I was thinking about my odd reading habits recently and wondered if I was the only one that had those. For instance, if I read a really great book, I either have to wait a couple of weeks to start a new one or I have to read something light that I didn't think I'd fall in love with in the first place. I find that any book I read after a great one always falls short. I have finally gotten my hands on both The Help and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - both of which I am expecting to like. I haven't started either of them because I have to time my reading of them just right. Yes, I am that odd.
I was lucky enough to snag a couple of advance copies of books recently - The Irresistible Henry House and Born Under a Thousand Shadows. Since I have to review these online within a certain time period, I'm forced to read them as they arrive. Depending on what I have finished when they come, sometimes this is not easy for me. I persevere though because getting to read a book before it is released is like winning some sort of prize for a book fiend like me. Fortunately, these two are very different books which helps my poor mind compartmentalize them.I can't reserve books from the library because I might not be in the mood for them when they become available. After returning numerous books I had waited for months to read simply because I wasn't it the right frame of mind when I received them, I have now learned to base my reading on my mood.
Which comes and goes as you can imagine.If I start a book at the wrong time, and then don't get into it because it doesn't fit my current mood, it's toast. Rarely am I able to pick one up a second time and give it another try.
I am a hard reader to please.Please tell me, do you have any bizarre reading traits or am I the only one? And what have you read lately that you just loved that we all need to get our hands on? Staying inside so much on these cold winter days makes me feel the need to either read or clean the house.
And we both know the house is going to stay dirty.
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128 comments:
I can't read more than one book at a time, even if I have a review to do on it. And I will force myself to finish a book once I've started it, no matter how much I hate it.
I know how you mean about not starting a new book immediately after one that was tremendous. I find I want to savour the good read and think about its message before moving on. There's a book note on my blog today. You may enjoy it.
I have this crazy thing happen, that I check books out of the library and then find I already read them.
Secretia
A book you need to read is Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Just a suggestion, but if you'd change out of that halter top dress and put on warmer clothes, you could get out of the house more. LOL
I read books just like I put my pants on, one (leg) at a time! I've been on a Malcom Gladwell kick lately, love his books. "Outliers" was nothing short of fascinating! I also recently read, and thoroughly enjoyed, the memoir I'm Down, by Mishna Wolff.
I am strange indeed. Or have very little patience. Which is a true fact. I have to get interested in the book VERY quickly or I won't keep it. Oprah's theory about the first hundred pages doesn't work with me. My mother always had a book in the living room and one in the bedroom. How she could read two at a time always puzzled me.
I have the same affliction after reading a particularly good book. I can't read another book right away. I need to let the good book sink into my bones for awhile and not just brush it away with a new story. When I get a new book that I am really excited to read because I think I'm going to like it I wait.. and wait a little more, savoring the expectation.. is that weird? I think I am ready for a really good book. I haven't read one for awhile. Do you have any suggestions? I read just about everything except for horror - Stephen King like books just don't do it for me.
I'm also like you and have to break after a really good book to say goodbye to the characters in my head that I've grown found of.
I also read a bad book all the way through in hopes of it getting better.
It never does, but I just can't give up on it.
Hi There..Im a new follower....I love books ..I just got the kindle and Im not sure how that will affect my reading yet..I do love it but im still trying to figure it all out..!
First of all, you're beautiful. It looks like you added no pounds over the Holidays; you are as svelte as ever.
Second, I seriously could have written this post. I have reserved one library book five times and still haven't read it because I wasn't "in the mood". I even paid fines on it twice. Sigh.
Third, two books I've read lately are both quick, delightful reads. They are Junior Fiction, hence the quickness. Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. Maybe they will work for you as light, "filler" books between the heavy adult ones you love. That is what they were for me--but I loved them.
Books I've read recently and just LOVED:
Her Fearful Symmetry, The Sweet Life in Paris, and Last Night in Twisted River.
I am the same. The library never workd for me. I read constantly, but on a whim!
