Random Internet Book Meme Thing...... (Part 2)   

26. Do you like to write reviews on Amazon or Goodreads? 

No. I write reviews once – for here. 

27. In general, do you think books are better or worse now than they used to be? 

They’re different. It’s possible to think that they’re ‘better’, however you want to define that, but it’d be a difficult case to make. Modern books tend to reflect modern sensibilities. Give a modern book to someone even 30-40 years ago, never mind 50-100 years ago, and I’m guessing that, once they got over the shock, they’d find a lot of the text incomprehensible. Modern books do tend to be faster paced, generally have more violence, more sex and more profanity than older books, but ‘better’? I’ll leave that for future generations to decide! 

28. Where do you usually discover new books? Physical bookstores? Online? Social media? 

Everywhere. I’m *always* on the look-out for more books. 

29. Have you ever joined a book club? 

No. I like to read what I like/want to read. I think I’d struggle regularly reading books that I ‘had’ to read. 

30. Where do you like to read? At home on the couch? On the train? In bed? 

I taught myself to read on the train (I used to get travel sick so essentially read until I started feeling ill then stopped. Eventually I can read all the time on a train now. Reading on the bus or in a car is still problematic. At home I read on the couch. I only read in bed if I’m ill. 

31. What deceased author would you have liked to meet? 

Iain M Banks so I can chat to him about his Culture novels. 

32. Think about your favorite genre. To you, which author is the master of that genre? 

Favourite genre is still SF (although Crime & Historical are close). No such thing as *the* master of any of them.  

33. Do you judge a book by its cover? Would a shoddy cover put you off? 

Covers are there to attract attention and they work. A ‘bad’ cover would probably reduce my chances of picking it up, but I go more off the blurb and the author/subject matter than the cover. 

34. Do certain tropes attract you? For example, orphans, love triangles, anti-heroes? 

Of that list it’d be anti-heroes. I don’t really ‘do’ tropes. 

35. Are there any books you haven't been able to finish? Why not? 

Yes, BAD ones! 

36. What are some of your favorite quotes or scenes from a book? 

Too diverse and numerous to list. 

37. Did you read books in school? Can you remember which ones? 

I didn’t really start reading voraciously until around 14. But one of the earliest books I read in school, loaned to me by my English teacher, was 1984 by George Orwell. 

38. Are there any books you could read over and over again and never get bored of? 

It’s VERY rare for me to re-read anything. I don’t think that I could read anything over and over but there are a (very) few books I’ve read 3 times, but I’m unlikely to ever read them again, again. 

39. What's the last book you read? 

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips 

40. What's the last book you bought? Did you buy it online or at a store? Ebook or paperback? 

Sunset Swing by Ray Celestin. Paperback from my local supermarket. 

41. Do you like to display your books on a bookshelf or keep them in a virtual library? 

I’d say over half of my books are on shelves, though not all of them are on ‘display’. 

42. Do you prefer flash fiction, short stories, novellas, or novels? 

I don’t even know what ‘flash fiction’ IS! But novels – I like meat on my bones (even if I am a veggie). 

43. What book can you recommend to me? 

None. I don’t know you well enough for that. 

44. When did you last visit a library? 

Well over 5 years ago probably. Maybe longer. 

45. Have you ever had a crush on a book character? 

Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice. 

46. Has a book ever made you laugh out loud? 

Yes, especially the funny ones. 

47. Has a book ever made you cry? 

No, I don’t think so. A few have made me sad though – mostly for what was happening to some of the characters. 

48. Are you generally good at guessing twists or being able to see what's coming? Have any stories genuinely shocked you? 

Part of the fun of reading is trying to ‘guess’ what’s coming next. Sometimes I get things right which is fun. I enjoy getting things wrong though. Books, especially novels, should surprise you – hopefully in a GOOD way. 

49. What's your favorite drink, snack, or beverage to have beside you while you're reading? 

Pepsi Max or Orange soda. 

50. What book will you read next? 

I started ‘Kill Chain – Drones and the Rise of High-Tech Assassins’ by Andrew Cockburn last night. It’s really good – if you’re into that sort of thing.