meme from siren_songs

[helenic]

What are you currently reading? The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
How long have you been reading it (or them)? How much longer do you think it will take you to read it? I've been reading it on and off for a while - since last term, I think, although I abandoned it completely over the holidays. At the moment I'm doing about a chapter a night, so it'll probably take me another week or two.
Is it a gobble-in-one-session sort of book, or a read slowly through book, or a pick a page at random now and then book? A read-slowly book. Although knowing Atwood I'll get past the half-way point and be so involved I'll stay up all night to finish it...
Do you ration books and force yourself to read them slowly? What books have you done this with recently? No - I read quickly, when I have time to. Over Christmas I read a book each day, or couple of days. The Chronicles of Narnia I read each in a night. I tried to ration them to make them last longer, but simply couldn't do it. When I'm doing a re-read of Lord of the Rings I tend to ration it, although I always do Return of the King in a night or two.
Do you sometimes *wish* that you'd rationed a book when you get to the end of it? Never when I read a book for the first time. Re-reads are for comfort and familiarity though, and at the end I'm always disappointed it was over so quickly. I re-read the Song of the Lioness sequence at the beginning of the holiday and wished that had taken twice or three times as long because I love them so much.
What was the last book you bought? The Secret History by Donna Tartt, on ebay.
Do you know what book you're going to buy next? The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, because I don't have my own copy. I might try to find a copy of the trilogy in one volume. Also I need the Loeb of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura.
How many borrowed books are sitting on your shelves? Most of my Classics books are on long-term loan from an old man at my dad's church, who used to be a classicist but never reads them any more. I'll probably inherit them when he dies, so it's more of a gift, really. Other than that, I borrowed a book from Catriona last week which I haven't started yet, and I have seven library books out for my history essay on Augustus.
When will they get given back? Never/when I've read it/Thursday.
How many books of yours are currently on other people's shelves? Erm ... I've lost track. Ali has my Possession and my Fingersmith, Yves has my Venus in Furs, Rupa has my haiku anthology, Clare has my Search for Delicious and possibly other things as well, and I'm sure I gave out my Exit to Eden a couple of years ago and never saw it again.
When do you expect them to return? Eventually. When I next see the people concerned. I'm not anxious about it.