How My Reading Habits Have Changed

My reading habits have changed a lot over the years.  This post reflects on some of those changes...

Initially I was all about the classics.  If it wasn't a classic, I really kind of turned up my nose.  Then somewhere along the time of the great reading slump that lasted for the better part of a few years, where for every one book I read, I had started and discarded twenty (maybe an exaggeration, maybe not), I started branching out.  I've read so many wonderful contemporary books!  YA, sci-fy/fantasy...those still aren't my thing.  And that's OK.  But I'm not as wholly opposed to them as I once was.  If I started a good book and it happened to be YA, as long as it stayed good, I'd read it.  No need to be a snob.

Further, I've stopped stressing about the slumps.  I'm crazy-assed busy!  I do not always have time to read.  I still carry a book with me (almost) everywhere I go (mostly in case of a hostage situation), but if I don't have time to read for a few days, I usually wind up switching books because my interest has kind of petered out.  If I hit a string of books that I'm just not feeling, I don't bemoan my fate or wonder whether my reading days are over.  I just keep trying.  Eventually, I'll find something that grabs me and keeps me.

I stopped reviewing books.  I just didn't see the point in it.  Books were either classics that had been talked about to death (or no one but me was interested in) or new and already super hyped, so my saying anything--especially in the book community--wasn't going to sway anybody.  I'll definitely post a pic with my current read on Instagram, maybe even including a sentence about my current perception of the book.

I also talk about books differently.  My boyfriend is not a reader, so I'll tell him a snippet about what's driving me crazy about the book or what I'm liking.  Then, based on his follow-up questions, I go into way too much detail explaining the plot, complete with ALL THE BACKSTORY!  Then I think he regrets asking any questions about the book.  But I move on, he moves on.

My best friend will get the books I like or am feeling conflicted about thrust at her with a sentence--usually "Hey, read this; it's really effed up, but I kind of like it."  She'll read it and send me a text saying, "WTF, Lori!  This book is really effed up! But I kinda like it."  To which I respond, "I know, right?! That's why I'm making you read it."

As I've gravitated toward contemporary fiction, it's less often that I'll tell my dad to read something because there are fewer books that I think he'd be interested in reading.  But, interestingly, I'm more apt to tell my grandma to read things.  Books that include homosexual characters (The Nest) and the c-word! (Atonement)  She reads these books without much comment ("I liked it" or "That was hard to read") and returns them to me.

Like I said, nowadays I don't review books.  I don't even track them on Goodreads or in a notebook.  No, I sign my name and write the date I finished it on the inside cover.  Then I put the book in a cardboard box in the hall closet to make room for more books.  Some, however, like my Joan Didions, return to their shelves because I can't quite quit Joan...

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?

Jamie Talks About A Side Of Reading That Has Fallen To The Wayside

For as long as I can remember I've been as much a magazine reader as I've been a book reader...although I've always leaned more heavy towards books except during my teen years when I barely read.

When I was a kid it was Highlights, Creative Kids (does ANYONE know this one??) and Girl's Life. Then as a tween I started saving all my change and dollar bills to buy J-14, Twist, YM,  Bop, Teen Beat and all the other ones that had the posters of heartthrobs in them.

Then I moved on to Elle Girl, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, CosmoGirl, Teen and more! I mean, I'm telling you I POURED through these day after day. I'd cut out things and save the articles. I cared a lot about makeup and clothes and boys so it was my holy grail and I devoted myself to these magazines.

Then in my 20's I moved on to Elle, Vogue, Cosmo, Self, Glamour but also threw in Paste (still one of my fave magazines -- music, art, movies, etc), US News and World Report, Travel + Leisure, Real Simple and more.


I always made time to read them. I would read them while laying out or while traveling (ALWAYS packed magazines for vacation and airplane rides) or just while sitting home on a lazy day. Or when I was a teen -- ANYTIME I could. My sister or friends and I would just sit in my room reading them together.

But pretty much since I started blogging in 2010 I feel like I've stopped reading magazines as much. I think it's because I always felt like I should be keeping up with all the books I've bought or gotten for review or that I find at the library. When I find myself on vacation, I'm not grabbing for a magazine anymore. It's all books all the time. I do also think that these days I do a lot of magazine type reading via articles on the internet...which I read a lot of.

