Pull up a chair...

This week's Book Blogger Hop brings up something I've thought about a lot.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO READ? CURLED UP ON THE SOFA, IN BED, IN THE GARDEN?

As much as I'd like to say something quintessentially bookish, like "on the sofa with a pot of tea" or "in front of a roaring fire" or even "in my neighborhood cafe" but really, I read best on the subway.  Especially comics, because I have a decent subway ride to and from my comic shop, so it's a bit of a habit.  Granted, I also like reading in one of my neighborhood cafes, as you may have noticed if you follow my Twitter feed, but that's partly because that's where I can get my fancy coffee drinks with various forms of alcohol in them ^_^

The Return of Book Blogger Hop!

I've kind of given the Book Blogger Hop a by since I got back to school and haven't been reviewing too much, but since I'm starting to get back into it, I'm hopping back in!  This week's question: 

WHEN YOU READ A BOOK THAT YOU JUST CAN'T GET INTO, DO YOU STICK IT OUT AND KEEP READING OR MOVE TO YOUR NEXT TITLE? 

Inevitably, I convince myself I'm going to finish it, but then never pick it up again.  I usually have a few books going at a time anyway, so it doesn't seem like I'm skipping it or moving on or anything-- I'm just reading the other books more, that's all, honest.  Though this happens more with prose than comics, since comics are faster reads anyway-- I'll usually finish them before I realize I think they suck!  The only graphic novel I couldn't finish was Jeff Smith's Bone, which I know is utter blasphemy.  I didn't think it was bad--in fact I did find it charming--but it just didn't grab my attention.  Plus it was a library book and I was sick of renewing it.

Friday Stuff!

It's been a crazy week for me personally, and it's only going to get crazier from here, so I'm afraid that the Scott Pilgrim movie review is all that's happening around here (though I have plenty in the works!)  Part of the craziness involved going to a pretty great flea market, which means cheap back issues!!  Even though I make it a point not to review single issues or anything not available as a trade paperback, I still think any bibliophile can get behind the joy of tracking down a book you've been looking for or making a new discovery-- both of which I did!

Anyway, this week's Hop question is:

DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC WHEN YOU READ?  IF SO, WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE READING TUNES?

Alas, not really, no.  I tend to prefer ambient noise to actual structured music in the background when I read.  I'm not sure if it's a concentration thing-- it doesn't really seem to matter how loud the "background" noise is, I can still pay more attention when I read with jackhammers going next to my window.  That said, I can't read in total silence either-- it's just too oppressive-- so that's usually when I turn to music.  I try to match the genre of the music to the genre of the story, but I try not to play songs with too many vocals.  For sci-fi and/or action stories, I will put on my "Pierre Henry" station on Pandora, which gets me a sort of early-techno, somewhat jazzy selection;  my "Love Is Blue" station is good for romance.  But if nothing else fits, the Beatles are the perfect standby (though I may have to be picky about the era-- not all books that fit a "Please Please Me" song fit an "Abbey Road song), even though they're just full of vocals!

Book Blogger Hop! Follow Friday!

Adding to last week's Book Blogger Hop, I thought I'd join in Parajunkee's Follow Friday-- hello and welcome to all new people!  Hope you poke around and see something you like (though I'm only a few weeks into this).  Suggestions of all sorts are truly welcome.  Anyway, onto the question Hop question!

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE NEW-TO-YOU AUTHOR SO FAR THIS YEAR?

Agh, so hard to say-- I've read so many new-to-me writers this year!  I guess I'd have to say Bryan Q. Miller, writer of the new Batgirl series (with the new Batgirl Stephanie Brown!)  He's done such a great job with the character, really developing her as a realistic college freshman who happens to be a superhero, and a Bat at that!  Steph's always been one of my favorite characters, so to have her in the hands of a capable writer who really grasps all of the things I love about her has been immensely satisfying to me.

Book Blogger Hop!

After coming across the Book Blogger Hop in my many travels around the book blogosphere, I became encouraged that I could get some readers for this blog, the idea for which had been kicking around my brain for a while.  So, hello and welcome to my new blog!  I hope you stick around and let me get you addicted to my drug of choice!   And now for the question:

TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!

A book I bought a while ago and finally got around to reading: Scorpion: Poison Tomorrow.  It's technically in the Marvel Universe, but it's very much on the edges of it.  A girl's adopted parents are murdered not long after she discovers that her right arm can turn into a deadly weapon.  Soon she uncovers some shocking truths about her birth mother and finds herself in the middle of a struggle between various government agencies and terrorist cells-- but who should she really trust?  Marvel tried a ton of books like this 5 or so years ago that failed to find their audience, which is why I want to bring them to you now.  Better late than never!