My Reading Habits | Tag

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog! 

It's been a while since I've done a tag, so today I'll be doing the Reading Habits tag created by TheBookJazz on YouTube. The original video has since been removed but the tag is extremely popular! I've seen a ton of people answer these questions and now it's my turn, so without any further ado, here is the Reading Habits tag!

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading? 

My room is pretty much my only private place at home so I do most of my reading there, on my bed. But sometimes I like to read in our living room because we have super comfortable couches and our loveseat is the perfect size to curl up with a blanket.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Typically I go for bookmarks. I have a mug on my shelves full of bookmarks with tassels, and that's what I usually reach for if I'm reading paperbacks. Hardcovers, however, I use the inside flap of the dust jacket. And if I'm going somewhere and I forgot a bookmark, then I usually just look for a receipt or something to mark my page or *gasp* I dog-ear the page. 

3. Can you stop anywhere or do you need to stop at a chapter/certain amount of pages?

I always stop at the end of a chapter. It honestly makes me uncomfortable stopping in the middle of a chapter. If I'm reading at night and am getting tired, I will tough it out until I reach a new chapter. The only time I'll stop in the middle of a page is if I'm reading before an appointment or something and I'm called in, something where it's time sensitive and you can't hold off until you finish the chapter. But it really bothers me if that happens. 

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

Yes, absolutely. Reading is an intensive activity for me, I will not stop unless I'm done for the day. So I will read throughout eating, drinking, cooking, whatever. I've perfected not getting any crumbs or spills on my books after doing this for nearly twenty years. Some of my older books definitely have evidence of spills on them, but mostly they're okay. 

5. Multitasking: TV or music while reading?

Again, yes. I don't necessarily pay full attention to the TV or music that's playing, but it doesn't distract me. Often times I'll be reading while my parents are watching a movie. Or I'll be watching BookTube while reading. Most of the time though I'll either be listening to ASMR or just have it quiet. But often times if it's too quiet, then I start to get distracted, so having some kind of background noise is beneficial to me. 

6. One book at a time or several at once?

I can't remember the last time I've only read one book at a time. I always have at least two books in circulation. I need the options. And if I have two books, but I don't feel like reading either of them at that moment, I'll pick up another one. I usually stick to two or three at a time. 

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

I mean, I can read anywhere, but I prefer reading at home just because I'm an introvert. Sometimes though I like to go to the library just to read because I like the ambience. Same thing with coffee shops, if it's not like a starbucks and ridiculously loud. Obviously this doesn't apply now because of the pandemic, but once upon a time. I never really liked reading outdoors like at a park or something, but if I was invited to go to a place for a long time I usually would bring a book anyway. I always have a book with me no matter where I go. 

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Silently, unless I'm reading a passage to someone in dramatic effect, which I do a lot (typically to my mom). My eyes take in words faster than my mouth moves, so reading out loud means reading slower. 

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

No? I mean, okay. Sometimes I'll skim if a paragraph is particularly boring or just a list, which I've found happens often with classics. I skimmed a lot of The Name of the Rose before I decided to just give up. Also, if I'm rereading a book for the tenth time or some large number like that, I'll move around and read my favorite parts only. But if it's a book I haven't read before, I typically won't read ahead or skip anything. 

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

This is a weird answer for me, because both. It depends on the book, but I don't actually know what the qualifications are in my own head, if that makes sense. Some books I'll crack the spine and be totally fine with it, and some I'll cry if I crack it. I don't get it either, but there it is. However, looking around at my shelves, only a handful of spines are cracked, and surprise surprise, they're my favorite books. I like seeing well-loved books on my shelves (or anyone's shelves for that matter) because it's a good indicator of how many times that book has been read. My Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, for example, are taped together in some places. 

11. Do you write in your books?

Not usually. I'm not against annotating or anything like that, I just feel insecure about my own writing that I don't want it permanently in my books, ha. I do have annotations in some books, like my texts for school, but it's mostly highlights or underlines, and then I would make notes on a seperate piece of paper. But I don't annotate like how most BookTubers do, because I'm too nervous to. A few of my favorite books have little annotations here and there, though. 

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Okay, that's the end! If you want to do this tag yourself, feel free to say I tagged you.

Until next time!