Yes, it's a meme. But it's about books! Yay books!

So Miss Melissa posted a bunch of links to people who are writing about the books they loved as a child. I clicked on one of the links randomly and found this meme at My Past in Books (awesome name). I will post every day this stupid November! I will!

What was the last book you bought?
I'm not positive. It may have been Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon but that was awhile ago.

Name a book you have read MORE than once.
Anything by Nora Roberts. She's my favorite author and I'll usually reread her books while I'm waiting for her new books. Also Kane and Abel and The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer. I've read Kane and Abel about 13 times and The Prodigal Daughter about 12.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
I don't think so. I do remember once deciding to model my room on a Laura Ingalls Wilder book and I was going to have a Spartan exhistence. Just my bed and one doll. That didn't last long.

How do you choose a book? (eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews)
Authors - I have a few favorite authors and will buy their books automatically. Nora Roberts, Mil Millington, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, etc. Oh, and Christopher Moore. Neil Gaiman. Okay, it used to be a few. I've expanded the list apparently because this was only supposed to be one or two. After that, if I'm looking for a new author, I'll look at the book description - what is it about? If it intrigues me, I'll usually pick it up. I wish I got to the library more often since I've wasted some good money on books that were incredibly annoying. However, this method did lead me to discover the Thursday Next books by Jasper Ffordes and they were fantastic.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Definitly fiction. I read fiction to escape into the book. I will read some non-fiction but typically autobiographies. And I really have to like the person. So far I've read The Rock's and Meat Loaf's autobiographies. I've heard Bruce Campbell's is good and I'd love to read Adam West's.

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Well, I'd really like it to have both. There are a few authors that can do both - Nora Roberts (her descriptions of Alaska and Wyoming have made me want to move there) and Harlan Coben (he did a description of going to a baseball game with his father that made me want to start following baseball. I hate sports!) both come to mind.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book).
God. How do I choose? Can I pick Buffy? I do like the novels. Um, I think I have to say Shadow from American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I really loved him. I also loved Davey Dempsey in Jennifer Crusie's Welcome to Temptation and was thrilled when she wrote his own book (Faking It).

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
I don't read in bed. Unfortunately I have discovered that reading in bed is not conducive to a good night's sleep. I will sit up until I finish the book.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
I just finished Sherilyn Kenyon's Acheron this morning. At 7:30 because Kalli decided she was hungry and thought biting my feet would convince me to get out of bed (she was right). Now I don't know what I'm going to read. Hopefully Keem and I will be taking a trip to the Big Book Store in the Sky (Barnes and Noble. And no, I have no idea why we call it that. But I call Archiver's the Mother Ship so I guess it kind of makes sense. That many books feels like I'm in Heaven).

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Sometimes. It is very rare because it is difficult for me to put time into a book and not finish. I have finished some absolutely horrible books because of this. Others I will read the last chapter so I can stop reading it (Dean Koontz's Face scared the crap out of me so I read the last chapter. It was well written but really creepy).