Questionnaire of Reading Habits, part 2

12. Paperback or hardcover?
I virtually always buy trade paperbacks since I carry a book with me all the time.

13. At what point do you give up on a book?
If I absolutely hate a book when I'm 50 pages in, I will consider quitting at that time. I usually make a call around a third of the way in. That said, I should probably abandon more books than I do; there was no reason to finish either To The Lighthouse or Rabbit, Run.

14. How do you find about new books and authors?
I read a few writing blogs, and I keep track of a bunch of "Top 100" lists. I keep a few titles in a list on my Blackberry for times when I'm in the bookstore and need inspiration. The Fearless Readers book club is great for introducing me to new authors and books, too!

15. Best reading-related memory?
16. Worst reading-related memory?
I'm not sure what either of these are going for, but one of my most vivid reading-related memory was in about the seventh grade. I was reading Erich Segal's Love Story and cried during the line. The other kids in school made so much fun of me for crying over a book!

17. What was the last book(s) you bought?
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

18. What was the last book you checked out from the library?
It's been so long I cannot even remember.

19. On average, how many hours a week do you spend reading?
Probably about 8-10 hours reading books, and another 8-10 on newspapers and magazines.

20. Are you a fast or slow reader?
People consider me to be a very fast reader, but I really take my time and concentrate and enjoy the act of reading itself. And I don't even know how to skim.

21. Do you sometimes read more than one book at the time?
Since I keep one book in my bag, I keep another one by my bed - there is nothing worse than getting on the train at the end of the day and realizing I have nothing to read. I have to make sure they are very different types of books, though. Right now Atonement is in my bag and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, a collection of Murakami short stories, is by my bed.

22. Are you what Stephen King refers to as a Constant Reader, or are there periods where you don’t read at all?
I am a constant reader.

23. What’s the longest you’ve gone without reading?
Maybe a few days?