I don't use the library either...just doesn't work for me! I love books and have a very full library. I have many TBR right now. I currently reading Stephen Kings' "The Dome". So far, so good. What I hate is to finish a book...it always makes me sad. I have made some good friends and now they have to go. Sniff! Now that is weird.
LOL!
Hugs
SueAnn
I am SO with you on not being able to read right away after an awesome book. I stick to magazines for a couple of weeks after.
I just read Still Alice - it was very good.
The Help is on my book club book. I'll check out the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
"I have now learned to base my reading on my mood."
I do the same, which is why my Books To Be Read shelf is always completely filled.
I can't finish a novel and start another in the same day - unless its a series. Its like I need a nights sleep to get those characters out of my head. so on trips where I want to read more than one day day (while traveling) i have to take at least one non-fiction book. or a ton of magazines.
Really liked "The Help" and started "The Girl from Ames" last night.
You are not the only reading weirdo. I was an English teacher, and now I work in Christian bookstore. I am the manager, and it is my job to read the books I order for the store. Now that I work there, I don't want to read the books b/c it "feels like work." Nice.
You're definitely not the only one with perculiarities when it comes to books! I'm almost anal-retentive about mine, LOL!
Here goes: I can only read one book at a time. If I read more than that I lose the plot from the first one I was reading! I will struggle through a book even if it is horrible (usually) just to see if it gets better. I have to write my review of the book shortly after reading it or else the review doesn't capture my thoughts. I alternate genres: I'll read a memoir, than fiction, than non-fiction, etc. I don't like reading anything too heavy on the weekends- I prefer reading my chick-lit then and can get so caught up in it that I won't move for three hours! Finally, I have bookshelves of my unread books that are set up in a particular order. One time my husband moved them and man was I peeved! I couldn't even explain the order to anyone, but they have to be in the order that I put them!
So, yeah, I have book-related issues, hahahaha!
I used to be an avid reader. I can't tell you when the last time I picked up a book. Sad....I blame it on my toddler!
I try to balance my reading. I have to read a lot of academia for work, so I like to lighten things up a bit at home. If I'm reading high-art lit, I try not to read that before bed because my mind can't settle down afterward. My husband devours books faster than me, but he reads them for pure leisure, mostly drug-store fiction. Enjoy your reading-me time! - G
I'm pretty peculiar about book reading too...and have recently started doing a few book reviews. I sometimes find it hard to read a book within the amount of time given...especially if it's a lot to digest or I just don't like it!
I have the same problem if I read a really good book. One thing that helps me is to read a non-fiction book next. It really does work. My other peculiarities: I rarely buy books. I do work in a library afterall. I only read one book at a time (unless one is essays that I read right before falling asleep at night). I can't read right before bed because I won't remember anything in the morning (hence the essays). If I don't like a book, I abandon it and like you I won't go back - no matter what. So it's important that I'm in the right mood.
Books I loved in 2009:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Gargoyle (on your recommendation) by Andrew Davidson
Mudbound by Hilary Jordan
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
Happy reading!
I hear you on the "timing" issue. I have to alternate between really dramatic books, like Jodi Picoult, and light-hearted books or I get overloaded with emotions or bored.
I also love reading naughty romance books, but only during the summer. They're vacation books for me, so I like to read them while lounging in the sun.
"Gone With the Wind" & "Scarlett" are two of my all time favorites! Followed closely by "Where the Red Fern Grows." I guess I prefer more classic books. I read new books all the time, but none of them ever seem to really stick with me like the classics do.
I love to read but mine comes in spells. I will read one book after the other, or I don't touch them for months. Then I also have a bad habbit of starting one, not being in the mood, and never finish it. OR yet, if I don't like the first chapter, I don't go any further into it. Its history then.
When I read a book with a heavy content or strong emotional thread I like something light to read next. Sometimes I can a light book in a day and then the next day ready to dig right in again.
I've only recently been able to read more than one book at a time, and only one can be fiction. I also read a lot of YA fiction, because I am attempting to write this, and I find I can get thru that a lot faster, tho some of it is amazing and some of the best stuff I read.
