First confession: this took a surprisingly long time to do. I thought that coming up with 25 bookish facts about myself would be easy! I was wrong. Very wrong.
Second confession: nobody tagged me to do this, but I'm doing it anyway because I like the idea. Maybe this defeats the purpose of it being a tag, but...*shrugs* I don't care all that much.
And without further ado, here's 25 bookish facts about me!
1. I get almost all of my books from the library. In middle school, I stopped going to the library for some reason, and I didn't read nearly as much. When I started going back, I read three times as many books. And even if I had all the money in the world, I'd STILL go to the library.
2. I don't bring a book everywhere I go, but I always consider it. I'm not going to bring a book if I'm just going down to the grocery store for 20 minutes and don't feel like bringing a bag, but there are also days when I bring about four books to school.
3. My personal record is finishing 6 books in a day. I was doing Cram-a-thon and the #24in48 readathon over the same weekend, so I finished two novels that I'd started earlier, read a children's book, read two graphic novels, read a book in verse, and started another novel.
4. I don't know the exact longest time it's taken me to read a book without actually deciding to put it down and pick it up later, but it was at least three years. I started The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before I got my Goodreads in 2012, and only finished it last May. I have NO IDEA why it took me that long - I love Mark Twain! And I loved the book when I finally, finally finished it! But it took me FOREVER.
5. I reread books a lot more often in elementary school than I do now. I know I read Little Women, The Secret Garden, Through the Looking-Glass, and Samantha Saves the Day about half a dozen times each. And then, for some reason, I got rid of all of my copies of those because I thought I was sick of them. What was I THINKING?
6. If I know that a book has diversity, it roughly doubles the chances I'm going to read it. I can't even count the number of times that diversity or a lack thereof has decided whether or not I'm going to read a book that I'm unsure about.
7. I almost never DNF books. And even when I do DNF, it's because I haven't finished by the time that I have to return it to the library or to a friend, and I just don't care enough to seek it out again. I know that over the past 2 years of reading, I've only decided to DNF one book (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares). I tried to push through, but I just couldn't do it anymore.
8. I've been slowly reading the Discworld series for four and a half years now because my mom and I read them together. I discovered the Tiffany Aching subseries before I knew about Discworld as a whole, but by the time I did, both my mom and I liked Terry Pratchett so much that we didn't want to get ahead of each other. I'm a bit worried, because I'm going away to college this fall and we still have eight and a half books to go, but I think we'll get through.
9. I haven't actually seen a lot of book-to-movie adaptations. I keep meaning to see the movies of the books I read, but I just never get around to it. I only saw the first Hunger Games movies, and I didn't see If I Stay, any of the Divergent movies, The Maze Runner, or City of Bones. There's probably even more that I can't think of right now.
10. I don't even notice when I'm in a reading slump. Normally, I just start bringing my knitting to school and knitting during the time that I would be reading. I think if I did notice the reading slumps, they'd take over my life for as long as they lasted.
11. It usually takes me a long time to read books that people have recommended to me. I have a friend who absolutely loved Gone With the Wind in eighth grade and made me promise to read it...and I still haven't. That's a bit of an extreme example, but if someone's recommending a book that I've never heard of, it takes me a while to get to it. (If you're one of those people - I'm sorry! I'll read it eventually!) The exception is when someone recommends it and lets me borrow a copy. Then I'll devour it IMMEDIATELY.
12. At the end of every year, I spend a day or two going through the anticipated releases lists on Goodreads for the next year and adding everything that sounds interesting. That's usually how my to-read list gets a bit out of control. At the end of last year, I added over a hundred books, and that's pretty typical. That's probably the main thing keeping me from ever making that list smaller. But speaking of making it smaller...
13. Every once in a while, I spontaneously decide to go through every book on my to-read list and get rid of a bunch of them. And it actually works! I've gone from 1200+ to 700+ to 400+ (and then back up all the time because of #12). I know my list is really large as it is, but at least I'm not at 1200 anymore! I think it might be time for one of these soon, though.
