Lori Talks Reading Habits

Reading is a very personal experience--we all know that.  Reading is so internalized that two people can read the same book in completely divergent ways.  Every reader has their own quirks and habits as well.  And they are so much fun to read about.  Some are fairly standard, like bringing a book everywhere, just in case.  Others are a bit more controversial, like dog-earing pages.  Here are a couple of mine.

After I finish reading a book, I always sign my name and date it.  This is a habit I started a few years ago after reading about it in some article I read.  I thought it was a really interesting way of marking finality.  Almost as though the book doesn't really belong to you until you finish it and have internalized the story.  Needless to say, there are a bunch of books that I've read multiple times, but haven't re-read since I've begun signing my books, so they remain unsigned.  I also love how the date kind of helps keep track of what I've read and when.  The writer of the article mentioned the first book she read on her honeymoon, when she was able to write her new last name on the inside cover.  It's fun to note the milestones!

Lately, I've been shoving books at people--my dad, my very good friend, and a woman who goes to the Elks Lodge who asked me about what I was reading at the pool one day this summer.  They all get books that are signed and dated and I've wondered whether any of them have considered signing their name as well.  I wouldn't be mad if they did.  I'd think it was really interesting, kind of a record of whose hands the book has passed through when I may ultimately decide to get rid of it.  And then the next person who owns it might sign their name and so on...

Another habit of mine is that I've been putting the books I've finished in this big box in the bottom of the coat closet.  I don't know why really.  At some point since moving, I ran out of shelf space, so I needed somewhere to put the books I'd finished.  But I've gotten another shelf, so I would have room for these books again.  I kind of like putting them away after I finish them though.  I think it will be fun to eventually fill the box and then look back on what I've read, and how long it's taken me to fill it.

I've recently decided that I don't really like reviewing books.  Plus I have a hard time talking with substance about a book--the parts I liked, the parts I didn't, even the technical, craft of it--without spoilers.  And I don't read enough books quickly to be able to have a post of a couple of sentences on each book.  That's why I like Litsy.  I can post about the book while I'm reading it.  I can write a few sentences and I feel like I have contributed something.  No, I really very much prefer writing about bookish topics instead (and I'm so glad I get to do that here!).

Lastly, I sometimes feel like I've found a lucky bookmark.  If it's been a while since I've finished a book, but then I totally fly through a book, I'll decide that the bookmark has good juju, so I'll use it on the next book or two that I read.  Then, eventually, I'll pass into a period of not finishing many books in a while, so I'll stop using that bookmark.  (OK--one more--I'll use just about anything for a bookmark, even a gum wrapper)

What about you?  What are some of your reading habits?