Booking It, Part II

On Stephanie's blog, Pointed Meanderings, she posted a questionairre about books. Since I love books, though I just realized I rarely talk about them on my blog, which I should probably remedy, I wanted to get in on the action.

What was the last book you bought? Brsinger, by Christopher Paolini

Name a book you have read MORE than once.
Oh my...I have several. Watership Down by Richard Adams, The Stand by Stephen King.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life?
If yes, what was it? Yes, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, and most of Barbara Kingsolver's books.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews. Mostly personal recommendations, though every once in a while a review will catch my eye. And I'm also a sucker for a good cover, though I try not to let that sway me.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Definately fiction...it's my escape from real life for a while, though I did recently enjoy reading Last Child in the Woods; Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv and Doc Susie; The Tue Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado Rockies by Virginia Cornell.

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Both are important...cruddy writing can ruin the best plot, and beautiful writing can't make up for a cruddy plot. But, I'd rather have mediocre writing with a good plot than nothing.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book):
Hazel in Watership Down, Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Harry Potter series, Stu Redman in The Stand, Rosie the elephant in Water for Elephants.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
Just finished Brsinger, by Christopher Paolini...third in a series which I mistakenly THOUGHT was wrapping up with this book...*sigh*...and Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, which ALSO has a sequel.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
I'm ashamed to say I have a couple of times...a book has to be REALLY bad for me to quit, but it still kills me. I've read a few that were as tedious as trying to swim through mud.