We all have them, don’t we? We like to read a specific way with specific things around us and although I can read anywhere, and have been seen reading in some odd places (like the labor and delivery room), I tend to like things a certain way.
Here are a few of my bookish habits. Feel free to add yours in comments!
- I prefer to read while lying on my stomach.
- Couch reading requires a soft throw, even when it’s hot out.
- I. Cannot. Bend. A. Page.
- My Kindle font is so large people across the room can read the darn thing.
- My TBR (to be read) shelf is arranged in the order I plan to read.
- I have four library cards to different systems so I am never without the book I need. Well, rarely.
- The only time I eat and read is while at work.
- People think I read 24-7 but I only read about an hour a day.
- I can read the most gruesome horror and not bat an eye but child molestation, rape and sometimes terminal illness does me in every time. I avoid these subjects.
- After accidentally wiping out my entire Kindle library, I never turn it off for fear of doing it again.
- I keep a Goodreads list, a Library Thing list and a Google Docs list of books I’ve read/reviewed. I think I am afraid of losing that data even though it’s published content on the blog.
- I do not need silence to read in but I prefer it.
- I prefer to tackle challenging books with other people.
- I prefer chunksters over shorter books.
- I do not own many books. I only keep books that are special to me. The rest are given away or donated.
- I can read on my Kindle with e-ink technology but I cannot read on a tablet without getting a splitting headache.
- If someone is reading a book in public, I go out of my way to see what they are reading. I’ve mastered the over-the-shoulder-glance.
- I like to re-read my favorite books from time to time.
- I’ve been known to transport my books around in a zip lock bag to keep them nice. Put in bag, toss in purse.
- In the past, I’ve used tape flags in my books but I hardly ever go back to what I’ve highlighted so now I snap pics of passages to keep them handy.
Now it’s your turn. What bookish habit can you share with us?
Book Chatter 
Ditto 3, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17 and 18. But I like to read lying on my back and I am a keeper of books 😊
Wow…I never really thought about this but…I NEVER reread…there is so much out there…I love reading on Kindle Paperwhite but only in the next to the smallest size and only in the font called Bookerly. I have no order for the next book…I go by randomness…I hate starting a book and not finishing it so my choices about what to read next have to be perfect. I love reading on my iPad and my iPad mini…it feels like a real book to me. Every reading device must be fully charged at all times or I freak out. I have acquired Den’s new Paperwhite, too, because he prefers a real book. So I have a Paperwhite in our room and one on my desk downstairs ready at all times. I love reading in the sunroom and also in the family room…I can read through any TV program…especially football! I hate book markers and I only borrow ebooks from my library. I am a total germophobe about library books. I blame my mom…she used to wipe ours off. I am with you on # 17…and if I can’t tell I ask! The only record of what I have read is on goodreads. I always know what I have…most of the time…on my kindle…my order is just by recents…docs are separated from books. I think I have hundreds and hundreds of both…sigh!
I have noticed that about your font! Why?
Love this post! It was fun!
I can only read without my glasses so when I read on the treadmill, the font would have to be large enough to read from a distance. I never changed it back and don’t need my glasses at all with the large font.
From:”Book Chatter” Date:Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 4:51 AM Subject:[Book Chatter] Comment: “Bookish Habits”
This was a fun post, I may have to try it. Oh, God, I could never read on my stomach, I would have a massive stiff neck and my arms would be numb 🙂 I do need a throw when I read even in hot temps –cozy works year round.
If you can picture this, I lie on my stomach and the Otter Pup jumps onto my back! It’s her preferred spot.
I have to have at least 10-15 books ready at all times, in case my library holds don’t come in like they should. I freak that I might be without a book at some point. I read all the time on the kindle on my phone-rarely at home though. Thats where I read library books.
I agree! I can’t NOT have books lined up ready to go. I may pick and choose from the stack based on my feelings at the time but I always have a pool to choose from. I’d go nuts if I didn’t.
