Random bookworminess and Weekly Geekiness

Thursdays are usually review days around here. Today I’m offering a movie review – because I haven’t managed to finish my current read – but not wanting to stray from books entirely, I’m answering this week’s book-themed “Randomness” meme.

Randomness: Bookworms (hosted by Naida)

1. What are you currently reading? Still reading Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller. It’s a long book, so I’m not sure how soon I’ll get it reviewed, but it’s provoking a lot of response from me so far.
If you’re not reading anything right now, what was the last book you read? I’m never “not reading anything”:-).
2. Where is your favorite place to get your books from? I’m definitely a book buyer, so the answer is “bookstores in general,” but most of my business seems to go to Borders and Amazon.
3. Name a book you read and did
not enjoy. The Bridges of Madison County. Don’t get me started.
4. How has your taste in books changed over the years? What types of books do you read now as opposed to five years ago? I answered a similar question here:

When I was younger, I read more genre – mainly mystery and fantasy – than I do these days, but fiction is still my first love book-wise, and probably always will be. I’ll branch into nonfiction mainly for memoirs, biography, and history, and I try for every third or fourth book I read these days to be nonfiction, which definitely is a change for me.
I have noticed in the last few years that I prefer reading books that are a bit less “literary;” critics may swoon over them, but I have found that some are too self-consciously “modern” or gimmicky for my taste, or more about style than content. I appreciate good writing, but not so much writing that calls attention to itself. Call me old-fashioned, but the traditional elements of character, plot, and theme still work for me (and generally in that order). I think my tastes probably qualify as solidly middlebrow, but not necessarily mainstream. Trade-paperback, non-genre, sometimes award-winning, sometimes book-club-sanctioned (any book club, not necessarily mine) fiction is what usually grabs me.

5. When you walk into your favorite bookstore, where do you go? Mystery…Romance…Latest Releases….Non-Fiction…etc?
I’ll usually head straight to the “new in paperback” display table when I first come in. Next stop, if I’m in Borders, is usually the “3 for 2” paperbacks, and then I’ll go to the best-seller shelves. If there are any special seasonal displays, I’ll browse there, and then I’ll finally make it to the Literature & Fiction secton.


Weekly Geeks #12 (hosted by Dewey)

1. In your blog, list any books you’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet. If you’re all caught up on reviews, maybe you could try this with whatever book(s) you finish this week.
2. Ask your readers to ask you questions about any of the books they want. In your comments, not in their blogs. Most likely, people who will ask you questions will be people who have read one of the books or know something about it because they want to read it.
3. Later, take whichever questions you like from your comments and use them in a post about each book. I’ll probably turn mine into a sort of interview-review. Link to each blogger next to that blogger’s question(s).
4. Visit other Weekly Geeks and ask them some questions!
I try to do my reviews as soon as possible after I finish a book, so I’m not behind on anything, except for the book I mentioned above that I’m still reading. So, do you have any questions about Girls Like Us? You may want to know a little about the book first:

This is a parallel biography of three of the most important and influential female singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. It’s also a story of the 1960’s and 1970’s and how American society was changing for everyone, but especially for young women. It’s a story of friends and lovers, and career/family choices. The book delves into creativity and collaboration, opportunity and talent and luck, and considers these individuals in the context of their times.

If you’re interested in knowing more, please leave your questions in the comments!

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2 comments

  1. Literary Feline – Since it’s usually pretty close to the store entrance, I generally get to that display pretty quickly…but as you say, it depends on the stores layout, and I may be waylaid by something else on my way there :-).