Today’s Book Blogger Appreciation Week task is to talk about books I’ve read that I read solely because other book bloggers recommended them.

I actually try to mention when I read books because bloggers recommend them, but I figured I would highlight some of my reviews for books that were highly recommended by other book bloggers.

1. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
2. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

While I am making a concerted effort to remember who recommends books that I end up reading, I have been incredibly terrible about it. I promise to do better in the future.

Welcome to my attempt at the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Reading Meme.

Feel free to share your links to the meme or your own thoughts on the questions.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

I sometimes snack on Cheetos or goldfish crackers, but mostly I have a tall, cold glass of green tea, water, or ice coffee. There is that occasional glass of root beer near me, but that doesn’t last too long, and who wants to get up to get a refill every 15 minutes. 🙂

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I do not write in books anymore. I did for college courses and to prepare for exams. I have no reason to mark passages these days with ink when I can use my multicolored post-it flags.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

I have bookmarks, receipts, pieces of notebook paper, and other random bits stuck in books, but mostly its bookmarks. I have dog-eared books in the past, but usually its a library book when I don’t have a bookmark or piece of paper handy. This rarely happens.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

I read just about anything, so long as it hold my interest. I really enjoy fiction and poetry most, however.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

I adore hard copies of books, but audiobooks often make the morning commutes fly by and gets my husband interested in characters and plots without him realizing it.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

I tend to finish a chapter before putting a book down, but if I’m commuting on a bus and have to get off at my stop, I may not have a choice.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

I tend to mark unfamiliar words with those post-it flags and refer to them later, but most often I can use context clues and other hints in the text to garner a rough meaning. Isn’t that what reading comprehension is about?!

What are you currently reading?

Currently, you can find out what I’m reading in my sidebar through the Good Reads widget. I’m writing this ahead of time, so I could be reading something completely different by the time this posts. But in case you are wondering, I am reading A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman and More of Me Disappears by John Amen.

What is the last book you bought?

OK, first check out this Mailbox Monday post for my library sale finds. However, I’m still waiting for Barnes & Noble to ship me the two books I ordered with my birthday gift card: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson and Vampire Haiku by Ryan Mecum.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

I generally have three or four books going at a time, but some will end up taking precedence at one time or another depending on my mood or time constraints. If I have a short amount of time or a hard time focusing, I generally will read some short stories or poems.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

I read mostly while commuting. Listening to audiobooks in the car as hubby drives us to work, reading a book on the subway and bus on the ride home, and reading books in the recliner or lying on the couch at home in the afternoons following work.

Generally, I love spending Sundays with a good book away from the Internet.

One place I don’t like reading is in bed; it makes me too sleepy.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

I don’t have a preference. I like series books as long as they are all well-written; I have a hard time starting a series and watching the quality decline. It makes me sad. Sometimes I want some stand-alone books to become series books.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

I really love recommending Tim O’Brien and Anita Shreve, but there are so many authors I’ve found myself recommending. I really like Suzanne Collins‘ writing, Michelle Moran, and many others. I even have a list of poets I will recommend over and over–Arlene Ang, Ted Kooser, Billy Collins, Kay Ryan, Yusef Komunyakaa, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and more.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

My shelves are far from organized. I don’t have enough shelf space to be organized. Many of my books have no shelves at all and are in piles throughout the apartment. This is a sad state of affairs, but hopefully someday, the bookcase fairy will show up and remedy my problem.