Masterpiece
*****
Excellent
**** 1/2
Very good
****
Good
**** 1/2
Just okay
***
Not for me
**
Definitely not for me
*

Book meme

What are you reading right now? I am reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones and desperately trying to finish it before midnight Friday so I can complete the Southern Reading Challenge.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that? I have a reading schedule that I’m following for the rest of this year. My next reading selections will be (not necessarily in this order):

Middlesex (Pulitzer, BAC)
Blue Like Jazz (NF5)
The Travels of Marco Polo (NF5)
Bookseller of Kabul (NF5, RAB)
Half of a Yellow Sun (NYT, BookAwards)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (FC, RIP)
Lisey’s Story (NYT, BAC, RIP)
Never Let Me Go (DC)

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now? I don’t read in the bathroom; I just think it’s gross. But the magazines I do subscribe to are Bookmarks, National Geographic, and Smithsonian.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read? I usually like almost anything, but in high school I really didn’t care for The Red Badge of Courage.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone? To Kill a Mockingbird

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they? I know they recognize my face, but it’s a big library. I’m not sure they know my name or not.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all? I really loved Gilead, which some people love, but others are bored to tears by it. I think it has truly magnificent writing.

Do you read books while you do other things? Not really. Of course I listen to audiobooks while I’m driving. I usually bring a book to the doctor’s office or anywhere else I might be kept waiting.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits? I don’t think so; I know my family and friends used to call me Bookworm or Bookgeek, though.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down? Sometimes I read late just so I can finish a challenge! I actually do this quite frequently, sad to say. The last two books I read almost straight through were The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

BTT – Stats


There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t fall into that category, but . . . how many of our friends do? Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit?

Answer:

My best friend reads a lot, but it’s mostly non-fiction (not that there’s anything wrong with that, though I’m a fiction gal), and one of my sisters reads quite a bit, too. My husband listens to audio CDs (mostly that I pick out for him!) on his commute, and my children both like to read (even though sometimes it’s forced upon them by homeschooling).

I would say most of the people I know in real life don’t read all that much, though. That’s why I love the book blog community! Friends with a shared love of reading are hard to come by.