Allergies are the Big Evil

Seriously, not fun. Allegra threw in the towel and since that's pretty much all I can take, I was screwed. Constant blowing of the nose and watery eyes made reading damn near impossible and I barely kept up on reading blogs. Things are a bit better now, but now I'm away and while I had questions in mind for the next Booked by 3, I don't have them with me. I'm away, they're at home.

So, let's improvise, shall we? And if I've asked any of these before, answer 'em again. ;)

1. Any summer reading plans? A particular book you've been dying to escape into?
2. Summer reading: Different than the rest of the year? Or same old same old?
3. Reading goals? By the week? Month? Year?

The usual. Answer in the comments or leave a link back in the comments or directly in the link back section to your answers.

Booked by 3 for March

*sigh* Yes, I'm late. Again. Time got away from me. Plus, it's getting hard to come up with new questions, especially ones I can answer. So, let's try letters again. We're up to G-H-I.

1. List up to 3 books you've read that start with each of the aforementioned letters. "The," "A," and "An" may be ignored for the purpose of this exercise.
2. List up to 3 authors you've read whose first or last names begin with each of the letters: G, H, and I.
3. List up to 3 books and/or authors for each letter that you want to read.

Answer here or on your blog and leave a link so we can all go read them. I'll post my answers before the end of the month. Well, I'll sure try. ;)

Booked by 3 for February

Bet you thought I forgot, huh? The truth is, coming up with new questions after a couple of years is hard work. Let's see how this group works.

Book Memories

1. Do you associate reading particular books with the places you read them or events of the time you read them?
2. Do you remember the books you read or do they fade quickly? Or do you remember some better than others? How about remember details like character names, not just overall plot?
3. Have you ever forgotten you've read/own a book and borrowed/bought it again?

Booked by 3 for January

Let's see if I can come up with enough questions for 12 more months of this. To kick off the new year, let's have a retrospective of the previous one.

1. List up to 3 books you read in 2007 that you loved.
2. List up to 3 books you read in 2007 that were disappointments.
3. List up to 3 authors you discovered in 2007 you definitely will put on your Must Read list.

Answer in the comments or leave a link to your answers, please. I'm looking forward to seeing what you list. My answers, uh, soonish.

Booked by 3: December

Fashionably late, with questions suggested by Veggie momof2. Thanks!

I dropped one of the questions because it was similar to the adaptations question we had here recently and it was a 4th question, which breaks the 3 "rule."

1. Do you have any books you read every year/often? Or, if you don't have the time, is there any you want to reread?
   
2. Do you read holiday books? If yes, do you have any favorites?
   
3. Do you give books for gifts and/or like to receive them? If you like to receive them, do you keep a wishlist somewhere?

Leave your answers in the comments or leave a link back to your answers. And have a Happy Holiday, whichever you celebrate, and a Great New Year!

Booked by 3 for November

Adaptations this time.

1. Books Made Into Movies (can include TV shows)

• Do you prefer to read the book before or after seeing the movie?
• Do you prefer to not see movies or TV shows made from your favorite books?
• Do you prefer a faithful adaptation or does it not matter?

2. Novelizations of Movies/TV Shows

• Do you read them?
• Do you prefer reading them before or after seeing the movie/tv show?
• Do you prefer a faithful adaption or does it not matter?

3. Miscellaneous

• Are there books you'd love to see adapted for movies or TV shows or any you hope will never be adapted?
• Do you envision favorite actors as characters while you read?
• Are there adaptations you think are dead on or any that make you cringe?

Answer in the comments or answer on your blog and leave a link to your answers. I'll be back with my answers in a week or so. Or at least by the end of the month! :)

Booked by 3 for October

I want to do a post about favorite author sites, then decided to let my readers help me out. So, here are this month's questions.

1. Do you have favorite sites for getting book info? Share 3 (or more!).
2. How about favorite author sites? Share 3 (or more).
3. And finally, are there 3 or more book review blogs you never miss reading? And no, you don't have to name this one! :)

Booked by 3 for September

Sorry to get this up so late, but I've been sick with a cold or allergies or both. And busy with Library Thing, which inspires this month's questions.

I. Do you have a permanent record of your books?

1. Yes, I keep a manual listing or Excel file or something similar on paper or my computer.
2. Yes, I keep it online on a site like Library Thing or Shelfari.
3. No, who has the time?!

II. If you keep track of your books on a website, do you...

1. Have a free or paid account?
2. Use it to track books to be read as well as books owned, or do you use the site just for your To Be Read list or something else I can't think of?
3. Enter the data manually or did you get a barcode scanner so I can add books faster?

III. Miscellaneous questions.

1. If you use the online sites, do you just catalog your books or do you participate in forums, check other libraries, and otherwise network with other users?
2. If you don't use an online site, do you want to but don't have the time?
3. If you use one of the sites, which one and what's your user name so the rest of us can check out your library?

Edited to add: I forgot to remind folks to leave your answers in the comments or leave a link back to where you did answer. Thanks. :)

Booked by 3 for August

Because last month's edition was less than popular, let's try something easier. Three groups of 3 titles of books you've read that share one or more words. If you can cluster them by genre, all the better. An example, 3 romances with the word "love" or the same woman's name. Mysteries with the word "mysteries" or "mystery" don't count as that would be way too obvious and easy. But if the word in common is "death" or "killed," go for it. Remember, they should be books you've already read.

If you play on your blog, please leave a link here. If you don't want to blog it, leave your answers in the comments. I'll try to get my answers up more promptly than I did for July. :)

Booked by 3 for July

Hey hey hey. I'm getting this up early in the month. Mostly because you might have to think a bit longer for this one.

I thought it might be fun to play a little game. We'll do 2 versions of it. For July, let's each try to make a very short story (similar to something called flash fiction) or a haiku-like poem using the titles of books we've read. You can do 3 shorts using 3 titles each, or you can make one longer "story," using 9 titles. Please give the authors somewhere in your answer. You can answer in the comments or leave a link back to your blog entry with your response.

For August, we'll try this with first lines from books we've read, so you can start thinking now. And if this works, maybe we can try doing it collaboratively, each leaving the next line in a story in the comments, either from titles or first lines.

So, put on your thinking caps, find the books you've read (at home or at the library), and let's see what we can come up with. Most important, let's have fun.

Booked by 3: June

I had an idea for this month's Booked by 3 questions, but I've been busy catching up from vacation and haven't gotten around to posting it, so I'm going to go with Naridu's suggestions:

1. Do you read while on public transport or when on long journeys by train/tram/bus etc? And if so what is your preferred reading material for these trips?

2. You see someone reading a book on the tram/train/bus and are impressed/want to get to know that person, what is the book? Name three possibilities. Bonus: Have you ever gotten a book to read because you've seen someone else reading it on public transportation?

3. If you were wanting to catch someone's eye, what book would you be reading? Name three possibilities.

Thanks, Naridu. These are great. I added a bonus question to #2, because I was curious about it.

And if anyone else has questions to suggest, leave them in the comments. Thanks.

And if you play this month, leave the answers in the comments or leave a link to your blog post where you answer. :)

Booked by 3: May

I adapted this month's questions from a Newsweek feature.

1. Name up to 3 books you think everyone should read.
2. Name up to 3 authors you think everyone should read.
3. Name up to 3 books no one should read.

My answers either next week or after I get back from vacation in June. Leave your answers in the comments or leave a link back to your answers on your blogs. Have fun and thanks to everyone who plays.

Booked by 3: April

In Character

Name up to 3 characters:

1. You wish were real so you could meet them.
2. You would like to be.
3. That scare you.

As usual, answer in the comments or leave a link to your answers on your blog. I'll answer as soon as I can think of what to say. ;)

Booked by 3: March

WEEDING

It's a painful practice most of the time, but with a finite amount of space, sometimes, books must be weeded from the collection.

1. Do you weed regularly? If so, how often? If not, why not?
   
2. Do you have guidelines you stick with?
   
3. Are there books you would never weed?

As usual, you may answer in the comments or on your own blog and leave a comment with a link here. My answers in a few days.

