Memes and weekly geeks #19

The theme of Weekly Geeks #19 is to list your top books published in 2008, however few as you may have and in any order you like, but no more than 10 books. You can separate out your favourites into categories if you would prefer.

I have only read two books this year that were published in 2008 (well I'm still reading one of them and hope the end lives up to the rest of the book!), and they are both excellent books so I shall list them both here.

The Singing - Alison Croggon
Last Battle of the Icemark - Stuart Hill
Brisingr - Christopher Paolini

Also, I was tagged for this meme ages ago by Rhinoa, and apologise to her for only getting round to it now!

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
I don’t remember how my love of reading began, and have very few memories of being read to. I do however remember my treasured copies of Narnia, the complete works of Beatrix Potter, my Roald Dahl books etc (all of which are still boxed up in my parents attic!). My first strong memory of books is going to the library as a child and discovering that I was allowed to take 6 books out at a time...imagine my delight!

What are some books you read as a child?
The books I read as a child were heavily animal oriented! I loved The Animals of Farthing Wood, Brian Jacques’ Redwall series (obviously you may have already spotted this!) and Robin Jarvis' Deptford Mice series. I also became entirely addicted to Willard Price’s adventure series for boys, including African Adventure, Cannibal Adventure etc. I was delighted to see a couple of years ago that these books are now back in print, and highly recommend them, especially for young adventurous boys! As a young child, I loved Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh and the Gumdrop books!

What is your favorite genre?
My taste is somewhat varied, with no firm favourite genre, though recently I have found that I tend to lean towards reading Fantasy and Young Adult fiction.

Do you have a favorite novel?
I find it so hard to pick one favourite of anything! Some dearly loved novels are Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke), Peter Pan (JM Barrie), The Secret History (Donna Tartt), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), The Gift (Alison Croggon). And obviously the Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings, which I can read again and again!

Where do you usually read?
I get most reading done in bed, or when on train journeys. I share a house at the moment, so its rare to get the living room to myself in order to read comfortably, which is a shame as I never feel quite right reading in bed! Travelling is great for reading and I dearly wish it were easier to get the train to work every day. I feel that my reading has been severely curtailed recently.

When do you usually read?
I try to read every chance I get, but it usually gets relegated to weekday evenings and weekend mornings. If someone else is driving to work, I try to read in the car both ways, but this often gives me a headache!

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
I used to be able to read several books at once, but as I’ve gotten older and busier (!) I have found that I can only comfortably read one book at a time, unless they are very different. Right now I actually have a novel and two sets of short stories on the go, which seems to work quite well. Perhaps I shall remember this for future reading!

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
I enjoy non-fiction but definitely have to be in the right mood for them, as they don’t offer quite the same escapism as fiction. I definitely don’t immerse myself in them anywhere near as much, but usually have something on the go.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
I buy the vast majority of my books, although now am home more I have tried to use the library a lot more. I also have several books borrowed from friends.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?
I do confess to keeping most of my books. I adore being surrounded by them and being able to reread a book on the slightest whim. If I am certain that I will not read a book again, it goes to the charity shop. Or if I love a book enough, it will probably be lent/given to someone who will appreciate it, but then I’ll often buy another copy for myself if I enjoyed it that much!

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?
I don't have children, but if I do, I will definitely be reading to them and surrounding them with books and stories. I expect that I would want to share books I loved as a child, and books I have discovered since, as I found many while working as a children’s bookseller.

What are you reading now?
Brisingr – Christopher Paolini
The Ladies of Grace Adieu - Susanne Clarke
Smoke and Mirrors – Neil Gaiman

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?
I have a TBR book rather than list. It’s a lovely little notebook I bought years ago, in which I write everything I want to read and then tick books off as I read them. I also have another list of books to read that I already have, rather than ones that I want to buy/borrow. And I have followed Rhinoa by putting all the books I have up on Library Thing, one’s I have read and ones to be read. I then add reviews off my blog as I write them.

What’s next?
Trying to catch up on some of my TBR books, especially ones borrowed from friends and the library. I am hopelessly behind on all my challenges, so may choose to focus on one of them perhaps with Rebecca, Maus or The Master and the Margarita.

What books would you like to reread?
I would like to re-read The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop, perhaps before I read her new book, Tangled Webs. I also keep meaning to read all the Harry Potter books back to back, something I haven’t been able to do until now due to luggage space when I travel! I have so many other books to read for the first time, that I’m reluctant to re-read books just yet though!

Who are your favorite authors?
These have changed over the years, but currently: Susanna Clarke, Kuki Gallmann, Alison Croggon, Donna Tartt, Jasper Fforde, Stuart Hill, Alice Hoffman, JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling.

I tag anyone who hasn't already done this meme and would like to!