A Meme for Saturday

I saw this over at Steph Su Reads, and I thought it looked interesting. Plus, I don't have anything to review at the moment (I'm in the middle of a book):

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I think I'd have to say that I like hardbacks the best. Trade paperbacks are okay, sometimes. I find that a lot of mass market paperbacks smell funny, so I don't really like them (I think maybe it's the cheaper paper or something).

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Neither. I live in Canada, so we have Chapters and Indigo (same company, slightly different look to the stores). They both have in-store Starbucks, though, so it's all good.

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark. Dog-earring is like... book abuse.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
Amazon. The prices are better, and you don't have to put up with inane background music or screaming babies (the customers around here seem to think that the bookstore is an appropriate place to take a hungry, soiled newborn... the last two times I've been in the bookstore, I've had to hide in certain sections to protect my eardrums as these people stroll around with their screaming bundle, apparently trying to annoy as many people as possible).

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
I tend to alphabetize by author. Plus, my bookshelf is divided into sections (fiction, reference, art, etc.). Maybe I should just learn the Dewey Decimal System so I can organize my books like the library does...

Keep, throw away, or sell?
I usually keep my books. I haven't really bothered with selling (except at the occasional garage sale). If I want to get rid of a book, I usually donate it to the library. I never throw a book away. If anything, I'd at least tear the pages out and put them in the recycling bin (if I could bring myself to do that to a book!).

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep it. Why on earth would you throw it away? It's not meant to be disposable packaging.

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I've done both. I have a bad habit of using the dust jacket flaps as bookmarks, though, so it's probably a good idea for me to remove it.

Short story or novel?
Novel. Usually.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I guess Harry Potter, even though I'm not a huge fan. At least I read all seven books. I tried to read the first Lemony Snicket book and didn't get very far.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
When I'm tired. I'd prefer to stop at a chapter break, but sometimes the chapters are too long and I'm too tired...

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Either. (I don't think I've ever actually read a book that started with the first phrase. I wonder how many there actually are...)

Buy or borrow?
Buy. I've had too many "poo books" from the library. You know, those books that have unidentifiable brown smears on the pages. You think it might be chocolate, until you remember that a lot of people like to read in the bathroom...

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
It's a combination, I guess. I don't rely 100% on reviews or recommendations; I've been burned in the past. If I hear about a book that looks interesting, I'll have a browse through it at the bookstore... and then I might decide to buy it. Even then, though, I sometimes end up with a dud.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
That depends. If it's a stand-alone book, I don't want a cliffhanger! In a series, though, a cliffhanger is perfectly acceptable (as long as it's not at the end of the final book). I like cliffhangers within books, too (like at the end of chapters). They help draw you forward through the story (which is good, especially if the story itself is lacking in some way).

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Nighttime reading. I do almost all of my reading before I go to bed. No wonder it takes me so long to get through anything!

Stand-alone or series?
I prefer stand-alone books. Series are okay if they're finite (trilogies, series of 7 books, etc.). I don't like series that have no end in sight. In those cases, I feel like the publisher/author is just viewing the reader as an ATM.

Favorite series?
The Willowmere Chronicles by Alison Baird. The three books are:

1. The Witches of Willowmere
2. The Warding of Willowmere
3. The Wyrd of Willowmere

Favorite children’s book?
My favourite books for little kids are The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. For older kids, my favourites are probably the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.

Favorite YA book?
Gosh... How can I pick? I'd probably say Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones or I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Come on. At least somebody has heard of most books (they're on the shelves, aren't they?). I'm going to stick with The Willowmere Chronicles. I've never seen them mentioned on anyone's book blog. They're by a Canadian author, so that may be why.

Favorite books read last year?
Last year was a terrible year for me with books! The only good ones I read were A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb, and three books by Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, and Fairest).

Favorite books of all time?

There are too many! My top three:

1. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
2. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
3. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

What are you reading right now?
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey. And Pride and Prejudice (still!).

What are you reading next?
Probably Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston.

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
Hmmm... Maybe The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. Or Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman.

Favorite book to re-read?
I don't re-read. There are so many books out there. I won't have enough time to read all of them, so I don't want to waste time re-reading!

Do you ever smell books?
I try not to. If they smell, I'll probably avoid them.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
No. But if I came across some really interesting ones, I might.