I don’t know which Kindle you have or if it’s the same on them all, but I can delete books but they stay in my “archived items” which stays on the last page.
I’m with you on #12 but if the book is very intense, I’ve been known to block out the world and miss things that are being said.
I do my best to not crack the spine.
I hate mass market paperbacks and avoid them.
Mass market paperbacks! Argh!! I can’t stand them. They used to be the cheaper option but not by much, these days.
I love this post. Book reading is such a personal thing. My biggest rule is that if I read even one sentence of a book, I have to finish it. There is always that chance that I book that I dislike will wind up good in the end. Most of my books come from Paperbackswap.com. I have saved so much money using that system.
Wow! A one sentence rule? That would be tough for me. I typically will give up on a book after 50 pages if it’s not working for me but lately I’ve been flexible with that rule and sometimes it pays off.
Ditto, 4, 12, and 15. Otherwise, I think you’re weird, very weird. 😛
Really, I’m not a reading machine either, most of the time. When I do read, however, I have to read in long, uninterrupted blocks of time. I don’t do well in short periods at all. I can’t even read at lunch at work. Not enough time for me.
It’s true. I’m a little strange but that’s okay 😉
I love to read in long spurts but rarely have the time for it so I’ve gotten really good at reading in ten minute chunks. I can speed read pretty well which helps a bit. I just blew through another book. I need to keep the pace up.
On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 6:44 AM, Book Chatter wrote:
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I am becoming an e-book snob- it’s just so nice to have my entire library with me all the time. Plus it always knows what page I’m on. I can read anywhere but lately do most of my reading in the boys’ beds at bedtime. I often find myself in there reading way after they fall asleep, but the instant I move to my own bed I nod off. I get 90% of my books from the library (two cards, not four, tho I wish!) and NetGalley.
I’ve owned a Kindle for many years and have only purchased 5 books. I have hundreds of library ebooks and love my Kindle for that reason alone. It’s easy to switch between books too if I need a break from one of them.
Ti I loved this post.! Really made me think about m own reading habits. Didn’t even think to think I had any habits when it came to reading but I do! And I share a lot of the same ones with you! I’ve never re-read a book. I just always feel like there are so many other ones out there waiting for me. But I do have my favorites that I get attached to and I can’t seem to part with them. I find a lot of great books at Goodwill! Hardbacks are a bargain at $1.25 and paperbacks for .75 cents. Love the library and my Kindle too. Big Amazon customer too for things like cookbooks….have to have the hard copy….not the same on a Kindle.
After thinking about your comment I have to say that I re-read books all the time. I think I do so to relive the feeling I had when I first read them. This doesn’t always work in my favor, like when I re-read The Stand. I wasn’t so in awe of it the second time around.
Cookbooks. Yes! I cannot read those as an ebook. I have to have a gorgeous cover with lots of awesome photos.
Snapping pictures is such a good idea! I never would have thought of that! I don’t know how you read laying on your stomach. My upper back/neck would get so sore!
On #7 I’m the opposite, can only eat when reading. Makes for awkward dinners…what? You expect me to have an actual conversation? Isn’t the fact that we’re sitting here at the same time at the same table enough?
#20 I had to stop with the flags when the library got pissed at me. I swear I checked them before returning, guess a few slipped by.
Ha, ha – SO MANY of your habits are my habits too! I collect bookmarks as well. I keep a stack (yes, a STACK) in the bedside table. Also, I read too many books at the same time lately, some with my son, some I listen to, one on Kindle, and one on paper. I’m not sure how this happened, but there it is… Lovely post! ❤
I have stacks of bookmarks too, for my paper books but I posted about them once before so I wanted to only talk about the new quirks. LOL. I’m a little weird with my reading, as Bryan was so kind to point out in his comment! LOL.
What fun! I love my kindle with e-ink technology too… NEVER read on my tablet. Just can’t.
I thought I had gained a tablet when my daughter’s Kindle Fire didn’t go over as planned but I can’t stand that thing.
