Musing Mondays

Do you read non-fiction regularly? Do you read it in a different way or place than you read fiction?

I read quite a lot of non-fiction on a regular basis. I think that I go in cycles. For a while I might read mostly fiction, but then I will start to read more non-fiction. But, I always have a non-fiction book in progress. It is just a question of how much time I spend reading each type of work.

For the most part, I read non-fiction at a slower pace than fiction. I am more likely to underline things or take notes in the margin (if I own the book). Finally, I am much more likely to purchase non-fiction than fiction. It seems to me that I refer back to non-fiction more often than I do to fiction. But, that being said, I am still a sucker for owning my own books.

Musing Mondays

Coming towards the end of April, we’re a third of the way through the way through the year. What’s the favourite book you’ve read so far in 2009? What about your least favourite? (question courtesy of MizB)

That is a really tough question. I read a lot of fiction and non-fiction books. It is too hard to pick an overall favorite. So, as an added bonus for you the reader, I will pick my favorite of each.

Fiction

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa is easily my favorite work of fiction so far. It is so elegantly written and it is a great story about friendship and love. I highly recommend it to you.

Non-Fiction

It is a tough choice, but I have to go with How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. This is a book about the neuroscience of how we make decisions, which may sound dry and boring. It isn't! Lehrer begins each chapter with the riveting story of a really hard decision someone had to make: the pilot of a plane who cannot control any of the flight surfaces, a Lt. Commander who has just seconds to decide whether to fire on unknown targets threatening the lives of those serving on an aircraft carrier at war, and many more. It is a great book.

Least Favorite

All the Names by Jose Saramago. I know he is a nobel prize winner but I just cannot get into his novels. I abandoned this one earlier this month. It is the second one I have tried by him. I also attempted to read Blindness several years ago, but didn't get that far in that one either.

Musing Mondays

As a follow up to last week's question, Joseph asked how you keep track of your tbr list. Do you have a paper list or on your computer? Do you take it with you when you go shopping? How do you decide what gets added to it?

Wow! That's my question. That is so cool!!!

Sorry, I guess I geeked out there for a moment. Anyway, since I suggested it, I had better answer the question!

Like many of you, I am somewhat obsessed with books. I am constantly finding new books that go on my TBR list. Reviews by fellow book bloggers; author appearances on Book TV, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, etc; reviews in print; the bibliographies of other books I have enjoyed. Needless to say, my TBR list is quite large. But it really isn't a single list per se. It is actually a disorganized set of lists. I have notebooks with lists of books to read. I have a folder in my desk with reviews that I have clipped from newspapers and magazines. I have a page on Backpack with books to read. I have an Amazon wish list. And if I were to clean my desk, I would find many scraps of paper each with a book or two that I found interesting in some way. And that is only the books that I don't own already. My bookshelves are bursting with books, many of which remain unread.

Caite asked:

So, who is this Joseph...and why is he so interested in my books? ;-)

I am interested because my list(s) is/are so disorganized, I wondered if someone else might have a better way to keep track of all the books that I want to read (even though I will never be able to read that many books). So, I can't wait to see what everyone else says. Oh, and I hope somebody shares some magical way of reading all those books on my list too ...

Musing Mondays (on Tuesday?)

Do you keep track of what and/or how many books you read? How long have you been doing this? What's your favorite tracking method, and why?If you don't keep track, why not?

I started keeping track of my reading in 2006 when I became a stay at home dad. Before retiring, I was a software developer. Most of my reading was technical reading: manuals, programming books, computer science books, etc. But when I stopped working, I had much more free time to read non-technical literature. Of course, now I am a freelance software developer and that is beginning to take up more of my time ...

I use a free web service called Backpack to keep track of my reading. The service allows you to create pages that contain lists and other things. So, I just have a page that contains the list of everything I have read, broken down by month, since February 2006. I used to keep track of the title, author, publishing information, ISBN, and number of pages. But, lately I have gotten down to the title, author, and number of pages. I have considered moving the list to my laptop or a notebook just in case Backpack goes away. But, I have never gotten around to it. I just backup the page on my laptop occasionally. Of course, now I also have the book reviews on this blog if I need.

On a related matter, I also have a page on Backpack that has books that I want to read. But, there are so many of those that my TBR list is not just on Backpack. I have several notebooks in which I keep lists of books to read, as well as notes from books that I have read. Where to you keep your TBR list?

Musing Mondays

What is your policy when it comes to new authors? Do you feel comfortable purchasing a book or do you prefer to borrow new authors from the library? How often do you 'try out' a new author?

If at all possible, I like to check out a book from the library before purchasing my own copy. I will relax this rule if the author is recommended by a source I trust, usually another author or reviewer that I like. For nonfiction books, I will also purchase books without previewing them as library books if I have heard or seen the author give a lecture that I enjoyed. For example, I bought Niall Ferguson's books the The World At War and The Ascent of Money based on some of his lectures I viewed.

Musing Monday

When reading do you read every word? Do you ever skip chapters or skim over parts?

I read every word. I never skip chapters or skim over parts. I have a strong belief that if you are going to read a book, show the book and its author the proper respect by reading what is written. On the other hand, if what is written is so boring or poor, show yourself the proper respect and find something else to read. (And yes, I realize this goes against Pennac's Reader's Bill of Rights you see in the sidebar of this weblog.)

Musing Mondays

How often do you visit the library? Do you have a scheduled library day/time, or do you go whenever? Do you go alone, or take people with you?

For probably my entire adult life I have visited the library at least once a week to check out more books than I can possibly read. I quite often went alone, especially since I became a stay-at-home-dad/freelancer.

However, things have changed lately. First, after moving to the Houston area, I found that I could not only belong to my county library system, but to the Houston Public Library as well. Between the two library systems, I can get almost any book on my TBR List. I don't often visit an HPL branch myself. Instead, I reserve books and have my wife pick them up for me, since we live in the suburbs and she works in the city.

In addition, my soon to be seven year old son has decided that he likes to go to the library too. I am disappointed that he likes to go to play on the library computers, but at least the games he plays are educational and we do check out books for him to read. So, now my once a week visit to my county library system has turned into a once or twice a week visit right after school with my son.

Musing Mondays

What do you use to mark your place while reading? Do you have a definite preference? Do you use bookmarks, paper, or (gasp) turn down the pages? If you use bookmarks, do you have a favourite one?

I always use a bookmark. I have a collection of them, nothing fancy, they are mostly bookmarks picked up from the counter at my library or the bookstores I frequent. They sit in a little pile on one of my bookshelves. When I find that I need one, I always go to my (home) office to get one. I would never dog-ear a book. I think that is despicable, evil behavior that disrespects the book.

Musing Mondays

Just One More Page asks:

I always like to have a book with me at all times – call it a nerdy grown-up security blanket – and rarely do I leave the house without slipping one into my bag (even if I KNOW I’m not going to have a chance to read it). Do you take a book with you? Do you take whatever book you’re currently reading, or do you have a special on-the-go book? And do you have a preference for a these types of book (paperback, hardback; short stories; poetry etc)?

I almost always take a book with me when I leave the house, a "just in case" book. You never know if you will get stuck in traffic, have to wait in line, etc. There are so many opportunities to read if you are ready take them when they come. Typically, I will take the book I am currently reading, unless it is a rather large sized book. As a man, I don't have a purse in which to throw a book, so I prefer to take smaller books, like paperbacks, for my "just in case" book.