Weekly Geeks 2011-10: Ten Things About Books & Me

The idea is simple. Tell us ten things about you with regard to books and reading. Let your imagination run wild!

1: I love to read classic literature. I'm not opposed to reading more recent books, but the classics are where my heart lies. Consequently, you probably wont see the latest YA novel or the most popular romance novel appear on my reading list. I just feel that life is so short, and I should concentrate on the great stuff.

2: I have a bad habit of letting infatuations with other books lead me astray from the one that I am currently reading. For instance, I've been slowly making my way through Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit for the past two and a half months now (great book...just long). But I've found myself being captivated by little gems like 84, Charing Cross Rd. and The Painted Veil, devoting time to them that should be committed to finishing that clunker. It almost makes me feel like I'm cheating.

3: I have a weakness for Victorian (and Regency) romances. I never met one that I didn't fall for. Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall? Head over heels. Jane Austen's Persuasion? Wow!! Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South? Methinks I may swoon! If I have any kind of guilty reading pleasure, this is it. Who says great writing and great romance can't come together?

4: I love to collect old books. I especially love books with notes in the margins or names on the flyleaf (which is funny, because I do not usually write in books as a rule). I feel as if I have been entrusted with a precious treasure, and that it's previous owner is asking me to safeguard it and enjoy it as they have done.

5: I am as rabid about adaptations of books as I am about books themselves. I love seeing great novels played out on the screen. I especially love those produced by the BBC. I don't just watch them, I analyze everything from the dialogue, to the actors, to the costumes to the sets, comparing them to my impression of the novel. And for some reason, my family doesn't like to watch them with me.

6: A cup of tea + rain + a good book = a perfect day!

7: The "due by" card in the back of library books makes THE perfect bookmark.

8: I don't just like books for the story, I also like to study them. So far, I've listened to lecture series on The Classics of British Literature, The English Novel, The Writings of C. S. Lewis, and am in the middle of one on The Classics of Russian Literature. I love seeing how both the life of the writer and the culture of the times help create the stories we love.

9: I love to re-read books. If I loved a book the first time, chances are that I will read it again. I can't imagine reading an amazing story only to toss it aside and never pick it up again. If a book is great the first time around, imagine how great it is the second or third as you make new discoveries and read them in a different light.

10: When it comes to reading, I really like having the real deal in my hands. I just can't talk myself into reading books on a digital reader. No pages to flip, no old/new book smell, no feel of crinkled paper in your hand. Where is the pleasure in another gadget in your hand. Audio books are ok once in awhile, but I normally prefer to already be familiar with the story before I listen to one...and they must be unabridged.

Bonus 11: Jane Eyre is my absolute most favorite book EVER!!!!!!!!!!