Hey Splotters! We have something different for you today. It's called a Meme. If you've never done this before, you should try it – it's really fun. A Meme is when you write a bunch of questions and send them to all your friends to see how your answers compare. Since this week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, a bunch of book blogger friends are doing this Meme about (what else?) reading. (Also in honor of BBAW, check out this video of our own Karen talking about Ink Splot 26. Isn't she bee-you-tee-ful?)
Read on to find out how Karen and your other favorite Ink Splot 26 bloggers weigh in on different reading topics. . .
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Karen: Not usually, although this summer I did spend some time in front of my air conditioner with a book and a pint of ice cream.
Morgan: I tend to read while I'm eating dinner (to make up for all the years my parents made me put down my books during dinner!), so yes.
Ratha: YES! Pretzels with a small bowl of melted chocolate chips for dipping in. YUM.
Sonja: I eat dark chocolate while doing just about everything, but I rarely snack while reading. Wow! A good book can even make me forget about chocolate!
Do you mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Carly H: OMG! NO! THAT IS HORRIBLE!
Morgan: I marked school books in college, for sure. But books I read for fun? I never mark them up, but I don't object to people who do!
Sonja: I NEVER write in my books! It almost even bothers me when authors sign them.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Carly M: Magnetic bookmark
Karen: A small Post-It note. Boring, but effective.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Morgan: Fiction all the way. I can't remember the last non-fiction title I read!
Ratha: Both! I go through phases. If I'm reading a lot of fluff, then my next book has to have some substance so my brain doesn't get mushy. And I'm reading a sad or heavy non-fiction book, then my next book has to be a fun read. I like to change it up!
Hard copy, paperback, e-books or audiobooks?
Carly H: Hard copy or paperback (or e-book if someone wants to buy me a Kindle but for now I don't have one.)
Ratha: Hmmm. I prefer the weight of hard copies (it's also easier to prop them open to eat snacks) but paperbacks are easier for reading on the go. I'm not trendy enough for e-books or audio books yet.
Sonja: No preference, although I do love a good audiobook.
Are you a person who HAS to finish chapters, or can you put a book down at any point?
Carly H: I'm a person who HAS to finish the whole book. I'll stay up all night if it's that good.
Ratha: I definitely HAVE to finish chapters. My personal sense of completion would be off without it. However . . . I did draw out the last Harry Potter book over a period of weeks so I could make it last longer. I like to savor a good book!
Sonja: I pretty much have to finish the chapter, which gets me stuck when the chapter ends with a cliffhanger and then I have to read the next chapter to find out what happens. Before I know it, it's midnight, and well, there are only a few more chapters left. I might as well keep reading and finish the whole book!
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Karen: I know I should probably set a good example and say, “Yes, I always look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary as soon as I read them!” But I totally don't. Just being honest.
Ratha: No, is that bad? I usually try to infer what it means by how it's used in a sentence. If I really don't get it and I'm near the computer I'll dictionary.com it. But I rarely do that!
Sonja: I don't even stop reading for meals. No way am I going to stop to look up a word!
What are you currently reading?
Karen: Just finished the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid installment this morning. About to start on The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Morgan: I am re-reading Wuthering Heights (no, NOT because it has a new Twilight-esque cover. . . but because I disliked it the first time and a friend convinced me to give it another chance!)
What is the last book you bought or checked out from the Library?
Carly H: Bought Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (for ages 12 and up) as a (22nd) birthday present for my brother.
Ratha: The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley. I checked it out from the library and then had to buy it to keep on my shelf!
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
Carly M: Can read more than one book – one fun and one serious.
Ratha: Definitely one book at a time. I like to get invested in a good book and stay the course. Although if I'm reading a heavy book, I'll read my gossip magazines at the same time. Or if I'm reading a fluffy book, I'll read the newspaper. It's all about balance!
Sonja: I read lots at a time. I wish I could just stick to one but every time I see a new book, it calls to me and I have to start reading that one too! It's a problem.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Karen: I rarely get to do this, but I love to dedicate an entire Sunday afternoon to devouring one good read. When the weather's nice, there's no better way to end a weekend than sitting in Central Park with a great children's book.
Morgan: On the rare day that I sleep in late – say, a Sunday – I'll hang out in bed for hours, catching up on my reading. Heaven!
Ratha: On my commute into the city if I'm on a job, or late at night in my cozy jammies.
Sonja: Any time, anywhere! I always have a book with me.
Do you prefer series books or stand-alone books?
Carly H: Series, assuming all of the books are good. But, a lot of times I feel like authors have enough content for one great book. Then, when that book becomes really successful they write more books even though the story is over, and then the rest of the books in the series are just pale imitations of the first.
Karen: It's hard to say. Series are great because you can return to a beloved world over and over again, but some of my favorite books are stand-alones. Please, don't make me choose!
Morgan: I've been a love of series since my first Baby-sitter's Club book, and that love has stood the test of time.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Carly H: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (for ages 12 and up)
Karen: YES! Buffalo Brenda by Jill Pinkwater and Secret Letters from 0 to 10 by Susie Morgenstern. They're both relatively unknown, and I think they deserve to be as popular as Harry Potter!
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author's last name, etc.?)
Carly H: Sort of by genre, sort of by how they look prettiest on the shelf. I spend a lot of time thinking about how I want to re-sort them by color.
Carly M: Yeah I don't. . . I just throw them up on my bookshelf.
Morgan: What is this “organize” term you speak of? I have four large bookshelves that have no real rhyme or reason to them, except that I do try to keep authors together, though not in any particular order.
Do you always finish the books that you start, or can you give up midway through?
Carly M: Depends on the book; if I get bored with it or can't get into the book, then I can put it down.
Karen: I hardly ever give up on a book midway through. But that's because I never pick up a book that hasn't already been highly recommended or reviewed. Hey, I'm not being snobby, but I've got limited time in my life and a lot of books to get through! No time-wasters here!
Morgan: There are exactly three books in my life that I have never been able to finish. I only recently forgave myself for that.
Ratha: I usually finish all the books I start. I HAVE to know what happens in the end. If it's boring though, I'll cheat and skim through it to find out what happens in the end.
Sonja: I will give any book a chance, but if I don't like it, I move on to the next book right away. I don't waste a single minute with a book I don't like! This makes it hard to pack for vacation because I have to bring LOTS of different reading options.
OK. Now that you have read our responses to the Meme, it's your turn. Jump in with YOUR answers in the comments!
— C, C, K, M, R and S
Celebrate Books graphic courtesy of Amy Riley and Monica Miller, BBAW website
Our STACKS chat last month was all about 
Last Saturday, we hosted lively chat about book-to-movie adaptations. Boy, STACKS users are way passionate about books and movies . . . We covered a lot in just one hour! (Okay, we ran a teensy bit longer than scheduled.) 
