Books Poll Time!

[Rob McCow]

It's time to find out about your reading habits!

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

What types of books do you prefer to read?

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

[Jon Masters]

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

Probably 2-3 per month; tends to go in fits and starts depending on how busy work is, so I may have 3 books on the go at the same time that take all month to read, while in the last few days I've got through 3 novels in 4 days.

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

2 weeks ago; tend to go every couple of months (or renew online), and quite often reserve online from other libraries.

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

No - vaguely interested to put PDF files on (got lots of RPG material in PDF form), or for non-fiction reference works but not very interested for fiction.

What types of books do you prefer to read?
Fiction, though I have had a run of reading quite a few biographies and autobiographies because my local library stocks quite a lot.
It's usually crime fiction, thrillers or fantasy - don't have a lot of time for character led-normal life fiction, I'd rather have something I'll never experience myself. Oddly I'm not all that keen on hard sci-fi novels, though I do like it in short stories.

Non fiction tends to be science based, or historical, or cookery !

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

Probably like many people I tend to find authors I like and then devour everything they wrote; it takes a brave step to try a new author, unless I'm aware of their work from other media (like TV or radio)

Crime - CJ Sansom, Bernard Knight, Ian Rankin, Conan-Doyle, PD James, Mankell, CSI Tie ins (actually not bad for TV books), Colin Dexter, Ellis Peters, Andrew Martin, Edward Marston, Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May series

Thrillers - Maclean, Ludlum, Fleming, Buchan

Fantasy - David Gemmell, R.E Feist, RA Salvatore, Stephen Donaldson (except for his latest - just can't get into them), Tolkein, Jim Butcher (Harry Dresden books), Terry Pratchett, Terry Brooks, lots of D&D novelists

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

Had a spate of reading the Judge Dredd omnibus volumes form the libray, but otherwsie not a big fan (except for the DWM strip, of course)

And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

Yes - many an hour in car journeys and scouring secondhand books shops. Am missing about 8 in total, but have read all but 3 of the others

[stuartdg]

I read abt 1 a month on average to pace them out more...

Can't remember the last time I visited my library full stop,its too far out of the way


I own a kindle,and particularly like the text to speech(or lazy reading!) feature


I occasionally read biographies,and TV tie in novels,but its mostly crime/fantasy fiction

Favourite authors include Paul Magrs and MC Beaton,although I am very fond of Agatha Christie


I've never read any graphic novels bar the Doctor Who releases


I've read all the Target novels,Virgin New/Missing Adventures,the BBC EDAS/PDAS and most of the new Who stuff,currently working through the Big Finish Short Trips collections

[Alex]

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

1 or 2, it depends really on how passionate I am about the book I'm reading. And occasionally I take ages to read something that I'm not really enjoying, but want to find out how it ends.

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

About six months ago, which is quite poor considering I live opposite one. But they never have anything I want in stock (it's quite small), and I get my fix from charity shops quite happily.

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

Nah, I'm old fashioned and like reading from books. Plus you don't have to worry about them being stolen from you if you're reading in a London park!

What types of books do you prefer to read?

I'll give anything a go really - I largely read fiction, but if it's received good reviews, I'll try it out.

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

Lots - I've got a bit of a thing for Julian Barnes right now, but also like Coupland, Gaiman, Rushdie, David Mitchell (the other one), Susanna Clarke, Glen David Gold, Chuck Palahniuk (sometimes), and, well, I could be here all day listing them really!

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

Yes! And all types! I'm less of a fan of the big superhero titles, but will sample anything if it's well written.

And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

I used to have a huge collection up until I was about 12. Then I stupidly sold them to buy computer games. Booo.

[Paul Clement]

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

It really does depend on the books that I'm reading. If it's one I really enjoy, I hardly put it down and finish it quickly. If I have a few of these, then I could read a lot more in a month. However, it is usually 3 or 4 books per month.

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

The last time I visited the library would be within the last three months. At that time, the kids took some books out. For myself, it must be a couple of years since I last took a book out.

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

I have a Kindle. I'm happy with it as it is at the moment.

What types of books do you prefer to read?

A real variety. Fanatsy, Older Sci-Fi, Classics, Horror, some historical etc...

