ROML* Rolls Over Another Week

While I still have two days left to log writing time for this week, they will be the weekend, so I think it's highly unlikely that I will get to my goal hours this time around. Maybe it serves me right for getting cocky about how well last week went (614 minutes) and upping my goal by half an hour. When I think about it, though, it was mostly *Rest Of My Life issues that kept me from writing.

I'm really not sure what I can do about that except try to plan better (the things I CAN plan) and try to find catch-up time when the planning doesn't work.

~.~.~

In other news, I came to a huge and sad realization last night. I need to get rid of some books.

I've been buying books since I was in university and the city offered a variety of used book stores, of which I would make the rounds almost every weekend. The book acquisition habit has continued over the years, and although I do get more titles from the library these days (especially when trying an author for the first time) I still like to buy books. Part of me would like to count the number of books in the house--and part of me is afraid to do that.

However, when I was doing some pre-housecleaning housecleaning in the bedroom last week, I realized that I have at least 50+ books in that room alone waiting to be read or in various stages of being read. And when I do read them--I have nowhere to put them if I want to move new to-be-read books into that space. Every bookshelf in the house is already packed or over-packed. I don't see us adding a new room to the house just to hold books. Sooooo...the only conclusion is that I have to get rid of some. And while we're planning a Great Purge of the house this spring, the idea of sorting through the books and moving some them out of here is more daunting than all the rest of the things that I know need to be done.

*Sigh* I wonder if I could convince my husband to add on that extra room...

Photo courtesy of mzacha @ sxc.hu

Thanks, Tor.com

As some of you may know, October was Steampunk Month over at Tor.com. The month was jam-packed with interesting blog posts, steampunk tips for DIYers, beautiful free wallpapers, and tons of giveaways. I didn't stumble upon things until at least partway through the month, but then I entered every giveaway after that.

And, I won one!

My copies of Jay Lake's Mainspring and Escapement arrived in the mail today, quite promptly I must say. Also included in the parcel were a Tor bookmark and a handful of buttons, so it made a nice little prize package.

I was especially pleased to win this prize, because I am a big fan of the columns Jay Lake writes (often with Ruth Nestvold) over at IROSF (I always snag this one to proofread when I can!). If you are not familiar with the columns, I recommend you click over and check some out. They are available in the archives, many under the "features" tab, and are easy to find. Sadly, I haven't had an opportunity to read enough of his fiction, so I'm really looking forward to these books. They may even jump the line in my TBR pile, since I just finished reading George Mann's The Affinity Bridge last night and need something new to add to my being-read list.

Less than 46 cents per story!

Last year I was pleased to have my short story, "Summer of the Widows," appear in an anthology titled Speculative Realms: Where There's a Will, There's a Way. It's a wonderfully eclectic mix of fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories from a global collection of writers.

In "Summer of the Widows," one of my recurring characters (a young female wizard's apprentice with a knack for attracting trouble) is suspected of murder, and must find the real killer AND save her master from an even more dangerous threat--marriage!

Right now, I see that Amazon.com is offering the anthology for a sweet $5.88. That's less than forty-six cents per story for the thirteen stories in the book. At that price, I'd suggest you get it while it's hot!

Space Casey by Christiana Ellis

Space Casey by Christiana Ellis



GoodReads Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I intended to listen to just the first episode or two of this audiobook to see if I liked it, while I was working on some things for Second Life; ended up putting it on my Zune and devouring it. The humour is engaging, the production is good, and the story is just fun overall. A great read/listen!

I snagged it from podiobooks.com.


View all my reviews.

Life-Changing Books

In response to a high-school English teacher who wants her students to read something "life-changing" but seems to have very narrow ideas of what might fit that category, I'm doing a little research. I would love to hear from anyone on this.

Have you ever read a book (or books) that you would consider "life-changing"? By that I guess I mean, a book that affected you deeply, or changed your view of the world, or your understanding of human nature, or made you think about life in a different way--or anything along those lines.

Send me your answers any way you'd like--comment here, send me an email, catch me on Facebook or Twitter, whatever. I'd just like to hear some opinions. You don't have to explain how the book affected you unless you want to--just tell me title and author if you want (although of course I'd love to hear more!).

Thanks! I'm looking forward with interest to your answers.

Reading Meme

Well, it's the 16th of November and this is the first meme I've included all month. I think that's pretty good. And this was an interesting one to answer.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
Really, I don't remember a time when I didn't read or when reading was not important to me. The library was one of my favorite haunts as a child, and I remember the wonder of the big floor-to-ceiling bookshelf at my grandparents' house, its shelves piled with everything from science and astronomy texts to fiction to art books to field guides. I loved it.