14. I've never been to any book signing events. There's always this thing that happens where the author I want to see comes to a place that's close enough to me that I get hopeful but far enough away that there's no way I can get there. And it's almost always in the middle of the week, too. I think the only bookish event I've been to is the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party at my local Borders. Remember when Borders was a thing? I miss Borders.
15. When I was little, I despised dustjackets. I don't know what it was, but for some reason, I hated them so much that I put all of the dustjackets of my books on a separate shelf so that I wouldn't have to deal with them.
16. I LOVE picking out my favorite quotes from books. I make note of quotes that I like whenever I'm reading, and I also go through the quotes section on Goodreads for every book I read. Currently, my Goodreads quote count is 1,206.
17. I'm okay with beat-up paperbacks and pretty okay with beat-up hardcovers, but not with beat-up dustjackets. I don't mind a bit of wear and tear on my books, because I know I'm not always gentle with them. But for some reason, if a dustjacket gets bent or torn, it bothers me SO MUCH. That's why when I let friends borrow hardcovers, I always take off the dustjacket first.
18. It usually takes me at least twice as long to read nonfiction as it does to read fiction. I have absolutely no idea why. I'm trying to read more nonfiction, but this keeps getting me discouraged.
19. I'm usually horrible at keeping track of character names. I can remember names of major characters pretty well, but it's a struggle to even remember minor characters' names for the whole book unless I particularly like one of them (or it's a series, in which case I probably don't remember their names until book 3). This sometimes leads to problems when a minor character becomes more important later.
20. I find it very difficult to read when people are talking. Strangely enough, though, I can read without a problem in the middle of a crowd. It's much easier for me to tune everyone out than just one or two conversations.
21. I'm never going to read a classic book just because I feel like I should. I used to feel obligated to read certain classics. Then, in my literature class this year, we read a lot of books that bored me to tears. These included books that had been on my must-read-eventually-because-classic list, and it really inspired me to not read classics unless I'm genuinely interested in them. So far, this has been going pretty well.
22. My favorite genre is probably historical fiction. I regularly enjoy books from other genres, especially since historical books aren't exactly the most common in YA, but I get very excited about historical fiction, especially American historical fiction. I'm also just interested in American history, which probably explains a lot of that.
23. I'm usually pretty indifferent about book covers. There are covers I like more than others, but usually, book covers don't get a huge reaction out of me.
24. My ideal book length is around 400 pages. This depends a lot on the genre and whether it's a series and such, but 400 pages seems like a good length. Things don't feel like they're cut short, but also don't usually have time to drag.
25. I LOVE reading books in a day. If I start a book and really like it, I will try to finish it as soon as I can. Occasionally, I try to savor these books, but usually, I just want to devour them. I've also found that I don't normally like the books that it takes me longer to read, though I'm not sure which of those facts causes the other.
I'm going to tag... Liz @ Out of Coffee, Out of Mind and Sky @ Sky's Reading Corner.
What are some interesting bookish facts about you? Do you share any of mine? What's your favorite quote from something you've read? Tell me in the comments!
Second confession: nobody tagged me to do this, but I'm doing it anyway because I like the idea. Maybe this defeats the purpose of it being a tag, but...*shrugs* I don't care all that much.
And without further ado, here's 25 bookish facts about me!
1. I get almost all of my books from the library. In middle school, I stopped going to the library for some reason, and I didn't read nearly as much. When I started going back, I read three times as many books. And even if I had all the money in the world, I'd STILL go to the library.
2. I don't bring a book everywhere I go, but I always consider it. I'm not going to bring a book if I'm just going down to the grocery store for 20 minutes and don't feel like bringing a bag, but there are also days when I bring about four books to school.
3. My personal record is finishing 6 books in a day. I was doing Cram-a-thon and the #24in48 readathon over the same weekend, so I finished two novels that I'd started earlier, read a children's book, read two graphic novels, read a book in verse, and started another novel.
