book meme

I found this book meme over at Musings of a Bookish Kitty and I think it is a fun one that will really make me think.

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Fantasy. I have read all three genres in the past, but fantasy is the one I like best. I am not as picky with Fantasy as I am with SciFi and Horror. Okay, I am a picky reader, but with those two, I'm especially picky...

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
I own books in all three versions, but whenever possible I try to get Mass Market Paperbacks. After all, I'm a student and money is tight most of the time. With MMPs I get more books for a reasonable amount of money and I can also buy some more books than I could if I got Trade Paperbacks. Also, MMPs are not as heavy and even fit in my small purse. I just have to carry a book with me, wherever I am. Even when I have my backpack or purse all filled up and heavy, a book has to come along with me.

Heinlein or Asimov?
I have never read Heinlein, so I have to take Asimov...

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Amazon, the other two don't exist here in Germany - and the other online book shops here aren't nearly as well-stocked as Amazon!

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Neither exists here in Germany. Our equivalents would maybe be Thalia (a big chain) and Hugendubel (a smaller chain in the hands of the family Hugendubel, actually). I use both, though I'm at Hugendubel more often. The reason for that is that I can get to Hugendubel on my to or from university, while Thalia is quite a bit away. But when I'm at my parents' I usually go for Thalia because there is no Hugendubel around.

Hitchhiker or Discworld?
Hitchhiker, cause I have them. I heard about Discworld, but haven't read any so far. I assume I should get one some day ;-)

Bookmark or Dogear?
In my eyes dogears are a sacrilege! I always have a bookmark somewhere, and if I can't find one I always can find a small piece of paper, a sticky note or something else to mark where I stop reading for the moment. And if it is a piece of paper from my notes from a class - I can always tape that piece back on once I can get a bookmark, right? ;-)

Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
Alphabetize by author - and I'm a stickler for that! You pull out a book, you better get it back to the right place :-P When I have more books by one author, I order those by copyright, btw.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep! I rarely have a book I give away, and then in most cases it is just to swap books ;-) Right now I keep most of my books at my room at my parents' though, and space is getting really tight... (My Dad refuses to allow me to get yet another bookshelf for fear statics might change and the house will collapse ;-) )

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep it of course!

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I remove the dustjacket while I read a book.

Short story or novel?
I prefer novels - a lot!

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
What a question! Harry Potter of course!

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I try to get to the chapter break no matter what, but when the chapters just are too long I wait for the next reasonable break, a section break, to stop reading till the next day.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Dark and stormy usually makes the story with more suspense ;-)

Buy or Borrow?
As much as my balance hates it, I prefer to buy. I like to own my books so I can re-read the good ones whenever I want without having to wait until it is in from the library - that is, if there were any really, really good libraries with lots and lots of English books around here :-P

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
All three actually. Either a friend recommends a book and I know we have the same taste (I have an extra file just to gather those titles for reference), or I read a review, or I browse either the bookshelves or Amazon.de and find a book that sounds interesting.

Lewis or Tolkien?
I tried to read Tolkien and just couldn't get into it. Those are so not my books! Therefore: Lewis!

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
I don't like short stories.

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Whichever, depending on what kind of book it is. If it is a standalone, I can't really stand cliffhangers, because I need to know how it ends - or at least get a hunch what might happen after the book ends. If it is a series, I don't care, actually. As long as there will be a next in series and I find out more, I have absolutely no problems with cliffhangers (other than maybe far too long months between two books).

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Whichever! Whenever I have some time left I read. Back at school I actually used to get up at 5 am just so I could read 1 to 1.5 hours before I had to get ready to leave. And I didn't go to bed until 12 am - sometimes even later. My parents hardly ever caught me, though, because I had my room two floors above theirs. Hehe! Nowadays I don't get up that early anymore, but I still read until waaay after bed time.

Standalone or Series?
Both, actually. I have no real preference.

Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
I read both, but it depends on my mood what I read.

New or used?
Both, though I prefer new. I just like the smell of a new book :-) Though I of course I enjoy spending less money on a used book, because it might mean I can buy two or three books instead of just one.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Hmm, that's difficult. I'd say for non-fiction that would be David Crombie's The World's Stupidest Laws. It's just sooo much fun to read and re-read this book and laugh about all those laws that actually still exist...

Top 5 favorite books read last year?
1. Marion Chesney: Snobbery With Violence
2. Julius Lester: The Autobiography Of God
3. Alice Kimberly: The Ghost And Mrs. McClure
4. Victoria Laurie: Better Read Than Dead
5. Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity's Death

Top 5 favorite books of all time? (not including any of the above five)
1. Lee Harris: The St. Patrick's Dy Murder
2. Jeffery Deaver: The Blue Nowhere (actually *the* book that made my brother read!)
3. Harper Lee: To Kill A Mockingbird
4. Jilliane Hoffman: Retribution
5. P.J. Tracy: Want To Play? (apa Monkeewrench)

5 favorite series?
I only picked series where I have read at least 4 books:
Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich
Myron Bolitar by Harlan Coben
Christine Bennett by Lee Harris
Abby Cooper by Victoria Laurie
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling