proserpina

Probably about 500 but I do tend to find I'm always adding to the collection, as well as giving some away. I never could get my head around the idea of selling books or sending them to the charity shop but most books I only read once so they're only gathering dust on my bookshelves. If I can sell them on Amazon, I can find the money to buy unread books.

I used to buy only new books because I didn't like them in anything less than pristine condition. I tend to be very careful when reading books so they're still like new when they're finished so I used to think that it defeated the object if they were scruffy before I got my hands on them. I have no problems with library books because they're only in my hands for a short period of time. I have loosened up somewhat, mainly because of cost. I can't remember the last time I bought a book at full price, they are just stupidly expensive. I can often get seven decent used books for the price of one new book. I do tend to get them in the best condition I possibly can but if there are a couple of creases, I don't fret (especially if it's a book I am desperate to read). It is amazing how many books are in excellent condition and I always snap those up.

I can only hold a book with my right hand, it feels weird holding it with my left (force of habit, I suppose). I also read while eating, it gives me precious reading time and, when I am alone, I find it rather decadent. Mostly I read sitting upright (none of this lying on stomach or back lark!) with the book relatively high; I get neckache if I look down for too long. I do have this habit of reading on my side when I'm in bed. It can be a tad awkward but when it's cold and I want to be covered by the duvet or I don't want to waste the energy to sit up, it works a treat.

If it's fairly clear what the word means given the context, then I don't use a dictionary. Though sometimes I have been caught out and the word has more connotations than I have considered. I tend to jot down the words I don't know and add them to my reading journal, which means I can learn some new vocab too.

I think I know what my favourite book is this year, I think it was so good that I doubt I will read better this year. However, I have read some cracking books over 2007 that will definitely be worth a mention.

I have finished a couple of slightly obscure books for the Olympic Challenge this week: The Curriculum Vitae of Aurora Ortiz by Almudena Solana, which was a very quick read, only 150 pages and I am so glad, I don't think I could have coped with any more! I thought it was a rather strange story about a woman in Madrid who wrote long, rambling letters to a recruitment agency because she wanted to become a caretaker in a residential building. It was positively surreal. The Translator by Leila Aboulela, which I really enjoyed. Set in Aberdeen and Khartoum, this book was essentially a love story with a happy ending. I like those.

I am mainly been able to read so much this year because I have been on a career break since March: travelling and volunteering so have had much more spare time than I would otherwise have and IA have really re-discovered my love of books. I have a new job starting in a month, however, so I think my reading will be very much more limited then. I usually go to the library every week, when I can, and return what I have read in that time, so I don't have to carry 20 at once. I had been away for a few weeks recently so had 18 books to return in one sitting (at least half of them were hardbacks too!) I managed to cram them in a huge bag but I think one arm was longer than the other by the time I had finished lugging it about! I finally finished Blood Sisters last night and started my 100th book this morning. I decided to read something quick and easy and picked up Adriana Trigiani's Milk Glass Moon. I had never read anything by her before but read a couple this year (Lucia Lucia and Queen of the Big Time). I loved them, finding them both to be so comforting and satisfying to read. So far Milk Glass Moon is proving itself to be no exception.

Books can be taken out for 3 weeks initially and renewed up to 3 times (as long as nobody else has reserved them) so potentially the books can be mine for 3 months. They never usually are in practice, as I am currently reading about 3-4 books a week...... I do think the allowance is very generous. Thank you Lancashire libraries. I just wish I could finish Blood Sisters now, I'm getting more than a little fed up with having been reading the same book for so long (I was away for work last week and then went to see my boyfriend so I have been reading it since about Wednesday, ages for me!)

My local library allows 20 books to be taken out at a time, I usually take them back in batches as I read them, I have an ever-revolving TBR pile!

I took out a haul of library books last week which I'm starting to plough through. The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld The Line of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst The Sea - John Banville (1001 Book Challenge) Love in the Present Tense - Catherine Ryan Hyde Alentejo Blue - Monica Ali (Olympic Challenge - Bangladesh) The Translator - Leila Aboulela (Olympic Challenge - Sudan) The Ringmaster's Daughter - Justein Gaardner (Olympic Challenge - Norway) The Testament of Gideon Mack - James Robertson Bitter Sweets - Roopa Farooki (Olympic Challenge - Pakistan) Solibo Magnificent - Patrick Chamoiseau (Olympic Challenge - Martinique) Geographies of Home - Loida Maritza Perez (Olympic Challenge - Dominican Republic) The Abortionist's Daughter - Elisabeth Hyde The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly The Curriculum Vitae of Aurora Ortiz - Almudena Solana (Olympic Challenge - Spain) Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre I particularly enjoyed The Line of Beauty, which was nothing like I expected it to be but nonetheless a cracking read. It seemed to capture the tale of Thatcher's Britain in the 1980s; a heady mix of sex, drugs and politics.