What are some of the books you read as a child?
Well, this could take a while if I answered it in detail. I was never afraid to bring home more library books than I thought I could read in two weeks. I recall some favourites, at different ages, being Edward Eager, Enid Blyton, L.M. Montgomery, Walter Farley (were there ANY Black Stallion books I didn't read?) Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins. On that bookshelf I mentioned there were also old titles like Invisible Scarlett O'Neil, Girls of Silver Spur Ranch and The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine.


What is your favourite genre?
Definitely speculative fiction, although I have an abiding love for well-written mysteries as well. I branch out sometimes with historical fiction, thrillers, YA, chick lit, and the occasional "literary" novel, although I find them generally trite, misery-obsessed and pretentious. I also like non-fiction on topics that interest me, which could be anything at any given time.

Do you have a favourite novel?
Wow, I don't think I could pick one. Some favorites are The Sea and Summer, The Hitchhiker's Guide series, Discworld, and Beggars in Spain, but there are many, many more I love that I'm leaving out.

Where do you usually read?
Anywhere, really.

When do you usually read?
Anytime, although often at bedtime.


Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
It's not unusual for me to have more than one on the go, especially if they are different genres, or if one is non-fiction.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
No.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
I don't buy as many as I used to, and I check more out of the library now. Which is probably a good thing, since all our bookshelves are full and there really isn't much space to put more bookshelves.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?
I do keep most of them, in case I want to re-read or loan them. I should cull more than I do, but it's difficult.

If you have children, what are some of the favourite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?
I've read and recommended a lot of my old favorites to my kids, as their ages match up. Some tastes in reading are not the same though, and books that appealed to me don't stand the test of time with young readers now. My daughter and I often read and enjoy the same newer books now; in fact, we're reading the same copy of the same book right now. That takes some scheduling! I am glad to say that we are a household of readers.

What are you reading now?
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller, and Payback by Margaret Atwood

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?
It's more like a stack, which starts on the floor and reaches a little higher than my nightstand. Oh yeah, and it's double-stacked in some spots.

What’s next?
Not sure--possibly Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, but it will depend on my mood on the day I'm choosing.


What books would you like to reread?
I reread the Douglas Adams books every couple of years, just because they are so much fun and they still make me laugh out loud.


Who are your favourite authors?
In no particular order, Terry Pratchett, Nancy Kress, Connie Willis, Dave Duncan, Jack McDevitt, Elizabeth Moon, Neil Gaiman, Sophie Kinsella and I could go on and on...

Borrowed, Stolen, or Merely Recycled?

With the unexpected addition of a new character who just showed up in my NaNoWriMo novel tonight, I've come to the realization that the book I'm writing is almost the same as the book I'm reading. Change the setting and the genre, add a few characters, change a few circumstances, and really, it's the same story.

This is bugging me somewhat. Although I should hasten to add that I don't mean I'm plagiarizing the book, or deliberately lifting ideas, characters, incidents or anything else from that book and putting it into my own. What I mean is more subtle. I can't really even put my finger on it; perhaps it's merely a mood or an overtone, a resemblance in character interactions, an examination of similar relationships.

And really, is this all bad?

Depending on who you ask, there are a limited number of "plots" available for the writer to address in any given story--that number ranges from one to about sixty-nine. Perhaps we shouldn't worry too much about absolute originality. At my daughter's school the other day I noticed a poster that read something along the lines of, "Those who are afraid to imitate never create anything."

I guess I'll just get on with the creation and not worry about the imitation. It's the sincerest form of flattery anyway, so they say.

Speculative Realms Anthology Released

The anthology Speculative Realms: Where There's A Will, There's A Way is now available from www.speculativerealm.com.

This collection "gathers together thirteen original stories by authors around the world. They are stories of fantasy, science fiction and horror for adults which will entertain, provoke, startle, amuse and resonate long after the last page has been turned." (from the website)

My story in this collection is "Summer of the Widows," a humourous/fantasy/mystery tale. The teaser is: "Suspected of murder, a wizard's apprentice must find the real killer and save her master from an even more dangerous threat--marriage!" I'll be reading from this story at the local writers' summer bash in a few weeks. Should be fun!

To read teasers about all the stories or find out about the authors, or to order a copy, visit www.speculativerealm.com!

Speculative Realm Anthology

Just received the cover art for Speculative Realms: Where There's A Will, There's A Way, and here it is! (click on it for a larger image)



The artwork is by Heather Anderson, and the anthology is edited by Sasha Beattie. The anthology is scheduled to be available this coming September, and includes my story, "Summer of the Widows." I'll be posting more information about the book when it becomes available! For now it's just exciting to see it all coming together.