I feel so uncultured. I never read anymore. I think it stopped in college. I did read Dan Brown's latest, but that's pretty mindless stuff.
You know, the last one that I really enjoyed was Water For Elephants. But I'm really funny about when I can read books and what moods I'm in too. And I have sooooo many books that are sitting on my bookshelf just waiting. They live beside the TV and glare at me when I'm watching it. I can tell they're thinking, "pick me up! read me!" But I can't if I'm not feeling it.
I'm always sad when a really good book comes to an end. I, too, usually finish a book once I've started. Except for Edgar Sawtelle. Just couldn't even get interested enough to finish a chapter.
I am the same. After a good book, I need time to...not sure, but SOMETHING! You get attached to the story and want it to keep going.
I'm currently reading 3 books right now: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies with my boyfriend more as a joke than anything else. We read a few chapters and discuss as a way of staying connected and "doing something together" since we in a LDR.
I'm also reading the Memoirs of Cleopatra and I'm so captivated by it that sometimes I have to remind myself to come up for air!
I'm also reading another one so unnoteworthy that I can't remember the name and keep setting it aside, which is why I started reading Cleo...
I am a book worm and read constantly and I will read anything that is put in front of me but admittedly if I don't get into it right away I sometimes don't finish it.
I have to find time when I won't "bother" anyone. I'm the type that once I pick up a book, I rarely do anything else but read until I'm finished with it. That just drives my family nuts. But when I don't have a book to read they completely ignor me. I'll not let this get the better of me, though. The next time I feel neglected, I plan on getting an absolutely boring book. I'll walk around the house clutching it to my chest. They'll all come running for me at record breaking speeds.
Yes! Certain books require a certain mood. I've got books here that have been patiently waiting their turn to be read.
I read a lot. Several books at once. The most interesting book wins and I don't feel sorry for books that are due back at the library before I read them. Life's too short.
If I just fell in love with a novel that will make all fiction thereafter seem drab (happens a lot) I switch to non-fiction. Travel writing and such.
My other favourite trick is to use the Amazon recommendation engine to recommend books I'll like based on what I love -- it totally works -- and then get those books from the library.
My non-fiction recommendation for you and your readers is...
Bonk by Mary Roach
If I finish a book I enjoyed, I can't start a new book until the next day. It's kind of a "respect the book" thing. I'm pretty sure I've never told anyone that before, and it seems pretty strange now that I've typed it.
I don't feel like myself if I don't have something to read. I'm always reading and I cross genres and age ranges all the time. I just like to read, period.
And your habits? As long as you're reading, who cares as long as you're happy!
I'm with ya... I'm a lil' picky with my books too. ;)
Hi there! I'm back! :-)
I am an avid reader, and I think I'm the same about having to have a book hit me right when I first open it. Otherwise it just sits there for a while. I do give it a second chance though.
My biggest problem with reading is that one of the only times I have to read is just before bed, and if it's a particularly good book, I have a hard time closing it and getting the appropriate amount of shut eye for a mommy of 3 year old twins. Ugh.
By the way, you are beautiful! :-)
I pretty much stick to reading one book at a time. Sometimes I'll juggle two, but I've found that's my limit.
One reason I'm taking fewer advance copies of books for review is that reviewing on a schedule means I have less opportunity to read what I want, when I want - I understand the mood thing :-).
The Help is excellent. I haven't gotten to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo yet - it's waiting patiently on a shelf right now.
I am the same way. I can't order books from library because it takes sometimes a month or longer. By then I moved on...
I haven't been able to read for pleasure in much too long. If it doesn't have a farm animal or bear or truck on the cover, chances are that I haven't read it. I know that I find a book I like & get into it, it WILL be done in 3 days MAX. Getting lost in a good book is something I'm looking forward to doing once all the kidlets are in school! :)
I used to read more before blogging.Nowadays i am having some concentration problem while reading.I don't know why?
I read a "heavy" book and then I need to read "light and fluffy" books. I need the break especially if the book is dark like Lovely Bones for example.
I never get tired of janet evanovichs number novels with stephanie plum...