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

John Jakes, Irvine Welch, John Wyndham, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett, Charles Dickens... the list could go on.

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

I used to read Marvel Comics a lot, not so much now, but I still re-read some of my old collection occasionally.


And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

I had them all and read them all. Then I sold them for a variety of reasons. I'm now re-collecting them, which is not as much fun as the first time.

[SiHart]

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

Between 2 and 5 a month, depending on what they are and how much time I have. On a good holiday where I'm there to relax I can read a novel a day!

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

I'm in one most days Last took a book out on Monday.

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

I have a Kindle Paperwhite. It's pretty damn good.

What types of books do you prefer to read?

I'll read most things. I'm open minded about my reading.

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

Iain Banks, Lisa Jewell, William Sutcliffe.

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

Not really, no.

And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

I have read every single one, most of them more than once too!

[Stuart Wallis]

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

I'm a very fast reader, it's not uncommon to read 3-4 books in a week.

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

All the time - I should be concentrating on the boo mountain at home...

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

No.

What types of books do you prefer to read?

Fantasy, biography, history, science, crime fiction, general non-fiction. Does anyone remember the Big Read from a few years ago? I've been trying to read them in order over the past few years when I can fit them in. And I've been catching up on some Star Trek recently. Not one for SF really, except for Dune.
Oh, and Doctor Who...

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

Conan Doyle, Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, Frank and Brian Herbert.

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

Sometimes. Judge Dredd, JLA and Batman mostly, over the years. The occasional bit of Marvel.

And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

Still do, and all of them.

[MacNimon]

On average, how many books do you read a month (or a year)?

I'd say probably 2-3 per month, although how quickly I'm reading one depends on how much I'm enjoying it. I love taking books on holiday, it's really the only time I get a chance to read loads of them in a short period!

When was the last time you visited a public library and took a book out?

Years. Our local library is tiny and doesn't have much of a selection. Given the number of books we've got in our house though, there's no neeed. Maybe it doesn't give us the same opportunity to try out new writers though, but having said that I simply don't have time to work my way through what I already have never mind squeeze in new writers!

Do you have an e-reader? If so, what type? And what would you like to see to improve it?

We all have Kindles here, just the basic version from a couple of years back. My biggest problem is having to use a reading light to read in the dark (in bed, for example). I'd love a paperwhite version, but that'll have to wait because my top priority is a 8.9" Kindle Fire for reading comics and magazines.

What types of books do you prefer to read?

Usually thrillers, crime or adventure stories. TV spin-offs such as Doctor Who and Star Trek. Fantasy and Swords & Sorcery. I love the classics too, such as Conan Doyle, HG Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs and H Rider Haggard...and have a soft spot old pulp stuff...series such as Doc Savage, the original Saint novels by Leslie Charteris, The Shadow, Conan, etc plus there are some great old pulpy sci-fi novels out there such as When Worlds Collide and The Man Who Awoke, both long-time favcourites of mine.

Do you have any favourite authors? Who?

Dick Francis, John Creasey, Robert Ludlum, Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley, Matthew Reilly, Clive Cussler, Duncan Kyle

Do you read any graphic novels or comics? What types?

Yes. Generally reprints of classic stuff which I read in my childhood, in various formats from Marvel's prestige hardcover Masterworks series to the cheap newsprint b&W Essentials range, and in between. My favourites are Dark Horse's recoloured Conan Chronicles series though, reprinting the 1970s Conan series digitally recoloured. It's the only series I've went out of my way to collect, everything else are pretty much random choices. I'm much pickier over new stuff, I need to like the artwork before I try something new. If the artwork isn't to my liking, I find it too much of a distraction regardless of how well something is written. I'm not as familiar with modern writers and artists yet as I am with the guys I grew up with, so I can't just pick something up because it's written by a certain writer (although there are a few exceptions!). I think if I ever get a Kindle Fire, it'll help me explore the medium digitally much easier than I can at the moment.

And... did you used to read the Target Doctor Who books? Roughly how many have you read?

The majority of them! I think there are a few of the later ones which I didn't read, but it's been so long I can't remember which! To be honest though, I don't think I've actually went back to them since the NA's started in the early 90s. Plenty of new stories published in the years since, I've still loads of them to catch up with!