And I mean, I don't hate it. I love reading all the books. But sometimes I miss the type of reading that goes into reading magazines. It's different. On occasion I'll still pick up a magazine and it's always such a nice break from reading full books. I like not feeling super committed to something in that moment. I like breaking up the content and I like the variety of what I'm able to read within the pages of a magazine and how I can pick it up and put it down.

I'm definitely always going to prefer books but I've decided that I'm going to try to add a little bit of magazine reading back into my reading diet and pick up a magazine for my upcoming trip to Europe at the end of this month.

So I'm curious....do you read magazines often? Which ones? Also, tell me all the magazines you read back in the day because I LOVE NOSTALGIA!

Why I've Embraced My eReader

Surprisingly, I was a fairly early adopter of the eReader concept.  I got my first one for my college graduation back in 2010.  I loved the idea of being able to carry hundreds of books with me at once because that meant carrying fewer books whenever I'd leave my apartment.  I loved having options.  Granted, I still packed physical books, but I had hundreds on reserve.  Despite this, I rarely used my eReader.  I'd bring it with me, but typically wind up reading one of the physical books I brought or nothing at all.

I bought a second generation eReader.

I bought an iPad and downloaded the reading apps--Kindle, Nook, Oyster (R.I.P).  Still--I rarely really used my eReader.

Until recently.

Now I can't seem to get enough of it.  My iPad is a constant companion whenever I leave the house.

Here are a few reasons why I've suddenly embraced my eReader...

1.  No one knows what I am reading.  I really like this aspect of it.  I have hardly read any books to completion since starting law school because I hardly have any time to read for fun.  I've been doing better about making time at night before bed.  But still, I can't really count on having the time to truly sink into a book, so I flit around quite a lot.  I used to agonize about this.  Now I'm totally cool with it because I'm reading what I need to read when I need to read it.  Anyway, the eReader allows me some anonymity so that people can't tell how many books I've started and abandoned in a given hour, day, or week.

2.  Takes up way less space in my bag.  I hate feeling like a bag lady.  I have always loved big purses.  But I really don't want back problems later on (and I refuse to get a wheely bag like some of my fellow classmates) so I limit myself to one bag for all of my stuff, which mostly consists of school stuff.  That little iPad mini takes up way less space than a paperback, let alone a massive hardcover tome.

3.  Allows me to do side research if I have any questions.  I am in full-on research mode.  Everything I see leads to questions, which leads to research.  I love being able to flip from my book to Wikipedia or the internet to find out a little bit more about what I'm reading.  Yes, I could flip from a physical book to my iPhone, but this is much easier and I won't lose my place.

4.  Greater variety.  Yes, this is still a factor for me.  I have a variety of novels, non-fiction, short stories, and essays on my eReader.  I can find something to fit my mood whenever I have time to read.  And I love that.  Plus I have synched my New Yorker, Atlantic, and New York Times accounts so I have even more variety available.  Further, I can buy something any time with just one click...which can also be dangerous, yes.

5.  I feel like I read faster on my screen.  I don't know why this is, but I feel like I read the pages much faster when it's from the screen.  Maybe it has something to do with the font size I use.  I don't know.  But I like feeling like I'm taking in more.

6.  No one knows what I am reading.  This is such an important factor that I'm listing it again.  Seriously!  No one know how many books I abandon!  I don't have to feel guilty.  I know I shouldn't feel guilty in the first place, but I do.  Or maybe it's that I feel awkward when someone asks whether I finished such and such book that I was reading last time they saw me and inevitably I have just stopped reading it.  NO QUESTIONS!  I love it!


Basically, my eReader has come to be a slice of freedom for me.  I can read what I want, when I want, with fewer questions.  And that is just what I need right now.

It Turns Out That I Can Kinda Deal With Romance. Occasionally.

Romance in books seems to be one of the most contentious topic debates in the blogging world. Considering the love-it-or-hate-it debates around Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight, the topic of romance has become more polarizing than ever.

