BTT: Vocabulary

I’ve always wondered what other people do when they come across a word/phrase that they’ve never heard before. I mean, do they jot it down on paper so they can look it up later, or do they stop reading to look it up on the dictionary/google it or do they just continue reading and forget about the word?

It all depends on the book. If I’m totally engrossed in it, I won’t take the time to stop to get the definition; I’ll just make a mental note and look it up later. Sometimes, if I want a quick answer, I’ll ask my husband what something means, because honestly, he’s much better at definitions than I am (although I am the better speller). There are times I’ve stopped reading to look a word up, but it usually depends on how badly I need to know the definition for the book to make sense or how slow of a read for me it is.

BTT: Writing Challenge

• Pick up the nearest book. (I’m sure you must have one nearby.)
• Turn to page 123.
• What is the first sentence on the page?
• The last sentence on the page? *
• Now . . . connect them together…
  (And no, you may not transcribe the entire page of the book–that’s cheating!)

From Passion: A Novel of the Romantic Poets by Jude Morgan, with my connecting writing in between.

“He is kind and loves us all,” Franny put in quietly, “and I think that’s all that matters.”

I nodded in agreement. It was true. Even if he didn’t believe in God, he did believe in us. That had to count for something. I faded into my thoughts of this man and how he could be so wonderful, yet have no belief system beyond the stars. Then, as if my mind was being read, I was brought back to reality with the continuing conversation.

Fanny, her heavy cheeks glowing, said tentatively, “It’s a pity about the atheism.”

BTT: Lit-Ra-Chur

• When somebody mentions “literature,” what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?)
• Do you read “literature” (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?

When someone mentions the word “literature”, I automatically think of high school and college reading-type classes since that’s what they were called back then. (Makes me sound old, but I’ve been out of high school a couple of decades.) I wouldn’t say that I read literature anymore. I may read chick lit or historical lit, but I don’t ever call it “literature”. To me, that’s something I must read, whether I want to or not.

BTT: But, Enough About Books…

Okay, even I can’t read ALL the time, so I’m guessing that you folks might voluntarily shut the covers from time to time as well… What else do you do with your leisure to pass the time? Walk the dog? Knit? Run marathons? Construct grandfather clocks? Collect eggshells?

Believe it or not, I actually crochet in my leisure time. Yep. Crochet. Imagine that.

I also enjoy sewing, or at least trying to, as well as baking. I collect buttons, and I search for them at garage & estate sales, as well as antique stores. I’m also trying to build up my web site. I have plans for this year…just a matter of implementing them. I probably don’t read as much as I would like since I always have something else I want to do as well, and that something else usually wins out. Well, depending on what it is.

BTT: Highlights

It’s an old question, but a good one . . . What were your favorite books this year? List as many as you like … fiction, non-fiction, mystery, romance, science-fiction, business, travel, cookbooks … whatever the category. But, really, we’re all dying to know. What books were the highlight of your reading year in 2007?

My favorite Novels for this year would include:
- Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
- Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Cookbooks:
- my Pink Plaid Better Homes & Gardens cookbook
- The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion All-Purpose Baking Cookbook

Magazines:
- Crochet Today!
- Vegetarian Times

Crochet & Craft Books:
- 201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Patterns and Ideas
- Crochet Inspiration
- Loom Knitting Primer
- Very Easy Crazy Patchwork

I’d link them all but I have too many other things to do first.

BTT: Preservationist

Wow, it’s Thursday already?!?

…how many of us write notes in our books. Are you a Footprint Leaver or a Preservationist?

I was told once by a wise man (my significant other) that a book isn’t truly yours until you’ve written in it. But for me, I just can’t do it. Nor do I dog ear any of the pages. I like to keep my books looking gently used not abused, which I know notes in the margins isn’t abuse, but for me, it’s a distraction. Even in college, I had a hard time writing in my books or highlighting important information, although I eventually learned it was quicker than taking notes all the time.

I guess that makes me a Preservationist.

BTT: Volume

A few days late, but finally!

Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger? More? Less?
Why?

I would say I definitely read less than when I was younger. When I was a teen, I almost always had a book in my hand. It all got started in 8th grade when we’d get the book order forms. Not one flyer came by me that didn’t get a book ordered out of it.

I think it has to do with time. As we get older, our responsibilities get greater. Or it could be a matter of what’s more interesting to do at any given time. I love to read, but I also love to crochet & dabble in other creative ventures. I have a ton of books I want to read, but I also have a ton of other things I want to do as well. All a matter of priorities and time.

BTT: Oh, Horror!

What with yesterday being Halloween, and all . . . do you read horror? Stories of things that go bump in the night and keep you from sleeping?

I thought about asking you about whether you were participating in NaNoWriMo, but I asked that last year. Although . . . if you want to answer that one, too, please feel free to go ahead and do both, or either, your choice!

No, I don’t read horror. I do like a good mystery, but I don’t really get into the “scary” stuff. I love “The Phantom of the Opera”, though. I don’t even really like horror movies. I prefer to sleep.

As for NaNo: Yes, I plan to participate. Even if this is the 1st and I don’t have a single word written just yet. But I’ll get ‘er done. I just have to put on my novelist hat.

BTT: Read with Abandon?

I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?

The first book that came to mind when I first read this meme actually belongs to my daughter & is called Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky. I was interested in reading something my daughter had taken an interest in, but I couldn’t get past the first few pages. Not only is this book badly written, it’s not suitable for the age it’s listed for, which is 14 & up. My daughter is 16 and wasn’t impressed much more than I was. It’s like a really bad erotic novel written by an adult that tries too hard to sound like a teen. I take that back: it’s not even erotic. It’s just very badly written teenage sex.

As for adult novels, I can’t think of any titles offhand but I know there are some. I’ve put many books down because I couldn’t get beyond the first chapter. I probably just put them out of my mind.

BTT - Decorum

Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit (ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking for more exactly like them? (grin)

I don’t have issues with some profanity, but too much can totally ruin a book, especially for the types of books I read. There’s a time and place for it, but it can also be a waste of words.

As for the overly explicit romantic scenes in books: I don’t mind them if they’re appropriate for the book. If I want a trashy novel, I’ll read a trashy novel. I just don’t want it to be the most dominant part of any book it’s really not intended for. I like a sexy (usually dark) novel now and then, as long as it is well-written.

I’ll close any book if it’s not what I expected it to be or if I can’t get into it.