I’ve been tagged! Thank you Stefanie. Here it goes:

Hardcover or paperback, and why? I love the look of hardbacks but I prefer trade paperbacks. They are easier to carry, less expensive and take up less room so I can usually carry two books around with me.

If I were to own a book shop I would call it… La Tertulia. I’m not quite set on the name but I do know exactly what it would look like. It’d be in an large victorian home. Each room would be devoted to a specific genre and one room would be the community room where we’d have Open Mic nights, book groups and author signings. Of course there would be a little cafe with yummy goodies.

My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is… As much as I love quotes I can never remember them so I’ll skip this one.

The author (alive or dead) I would love to have lunch with would be… After hearing Isabel Allende at a book signing once I always thought she’d be a fun person to get to know. She’s funny and charming.

If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be… Don Quixote! I think that may be the only way I’ll finish this book.

I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…would allow me to read faster. My bookshelves are overflowing with unread books.

The smell of an old book reminds me of… used bookstores or antique stores.

If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be… I know Danielle and Dorothy mentioned Maisie Dobbs and I’m also going with that lead character as well. She is intelligent, adventurous and she solves mysteries. Plus it seems like a natural progression as when I was a kid I wanted to be Trixie Belden.

The most overestimated book of all time is… I really didn’t get all the fuss over The Da Vinci Code.

I hate it when a book… will feature a character who is supposed to be fluent in another language and to demonstrate this the author will drop in foreign words and/or sentences but the sentences contain major mistakes. Obviously I can’t tell this in all languages but I definitely pay attention when the author uses Spanish words. I have come across several books where the character is supposed to know Spanish and the author uses some Spanish phrases to add authenticity and yet there are mistakes. This definitely takes away from creating a credible character.

Now to tag five people. Kisane, Nancy, Matt, Andi and Les in NE you want to play along don’t you? Or if anyone else wants to play please join in!

I went to my Murder on Mondays book group tonight even though I hadn’t read the book (The Blue Edge of Midnight). It seemed that either people loved it or hated it. I don’t know if I’ll read it as I already heard how it ends but I do know I am looking forward to our next selections.

In November we’ll read Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen. I love historical mysteries so this one already sounds good to me. For December we have Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie. In December we always try to read something with a Christmas theme and we also bring treats. I need to bribe one of my best friends who also goes to my book group to make an extra treat and I can take it. I don’t want to poison my book group members with any of my cooking – talk about a Murder on a Monday!

Last night I started reading The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes. I realize this year I’ve been reading fewer mysteries and I miss them. Then again, I’ve been discovering some new genres and that’s been fun so I shouldn’t complain. Basically, there’s never enough time for all the reading I want to do.

But speaking of mysteries has everyone seen The Literate Kitten’s new Horror Short Story Challenge? I’m joining in. It’s so easy and I love scary stories so I can’t say no. I still haven’t decided which story/stories I want to read but they will either come from my B&N edition of The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe or The Mammoth Book of Victorian & Edwardian Ghost Stories. I would like to read two or three so I will post more on my choices soon.