It is bad for me to read because once i start the world around me doesnt exsist...my poor family
Nope, girl your not alone. I will put a book up for another time and pull out one that fits my moment better. I like to keep two or more very different style books goin' but them I tend to be just a little(huge, massively) spastic.
I just wanted to thank you for hoppin' on my blog. I always enjoy your sweet comments so I sure hope ya'll enjoy the ride.
Take care and enjoy you new read, whatever it may be. God bless!!!
My quirk is that I have to continue reading, constantly, or the time until I read again spans for a long, embarrassing amount of time. I can sort of relate to your first peculiarity, I often end of reading something I have low expectations for in between great works I know I'll love. For example, I just finished The God Delusion by one of my favorite authors Richard Dawkins, and while I wait for the next book of his I am planning to read, Climbing Mount Improbable, I have already read Candide (Voltaire) and am currently reading The Lolita Effect (M. Gigi Durham). It makes the workload feel like less to read books that are less serious, and require less analysis. :)
you get books before the stores!? You lucky dog!
I'm a bit of a tart.
I'll read just about anything and I usually have more than one book going at a time.
I read this and feel so much LESS absurd. So, thanks! I have a hard time following up a really good book with another really good book. So, if I finish a book I just LOVED, I will follow it with something fluffy a la Sophia Kinsella...along those lines. I've heard The Help was good. I read Little Bee: A Novel and just LOVED it (about a Nigerian - I think - a girl who escapes to England and searches for a family who she thinks can help her). I read The Road, but I don't suggest it in the winter. Too damn depressing, especially in the wake of the Haiti tragedy. And I love anything by Erik Larson (most notably Devil in the White City). I look forward to your reviews. I love books but can only read one a time and even though the Twilight series has been wicked popular, I feel like I've lost about 10,000 IQ points when I finish one (about 12 hours later).
I just finished Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes which is her continuation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter. Totally out of my usual reading habits but an excellent, haunting book.
I read in waves. Murder mysteries for a chunk of time and then, whamo, they don't do it for me anymore.
I'm presently struggling. Just read Her Fearful Symmetry and was disappointed. Time Traveler's Wife was so amazing.
Beautiful AND well-read? You just went up a couple more notches in my book. ;)
I'm the same way, needing a certain kind of book for a certain mood.
I loved The Help.
Could there be a possibility that we're twins? I am the exact same way when it comes to books.
I too pick my books based on my moods!
Once I get through one of the GREAT books I've read, it takes me a long time to dive into another. I'm sad when that good book is over.
I'm sad now though because I don't have anything to read; I finished my last book last night...I hope I can make to B&N or the library tomorrow.
After something wonderful (and oooooh! The Help is wonderful!!!) I tend to decompress with some non-fiction sometimes followed by something fluffy before I open something I expect to be wonderful again.
"The Help" is on my nightstand. As soon as I catch my breath I'm going to start it.
I have to be in the mood to read-- and not have tons of things that I SHOULD be doing instead before I can jump into a book.
Have a great weekend. Hope you get a chance to put your feet up and flip some pages.
xo
I am a random reader too. Luckily for me, I am a part-time librarian. I am at the library enough that I find plenty of interesting books to fit my mood.
Right now I am into some YA books like Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Good stuff!
I share a lot of your reading quirks, which I think is ODD! Also, my ADD makes it really hard for me to read any book at all sometimes. Lately I haven't been able to settle long enough for a book. Other times, I do nothing BUT read books. Oh sigh.
After I finished "Middlesex" I almost had to give up reading forever, because nothing else would ever measure up to it. But now there's a brand new Anne Tyler book, which I expect to love.
That's funny.. I'm a goofy reader too.. If I'm into it.. then I can move right through it.. BUT if it's not fabulous.. then I feel obligated to finish it.. but hate it the whole time I'm reading. haha CRAZY.. I'm 43 years old and still need someone to tell me it's ok not to keep reading. ha
Staci
I need to set aside more time for me to read. I used to read alot more "before" I started blogging.