I, personally, am no particular fan of romance. After spending about three straight years devouring almost everything V. C. Andrews ever wrote, I—understandably, I think—got a little sick of romance. Though I more or less stopped reading V. C. Andrews a decade ago, my general impatience with romance hasn’t abated much. In so many cases, romances in books follow the same insipid pattern: instalove, misunderstandings (however many they need to keep the book going), then happy ending (probably). So predictable, so blah. So not my thing.

Because of this, I tend to avoid anything that openly advertises romance in the blurb or in the title (or—puke—on the cover). There are plenty of other genres to keep me interested; I haven’t really felt the lack of romance in my life. I will admit—I think this miiiiight have something to do with the fact that I’ve been in a serious relationship for seven years, and it’s pretty easy to see how unrealistic most fictional relationships are. This might not be the case for all fictional relationships, but it’s the case for a lot of them, in my opinion.

I did, however, just recently pick up (and enjoy!) two different books that advertised romance. And frankly, I was surprised to find that I didn’t hate them. I mean, yeah, the romances were terribly unrealistic in a lot of ways and frankly like “…how? Why?” but since I knew it was coming, I didn’t mind it so much. And I think I hit on what I dislike about books with romance: when the romance is unexpected.

If I’m reading a thriller or a horror story or something, the last thing I want is a romance getting in the way of things. Like, I get that it makes the stakes higher because now the guy HAS TO SAVE THE GIRL THAT HE JUST MAGICALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH TWO DAYS AGO, but…it would be nice if, for once, someone wants to solve a crime or whatever for the sake of…justice? Doing the right thing? I don’t know. There are so many situations where the romance is superfluous or frankly just annoying.

But knowing one was coming, and knowing I had willingly picked up the books knowing this, helped me let it slide a little bit more, and I even let myself enjoy it. It’s still not really my thing anymore, but at least now I know that I won’t hate everything that hints at romance. The key for me, too, was that the romance in each of these books, though certainly part of and important to the plot, was still secondary to the main storyline.

So believe it or not, after a decade or more of avoiding romance and being annoyed anytime it popped up somewhere I didn’t expect, it seems my horizons have re-expanded to tentatively include romance again, or to at least not exclude it completely.

Are there topics like this that you tend to avoid, but don’t mind occasionally—as long as you’re aware of them?

A Cocktail & Conversation -- Do You Do Audiobooks?

Every other Thursday here (Friday this week because I lost track of time!!) at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail Conversation time. One of the TB&TB members will pose a question to 2-3 of the other members of TB&TB crew about books, life, music, etc and then they'll answer and we can converse about it. So grab a cocktail & cozy up for some conversation. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, friends.

 

 The Question:

Are you a fan of audiobooks? Why or why not?

 

Tahleen says: 

  I absolutely love audio books. I would not know what to do without them. I get so much "reading" done via audio, whether it's on my commute to and from work or while I'm running. It's not only convenient, but it's a whole different way to experience a book and writing. A great narrator is key, too, and some of my favorites are Katherine Kellgren, Bahni Turpin, Nick Podehl, Moors Quirk, Jayne Entwhistle, and Kirby Heyborne, plus Bill Bryson narrating his own books are perfection. I'm sure I've forgotten a few too. Audio books are the best. The end.

Jana says:

I love audiobooks when I'm driving because then I can still read, but I have a really hard time not getting distracted! Maybe I've just not found any AMAZING ones yet. Anyone have any recommendations for wonderful audiobooks? 

 

Julia says:

I enjoy audiobooks when I need them. So long car trips alone. I used to listen to them on my long commute to work but a) I replaced them with podcasts and b) I moved closer to work killing the need for them. That doesn't mean I dont enjoy them. I really like having them on car trips alone because it seems like I have company. But I am SUPER PICKY about narrators, especially if it is a series I already know. This limits which books I read in audio form. I will say that one of my frustrations is that I cant just sit and listen to a book like i could just sit and read. It seems so lazy for some reason if I am not driving or working out or something. I remember with Ready Player One I totally just laid on my couch and listened to Wil Wheaton's awesome storytelling because i wanted to find out what happened next.

What about you, bookworms? Do you do audiobooks??

A Cocktail & Conversation -- To Mark As DNF or Not?

