Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? There was a time when I didn't care. Now I prefer hardbacks basically because the print tends to be easier on the eyes.
Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon! Although I like browsing through a brick and mortar, I can always find what I want at Amazon.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? Both. I've been going more and more to Borders to browse because my daughter likes the world music collection there (and it's priced lower at Borders than at Barnes & Noble). Also, the B&N parking lot here is small and shared by 3 big stores so it can be a pain to find parking on most days.
Bookmark or dog-ear Bookmark! Dog-earing pages is book abuse... unless there is absolutely no other way to mark the page.
Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Alphabetized. It is also acceptable to organize by subject matter if they are nonfiction.
Keep, throw away, or sell? Keep if it was enjoyed. Usually I give away those I didn't care for or am unsure about. I have only thrown away 2 books in my entire life. Both were too vile to be passed on.
Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep dust jacket.
Read with dustjacket or remove it? Read with dustjacket.
Short story or novel? Novel
Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? I'm not a great fan of short stories.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I haven't read either.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks. Chapter breaks if at all possible. It's also acceptable to stop mid chapter if there is a break.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? “It was a dark and stormy night”
Buy or Borrow? Buy, or borrow from the library. I never ask to borrow books from friends.
New or used? Either. If it is an author I like, then new.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? All three. If a book comes highly recommended from a trusted book reading friend I will put the book on a wish list immediately.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Tidy ending if at all possible, although I do appreciate some series.
Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Nighttime. Sometimes I can get away with afternoon reading on a weekend.
Stand-alone or series? Either.
Favorite series? I can never pick an absolute favorite anything. Different series are favorites for different reasons. Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow and Children of God is a short series of two that I liked very much. Tolkien is obviously a long time favorite and it's nice to see a renewed interest in his books. I liked Ralph Moody's Little Britches books because they perfectly captured a time and place. King's Gunslinger series is a favorite for different reasons. Cussler's Dirk Pitt books have been enjoyed by both my husband and me for years.
Favorite children's book? The Friendly book by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams. It has to be illustrated by Garth Williams.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? For awhile The Sparrow held this position, but like Pattie I tend to tell people if I like a book. If you like science fiction, I do like Gregory Benford's The Heart of the Comet and Artifact. I'm not sure too many people know about them. I have reread The Last Convertible several times. I'm not sure why I liked it so much.
Favorite books read last year? I can't remember what I read last year, LOL! That was one of the reasons I started a blog, to keep track of what I read and when I read it.
Fiction: I know I was on a James Rollins action/adventure marathon last year and enjoyed all of them very much. I read all of Haven Kimmel's books, which were good (and slop over into the nonfiction category). Memory of Running was good, as was The Remains of the Day.
Nonfiction: Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen and Crack on the Edge of the World by Winchester are two that come to mind.
Favorite books of all time? Can not answer this because I can never narrow my favorites down to one.
Least favorite book you finished last year? Interesting question... I would have given them away at this point, so I have nothing around to refresh my memory.
What are you reading right now? A nonfiction called Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris. This could go into the least favorite category for next year. She doesn't seem to like the people of the Dakotas very much for someone who has lived with them for years. She also needed to be more specific and say it is about west river in the Dakotas. It matters, and, really, they are two states. While I'm at it... I'm not liking her or her book very much. I can't imagine the people of Lemmon, SD were all that thrilled with her after it was published either. That could be why the recommendations are from people on either coast. There is a whole lot of country between the coasts.
What are you reading next? I'm continuing my fiction/nonfiction sequence. I'll probably read The Book Thief next, although I may have to break my personal rule for this year and read a couple anthropology textbooks first. I could skim through those quickly though and then "officially" read The Book Thief.