Booked by 3: February

Being the lazy slacker I am, I'm a bit late with this, which is annoying because I already had it ready.

1. Have you read (up to 3) authors recently you want to read more by?
2. Have you read authors (up to 3) recently that if you never see another book by them, it will be too soon?
3. Are there any authors (up to 3) you wish would write more books?

I'll answer by the weekend. Please use the comments to play or leave a link to your blog if you play there. And the "up to 3" is to keep to the Booked by 3 name theme. If you have more, then list 'em.

Booked by 3: January 2007 Edition

A simple question this time: What were your favorite 3 books read in 2006 and why?

Leave your answers in the comments or in your blog with a link here. I'll give my answers in a few days.

Booked by 3: December

Lookie! I'm getting it up on time, or early, given the lateness of recent months. So, even though there's a whole month left of the year, let's try a year-end wrapup of sorts.

The NY Times announced its 10 Best Books of the Year. And of course, there's the list of the 100 Notable Books chosen by the NY Times. I can't list all 100 here (well, I could, but it would make for a very long post), but I will list the top 10.

ABSURDISTAN
By Gary Shteyngart. Random House.

THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL
Scribner

THE EMPEROR'S CHILDREN
By Claire Messud. Alfred A. Knopf

THE LAY OF THE LAND
By Richard Ford. Alfred A. Knopf

SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS
By Marisha Pessl. Viking

NONFICTION

FALLING THROUGH THE EARTH
A Memoir.
By Danielle Trussoni. Henry Holt & Company

THE LOOMING TOWER
Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.
By Lawrence Wright. Alfred A. Knopf

MAYFLOWER
A Story of Courage, Community, and War.
By Nathaniel Philbrick. Viking

THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA
A Natural History of Four Meals.
By Michael Pollan. The Penguin Press

THE PLACES IN BETWEEN
By Rory Stewart. Harvest/Harcourt

1. Have you read any of the top 10 or any from the 100 Notable Books list?
2. Are any of these books on your To Be Read list?
3. Is there any book listed you think shouldn't be a Notable Book or one that you think should have made the cut?

Booked by 3: November aka Book Plates

I've been away, and managed to mangle (cut and bruise) my right index finger by jamming it in a sliding van door while visiting my best friend in New Jersey. It's healing and I can type with it now.

And since I found a neato link for Book Plates, I decided to make it this month's Booked by 3 theme, that of marking your books in some way to show they belong to you.

1. Do you use bookplates (For those who don't know, they're nice designs on paper you glue into books to claim them as yours)?
2. Do you write your name in your books?
3. Do you attach stickers with your name and / or other info into your books?

As always, my answers will be posted in a day or two.

Booked by 3: October Edition

Reading Habits: Have your reading habits changed over the years?

1. Do you read more, less, or approximately the same amount?
2. Do you read different types of books or different genres now than before?
3. Do you read as much, at different times, in different places than you used to?

Bonus Question: Have you developed any reading superstitions or routines?

Post your answers in the comments or in you blog and leave a link back here so I can go read your answers. Mine will be up sometime in the coming week, computer access permitting.

Booked by 3 September Edition

Hard to believe, but I'm actually getting this up promptly this month! And I'm loosening up the format because trying to find 3 subcategories for each of the 3 questions gets harder the longer I do this.

Summer's End
1. How many books did you read this summer (you can count from June 21 to the day you answer this this month)?
2. Would you recommend any of them?
3. Were you disappointed in any of them?

Meanwhile, much as I love this template and having the 3 columns, I'm seriously considering upgrading this blog to the beta layouts so I can just categorize the meme questions archive and not have to keep going back and editing the archive entry. Then I could add a category for links and some other stuff I end up posting here. I won't be able to do 3-column that way, until I learn how to code it for myself, as I got this layout from a free layout site.

If I do convert the template and go back to 2 column, I'll probably drop my full blogroll and go back to just displaying the books sites. So if a link back to your site is lost, sorry. Rest assured that it still is on Cyber Chocolate which does show my entire public blogroll.