Another Book Meme

Stole this one from Beck.
What was the last book you bought?
Hee. I can't remember the last time I bought one book all by itself. But, I'll pick a particular one and say Sandra Brown's Play Dirty. I heard her talk about it at the National Book Festival and was intrigued.

Name a book you have read MORE than once.
I can name a few. Kathryn Lynn Davis's Too Deep For Tears got read many, many times in high school. Also Madeline L'Engle's Ring of Endless Light, Nora Roberts' Birthright, and Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me. (This is really a partial list, I reread a lot, but I'm capping it here. For now.)

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Torey Hayden's Murphy's Boy, which I read in middle school, profoundly affected me and I was inspired to become a child psychologist. While that did nto end up being my career, that is one of those decisions that set me on the circuitous path that got me where I am.
Gorman Bechard's Second Greatest Story Ever Told gave me the language to start talking about the kind of spirituality I wanted for myself and the hope that other people out there wanted something like that too. It's also funny.

How do you choose a book? By cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews.
Yes. I look at Amazon suggestions, suggestions from friends, I read a bunch of booky blogs, and yes, just as often a cover or title will call to me and I'll take a chance.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction. I have trouble getting through non-fiction. It may be that I'm not as good at picking non-fiction for myself but usually it takes me trapped on an airplane with nothing else to read before I finish most of the non-fiction.

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
I'm going to nitpick the question a bit here. The plot has to appeal to me in some way, but beautiful or well-crafted writing will help carry me through a lot more.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book).
Okay, for this moment, today, I am going to go with Zoe from Vicki Pettersson's "The Harvest". I know the series focuses on Joanne, but I read "The Harvest first and was so sucked in that I was ready to be really mad if this wasn't part of a series. (Fortunately it was. Crisis averted.)

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
I am changing this to what's about to fall between the couch cushions, and that is Gena Showalter's The Darkest Pleasure. Unless the question was meant to determine what I am reading now, which is Wonder When You'll Miss Me by Amanda Davis.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
It was either Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn or Susan Mallery's Irresistible. Both were finished right at the end of September.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yes. I used to try a lot harder, now I figure after 100 pages (60 of it's a real slog), that's enough to see if it will work for me. Not everything will.