I am currently half way through Blood Sisters by Barbara and Stephanie Keating. The story is plodding along nicely and is interesting enough but I can't say I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed by the story or the setting.

I wouldn't even consider the possibility of writing in books, like Kell mentioned I would probably add a card if I wanted to included an hand-written note. I do have several books handed down from grandparents which have been written in and I like that because it offers me a sense of history.

I have 3 book shelves on my bedroom wall and then 2 new tall bookcases that are about three-quarters full. When that is full, I shall be buying a third. I do have some books in the spare room as well. I have all the Penguin classics together on my bookcase (in alphabetical order). The books on the shelves are all the other books I have (again in alphabetical order). The rest of the bookcase has books on my TBR list and library books.

Possibly Harry Potter (please don't ask me to choose one, if I had to probably The Deathly Hallows) I think I would like to be absorbed in a complete fantasy world and read something fairly simple and that I know would absorb me, save me worrying about things I couldn't control.

If I am buying a book, then I will usually buy it in paperback because it is cheaper (and I don't usually buy books immediately when they come out so I can wait longer till the paperback is issued). I don't mind buying secondhand hardbacks or getting them out of the library but I do prefer paperbacks because they are easier to carry about (and I always have a book in my bag!)

I only found out about this challenge a couple of days ago and thought it would be a nice way of reading new authors from far flung corners of the globe. I've back-dated my list so far with books I have read so far in 2007. I can't imagine how much progress I will be able to make with this in the short time frame, but if it inspires my reading then I will be happy. * Afghanistan: The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini * Albania * Algeria * American Samoa * Andorra * Angola * Antigua and Barbuda * Argentina * Armenia * Aruba * Australia: Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living – Carrie Tiffany * Austria * Azerbaijan * Bahamas * Bahrain * Bangladesh: Alentejo Blue - Monica Ali * Barbados * Belarus * Belgium * Belize * Benin * Bermuda * Bhutan * Bolivia * Bosnia and Herzegovina * Botswana * Brazil: The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho * British Virgin Islands * Brunei * Bulgaria * Burkina Faso * Burundi * Cambodia * Cameroon * Canada: Surfacing – Margaret Atwood * Cape Verde * Cayman Islands * Central African Republic * Chad * Chile * China (PRC): Empress Orchid – Anchee Min * Chinese Taipei (TPE) * Colombia * Comoros * Congo DR * Congo Republic * Cook Islands * Costa Rica * Côte d'Ivoire * Croatia * Cuba * Cyprus * Czech Republic: Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka * Denmark * Djibouti * Dominica * Dominican Republic * Ecuador * Egypt * El Salvador * Equatorial Guinea * Eritrea * Estonia * Ethiopia * Fiji * Finland * France: Les Miserables – Victor Hugo * Gabon * The Gambia * Georgia * Germany: Perfume – Patrick Suskind * Ghana * Great Britain: The Lord of the Flies – William Golding * Greece * Grenada * Guam * Guatemala * Guinea * Guinea-Bissau * Guyana * Haiti * Honduras * Hong Kong, China * Hungary * Iceland * India: Inheritance of Loss – Kiran Desai * Indonesia * Iran: Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi * Iraq * Ireland: Notes from A Turkish Whorehouse – Philip O’ Ceallaigh * Israel * Italy: I’m Not Scared – Niccolo Ammaniti * Jamaica * Japan: Blind Willow, Sleeping Willow – Haruki Murakami * Jordan * Kazakhstan * Kenya: Blood Sisters – Barbara & Stephanie Keating * Kiribati * Korea, South * Korea, North * Kuwait * Kyrgyzstan * Laos * Latvia * Lebanon * Lesotho * Liberia * Libya * Liechtenstein * Lithuania * Luxembourg * FYROM * Madagascar * Malawi * Malaysia: The Harmony Silk Factory – Tash Aw * Maldives * Mali * Malta * Marshall Islands * Mauritania * Mauritius * Mexico * Micronesia * Moldova * Monaco * Mongolia * Montenegro * Morocco * Mozambique * Myanmar * Namibia * Nauru * Nepal * Netherlands: * Netherlands Antilles * New Zealand * Nicaragua * Niger * Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * Norway * Oman * Pakistan: Bitter Sweets - Roopa Farooki * Palau * Palestine: Does My Head Look Big in This? – Randa Abdel Fattah * Panama * Papua New Guinea * Paraguay * Peru * Philippines * Poland * Portugal * Puerto Rico * Qatar * Romania * Russia: Cancer Ward – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn * Rwanda * Saint Kitts and Nevis * Saint Lucia * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * São Tomé and Príncipe * Samoa * San Marino * Saudi Arabia * Senegal * Serbia * Seychelles * Sierra Leone * Singapore * Slovakia * Slovenia * Solomon Islands * Somalia * South Africa: Gem Squash Tokoloshe – Rachel Zadok * Spain: The Curriculum Vitae of Aurora Ortiz - Almudena Solana * Sri Lanka * Sudan: The Translator - Leila Aboulela * Suriname * Swaziland * Sweden * Switzerland * Syria * Tajikistan * Tanzania * Thailand * Timor-Leste * Togo * Tonga * Trinidad and Tobago * Tunisia * Turkey * Turkmenistan * Tuvalu * Uganda * Ukraine * United Arab Emirates * United States: The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx * Uruguay * Uzbekistan * Vanuatu * Venezuela * Vietnam * Virgin Islands, US * Yemen * Zambia * Zimbabwe: The Sunday Philosophy Club – Alexander McCall Smith