My only quirk about reading is once I start the book ---I have to finish it ---No. Matter. What.
sometimes that pays off to be worthwhile, and others not so much.
right now I am reading The Help. You should post your TOP 10 favorite books.
I don't know how anyone reads more than one book at a time!
You do have REALLY peculiar reading habits.
I read The Help a few weeks ago--it was REALLY good!!!
I reserve books all the time from the library, typically reserving months in advance....and then I forget about the book by the time I get it and so it's always a surprise what I will have waiting for me. I kinda like it that way.
I have to read an entire book in one day, if not, I lose interest in the book, even if it was fantastic. If I had to sleep somewhere in between chapters, its lost on me for a while.
I can read a book in an afternoon...but only cause I skim. SO. I can read a book in a day but retain nothing. ;)
Blessings-
Amanda
I'm hoping to get back into a reading routine, too.
You're going to love The Help.
i take my time reading a book. typically just a little bit before bed.
But I read non-fiction so I guess that's a different emotion or non emotional case.
I must read one book at a time - my mind is already so full of...stuff! I am embarrassed to admit that I have not read as much recently...but I have a huge stack of books to tackle. Maybe I do not have the right book? Something to think about. I drive a lot and love listening to books...I know it is not the same, but at least I do get to hear some great stories.
Thanks for stopping by my place. I love your blog. I am your newest follower
Holly @ 504 Main
I usually have a couple of books on the go at one time - although lately I've been finding my reading time has been severely reduced (thanks kids!) so I don't juggle as many as I used to. I agree with you on alternating books. I like light then heavy. If I finish a book that was just the best thing ever - I usually pick it up an re-read it right then and there. Twice in a row is usually enough for me. I've been in the mood for light right now and have been reading a 2007 memoir "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs. He spends a year following the Bible as literally as possible. It's funny and thought provoking too.
add me to the list of those who can't put a book aside even if it's terrible, and also to the list of those who can't remember the book a week later (that's why i keep a reading journal)...but i LOVE reading! I also read in bed with a headlamp...is that weird? (p.s. i wrote a book blog this week too...http://slimartsgirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/27.html)
First, I read way too much. But I don't watch tv.
I usually have 3 books going at a time. One is a book on tape or CD that stays in the car. Can't stand the filth on the radio with kids in the car -- and a bonus of exposing the kids to classics.
On my nightstand I normally have a very serious none fiction (on famines or sundown towns or racial issues...) which are too serious to read more than a chapter or two of at a time. I put that down and pick up a fiction book. Right now most of those are off the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. It has really expanded my reading. Some I've hated and some I've loved. (And yes, I'm one of those that can't NOT finish a book I start. What a waste of time.)
I don't think my reading habits are bizarre, but they're definitely all or nothing. I read in spurts, like a binge. If I find a new author I like, I order everything they've ever written from Amazon and read them all back to back. If it's a series, I have to read them in order.
Then I go for a long while without reading, like a purge. I guess my reading habits are the only ones I have that are bulimic.
Hmm weird reading habits. Sometimes if I read a really good book I get sad when it's over and I miss the characters almost like they're friends that have gone somewhere far away and won't be back for awhile.
I also always have to have a book with me EVERYWHERE. You never know when you'll find a good chance to read.
For a second there, I though you were talking about me! I am just like you, a very picky reader and totally dependent on my mood. So many books I´ve started to read and never finished, because they didn´t "grip" me, right from the beginning.
Wow -- 73 comments, holy cow! Good for you! :)
Hi, Debbie, Jo here coming to thank you for your recent comments on my blog -- they are deeply kind and so appreciated.
The last good book I read was 'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold (now, of course, a major motion picture by Peter Jackson of the 'Lord Of the Rings' trilogy) in which I can highly recommend.
I'm having trouble getting into a groove after the year we had but really hope to get back to reading soon as I so do enjoy a good book and NEED to make time for that.
Wishing you well and a wonderful 2010!
Thanks again for stopping by, pretty lady! ;)
Peace and serentiy,
~Jo
'The End oF The Rainbow: Life After Bankruptcy'.