Ten Signs A Book Was Written By Me

This writerly meme is making its way around and although I haven't been specifically tagged I have been generally tagged in the "if you read this consider yourself tagged" sense. ;-) So here goes:

1. It is either science fiction, fantasy, or some weird genre mix like SF/F/Mystery.

2. The protagonist is almost certainly female.

3. The protagonist almost certainly has a quirky sense of humor. If not her, then someone in her immediate circle, or several someones.

4. The first draft was 99.9% likely to have been written during National Novel Writing Month.

5. It has a happy ending for at least some of the characters, if not most (excluding villains).

6. It's very unlikely (though not impossible) that any of the main characters will die.

7. It will contain either aliens or sentient/talking animals. Possibly both.

8. It is not heavy on description.

9. It is not longer than 100,000 words, and more likely to come in around 80k.

10. No-one ever sits around talking for more than a few pages at a time.

The Nearest Book to Hand Meme

Well, so far 2008 has been a non-starter for blogging, but perhaps I'll start to feel more motivated soon. Helen has sort-of tagged me to do this meme ("If anyone wants to do this, consider yourself tagged!") so here I am. The rules of this meme are:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the 5th Sentence.

4. Post the next 3 sentences.

5. Tag 5 people.

The nearest book on my desk is The Drawing Bible by Craig Nelson. The thing about this book is that there are precious few sentences on many pages, so these are actually from p. 124, after performing the appropriate counting of sentences on p. 123. Not that it really matters. ;-) This section is called, "Using Visual Landmarks."

Proportion is all about measuring and comparing. When measuring, look for key reference points or visual landmarks on your subject. These may include sharp angle changes such as corners, or distinct tonal changes between shapes such as pieces of clothing.

I bought this book with the intention of starting at the beginning and working my way through every lesson, but I haven't made it terribly far yet. Still on my to-do list, though! It is a very good book.

If anything, worse

Well, the computer troubles are, if anything, worse now. I do have more data move and programs re-installed on the new system, however that system appears to have faults that we didn't know about at first and the video card we bought for it is not working out. Sigh. It's up to my husband to solve the problem but it will likely involve ordering more hardware, which will add more time to the whole process.

The big downside is that I'm spending so much time on this, I'm not getting anything else done at all. Well, some reading, while I wait for files to transfer. I guess that counts for something.

Domestic Goddess Day

That's just a more interesting way of saying that I spent the day housecleaning, doing laundry, and shopping for groceries. I also managed to install some programs on the new system, and my husband did some, too, so that job is progressing. Of course downloading and installing things is the easy part--transferring data and setting everything up the way I want it is the part I'm still dreading. At least we're labouring in a clean house now.

I also am trying very hard to view this in a more positive light. So far, I'm about 75% successful.

On a brighter note, I've got about 3000 words on a new short story, and I like how it's going so far. I've also realized that if I'm going to achieve my goal of reading 30 new books this year (which seems like a pretty modest number to me) I have to read more. I'm currently reading two books but haven't actually finished any yet, and now January's gone!

Here's another watercolor/dry pencil picture that I enjoyed doing:

Book Review: Your Novel Proposal

(Edit: Grrr...I posted this on the 10th but it's saying the 11th--something's messed up! Oh well, anyway...)
(Later Edit: And... now it's fixed, thanks to the fabulous Maricello. Hurray!)

Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook

Your Novel Proposal is an invaluable tool for anyone who has reached the point in their writing career when it's time to delve into the world of novel submission. Whether you are beginning the search for an agent or going directly to editors and publishers with your manuscript, this book will guide you through the process.

The book is divided into three main sections. In Part One: The Approach, the authors discuss publishing options, how to conduct the search for agents and editors, drafting the all-important query letter, and making your pitch. Part Two: The Package, deals with putting together a professional submission package that will make agents and editors take notice and provide them with exactly the information they require. Part Three: The Result, covers handling wait times and rejections, working with agents and editors through the acceptance and publishing process, and the technical side of having a book published. It closes with an appendix of resources for writers.

The subtitle sums up the meat of this book: "The complete guide to writing query letters, synopses and proposals for agents and editors." The authors present easy-to-understand instruction on what agents and editors are looking for, and, perhaps more importantly, what they are not looking for. There is much good advice in these pages, as well as insights into how the publishing industry works, and thoughts from many authors and industry insiders on the process of publishing.

The real treasures of the book, however, are the sample documents. One can spend any number of words explaining how to write a synopsis, but there is nothing like a real-life example to really drive the points home. The examples provide a starting-point, something one can modify and model on when writing one's own documents.