I cover all my paperbacks in contact paper to protect them, and all my hardbacks with those plastic dust cover protectors like they have at libraries. I do it religiously.
So when you say that you don’t own “many” books, how many is not many?
If I were to take out the books belonging to my kids, I’d say less than 75. Probably more like 50.
I’ve totally been known to peek over shoulders to see what others are reading in public! I never even thought about putting a book in a plastic bag to keep them in better shape in my bags. Totally remembering this one for future use!
The only other habit that I have is that I always buy bags/purses that can hold a book. Always a requirement in my book!
Absolutely! The purse or bag has to have a wide enough opening for a book to go in and out easily. I have purses from the past that are too narrow on top so I don’t buy those anymore.
Fun getting to know you better, Ti. I only keep my favorite books, trading or giving away the rest, but I tend to bring in just as many. Sigh. I like lying on my stomach to read but I can’t do it for long. I think I have a pinched nerve in my neck. It kills after about 10-15 minutes. I, too, have mastered the “finding out what others are reading” peek. I feel like a bookish spy! I have even checked out library books in a stack in the backseat of a car at the gym. I was freaked out ppl were gonna think I was casing the car lol.
My quirks are – I HAVE to have something to drink almost always. I like a candle burning if possible, this is esp. important in colder weather. I also frequently have background music playing. For some reason it helps me concentrate.
Ah yes… the candle is a nice touch. I sometimes light a candle too.
I like to listen to audiobooks while driving. So sometimes try to find a longer route to my destination so I can finish a captivating section of the book. I also like to read in the car too, no, not while driving, but parked in a nice spot in the park by the lakeside etc. Interesting post!
When I moved to this new office space I lost my reading nook. I’ve not yet found a good enough replacement but now that it’s cooler, I could read in my car if I had to.
As a girl, I’ve dreamed of having a room that’s a library…and yes, I’m not exactly rich, so shelves of books are in different rooms in the house…wherever I can jam them in. I’m getting better about donating or gifting books to others and not keeping every one.
I think I mentioned it before but our loft was supposed to be a reading loft but The Teen took it over. That is about to change once he goes to college.
Lately, I have become a side reader. Prop myself up with some pillows and give me a blanket and away I go. I agree that a blanket of some sort is a must no matter what the weather. I don’t bend pages. I do read while eating but mostly at work. I don’t earmark favorite passages either although I have been known to take pictures of really powerful ones from time to time, not that I go back and look at them. I much prefer silence when reading and am even getting to the point where I prefer solitude when reading. Now that I am one step closer to getting my library/office, I doubt I will be as picky about which books I keep versus donate somewhere. Then again, perhaps not. So far, my library has been designated as the place for all the books I have yet to read, which is well more than the number of books I have read and kept. My favorite time to read is at night. There is something about the darkness that speaks to the peace and quiet I crave while reading.
Yes! I read more during the early morning hours (I guess) but like it more when I read at night. It’s just a good way to unwind.
You get a shocking amount of reading done in that hour a day! I don’t know how you can read on your stomach; it gives me such a neck ache.
Wow you are quite meticulous about your reading habits. I’m pretty basic: I like to read only one book at a time and have one audio going. I try to read for an hour a day. I avoid mass paperbacks! I dont like small type, but I don’t mind cracking the bind, sigh!
I can relate to too many of these. Haha I like to read with a throw or blanket on when I’m on the couch too–no matter the weather. I thought it was just me. I track my reading on LibraryThing, Goodreads and Google Docs too. Overkill, but it’s a built in habit now, isn’t it? I will have to try the ziplock bag approach . . . I like that idea. I so often read off my Kindle nowadays it doesn’t matter, but sometimes it might.
I like your point 17! I do that too. Sometimes, I pass by a person more than once just to catch the title. Lol! It’s interesting that you prefer chunksters. I wish I did too but I live in fear of not finishing them so that doesn’t happen.