Reading Habits Tag

When is the best time to read? Is that even a question? Well I have decided to do this tag and express my reading habits. This tag was created by TheBookJazz, I am going to run through the following questions:

Reading Habits

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?
4. Do you eat or drink while reading?
5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
6. One book at a time or several at once?
7. Reading at home or everywhere?
8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?
9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?
10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
11. Do you write in your books?

So let’s start, I find it quite ironic that I am writing about my reading habits rather than actually reading but anyway let be crazy.

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

Not really, I do enjoy waking up on a weekend and going down into my living room and reading on the far end of the sofa near our living room window. This is usually when Sophie is still asleep and therefore the whole house is silent which is my favourite situation for reading.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

This one is a bit more complicated, I normally use whatever is going closest to me. If that happens to be a bookmark it will stay in a run of my books and will only change when I eventually finish a book and don’t immediately start another one. Currently whilst I am reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac I am using the ace of spades from a mini pack of cards that was in a Christmas Cracker.

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

I can just stop if need be but I prefer to finish the chapter. I would used to set myself a target of around 50 pages but this would depend on how the chapters ran. If it ended on 49 pages an I was running out of time to go out I wouldn’t pressure myself to continue reading as I wouldn’t be able to finish the chapter which would just annoy me.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

Do I eat or drink, anyone knows me knows that I am always eating and drinking so the answer is Yes.

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

I cannot do anything whilst I am reading if I want to concentrate on the book. The only time my concentration levels are good is when I am at work. When I am at home if I want to read I don’t like any background noise and I certainly cannot watch a movie at the same time.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

I used to only read one at a time until I had finished it, however this was one of the reasons I ended up being in such a reading slump last year so I am now reading a couple at once and switching between which one suits my mood each time. I think this is going to prevent me from being in a slump in the future.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

I normally read at home but it doesn’t mean that I can’t read anywhere but home. Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) does say “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” I try to be as trustworthy as possible.

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Silently?? This is weird question…

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

No I don’t see the point in ruining the end of the Book. I only look ahead to see how many pages I am letting myself in for. Not that I am going to turn my nose up at a lengthy book but I like to challenge myself to read a book as quickly as I can. I will never keep up with Sophie though.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I am not a murderer! If the spine is already broken then I will enjoy the freedom but I would never plot to break the spine. I mean this action alone would get me crucified by Sophie never mind break all my morals. I realise this answer may be a bit over the top but trust me both my Sister Sam and Sophie both think books are to be treated with respect and I completely agree. No breaking spines! 

11. Do you write in your books?

Hello…? Did you just read the answer above? The only books I have ever written in were for University and that was in order to help my understand the latin. I did not do it very often before everyone goes crazy.

So thats all folks, my reading habits. On a side note I am also a very slow reader or at least I am compared to Sophie who could read several books in a day. I did however do a competition with my sister to see who could read the most and I won by a small fraction but I think that is down to the fact I am just really competitive.

Bye for now..

 

Danny

TBR Tag!

As we have recently made our own TBR jars, what better time could there possibly be to do this tag?

 

Question 1: Is your TBR mainly physical books or e-books?

Our TBRs are mainly physical books as we have over 100 printed books that we are yet to read. Although we do also own a lot of ebooks they are mainly free downloads.

 

Question 2: What book has been on your TBR for the longest amount of time?

S: While I don’t know for certain I have shamefully owned ‘A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing’ and ‘A Farewell To Arms’ for years and have yet to read either. Hopefully this will change soon!

D: The book which still remains on my TBR is ‘The Resurrectionist’ by James Bradley. I bought this originally as a gift for my Dissertation tutor due to the fact that its plot was very similar to the subject of my project. However I did not get to see my tutor when i had the book available and therefore i decided to read it myself and forward him a copy if it was any good of course.

 

Question 3: What is the last book you added to your TBR?

S: Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally, I’ve been meaning to read it since I watched the movie.

D: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick, I have wanted to read this ever since I learnt of the new series on Amazon, me and Sophie started watching it and it was brilliant. I also love a good Dystopia and this one is very intriguing.

 

Question 4: Is there a book you added to your TBR based solely on the front cover?

S: Nope

D: The Revenant by Michael Punke – I am ashamed to say that the reason for intrigue in this book is not for the book cover (unless its the movie adaptation cover) as it is the movie poster/advert that makes me want to read this novel.

 

Question 5: Is there a book on your TBR you will never read?

S: I often own books for years before I read them but I do read them. I don’t own a single book I would never read. I just get in specific moods which sway me to specific genres and sometimes it takes an age to find motivation to read particular books.

D: I hope not, as if I fail to read some books that are currently on my TBR I will also fail to complete the reading challenge set by Sophie, my sister Sam and Sophie’s sister Christie. A crime punishable by death (ridicule)

 

Question 6: Is there an unpublished book on your TBR that you are excited for?

S: The next instalment in George R R Martin’s epic ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series.

D: At the moment, no. Otherwise I would agree with Sophie, however I have only read the first instalment of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ and am therefore not as excited about it as Sophie.

 

Question 7: Is there a book on your TBR that everyone has read but you?

S: 1984 by George Orwell, Danny is always urging me to read it and it is one of the books he has chosen for me to read as part of our newly annual reading challenge. I suspect it’s the political theme that I find intimidating.

D: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I have been recommended this by almost every fellow bibliophile and is one of my most anticipated reads this year. I have seen the movie and thought it was brilliant, I hope I am not disappointed with the book.

 

Question 8: Name a book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you.

S: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the bookstagram community speaks very highly of this novel and it is also part of my annual reading challenge.

D: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, Sophie recommended this to me first of all and quite overwhelmingly everyone in my bookstagram community also recommended.

 

Question 9: Name a book on your TBR that you are dying to read

S: Right now it is strangely the follow up to Outlander though I am yet to buy it. I read Outlander last summer and really enjoyed it, maybe I associate it with the happy place I was in when I read it. I also want to watch the TV show and cannot let myself do so before reading the rest of the series.

D: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, I love Science Fiction and the prospect of this novel really excites me, I kind of wish I hadn’t created a TBR Jar for this year so that I could choose this next. I just hope fate treats me well.

 

Question 10: How many books are in your Goodreads TBR shelf?

S: Currently 216 though this is nowhere near the number of books on my book depository wishlist.

D: 165 – The amount of books on my TBR shelf keeps growing however.