a reading meme

found this on charlotte’s web two weeks ago and loved it. have been saving it for a while but i think today’s the day to do it.

1. do you remember learning to read? how old were you?

i can vaguely remember asking my parents about the books they were reading out of: “what does this word mean? and this? what does it say?” and i think i must have taught myself to read that way. what i can’t remember but my parents told me is the first word i read out aloud to them when i was three and a half: the word “brasserie” written on the window of a cafe we were sitting in, and i read it mirrored, from the inside. queer little kid i must have been.

2. what do you find most challenging to read?

i think i enjoy reading in english more than i do reading in german. i don’t know exactly why. sometimes i think i like the flow of the language better, but that may depend on if i’m reading an original version. i prefer reading english authors in english, and germans in german. i actually like english books to challenge my vocabulary. a friend challenged me once with a monstrous book, “mason & dixon” by thomas pynchon, he uses a lot of vernacular, dialects and idioms, as well as the strangest vocabulary. i really fought through that book, discovering new words like “frangibility”, “purveyor” or “doucine” on every page, but i made it.

3. what are your library habits?

i used to own a library card in my old town and used it quite regularly for the “easy reading” stuff i knew i wouldn’t look at again if it was sitting on my shelves, but haven’t gotten around to getting a new card for cologne yet. there’s a big media library in cologne too, and i definitely plan to get a card for that.

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

i didn’t use the library much when i was a kid, probably because my family was so happy that i was such an ardent reader that they practically showered me with books. i only started using the library in university for technical literature, and then about ten years ago for other stuff when i realised i didn’t have the room to buy and store every single book i wanted to read.

5. how has blogging changed your reading life?

it hasn’t really. except that i read blogs in addition to the books i read now, but i don’t really regard this as the same kind of reading. it’s more like reading letters and emails of friends, keeping up with them. i’ve never counted that into my reading time. i also try to limit the number of blogs i read to a few favorites, otherwise i get lost and the day passes unnoticed.

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?

if you look at a period of one year i guess i get about 40% from new book stores, 40% from online retailers, 10% from second hand book stores and 10% i borrow off friends. there may be months where i only shop for books online, others where i go to the bookstore once a week, then months where i buy nothing at all. and i still have to get that library card.

7. how often do you read a book and not review it on your blog? What are your reasons for not blogging about a book?

i usually don’t review books on my blog. if i found something that i found so revolutionary that i felt the all world needed to read it, i probably would. but i think reading is very much a matter of personal taste, i don’t know many people who share my favorite books and writers, so i don’t crusade for my favourite books.

8. what are your pet peeves about the way people treat books?

i usually treat my own books quite carefully, and i do wish others to treat my books respectfully. i don’t dog-ear pages but i’m often guilty of leaving books open face-down on my bedside table when i don’t have a bookmark at hand. i’m generally happy when i get a book back unmarked and untorn, a few creases in the spine don’t bother me.

9. do you ever read for pleasure at work?

i sometimes read for my work during work, but since i’m self-employed and have a free schedule i can just wander off with any book i want whenever i darn please. i try to stick to one thing though, either work or off-work reading. and i do regard most of the reading of work-related literature as reading for pleasure, too.

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

i do like to give away books that i’ve read myself and liked, but sometimes a review catches my eye that makes me think that book would be a perfect gift for someone i know and i take a chance even though i haven’t read it myself. if it’s not a last-minute buy i may scan through it before i give it away to make sure i wasn’t completely wrong. and i try to remember to inquire if i made a good choice later.

~ by bine on November 27, 2007.