A Reading Meme

This is borrowed from Kate's Book Blog, who is one of the latest to post this meme.

What are you reading right now?
I had a hard time choosing which book to pick up after finishing my last two books. I finally decided on Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. It is much longer than I originally realized so it will probably take the rest of August to read it, but so far I quite like it.

Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
Decisions, decisions! It will most likely be Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck (Bookworms Sept book choice over at yahoo), The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, or Human Cargo by Caroline Moorehead.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
The New Yorker, Natural Parenting, and Newsweek.

What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
In 8th grade history, we were required to read The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. I HATED it! It is the only book that I have ever utilized Cliff notes for.

What's the one book you recommend to just about everyone?
I have recommended The Kite Runner to a lot of people, as well as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. I try to tailor my recommendations to people's tastes, so there are very few books I would recommend to everyone.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
Well, I don't believe they know my name, but there are a few that definitely recognize my face.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all? There are quite a few people out there who don't like The Handmaid's Tale. I often get funny faces when I recommend Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, or Salman Rushdie's novels.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving? I tend to read magazines while I eat breakfast, and occasionally books. While taking a bath? All the time. I hardly ever watch TV, but when I do, I often read during the commercials. Music? Occasionally. During sex? I don't think my hubby would like that very much. Driving? Absolutely not.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits? Not that I can recall. But I did spend many a summer day holed up on a couch or under a tree with a book.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Before that, it was Agatha Christie's Murder with Mirrors.