I loved "The Help". I'm now reading "New York"....good if you like long historical fiction. I often get books at the library and find that I have already read them. I always like a suggestion for a good book to read.
You are not weird. I used to reserve books like crazy and then not be in the mood I was when I reserved it. Sometimes I just don't want a book to end. It's like I mourn it. You know what they say -- a good book is like a good friend. I think that it's completely normal to wish them around a little longer.
:-)
I have 3 different publishing houses I read advance copies and do reviews for. They keep me so busy I seldom have the luxury any more of deciding when I want to read what. Still, I do have some control over which books I review, so I am not being tortured.
If I find an author I truly enjoy I tend to read all the books by said author before I move onto a new one. Crazy, I know.
I tend to be let down by books that "everyone" tells me are great. I have too high expectations for them and end up not being thrilled by them.
The Help, I was pleasantly surprised by, as I did actually love it.
Stopping in from SITS.
My only weird(ish?) reading habit is that I prefer series to single books. I don't like the beginnings of new books...having to learn about and get into the characters. Reading a series makes starting the second (or third or fourth book) a lot easier to get into.
New follower from "Friday Follow"! I'd love for you to come visit me!
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Shelley
If I don't like the cover, I won't read the book.
I know. That's weird.
Or if the first paragraph in the book doesn't catch my attention, I don't bother to read the rest.
Debbie...I really LIKE your crazy reading habits and you write it in such a way that it MAKES SENSE!
I CANNOT and WILL NOT read two books simultaneously...I have several people I know (including my Hubbie) that do this! I get frustrated as the characters/plot of each book become finely intertwined in my daily life as I work my way through each book. (I also DO NOT watch television shows "picture in picture!" ACK!)
At the risk of sounding like a book outsider, I never even finish one. I cannot hold my attention to fiction long enough, and I skim read non fiction. By nature I jump from point of interest A to new point of interest B.
I think they invented the internet for me ....
I have learned and read more clicking my mouse in the last 3 years than I have in my entire life previous.
Am I a bad man ??
The books my say so ( ha haaa )
Hello from Hollydale :-)
Ooh I thought I was the only one like this! Yes if I read a great book and fell in love with the characters, I have to wait a few weeks to start another or read something light. And books after, unless they are really good will seem bland :)
Same with movies :)
I am still wanting to read The noticer.
We have so much in common in regards to reading! So interesting.
Thanks for visiting with me. Very fun post! I've thought of posting something like this before .
I love reading your posts... I have some quirks too. I have to be in certain moods to read some books. I have several on my new Kindle (WooHoo) that I want to read and am not sure where to go... I usually end up reading a Harlequin after reading a deep bood to "clear my palate" so to speak.
I CAN read two at a time if one is something that is small separate stories that don't need to be kept fluid with the rest of the story. I usually keep something like that in my bedroom.
I only take my book club books out of the library (not always anymore with the Kindle, though), because I need to read it by a specific date.
Happy reading.....
I usually read more than one book at a time also....keeps it interesting!
Enjoy!
Thank you for participating in Friday Follow! I am now a follower from - Rita @ http://one2try.blogspot.com/
Just stopping by to follow and say hello.
Felissa
www.felissahadas.blogspot.com
see... now I came to visit!
haha
89 comments.. I think the S is working great for you!
Go read 3 cups of Tea
loved it!
I always check books out from the library but never read them. For some reasons the pressure of the due date kills me. I just have to buy them if I'm going to read them.
Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife (loved it) and Wally Lamb's last book (loved it too). I think if I'm not loving a book I don't finish it! I've stated many and lost interest, but all the ones I finish I've loved!
I have tried reading more than one book at time, but it never works. I am currently reading This Book Is Not Good For You. I started reading it for the school librarian. She gets too many books at one time for her to read so she farms them out to a few of us.
I'm in the middle of a decent book - but it features ghosts - not sure how I feel about it since it is a bit farfetched - I'll let ya know if I recommend it when I get to the end :D
I tend to read only what is recommended by a friend or family member.
