1. I like using bookmarks that match the book I'm reading. Not so much from a colour or design aspect, but in how they feel next to the book I want to read. If I'm reading a horror I'll go for the creepy bookmark I got from The Book Depository. (But Stephen King has his own with a quote from him on.) A contemporary gets one of the promotional bookmarks advertising My True Love Sent to Me.
2. I have never dog-eared any of my books. And I don't plan to, either.
3. Going off that, I don't damage my books, either. The only books on my shelves that are damaged are those that are second hand or have been lent to someone. My copy of It doesn't have a single crease on the spine, I take that much care when I read.
4. I can't multi-task when reading. That means no eating (I can't juggle a book and eating my food nicely), no music (noise of any kind distracts me and I stop focusing on the words), and no screens (Twitter is the worst when I want to read).
5. I don't have a system when it comes to picking which books to review. Sometimes I'll just look at a book and think 'you need a review'. This can be because of the length, the subject matter, the genre, the cover. Anything, really. Sometimes a book just calls out to me.
6. I'm very particular about how I organise my shelves, and as much as I really want to reorganise them I can't bring myself to.
7. On the contrary, I organised my mum's shelves for her and there is absolutely no order to them, other than I tried to keep books of the same height together. It now means she has no idea where anything is, but it's very pleasing for me to look at smooth rows of books.
8. I have only DNFed (did not finish) three books and I deleted all proof of them from Goodreads as I don't DNF. They were The Good Psychopath's Guide to Success, The Name of the Wind, and The Pleasures of Men, if you were interested.
9. I currently have 106 unread books. I'm working on it, okay?
10. I struggle to read the same genre for too long. Sometimes I can, like if I'm really in the mood for it or if I'm marathoning a series, but most of the time I need to switch it up to stop myself getting bored.
11. I collect Stephen King's new releases in hardback. I've mentioned several times that I want to own and read all of his books, but not that I make an effort to buy his new stuff in hardback so that they match on my shelf. All his older stuff I don't have a problem buying second hand as there's still a lot I need and buying them new would cost me a pretty penny, but I can't resist his new releases. Just look at the covers for Revival and The Bazaar of Bad Dreams to see why!
12. My bookshelves take up most of the space in my bedroom. I did have three but had to move one out into the office so that I could finally get a wardrobe in my room. The remaining two still mean I have no bedside table, which makes it interesting when I have a drink or take my glasses off to sleep.
13. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of bookish merchandise. I have my Funko pop figures, a few badges, a few special Harry Potter items, and some bookmarks, but that's about as far as my collection goes. I find a lot of stuff super cringey and don't like things have quotes plastered all over them. The most obvious book related things I have are a few Hogwarts t-shirts from Primark, but they don't really feel 'bookish' to me.
14. I can't read in the car. I can just about manage it on a short train journey, but reading in cars makes me feel extremely sick. In fact, doing just about anything that involves using my eyes makes me incredibly travel sick so I'm relegated to looking out the window or listening to music. Or sleeping. I sleep a lot when I travel.
15. I prefer the look of hardbacks and how easy they are to read but buy mostly paperbacks. Purely because they're cheaper, easier to find in England, and mean my shelves are more likely to look more uniform height-wise. Nothing irritates me more than looking at my higgledy-piggledy collection of hardbacks, paperbacks, tall paperbacks, short paperbacks.
16. If a book is part of a deal I will buy it, even if I never plan on reading it. I know, I know: this is dreadful. I've started getting better at this, mostly because there are other things I'd rather buy so have been trying to save, but I'm an absolute sucker for a deal. Seriously. I get excited when I find biscuits on offer in Asda, just ask mum.
17. I'm a harsh rater and I side-eye people with average ratings of four or above. No one can like every single book they read. I have no problem handing out one and two star ratings, but I hoard my five star reviews until I absolutely connect with a book and love it unconditionally. (Only two books have received a five star rating from me so far this year. I'd say I'm sorry but I'm really not.) And the snide little cynic in me can't resist when I see people on Goodreads with average ratings of 4.5 because really? Really?
18. I really struggle with recommendations. Which isn't great, seeing as how I'd like to put out a recommendation post every month. Despite having read (and enjoyed) a lot of books, I can never seem to find really good ones that everyone else should read on my shelves.
19. I don't care about books with film covers, or covers with people on. So long as it's not glaringly ugly it could have a blobfish on and I wouldn't mind. I think the book community gets hung up on such trivial things like this, and I have more important things to worry about so I won't be wasting my energy on a book that has a model on the cover.
20. Leading on from that, I'm not a huge fan of the book community and try to keep my distance. Controversy. Sacrilege. Blah, blah, blah. It's weird for a book blogger to not be an active part of the community, I know, but I honestly find it much more draining than rewarding and often feel like I'm too old and jaded for it. Which is completely stupid as I'm only 20 for goodness' sake.
21. I prefer books between 300 and 400 pages. There's something about that length that just seems right. Like it's long enough for the plot and characters to develop, but not too long that things start to drag.
22. I'm terrible for starting series and then never finishing them. I currently have about seven unfinished series waiting on my shelf, but that number does't include the many series I have yet to start.
23. I don't hate eBooks. I do prefer physical books, but I can see the perks of eBooks and will read them if I have to.
24. I've only ever written in one book. I normally can't bring myself to, but whilst I was studying The Great Gatsby briefly at college, I highlighted important quotes. It wasn't too bad, as I don't like the book so didn't feel like I was breaking any rules, but I don't think I'll do it again.
25. And lastly: I've never read anything by Jane Austen. And I don't think I ever will, if I'm completely honest.
Do we have anything in common? Leave a fact about yourself so that I can get to know you, too!
I applaud you for managing to read IT without cracking the spine - I try not to crack spines on purpose but if it happens, it happens, and then when it does I'm not too bothered about carrying on with the cracking. Also I really don't like covers with people on or which are really photographic, if you know what I mean? I find a lot of US covers tend to be like that I do. not. like.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was slightly more challenging as my copy of It is a mass market paperback, but I did it. Even if I have to barely open the book to read, if it means not cracking the spine I will do it :') Yeah, I get that. I prefer covers that use illustrations, unless the photograph has been edited so it doesn't just look like a picture you'd hang.
DeleteI felt like I was the only one who matched my bookmarks to my books! It just feels...more organized I think. I wish I could be more of a harsh rater, I give into peer pressure and other people's reviews wayyy too often.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of people on bookstagram talk about doing it so we aren't alone! And thankfully I only give into peer pressure when it comes to picking my books, rating them has the opposite effect on me and I'm super harsh and critical of popular books.
DeleteTo be honest, I completely agree with bookish merchandise. I tried to get into it when I started a bookstagram that I can now no longer be bothered with. But, I don't like the quotes everywhere and some of it is a lot of look at. I love Funkos and I have a couple bookish candles but that's where I draw the line. Thought I might've been the only one.
ReplyDeleteI personally much prefer minimal bookstagram accounts so all the merch doesn't work with my aesthetic haha. Definitely think we're in the minority on this, though!
DeleteOMG, there's a bookish rebel in you yet! ;) Albeit you have far more rules than I do, but that's ok too! Welcome to the 'I don't give a f**k' side! We have film adap. covers, half-read series, and review wtf we want, when we want!!!! ;) (Plus, 'She's a Rebel' is our theme-song, so you know we rock!)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying, and that's the main thing :P Just reaching that point where I can't be doing with arbitrary rules for something that I'm supposed to ENJOY.
Delete'she's a rebel - vigilante!' ;)
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