Every other Thursday here at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail Conversation time. One of the TB&TB members will pose a question to 2-3 of the other members of TB&TB crew about books, life, music, etc and then they'll answer and we can converse about it. So grab a cocktail & cozy up for some conversation. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, friends.

 

 

THE QUESTION (From Jamie)

In the book world we talk a lot about books that we mark as DNFs (did not finish). I'm curious about everyone's habits when it comes to deciding when to abandon a book! Are you quick to put a book down if you aren't jiving? Are you able to do it without any guilt? Or do you struggle when knowing to put it down? Do you keep hoping it gets better?

Jana says:

 I used to have a REALLY hard time DNFing, especially if the book came from an author or publisher. A few years ago I went through a two-week period where I was forcing myself to read a book I was really struggling with. I got to the point where I hated the idea of reading, and I wasted time on social media so I would not have to.. And then I had an epiphany. WHY was I reading this if I hated it? The author/pub does not WANT a bad review, and they know not everyone will love every book. So I DNFed it. And it felt amazing! Now I don't have a problem with it at all. Life' too short to read bad books.

Lori Says:

I don't think I really and truly DNF very often.  More often I will start a book, enjoy it for a while, then kind of let it fall by the wayside as I get into another book, but always with the intention of picking it back up eventually.  To me, "DNF" has such a note of finality that there aren't many books I've started that I decided I would not finish.  I will unquestionably DNF if the writing is just that bad and I have done this recently.  I've also DNFed because I decided I just didn't care if I ever finished the book coughcoughUlyssesbyJamesJoycecoughcought, but it was a struggle for me and I'm not even 100% sure that I will never, ever, ever finish at least the audiobook.

 

Kimberly Says:

I really have a hard time DNFing. I just keep thinking "Another chapter. Maybe then I'll be hooked!". Sometimes that is true, other times... not so much. I've been much better about it lately. If I'm not even slightly excited to go back to reading, I will put it on my "read later" shelf. There have been a few books I flat out DNFed. I'm not going to say what book, but if you go to my Goodreads page, I have a DNF shelf. You'll see it there. There are just too many books out there waiting to become new favorites, can't waste time on something I hate reading!

What about you, dear readers??

How do you space out your books?

I’ve noticed an odd phenomenon lately. Usually, when I finish a book, I’ll feel the immediate need to fill that book-shaped void in my life—I’m sure you’re all familiar with this feeling—and in a lot of cases, I start a new book almost immediately. Recently, though, this hasn’t been the case.

Part of it is due to blogging guilt. I know that if I don’t write a review within a few days of finishing a book, the review is either not going to get written (likely) or it’s just going to be a shitty review (more likely). It’s even harder to write a review of one book when I’ve already started reading another, because by then I’ll be caught up in the world of the new book and my brain will only reluctantly return to the world of the old one.

The other part, though, is something else with which I’m sure you’re all familiar: the book hangover.

I’ve been experiencing this a lot more lately. I’ll finish a book, have that I need to start a new book RIGHT NOW thought…and then not start another book for a day or two (or three).  For example, I finished Ready Player One (so good!) on Friday, and I’ve been meaning to start Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones since then, but just haven’t quite made myself do it yet. And I’m not really sure why, other than the fact that I only just finished my review of Ready Player One. So maybe now my brain will stop guilting me into NOT reading.

But while this most recent time has been a more extreme version of the book hangover, I’ve begun to notice that I need at least a day between books. This is in sharp contrast to most of the rest of my life, wherein I’ve pretty much always finished a book and immediately started another. This doesn’t mean I don’t want to start a new book; I almost always want to start a new book. But there’s this mental block that prevents me from doing it.

I’m curious about how our readers read! Do any of you have this book hangover issue? I know everyone has different reading timelines and preferences—some people can read on a schedule, some are mood readers; some read slow, others read fast; some drink it all in, some skim. (For what it’s worth, I’m halfway between a schedule and a mood reader, and I generally read pretty quickly because I tend to skim.) I’ve also noticed that my reading habits have definitely changed over the years. Did blogging influence your reading habits? It has definitely changed mine, in the ways I mentioned above as well as in things like making me think a lot more critically about what I’m reading.

I want to hear from you! How do you read?