Jay's Book Meme

Yes, me, too. Late as usual, but here's my version of the book meme Jay started and which has been popping up all over. I'm doing 18, just because.

1 - I know it's not rational, but I firmly believe that if I leave the house without a book, the car will break down and I'll have to wait for hours for the towtruck, bored out of my skull.

2 - I feel guilty if I start a book before entering it in my spreadsheet. If I'm not near my computer, I write the info down on a bit of paper.

3 - I have a spreadsheet for books I read (one file per year), one for tracking trades, one for books purchased, one for prolific authors' backlists (to keep track of which I'm missing), one for... you get the picture

4 - I used to dogear pages, but not anymore.

5 - I avoid futuristics where the characters' names have apostrophes in them

6 - Putting a bad book in my "to be traded" shelf gives me great pleasure. It almost feels like revenge.

7 - I reread books often. About 30% of my reading is rereads.

8 - My reading used to be much more varied when I was in high school (to be fair, I had an entire library at my disposal then. It's easier to take risks when you don't have to pay for them!)

9 - I crack spines. First thing I do when I start a new book.

10 - I like books where the heroine was madly in love with her first husband (not the hero), but not so much when the hero was in love with his first wife (not the heroine)

11 - Before the internet, I bought something like 20 of Catherine Coulter's books, even though I hated every single one of them

12 - When I go on vacation, I take much more care over choosing which books to pack than over which clothes to take with me.

13 - I once tore off the stepback cover of an Iris Johansen book because I thought the half-naked male cover model was ugly

14 - I have a favourite armchair for reading and will give the evil eye to anyone who dares sit in it.

15 - I can read for hours while lying on my stomach on my bed.

16 - I read multiple books at once. Usually 2 romances of different subgenres, one non-romance and an ebook.

17 - Before starting a book, I have to read all the promos and excerpts and author's notes.

18 - I don't end-peek, unless I'm concerned there might not be a HEA ending (i.e. I only do it for non-romance)