Reading Meme

You ever realize most of my entries start with "I'm not dead" or "Sorry I haven't been around"? Yeah...if you miss me, check out my twitter, my tumblr, & my livejournal. There's also the 5NerdsomeWriters, where I post on Tuesday. Actually, all the blogs I would normally put up here, tend to go there, which is why you're not seeing them very often. So if you're used to my regular chatter about books, publishing trends, & mass communication, you might want to check that out. Be sure to read the other girls' posts as well, because they're amazing.

Anyway, here's a book reader meme I snagged from Jordyn of Ten Cent Notes.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Chances are, I am always snacking, especially while reading. The better the book, the less I snack because I start to forget about food, haha.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
I would never ever ever write in a book! I might put in sticky notes if it were for a class, but generally if I feel like making notes, I open up a file on my computer to keep track. This is usually how I start my reviews.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Generally bookmarks. And by bookmarks I mean anything I can find that is flat. Sometimes I will not use anything and just trust myself to be able to find the right page, but sometimes that can be tricky.

Laying the book flat open?
Absolutely not! It ruins the covers & spines of the books, and I can't stand that.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Fiction, but every now & again I'll read some nonfic if it's good & looks interesting. Or is on a subject I really enjoy.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy. I don't really like audiobooks all that much. They're convenient for someone like me who rarely has a minute to breathe, but at the same time, the voice, tone, & style of the reader on the tape has too great of an influence on the person listening. I think people should be able to make those distinctions for themselves.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put it down whenever, and generally have to. My life doesn't always accommodate me enough time to finish chapters.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Generally I just keep on reading & can infer from the context what it is supposed to me, and I'll maybe look it up later. If I'm near my computer, I might look it up right then.

What are you currently reading?
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

What is the last book you bought?
I just had a birthday last month & got a few gift cards, which I used to buy an array of books. I purchased 2 EL Koningsburg books, City of Ember, The Book Thief, Memoirs of a Teenaged Amnesiac, & I think one other but I can't remember.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I can and do read more than one at a time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Any time, anywhere. Though I seem to most read when I am waiting in lines or in cars.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
It depends on the book. Some series should have been stand alones, some stand alone books I wish were series.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I am constantly recommending The Great Gatsby, Looking for Alaska, anything by Maureen Johnson, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, & The Higher Power of Lucky

Giftcards

In which I rant on why giftcards are actually a bad idea.

Today I remembered that in my wallet (which I got free from the library and has their contact info on it) I had a Simon Giftcard which may or may not still have money on it. So I pull it out to find out where to look that up at and I find 3 other giftcards! No wonder the ID side of my wallet was so thick!
So I looked them up online.
The Simon Giftcard had $1.53
The Kohl's Giftcard had $6.73
The McDonald's Giftcard had $0.18
The Marshall Fields Giftcard doesn't give you the option of looking it up online. Maybe this is because Marshall Field's doesn't exist in Chicagoland anymore?*

Okay, why this sucks:
Simon Giftcard- I found out recently that places won't take these cards unless it's over $7. I have $1.53. That doesn't work very well. I tried donating it to the Green Brothers' Foundation to Decrease Worldsuck, but PayPal doesn't like the card either. So, I can combine it with something else I guess, but as a cashier I can honestly say that cashiers don't like doing this, which means I'd have to do it somewhere I'm not a regular (like say, Amazing Fantasy Comics? or Dominick's grocery?) where they would remember me and hate me for awhile. But, overall, not so bad, but still bad because now the receiver of the giftcard needs to pay money to get their "gift."

Kohl's Giftcard- The amount on this actually doesn't suck all that much because I can get stuff with that. But I know that because I don't have any money to add to it it would end up like the Simon and McDonald's giftcards with low, unusuable (alone) amounts. The thing that actually does suck about this card is that it's excluded to one store. What if I didn't shop at Kohl's? What if I bought my clothes somewhere equally cheap like Target? This would be a problem.

McDonald's Giftcard- What could I possibly use 18 cents for? See this one sucks more than the Simon Giftcard because of three reasons I've already mentioned. 1)It's exclusive (to a place I don't eat!). 2)It's an insanely low amount that will probably never be used. 3)If I were ever to combine it with actual money (which I don't have) it would be a pain in the rear for the chashier (which rhymes btw) and yes, working at McDonald's pretty much means that the cashier already hates me for living and eating at their "restaurant" but now on top of that hate they have reasonable hate! It's just not a good thing.

Marshall Fields- I really don't think I ever used this. It could be expired for all I know. This sucks because it's exclusive to a store I don't shop at (because everything is too expensive)**. And you can't see your balance, how can I buy things if I don't know how much money I have?

In conclusion: give cash. If you absolutely must give a giftcard, give a Simon Giftcard because they can be used anywhere that accepts VISA. Oh, and make sure it's over $7.

So...anyone want 18 cents at McDonald's? If you send me a self-addressed envelope I'd willingly give it to you (hey, I'd even throw in 2 pennies to make it an even 20 cents). Actually, if you send me your address (in an email so you don't have to put it here-- that's lyokofans @ yahoo.com) I'll send you the card + 2 pennies. I'll pay for the postage with any change I find in the couch tomorrow...or on my bed if I ever clear it off.

Really, though. Someone take this McDonald's giftcard from me. I don't eat McDonald's! (for those interested I spent the other $4.82 on ice cream and my mom's lunch)
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*Soon I will write up a blog post on why Macy's is a horrible place (hopefully tomorrow, but I sort of want to include a picture of something)
**You know you're poor when you can't shop at Marshall Fields (I refuse to call it by the evil name)