I found this meme at Flitting Through Canadian Fiction and just had to answer it myself.

1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down?
I use a bookmark to mark my page. If I can’t find one I might stick something else in the book to mark it briefly, like a pen, or a piece of paper. I am guilty of leaving a book open face down, mostly with textbooks though.

2. Do you lend your books?
Once upon a time I used to be very generous and trusting and would lend my books out. After not receiving them back, even after years on end, or getting them back in poor condition I learned my lesson. I will still, occasionally lend a book out to someone who has proven trustworthy time and again. But I’m very hesitant to. And no matter the person, if it’s an autographed copy I never lend them out now. For me, my autographed copies are as precious as New York Yankees tickets in the world series are to die-hard fans. No one touches ‘em. I don’t even really lend my books to my own mother anymore! Mostly because it takes her a very long time to get to them, on account of her schedule. When she’s absolutely ready to read a book though, as in walks up and asks for a certain book that she plans to start reading that day, then I’m happy to lend a book to her.

3. You find an interesting passage: you write in your book or NO WRITING IN BOOKS!
Ugh. Major pet peeve of mine – no writing in books. When I was taking Japanese I used to write little notes or phrases that I felt were needed for reference, but really, even that irked me. I much prefer using stickies if I absolutely must write something down about a passage.

4. Dust jackets – leave it on or take it off?
I take the dust jacket off while I’m reading so that it doesn’t get messed up and put it back on when finished.

5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book?
I prefer paperbacks myself. They take up a lot less room, more comfortable to hold and easier to cuddle up with. I really dislike it when an author who has been releasing heir books in paperback first switches to hardback first. It means that, unless I check the book out from the library or get it from a swap, I’m not likely to read it for another year. Of course, with some books and series, I’ll get the hardback regardless. The HP series is a perfect example there.

6. Do you shelve your books by subject, author, or size and color of the book spines?
My shelving method is a bit odd. I have a low bookcase that sits next to my bed and under my window. The top shelf is crammed with favorite books so that they’re within easy reach when I’m curled up on my throw pillows or in bed. Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, and some of Mercedes Lackey’s books can be found there. The bottom shelf holds some comics and larger books that don’t quite fit on the other bookcases due to book height. The other book cases however are grouped by book size and genre. I have all of my hardback books taking up the bottom shelves of the presswood book cases and paperbacks on the top shelves.

7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later?
I prefer to buy books, as I tend to keep them; however I do make good use of bookswaps and book stores. If I’m collecting a series in paperback (for example Kim Harrison’s Hollows series) then I’ll check out the hardback copy and wait until the paperback is released to buy.

8. Do you put your name on your books – scribble your name in the cover, fancy bookplate, or stamp?
Absolutely not. I had to suffer through that in elementary and middle school where marking our belongings in bold black permanent marker was mandatory. I’m not in those institutions anymore so I refuse to mark up and vandalize my books.

9. Most of the books you own are rare and out of print books or recent publications?
A little bit of both actually. I have several out of print editions and a few autographed books as well. However, I also have plenty of recent publications as well. Editions and rarity doesn’t matter, it’s the content.

10. Page edges – deckled or straight?
I prefer straight, as they don’t collect dust as much, but really, it’s the content that matters.

11. How many books do you read at one time?
Now that I am no longer in school and reading all of my required reading plus leisure reading at the same time I prefer to handle one or two books at a time. However, if a book is particularly gripping or it’s one I’ve been anticipating for a while then I’m likely to devote my sole attention to it.

12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book?
Maybe, probably, when I was a little kid. But after I had grown to read and love books? No! Magazines and newspapers? Sure. But never books.