literally fall asleep while reading that middle part. The middle definitely ruined it for me.

I read The Giver by Lois Lowry and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle in school when I was younger and I hated them. But, I think that if I read them now, I would like them. I'm reading A Wrinkle in Time in April for The Nest Book Club monthly discussion so we'll see! I'm definitely willing to give those ones another shot. But The Historian? Probably not.

BTT: Book into movie?

This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:

What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers?

Or, What book do you think should NEVER be made into a movie?

The book that I really think should be made into a movie is Outlander. Throughout the whole thing I was sitting there going "Oh my gosh! This would be SUCH a good movie!" And, it turns out that they are making it into a movie!! I think that it's going to be great (hopefully). The Thirteenth Tale could make a good movie too, as long as it was done well. Although, all the people who had read the book would know the surprise ending. Middlesex might be good as a movie also. But, it'd be tough to do a smooth transition from the present time to the flashbacks of family history.

Of books I've read this year, The White Tiger should definitely NEVER be made into a movie. The letter format that it's written in is part of what makes the book so good, and that just couldn't be transferred to the big screen. Oh, and the book that was made into a movie that shouldn't have would be Love in the Time of Cholera. I thought that that was a really great book with a great message about love and fate, but all the internal dialog in the book was lost when it was made into a movie and it turned out just boring and awful.

I love watching movies that are based on books in general, even though the book is almost always better, if for nothing else than to just see how someone else imagined it.

Booking Through Thursday....er, Friday?

Better late than never right? I meant to answer this week's BTT yesterday, of course, but it ended up just being a crazy busy day! But, since I liked this week's questions, I've decided to still post it even though it's now Friday. I'm such a rebel.

BTT questions are in green :)

Hardcover or paperback?

I prefer paperback since it's easier to carry around and makes my bag a little lighter, but I really love having the hardcovers for my series (like Harry Potter and Twilight) and my favorites. Paperbacks are a little easier to curl up with though.

Illustrations or just text?

Most of the things I read are just text. I do like how the Harry Potter books have a little illustration at the beginning of each chapter though. I guess my answer to this would be that I like illustrations when they fit in with the text and are well done. My favorite children's author/illustrator is Leo Lionni. I could look at his simple, yet brilliantly done illustrations all day!

First editions or don't care?

Eh, I don't really care. I'm not a HUGE book collector. I just like to have my favorites around for easily accessible re-reads. I don't need to have any fancy editions. As a matter of fact, the copy of Middlesex that I'm reading right now (and almost finished with!!!) is a paperback that looks like it once took a dip in a pool. I don't care, as long as it's legible!

Signed by author or not?

I would say not for this one. If I had copies that were signed by the author then I don't think that I would actually read them. I would set it on the shelf so that it would always look pretty and never get damaged. My books usually take quite a beating since I tote them around with me everywhere, just in case I have a spare minute to read. I think that the only signed books I have right now (well, somewhere in storage) are As, A Surfeit of Similes which is signed by the illustrator, David Small, and Night of the Full Moon by Gloria Whelen. Both Small and Whelen had come to my elementary school and we were able to buy one of their books and have it signed. I haven't actually gone to any signings as an adult.

Booking Through Thursday: bookshelves

This week’s question is suggested by Kat:

I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

My bookshelves aren't organized at all! I just put the book in where it fits. The only exception to the bookshelf chaos, is series (like Harry Potter) are all in order. Other than that, it's total randomness on multiple shelves, in multiple rooms. And, since I'm currently in need of another bookshelf, some books are just in piles in our office closet. Someday, I will take care of that...

I think that I like having all the books in a random order. I like going into a room and just searching the random titles for my next read.