On Thursday, April 29th, Booking through Thursday asked:

God* comes to you and tells you that, from this day forward, you may only read ONE type of book–one genre–period, but you get to choose what it is. Classics, Science-Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Cookbooks, History, Business … you can choose, but you only get ONE.

What genre do you pick, and why?

*Whether you believe in God or not, pretend for the purposes of this discussion that God is real.

I would like to be the person who chooses the classics, because they’re timeless, really, and generally incredibly well written. However, there are a finite number of the classics, and frankly, women in them weren’t treated all that well. So, I’ll choose Mystery, please, because within Mystery there’s all those nifty little subsets – paranormal mystery, horror, thrillers – and ranges – cozies, hard boileds, procedurals, etc. And some Mysteries even have a dash of romance, so, simply because I believe it offers the most options, and is a genre that remains popular, that’s my pick.

I mean, where else can an insurance quote or the recipe for the perfect flan be equally valid plot points? What other genre visits historical settings as well as modern ones, has existed since Poe, includes Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, appeals to children (Nancy Drew? The Hardy Boy?) and adults (Come on, tell me YOU don’t want to see Penelope and Jack figure out how a bookseller and a ghost can have a relationship while fighting crime), and incorporates humor as well as drama?

Mystery, please, with a serving of tea and scones.

On Thursday, April 15th, Booking through Thursday asked:

In general, do you prefer the beginnings of stories? Or the ends?

It would be easy to cheat on this and say that one end of a book isn’t much good without the other, but the truth is, I do have a preference. In acne solutions, I prefer the end, but when it comes to stories, books, anything written, it’s the beginning that does it for me. The opening chapters of a good book hook you – seduce you – they’re not mere teasers, but introductions to characters and situations. Once you get to the end, there is definition, but until then, anything can happen.

Well, anything that fits within the established rules of the world that book inhabits.

I’ve said before that nothing disappoints me more than when a really enjoyable book ends, but the reverse is also true: nothing excites me more than the beginning of a really good story.

On Thursday, October 29th, Booking through Thursday asked:

What items have you ever used as a bookmark? What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used?

True confession: Whether it’s a serious novel or a catalog offering a great selection of unique gifts for her, I tend to dog-ear, or use the flaps of a dust cover, rather than an actual bookmark, at least with my own books. I’ve even been known to – horror of horrors – leave an open book face down.

With books that belong to other people, however, I’m much more respectful, and always use bookmarks. What kind? Typical choices are:

1. Business cards, usually other people’s, sometimes my own.
2. A clean square of toilet paper (I read in the bathroom a lot.)
3. The receipt telling me when a book is due back to the library.
4. A used boarding pass from an airplane flight.
5. Receipts from recent purchases.
6. Emery boards.
7. A dollar bill.
8. Movie or theatre ticket stubs.
9. Postcards.
10. Hang-tags from new clothing.

Sadly, I’ve never noticed any particularly unusual or interesting bookmarks.

Each week, Booking Through Thursday asks a book related question. This week, the question is:

What were your favorite books from 2008?

I don’t usually do lists of favorites, because my taste in books changes so often, and I read so quickly, that sometimes, I don’t even remember to list or review.

But since you asked, here are a few:

• The Eight, by Katherine Neville: I’ve loved this book for two decades. I remember working at the campus candy store at USF, and reading about it in the pink pages of the San Francisco Chronicle, and then picking it up at Printer’s Ink on the way home from school, and reading it on the train. It remains a favorite, to this day.
• The Fire, by Katherine Neville: I loved this as much because Neville’s leading men are always so intriguing as because I’d waited twenty years for her to produce a sequel to The Eight.
• Home from the Vinyl Cafe, by Stuart McLean: A collection short stories about a man who owns a record store, and his wife. Funny, contemporary, and full of Canadian flavor.
• The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, by Lauren Willig: The most recent (to date) of the series that began with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a series that is an homage to The Scarlet Pimpernel but with a feminist sensibility.
• The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris: I began reading this just before Halloween, and read the most recent just before Christmas. The series True Blood was not the first time I’d heard of them – many friends had recommended them – but it certainly helped make the decision.

From Booking Through Thursday:
Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit (ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking for more exactly like them?

If language or sex are important to the plot of a book I’m reading, I don’t have an issue with them. In some cases, it’s more jarring when authors back away from strong language – it comes off as phony, and strange. With sex, I don’t really sit at the bookstore and go, “well, I’m desperate for a book that has actual penetration described,” but if it comes up, I’m cool with it.

I will admit that a couple of Laurell K. Hamilton’s books have been off-putting for me, not because I mind the sex (I mean, her male characters are HOT) but because there was more sex than plot, and while I may refer to her work as “Monster Porn” or “Faerie Porn” in jest, the reality is that I do read these for the story, first.

That being said, I have to add that while explicit porn may not float my boat most of the time, censorship is wrong. Just as we all have the power to change channels or turn off a television, we have the power to choose what we read without external forces helping us. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.

Language has power. You should wield it wisely, but you shouldn’t ever be afraid of it.

Buy a Friend a Book Week is October 1-7 (as well as the first weeks of January, April, and July). During this week, you’re encouraged to buy a friend a book for no good reason. Not for their birthday, not because it’s a holiday, not to cheer them up–just because it’s a book.

What book would you choose to give to a friend and why?

The book I’d choose to fling at a friend would depend on the friend. A shabby-chic decorating guide might go to a friend with a new apartment, a vampire story to a friend who loves them as much as I do. For other friends, I’d probably pick something from their wishlists at places like Amazon.com.

One book that I recommend to everyone is The Eight by Katherine Neville. It’s not new. In fact, I first read it during spring break of my freshman year in college (April, 1989), but it’s thick, compelling, and fun – and every so often I love to revisit it.

Another favorite is Alexandra Stoddard’s Gift of a Letter a tiny little book that really makes you appreciate snailmail.

Either of those would be good random gift books, I think.