“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.”
You know, that is just so true.
In any event, speaking of books (as we just were), and being that it’s Thursday, and being that something needs to be done to break us out of our respective springtime reveries, one Jim Smith (not an alias, by the way) sends in a suggestion for the our weekly bit of snoopiness, which he dubs:
The Spring Reading Edition of the Axis of Weevil Thursday Three!
1. Do you like to read one book at a time until you’re finished, or multiple things at once?
2. Do you do your browsing at the library, or do you prefer going to retailers such as Barnes and Noble and glomming up free samples of the publishing arts, pretending you’re actually going to buy something?
3. Which do you prefer--hard cover, paperback, or online?
And a special bonus question (or else Jim has lost the ability to count):
4. What do you read most often?
As is always the case, anyone who cares to may play along--and even if you don’t know how to read, just make something up--we’ll never know the difference. Leave your answers in the comments below, or leave a link to your blog and we’ll come over and slouch in all your guest chairs and make ourselves at home while we read your answers at our leisure.
So, go answer!
As for my answers--
1) I could never read just one thing at a time--at any given time, I have about three book-books in various stages of being read, and five or six magazines.
2) A little of both. I suppose I spend more time at the library, because if I spent more time at the bookstore I’d wind up buying stuff that I would put on the groaning shelves full of other things I bought with intent to read and haven’t gotten to yet.
3) Depends, I suppose. I love old hardbound books, but then again, I love old books of any sort. For general reading, flimsy covers are fine. Online books have never really caught my fancy--I like being able to get up and walk around and go and sit in the reading room that has the porcelain chair and then be able to get up and go outside, and then be able to just put a piece of paper where I stop and not have to worry about turning the thing off. Also, online books are online, which means there’s the temptation to wander around and go check e-mails and E-bay auctions.
BONUS QUESTION 4) Magazines. Lots and lots of magazines. And just about any kind, too--technical journals, cars, decorating, crafts, guns, cars, art, science, history, cars, guns. I don’t really read that much of the news journals, health and fitness, or travel, or anything with thrusting bosoms on the cover--which is about 90% of the stuff on the magazine racks now. It’s gotten to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jennifer Love Hewitt on the cover of Highlights spilling out of handkerchief.
Hmm? Oh--sorry. Mind wandered there for a minute. ANYway, there you go.
My responses are Here
Posted by: HemisphereDancer at April 21, 2005 08:28 AMWow, that was fast!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 21, 2005 08:39 AMI'm in.
Posted by: skillzy at April 21, 2005 08:43 AM1. One at a time. Back when I had more time, I'd go through 3 to 4 books a week.
2. I live half a block from the library, but tend to reserve things on-line and have them call me when it's available. I browse Amazon.com and make note of what I'd like to read, then look it up on the library site. Assuming I don't succumb to the temptation to order them that is.
OK, so I'm lazy. What's wrong with letting technology work for me?
3. I will read anything, anytime, anywhere. I read the fine print on cereal boxes when I'm desperate for something to read. For a long time, my purse had to be able to accomodate up to a standard-size hardcover book (for reading whilst in lines). I haven't yet downloaded a book to my palm pilot to read, mostly because I have a copy of the Bible (with Strong's definitions and a full concordance) on there already, and that takes care of most reading needs.
4. Aside from the Bible - mystery/suspense, with a particular weakness for older British mysteries (Allingham, Marsh, Sayers and the like). Yes, I do reread favorite books - often.
Diane
I'm up. Diane's answer about reading everything fits me. I have been known to read dictionaries when nothing else was available.
Posted by: Larry Anderson at April 21, 2005 09:22 AMI'm up.
Posted by: jim at April 21, 2005 09:23 AMI'm up too. And the idea of Jennifer Love Hewitt spilling out of a handkerchief, while intriguing, raises certain questions for me.
Mostly involving sizes of handkerchief and the quantum physics of a handkerchief not really covering several spaces at the same time.
Posted by: skinnydan at April 21, 2005 09:30 AM1. Usually 2-3 books at a time. But I'm a binge reader of mysteries. Usually read at one sitting.
2. Library mostly. Buy books when travelling.
3. Not online.
4. Whatever's available--though I draw the line at ancient People and golf magazines in Dr's waiting rooms.
So what does it take to become part of the Axis of Weevil?
By the way anything that involves Jennifer Love Hewitt is great by me. Even greater would be if she came out of my handkerchief, and I would not care what laws of quantum mechanics, physics, or biblical that were broken.
Posted by: Hemisphere Dancer at April 21, 2005 10:24 AMDan and HemiDancer--by spilling, I meant to refer to the line previously about thrusting bosoms. They're everywhere. Except, at least for now, Highlights.
AS FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE AUGUST ASSEMBLAGE KNOWN AS THE AXIS OF WEEVIL--I will have Chet the E-Mail Boy forward you a copy of the OOOOfficial Rules of Servitude.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 21, 2005 10:29 AMUp at Moral Calculus.
I'm up. For the record, Jennifer Love Hewitt doesn't do it for me.
Posted by: Grouchy Old Yorkie Lady at April 21, 2005 11:24 AM1) I typically hold to one book, though I have been known to intersperse trashy novels with history.
2) I cannot afford to meet my reading jones with bookstores, and I don't have that kind of space in my house, anyway. I did buy a copy of Robert's Rules of Order on Amazon last night.
3) Reading online is worthless beyond blogs, news and whatnot. I like to go to bed with a book.
One of the pretty rituals of our marriage is that Lyman will walk into the room, find me asleep, set my book aside, give me a kiss, and turn off the light. I shouldn't brag, but that's how it is.
4) I read novels. Until our library expands further, there's just not much else. I like history, but truly, there aren't a great many fascinating historical writers since Xenophon or Thucydides.
Posted by: Janis at April 21, 2005 12:44 PMThat's nice--I do the same thing for Reba, except with the addition of trying to get her glasses off without poking her in the eye or pulling her hair.
And yes, Thucydides rocks.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 21, 2005 12:56 PMThere is a sweetness in those gestures that I haven't seen matched.
Good for you. Good for Reba!
Posted by: Janis at April 21, 2005 01:18 PMThere have been plenty of fascinating history writers since Thucydides! Oh where to even start?! Turning my head to the right, the first two I see on the shelf are Georges Duby and David Halberstam. Wonderful historians-- great works, great times, narrative flair, everything. Tons of great, engaging, fascinating, scintillating history!
Posted by: Sarah at April 21, 2005 01:33 PMAnd, although I am usually bashful about blowing my own horn, let's not forget my groundbreaking tome, "Milton Flimner and the Trainville Paint Incident."
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 21, 2005 01:40 PMList them, Miss Sarah. If you'll leave a note here, I'll pursue them.
My daddy taught me not to trust David Halberstam. He said Mr. Halbertam doesn't always get it right, though he liked him overall.
There's a fine book by David Howarth on the battle of Waterloo.
Posted by: Janis at April 21, 2005 01:41 PMThucydides, Janis?
I didn't know you held by those newfangled modernist historians.
Posted by: skinnydan at April 21, 2005 01:54 PMProgress is progress, Skinnydan.
Posted by: Janis at April 21, 2005 02:01 PMI'm up!
Posted by: Sarah G. at April 21, 2005 04:14 PMI'm up and like Diana and LarryA I've been known to read ingredient lists to fill that jones.
Posted by: Tony at April 21, 2005 11:20 PM