It’s always intriguing to learn about other people’s reading and writing habits and A Dreamer’s Library caught my eye with their interesting Book Tag post which gave an insight into their own reading habits. We all know that reading and writing go hand in hand for Authors and we are always told that the more you read the better the writer you will become. Being an avid reader myself I feel that every book I read becomes part of my history and experience. I remember where and when I read it and what was happening in my life at the time. Each book has meant something to me and has helped me to understand the genres I like, experience different writing styles and learn from published authors how to improve my own writing. So here is me ‘tagging in’.

You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How do you decide what to read next?

My ‘To Be Read’ list currently has 34 books on it, all collected from personal recommendations, recommendations that have caught my eye on GoodReads and publisher websites or emails. I have favourite Authors that I follow too and get very excited when they come out with a new book, so I would probably read that first. Otherwise, I can”t personally imagine having 20,000 books on my TBR list as that would take away the joy of reading for me, it would feel more like a task I needed to complete(I can be a bit of an achievement hunter) so I prefer to keep it simple. As you know from my Covetable Cover posts, I am a sucker for a well-designed cover too, I do judge a book by it’s cover, so depending on my mood I will base my choice on the cover and general premise of a book.

You’re halfway through a book, and you’re just not loving it. Do you put it down or are you committed?

It is extremely rare that this happens to me unless I’ve made an oddball choice about what I’ve decided to read in the first place. As I said before I’m a bit of a completionist so I am committed to finishing a book even if it’s not completely grabbing me because I always live in the hope that there will be something that will interest me or speak to me somewhere in the book. Plus the author has probably poured hours of their time and effort into creating what I’m reading, so I feel like I owe it to them to give it a chance. Based on that I try to make careful choices about what I read and what I’m sure I will like, thought it’s not an exact science, mistakes will always happen and when they do I try to finish it quickly and move on to something I will enjoy more.

The end of the year is coming and you’re behind on your reading challenge.Do you try to catch up? And if so, how?

My current reading challenge for this year is 50 books and I’m currently on 35 so I think I’m on track. Although last year my goal was 40 and I barely made it so I did something that may divide a lot of opinions. Some may call it cheating, some may disagree, but I read graphic novels to catch up. One camp may say that is perfectly reasonable, they are books, they are just shorter with a lot of pictures in them rather than text, the stories and characters have depth, plus it would be no different that reading a short play. Others may argue that they may not count on a reading challenge for that same reason, not enough text. However, i do believe in reading widely to expand my reading landscape, so although some might see it as ‘cheating’, I have no regrets. Plus ‘Monstress’ is a fantastic graphic novel.

The covers of a series you love do not match. How do you cope?

I don’t mind too much because I love covers and different designs as long as they are well-thought out and faithful to the book. However, what is the absolute bane of my life is when they replace the book cover with the movie poster. For shame. No beautiful illustrations or clever design just the poster for the movie. I find it lazy and money-grubbing. So if that happened in the middle of a series of books I was enjoying I would try to find an older copy of the book with the ‘proper’ cover or wait until a newer copy comes out after the film has inevitably disappointed everyone because it’s not as good as the book.

Everyone and their mother love a book that you do not. Who do you bond with over your shared feelings?

There are sometimes books released which are bafflingly popular, which you read and think, ‘Why?’ but I just accept that books are a very personal thing and what is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, which seems a little bit of a disingenuous description given what I said before about the amount of effort writer’s put into their books so apologies. However, I am always interested to know why someone enjoyed a book that I wouldn’t even think to read. It may lead to reading the book in the end to see what all the fuss is about and either confirming you’re initial prejudices or happily changing your mind. You should always be open to trying new things but I will also happily bond with friends over baffling popularity of a book we don’t love.

You’re reading a book in public and you’re about to start crying. How do you deal with it?

There aren’t many books that have made me cry but many that have taken away a character that I truly loved. In that instance I have to stop and put the book down and give myself a little breather. Once that’s over, I feverishly read on to make sure that their death is not in vain and that they will be avenged! Hope is an important part of writing but also an important part of life – I always look for hope.

The sequel to a book you loved just came out but you’ve forgotten a lot of what happens. Are you going to re-read it?

Heck yes! If I loved it, I’m reading it again. Although if I am desperate to read the new book I may read a short recap of the story or just remind myself of the bits I have gaps in my memory about, depends how excited I am to read the new book.

You do not want anyone to borrow your books. How do you politely say no when someone asks?

As a British introvert this situation makes me cringe, I want to share and be polite but also my book are precious. I love my books and I look after them extremely carefully. There are no broken spines or dog-earred pages in my house! Each book that I have bought, enjoyed and read is special to me and only lent to those who understand that and can return it in the exact same state they borrowed it. I realise I’m coming across a little Golum, ‘My preccccioussss’ about this but it is sadly a weakness of mine, I’m working on it! This has actually happened to me once, I got a beautifully illustrated edition of ‘How to stop time’ by Matt Haig and a friend saw me reading it and asked if they could borrow it after me. I hesitated on my answer and they must have noticed because they said that they would get it out from the library as I was still reading it, very embarrassing, sorry!

You have picked up and put down five books in the last month. How do you get over this reading slump?

I must be super busy for this to have happened. I’m very much a one at a time reader. I know people who are happy to read more than one book at a time but I like to dedicate my attention to one book at a time so I can really immerse myself in it, plus that way I devour it quicker and can move onto a another book anyway once I’ve read the previous one. If I have a reading slump it’s because either life has taken over a bit, in which case I give myself a break, or there isn’t anything that’s tickling my fancy. I think the important thing is to not be too hard on yourself and leave books where you know you will find them and pick them up when the time comes.

There are so many books coming out that you are dying to read. How many do you end up buying?

I would like to answer this question in a visual form:

I’m not sure I need to say anymore , do I?

After you purchase all of these books that you’re dying to read, how long do they sit on your shelf before you read them.

I’m a one book at a time person so I’ll finish what I’m reading first, then pick the book I’ve bought that speaks to me the most, then work my way through them, savouring them with an actual Cup of Tea and a Biscuit (Hob-Nob -biscuit of choice!)!

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Hope you enjoyed my answers to the tag!

Maybe we have some reader habits in common!

What would be your answers to these prompts?

As A Dreamer’s Library did I will leave this tag open so feel free to pick up the Tag Torch and run with it! Let me know in the comments!

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