It's hard for me to commit to reading very much, though I love the 'romantic' thought of book-reading, having stacks of books by the bed that I can't wait to read, etc.
I love reading some blogs where the authors share books, wonderful books, they have read and recommend. If I had the time, perhaps I would. Right now, it's just about limited to mysteries alone that can capture me for longer than a bathroom stay ... ♥
Splendid post.
I spent most of the day today as a ghost mama, that is, sitting in bed reading "Catching fire" half loving it, half hating it while my 4 kids run amuck. It was a perfect day, really.
One of my most favorite things to do is Read but I haven't in such a long time. Why?/because I am too busy reading blogs.. I really need to do something about this!! Help!! Any suggestions!! I have tons and I mean about 20 books that I have here that I need to read. I also have to be in the mood to read certain types of books.
I can only read when I'm not distracted by children. And the nanababies. And the dog and the cat. And men. Especially men.
Then, I read in fits and starts. If I like it and am drawn in, I'll read voraciously till I've finished it. If it's not grabbing me, I'll give it a little more time; but I'll read it between other books, or not at all, until eventually, I close it for good.
I've just started reading a Stephanie Plum (Evanovich) novel *Finger Licking Fifteen.* Having read all previous 14, that's a good sign it's a great series. Not heavy, quick read, enjoyable beginning to end.
Unfortunately, I have to work so reading time is precious - but limited.
I heartily agree with you though... After reading a great book, I have to read something light or insignificant before moving onto the next good book!
My sister said The Help was by far one of the best books she has ever read. I'm going to have to go out to Amazon and order it! She also highly recommends The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.
I enjoyed all the Stieg Larsson books - I read them in Swedish so can't speak for the English translation.
Not so great with the books... you are beautiful ;)
I wait along time for books too. I have found that sometimes I have already read them. Thanks for stopping by.
I use to finish a book once I've started no matter how much I like it or not.
Love your book choices!
hugs
I definitely get that. I go through stages. I used to only read one book at a time, now I sort of read several. I agree, I have to time my lighter reads in accordance with my needs, and have to be "ready" for certain books. Which leads me to finally starting The Devil in the White City after owning it for ages, and yet, I'm not getting into it and want to get rid of it, and at the same time, I really want to read it. What to do? I also need to OWN my books, as I like to keep my faves, so the library is kind of a non-option. I do borrow, but I hate to give back a great book!
When I was young before motherhood, I used to read book after book. I read mostly scifi. I don't have a lot of time for reading these days. This is very sad because I really do like to read. I have an excellent imagination and can easily picture what the story teller is saying. I keep telling myself to make the time but most of my free time these days is spent napping and attempting to catch up on missed sleep.
Lately, I'm finding very little time to read books. Most of my reading is done on a bus or train and for that, I need light reading material. Nothing to heavy or I won't concentrate with the distractions around me. So basically, I've pretty much fallen off of the reading wagon. For now.
You are beautiful!! So glad you got to enjoy your Saturday.
bizarre reading traits. I'll stare at a book for maybe 20 days before I read it and even then I'm like UGH book whatever. But I usually love it.
I'm not quite the same way, but I can understand it. I do take breaks after finishing particular delicious books...they deserve to be savored. I have high hopes for the one I just started: Saving Milly by Morton Kondracke.
I do read a lot of books,
reading and blogging are both FUN.
you have made a pivotal point in reading: be honest, have FUN, make it natural...
Happy Sunday!
A perennial favorite is to visit local library to browse for something that strikes the eye -- for unexpected pleasures. Love the literary adventure. 'Olive Kitteridge' by Elizabeth Strout was a hauntingly good book read on such a whim.
If I've just finished a book, I like to read something a bit different next time as well, particularly if I loved it...I just read two books in a row that I liked, and both were quite different:
The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival
and
The Secret Sisters
I'm currently reading 3 books right no. I have U IS For Undertow by Sue Grafton on my Kindle, Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell in print (I keep this book in my work bag to read on my downtime) and Jack and Jill by James Patterson (audio book) on my Blackberry (I listen to it while drive more than 30 minutes at a shot). I'm amazed I can keep them all straight, but get my kids names mixed up. Go figure.