I can't recommend this book highly enough if you are serious about presenting yourself and your work in a professional manner. It should be on every aspiring novelist's bookshelf.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (no spoilers!)

Today I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I asked my husband to pick it up after work on Tuesday, since the copy I had ordered from amazon.ca was just not arriving quickly enough. My kids are amazed that I read it so quickly, but I will say that I found it to be a page-turner. There was none of the sidetracked wandering that seemed to characterize Order of the Phoenix, which I had worried about a bit since Deathly Hallows is also quite long. I have read someone else opine that Rowling has become a better writer over the course of the series, and I have to agree. But that's what we writers are always told, practice, practice, practice!

All in all, and without giving anything away, I think the author tied everything up very neatly and satisfactorily. I enjoyed the book and can't wait until some of my friends have finished and are ready to discuss it!

There And Back Again

Well, we're home from our vacation and as it's plain to see, there were no blogging opportunities on the road. I do have some musings to share, which I think I'll get to over the next few days, but tonight my brain just wants to do fun things like check on my friends' blogs and do Internet quizzes. Like this one, the Book Quiz:

You're The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!

by C.S. Lewis

You were just looking for some decent clothes when everything changed
quite dramatically. For the better or for the worse, it is still hard to tell. Now it
seems like winter will never end and you feel cursed. Soon there will be an epic
struggle between two forces in your life and you are very concerned about a betrayal
that could turn the balance. If this makes it sound like you're re-enacting Christian
theological events, that may or may not be coincidence. When in doubt, put your trust
in zoo animals.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Which is a fun and interesting result, both because when I first read the Chronicles of Narnia all the theological stuff was completely lost on me, and because I have very recently had encounters with many and varied zoo animals.

Catching up...sort of...

In a way I can't believe it's been a month since I've written anything here, and in another way it's completely understandable. June is such a busy month--everything seems to explode at once. Numerous events as school wraps up, birthdays abound, the yard and garden suddenly need hours and hours of attention, weddings start cropping up, and vacation plans must be made. Seems that if it's not on this list, it's not getting done.

So here it is, the night before we leave on vacation, and I'm finally getting a minute to sit down. I should be working on The Scriptorium, but I'm thinking I'll just have to do a few minor updates to the page in the morning (if I have time) and call it a mini-issue. My plan was for a big July/August issue but that just hasn't happened.

Writing has been similarly abandoned by the wayside, although two new story ideas have been bouncing around in my head and I hope to work them into a little better shape while we drive west for long hours. I still have six story subs out; I'm hoping that I don't come home to a mailbox filled with rejection slips in a couple of weeks. Ah well, if I do, it will give me something to dive right into.

I have four books in my bag ready to go tomorrow: Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright, which is a fascinating read but sometimes makes my head hurt when the main character is describing how she can see into the fourth dimension; the Nebula Awards Showcase 2007 edited by Mike Resnick, which I'm enjoying hugely; The Ethical Imagination by Margaret Somerville, from her CBC Massey Lectures Series; and Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines, which I'm hoping to get to soon because I can't wait to find out what happens to Jig next.

At any rate, I think we'll have Internet access for most of the trip, so I may be blogging my way to Ontario and back...we'll see how it works out.

Four Things

Hurrah! My sister Krista has finally started her blog, and now I have a new place to snag memes. Well, she actually tagged me with this one (she's tagging anyone who reads it, and I qualified). I shall have to put my thinking cap on for some of these...

Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Writer
2. Lawyer
3. Community Recreation Coordinator
4. Preschool Teacher

Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over:
1. Mystery Men
2. Alex and Emma
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Galaxy Quest

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Sydney Mines, NS
2. Halifax, NS
3. North Sydney, NS
4. There is no #4!

Four TV Shows I Love:
1. Firefly
2. Battlestar Galactica
3. Wonderfalls
4. The Dresden Files

Four Places I've Vacationed:
1. Nassau, Bahamas
2. Milwaukee, WI
3. Ingonish Beach, NS
4. Prince Edward Island

Four Of My Favourite Dishes:
1. Lasagne
2. Steak...on the barbecue...mmmmm
3. Fish & Chips
4. Birthday cake

Four Sites I Visit Daily:
1. www.scribbletalk.com
2. www.cbc.ca
3. http://com4.runboard.com/bthewritersblock
4. www.helenparocha.com

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. On a writing retreat
2. At the library
3. Anywhere warm with a beach
4. Actually, it's quite nice right here...

Four Bloggers I'm Tagging:
(Let's see, who's commented on my blog lately...)
1. Helen
2. Karen
3. Alan
4. Let's just say, anyone else who happens to read this.