4. I don't know the exact longest time it's taken me to read a book without actually deciding to put it down and pick it up later, but it was at least three years. I started The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before I got my Goodreads in 2012, and only finished it last May. I have NO IDEA why it took me that long - I love Mark Twain! And I loved the book when I finally, finally finished it! But it took me FOREVER.
5. I reread books a lot more often in elementary school than I do now. I know I read Little Women, The Secret Garden, Through the Looking-Glass, and Samantha Saves the Day about half a dozen times each. And then, for some reason, I got rid of all of my copies of those because I thought I was sick of them. What was I THINKING?
6. If I know that a book has diversity, it roughly doubles the chances I'm going to read it. I can't even count the number of times that diversity or a lack thereof has decided whether or not I'm going to read a book that I'm unsure about.
7. I almost never DNF books. And even when I do DNF, it's because I haven't finished by the time that I have to return it to the library or to a friend, and I just don't care enough to seek it out again. I know that over the past 2 years of reading, I've only decided to DNF one book (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares). I tried to push through, but I just couldn't do it anymore.
8. I've been slowly reading the Discworld series for four and a half years now because my mom and I read them together. I discovered the Tiffany Aching subseries before I knew about Discworld as a whole, but by the time I did, both my mom and I liked Terry Pratchett so much that we didn't want to get ahead of each other. I'm a bit worried, because I'm going away to college this fall and we still have eight and a half books to go, but I think we'll get through.
9. I haven't actually seen a lot of book-to-movie adaptations. I keep meaning to see the movies of the books I read, but I just never get around to it. I only saw the first Hunger Games movies, and I didn't see If I Stay, any of the Divergent movies, The Maze Runner, or City of Bones. There's probably even more that I can't think of right now.
10. I don't even notice when I'm in a reading slump. Normally, I just start bringing my knitting to school and knitting during the time that I would be reading. I think if I did notice the reading slumps, they'd take over my life for as long as they lasted.
11. It usually takes me a long time to read books that people have recommended to me. I have a friend who absolutely loved Gone With the Wind in eighth grade and made me promise to read it...and I still haven't. That's a bit of an extreme example, but if someone's recommending a book that I've never heard of, it takes me a while to get to it. (If you're one of those people - I'm sorry! I'll read it eventually!) The exception is when someone recommends it and lets me borrow a copy. Then I'll devour it IMMEDIATELY.
12. At the end of every year, I spend a day or two going through the anticipated releases lists on Goodreads for the next year and adding everything that sounds interesting. That's usually how my to-read list gets a bit out of control. At the end of last year, I added over a hundred books, and that's pretty typical. That's probably the main thing keeping me from ever making that list smaller. But speaking of making it smaller...
13. Every once in a while, I spontaneously decide to go through every book on my to-read list and get rid of a bunch of them. And it actually works! I've gone from 1200+ to 700+ to 400+ (and then back up all the time because of #12). I know my list is really large as it is, but at least I'm not at 1200 anymore! I think it might be time for one of these soon, though.
14. I've never been to any book signing events. There's always this thing that happens where the author I want to see comes to a place that's close enough to me that I get hopeful but far enough away that there's no way I can get there. And it's almost always in the middle of the week, too. I think the only bookish event I've been to is the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party at my local Borders. Remember when Borders was a thing? I miss Borders.
15. When I was little, I despised dustjackets. I don't know what it was, but for some reason, I hated them so much that I put all of the dustjackets of my books on a separate shelf so that I wouldn't have to deal with them.
16. I LOVE picking out my favorite quotes from books. I make note of quotes that I like whenever I'm reading, and I also go through the quotes section on Goodreads for every book I read. Currently, my Goodreads quote count is 1,206.