I don't get to read too much now that I have kids. I'm one of those people that gets so involved in a book that she can easily ignore everything and everyone around here. I find this is a bad habit when you have pre-school age children. I would love a suggestion for a good book to read though. My kids have been getting too much attention from me lately anyway.
I can only read one book at a time...but that's about it. I tend to like most books!
Here following from Friday Follow :)
I tend to read a couple of books at a time which is probably not the best way to go. I am going to go through your comments and see if there are any good recommendations. Our book club needs something new to read.
I got a new James Patterson book for Christmas, but I just haven't been able to open it yet. It's sitting right near my bed, just not open. Sigh. There are times when I can't wait to pick up another book. Other times, it takes awhile.
When I read, I READ. And that's all I do. I read 12 books over Christmas break.
And haven't picked up one since.
I have, however, taught myself to crochet. To everything its own season!
I love to read books, but I don't know... I have so many things to do. Anyway, I am in the middle of what I am reading right now.
I am glad to be here again in your blog, Debbie. :)
I can't say that I have any reading habits like that! You are quite an eccentric reader!!!
I just read and did a book review (plus I am giving away a signed copy) of Wayback by Sam Batterman. It is a speculative Christian book about time travel. It totally rocks!
Wayback Signed Book
My reading has been confined to BLOG reading the past few months. I tried taking a book to work, but it was impossible to read there - everybody wants to TALK all the time.
In the good old days, when I DID actually read books (!) my habit was to find a few I loved, read them over and over, and every once in a while introduce something new into the reading list. Sometimes I'd have a well-worn comfort book AND a new read going at the same time. Weird.
Forgot to add how pretty you are.
I can completely empathize with you on this!
I reserved Nanny Returns from the library, and they called me that it was in. But...I'm in the midst of reading a series of book set in medieval England and this does not fit with my current mindset. But...it's due back in 7 days. I'm going to Miami for a girl's weekend in 2 wks. and I want to read it on the plane. So, trying to figure out how to time that. Return it now? Take my chances on getting it back?
I do pick by mood, which is why getting review copies can end up feeling more like a burden than a treat. After a "difficult" read, I usually treat myself with something I've been looking forward to or I know is tried and true. But sometimes I take chances and let a book surprise me.
A kindred spirit! I thought I was the only one with such weird reading habits :-) Especially how I'd feel after reading a really great book (do you go back and re-read parts just to savor the words?).
I used to have multiple books going most of the time... a more serious (read: literary) book, something light and fluffy (what I call the 'junk food' of literature), and some type of non-fiction. Depending on my mood, I was ready for anything.
Sadly I am resigned to re-reading the library I brought with me since I cannot get books in English here. Periodically I have a book sent from the U.S. but it's so expensive it's a rare occasion.
Currently I'm re-reading "The Ballad of Frankie Silver" by Sharyn McCrumb and leafing through "The Not So Big House" by Sarah Susanka (as we dream of building our own little place some day). I just finished "The Gift of Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok (for like the 10th time -- LOVE that book!).
I cannot read more than one book at a time.
Other than that, I think I'm a pretty normal reader. :)
Probably my only reading peculiarity is that I *have* to read a series in order. I just can not start on book #4. Can.Not.Do.It.
I haven't read anything Wow worthy lately. Just a lot of light reading. However, I did have to stop reading Stardust by somebody. I wasn't in the mood for it. Plus, I read a lot at night and am usually so tired, it needs to be brain candy. I had a hard time focusing with his style of writing. Toast.
Currently I'm reading comments and posts by a blogger I lost and found !
wow.
and I find I don't always like the books everyone seems to love, and if I finish a wonderful story or life changing book, my mind and soul needs to let it swirl around a bit before I commit again.
I'm exactly the same with books. If it's good, I have to wait a while before reading something else. But life is empty then. The end of a book is such a bittersweet experience. The light books DO help.
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