Okay, now that I've finished, I'm wondering, where is the section for: "Four Books I've Read Lately"?? I mean, it really should be there, shouldn't it? So I'm adding it.

Four Books I've Read Lately:
1. Forty Signs Of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson
2. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
3. Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
4. Work Work by Bruce Holland Rogers

There, NOW it feels finished.

SFBC Book Meme

(I believe this meme has been circulating around LiveJournal for a while.) This is the Science Fiction Book Club's list of the fifty most significant science fiction/fantasy novels published between 1953 and 2002.

Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved. (Since I don't have strikeout I'll put the ones I hated in red.)

*1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
*12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
*16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
*25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
*27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
*50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

I was a little surprised to see how many of them I've read, although some of that is thanks to the Science Fiction English course I took in university. Apparently I don't hate a lot of science fiction, either. ;-) And there are many more authors on this list whom I've read; just not these particular books (MZB, James Blish, Harlan Ellison, Orson Scott Card, Roger Zelazny, Theodore Sturgeon, and Gregory Benford, to be exact.).

Bookworm Meme

I found this meme on Helen's blog, and I believe she picked it up from Kerryn. Being the inveterate bookworm that I am (the picture is of the stack of books currently beside my bed), how could I resist?

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
It doesn't really matter much to me, as long as it's readable--I do like books that I can easily prop open with a bookweight (or tube of toothpaste) so that I can read "handless" from time to time.

Amazon or brick and mortar?
Both,please.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
In my neck of the woods the only real choice for this type of bookstore would be Chapters, although I've been in Borders in the States. Mmmmm, nice.

Bookmark or dogear?
Always a bookmark. I don't think I've ever been guilty of dog-earing, and I love having pretty or interesting bookmarks. I also like these little copper linemarkers also known as Book Darts that I bought from Lee Valley. But a grocery receipt, piece of tissue, or shopping list will also do.


Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
Some of my books are alphabetized by genre/author, some are grouped by size, others rather randomly. The important thing is, I know where to find what I'm looking for...usually.


Keep, throw away, or sell?
Mostly keep. Give away would be next. I don't know if I've ever sold any...and now I get a lot out of the library just because we're running out of room!

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep it, although it's an irritation sometimes.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I usually take the dustjacket off to read, and replace it later.

Short story or novel?
I'm on the fence with this one. I enjoy both novels and shorts.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Hard for me to choose here, too. I suppose I've read many more anthologies than collections, but I don't know if it's by design or happenstance.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I think I like Harry Potter better, although I've read only snippets of Snicket.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Heh. I stop exactly when I'm tired. Even to the point of sometimes stopping mid-sentence. My daughter thinks this is extremely strange as she must read to a chapter or scene break.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
I think a combination of the two hits the mark for me.

Buy or Borrow?
I used to buy almost exclusively, but now I'm a frequent patron of the local library. I still buy, but more selectively, and if it's a new author for me I generally borrow first.

New or used?
As long as it's readable, I really don't care. A large part of my book collection was bought used when I was in university, and I still love used book stores. They have much more of the feeling of treasures waiting to be found.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Usually I'll only buy if it's a tried-and-true author or if I have a solid recommendation or review that I trust. However, bookstore impulse does come into play sometimes, especially if I'm using a gift certificate!


Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
If I have the next book ready to hand then I don't mind cliffhangers, but a while back I gave up buying trilogies as soon as each book came out--I don't have the patience to wait any more.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or night time reading?
Anytime is reading time, although I do most of it at night, tucked into bed.

Standalone or series?
I like both, although I'll give up on a series if it gets too repetitive.

Favorite series?
Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker books, Nancy Kress' Sleepless series, Terry Pratchett's Discworld, and Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books, to name a few. Oh, and my new favorites, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Someone has certainly heard of it, since it won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 1988, but I rarely come across anyone who has read George Turner's The Sea And Summer. It's one of the first books that looks into a near future that I read and thought, "yes, that's how it's very likely to be." It held the ring of a possible truth for me and stayed with me for that reason. Hmmm...I should read it again sometime soon...

Favorite books read last year?
Hmmm...off to check my All Consuming account for the list...oh, my, I really liked a lot of the books I read last year. I guess my favorites were Bushworld by Maureen McDowd for its absolutely cutting insights, Polaris by Jack McDevitt for intriguing storyline, Cat's Eye Corner by Terry Griggs and The Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling for wonderful writing, and Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot for sheer fun.

Favorite books of all time?
Wow, tough call. Hitchhiker's, Discworld, and the A Man of His Word series by Dave Duncan. They're all on my desert island list.