Currently my TBR pile is looking a little low. I am currently two-thirds of the way through The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw which I am really enjoying. It is primarily a really interesting story, told from three different perspectives, which helps keep the narrative fresh, I think. Then I think I am going to read Blood Sisters by Barbara & Stephanie Keating, which I have been wanting to read for a while. After that I am not sure, I have plenty of books I haven't yet read but I am not feeling particularly inspired by them so I think I shall be taking another trip to the library soon in an attempt to find something.

I'm afraid I have been rather lax about keeping up with my book blog. I have clearly been reading far more than writing, seeing I have read 44 books since I posted this little under 2 months ago. I still haven't finished this list though, I have been tempted by too many other books first. Oops. Anyway, very quickly, this is what I thought of what I have read: Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho I always want to enjoy Coelho's books more than I actually do. This is a very straight forward read if you don't look too deeply into it but I don't think it was ever intended to be read that way. It certainly made me think about a thing or two. Cancer Ward - Alexandre Solzhenitsyn This was heavy going, I think I would call it dense. It did have a strangely enjoying narrative however, especially once I had got my head round the Russian names and patronyms. The subject matter is a tad depressing but does offer an insightful glance into a world we should be glad we never had to inhabit. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe I didn't enjoy this at all, I did really try but it left me cold. I just wasn't drawn to the protagonist or the tale her had to tell. I was very glad it was only a short book and I didn't have to waste precious time on it. Four Letters of Love - Niall Williams I have had this on my book shelf for forever and never read it. It was a love story with plenty to say about fate and things that can't be explained. It made me think. Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living - Carrie Tiffany This book must have been completely unmemorable because I can barely remember a thing about it. I think it drifted along pleasantly enough but never actually gripped me enough to care, sadly. Nineteen Seventy-Seven - David Peace I don't usually read crime books and I only picked this up because it was on the "1001 Books" list. I am glad I did. I really enjoyed it. Surfacing - Margaret Atwood Dull. Dull. Dull. This is the first Atwood book I have read and I do hope the rest of her books aren't like this one. The Red Queen - Margaret Drabble I put off reading this for as long as possible, I don't know why but I think I decided that I wouldn't enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised. The ancient narrative of the Queen was less interesting to me than the modern-day element of the story but insightful nonetheless. Dead Air - Iain Banks This rolled along quite nicely and I thought it a pleasant and fun way to spend a few hours. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell I am so glad I persevered with this book. I very nearly put it down after 20 pages but flicked through the rest of the book and it got increasingly more enjoyable and engaging as the stories developed. I was very impressed at the clever way all the tales were linked.

I have lots of bookmarks scattered about but not a single one is between the pages of my book! I usually use any old piece of paper I have to hand, at the moment it's a theatre ticket. More often than not I have a piece of paper handy to jot down any words I come across while reading that I want to check in the dictionary. That usually acts as a perfectly decent bookmark.

These days I tend to be able to walk out of a book shop without buying anything. That never used to be the case but I have become rather a tightwad so I refuse to buy new, full price books. Get me in a charity shop and that's another matter, I consider it my duty to buy something! I'm the same in the library, I currently have a pile of books on loan, I take 2-3 back and take yet more out. It's never-ending!

I've read 95 books this year. I would like to get to 120 if I could, but I think I might be stretching it somewhat.

I usually try to read for an hour every day and, seeing as I am a very fast reader, I like to be able to read between 75-100 pages in that time, but it really depends on the book I am reading and its reading style.

I've got the 1001 list bookmarked but haven't bought the book, I'd rather spend the money on books to read. I totted up the list a couple of weeks ago and I have read about 95 of the books on the list. I decided this year that I would try and read 25 books from the list, or more if I could manage it. I have read 16 so far and have 19 on my TBR list and I think that will be more than enough for 2007. I'm not forcing myself to read all of them, there are some I know I would have to force myself to read but it has given me some great ideas for more modern literature to try.

Oh, I think I'll like it here if chocolate muffins are on the menu. Yum.

Nothing is compulsory! Birthday: October 30th Age: 23 Starsign: Scorpio Single/Married/Other?: Single Children?: Nope Where do you live?: Burnley, Manchester Do you work?: I am currently on a gap year but thinking about job hunting very soon. Favourite author? Alexandre Dumas Favourite book? The Count of Monte Cristo How did you get here? Google