17. I'm okay with beat-up paperbacks and pretty okay with beat-up hardcovers, but not with beat-up dustjackets. I don't mind a bit of wear and tear on my books, because I know I'm not always gentle with them. But for some reason, if a dustjacket gets bent or torn, it bothers me SO MUCH. That's why when I let friends borrow hardcovers, I always take off the dustjacket first.
18. It usually takes me at least twice as long to read nonfiction as it does to read fiction. I have absolutely no idea why. I'm trying to read more nonfiction, but this keeps getting me discouraged.
19. I'm usually horrible at keeping track of character names. I can remember names of major characters pretty well, but it's a struggle to even remember minor characters' names for the whole book unless I particularly like one of them (or it's a series, in which case I probably don't remember their names until book 3). This sometimes leads to problems when a minor character becomes more important later.
20. I find it very difficult to read when people are talking. Strangely enough, though, I can read without a problem in the middle of a crowd. It's much easier for me to tune everyone out than just one or two conversations.
21. I'm never going to read a classic book just because I feel like I should. I used to feel obligated to read certain classics. Then, in my literature class this year, we read a lot of books that bored me to tears. These included books that had been on my must-read-eventually-because-classic list, and it really inspired me to not read classics unless I'm genuinely interested in them. So far, this has been going pretty well.
22. My favorite genre is probably historical fiction. I regularly enjoy books from other genres, especially since historical books aren't exactly the most common in YA, but I get very excited about historical fiction, especially American historical fiction. I'm also just interested in American history, which probably explains a lot of that.
23. I'm usually pretty indifferent about book covers. There are covers I like more than others, but usually, book covers don't get a huge reaction out of me.
24. My ideal book length is around 400 pages. This depends a lot on the genre and whether it's a series and such, but 400 pages seems like a good length. Things don't feel like they're cut short, but also don't usually have time to drag.
25. I LOVE reading books in a day. If I start a book and really like it, I will try to finish it as soon as I can. Occasionally, I try to savor these books, but usually, I just want to devour them. I've also found that I don't normally like the books that it takes me longer to read, though I'm not sure which of those facts causes the other.
I'm going to tag... Liz @ Out of Coffee, Out of Mind and Sky @ Sky's Reading Corner.
What are some interesting bookish facts about you? Do you share any of mine? What's your favorite quote from something you've read? Tell me in the comments!
I almost never reread books! I just have SO MANY books on my TBR that I've been dying to read for AGES. I know what you mean about reading books in a day though!
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling. I don't reread books a lot, either! There's some that I want to get to, but I probably only reread a book every few months on average. And reading books in a day is so fun! I don't usually have the time to do it, though. *insert typical grumbling about needing more hours in a day*
DeleteI almost never reread books! I just have SO MANY books on my TBR that I've been dying to read for AGES. I know what you mean about reading books in a day though!
ReplyDeleteAhh this is AMAZING. I LOVE IT. And omg I so relate to so many of these points. I barely ever DNF either...I hate unfinished business?! I've probably DNF'd about 5 books in my life. XD Ohhh and I really despised Dash & Lily's, hehe, so I don't think you missed out on anything.
ReplyDeleteAnd omg, my TBR on goodreads is wild. I tried to cull it yesterday but...I just ended up running away screaming because WILD.
Also 6 books in one day is INSANELY admirable. ;D
I find it hugely difficult to read when there's ANY sort of sound. I like quiet. So in other news I want to relocate my big family to the moon and live alone. XDXD Ahem.
This was so fun to read, Clara!! :D
I feel the same way about DNFing! I almost always find one small thing to care about, and then by that time, I'm far enough in that I think I might as well finish.
DeleteI haven't been brave enough to cull my Goodreads TBR for MONTHS now. It's gotten out of control and I'm not even sure I want to look.
And an alternate proposition for quiet while reading: relocate YOURSELF to the moon. All the quiet you could possibly want, and all the bookshelf space you could possibly need. (Actually, if anyone could fill up the ENTIRE MOON with bookshelves, it would probably be you.)
And thank you! :)