Reading Habits Tag

Another tag. Yes, that means that my reading pace has slowed down dramatically (damn needing a job) and my blog is feeling neglected. (Forgive me while I personify random things.) Anyway, enough of the babble. Let's get on with the tag.

This tag was created by TheBookJazz and I was inspired to do it by Nicole's Adventures in SFF.

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

Yes. I read in bed most nights. If I don't have anything that needs attention over the weekend, then I either lounge on the couch, sit on the patio or perch on a tree stump outside. It depends on the weather and how long it takes for my bum to go numb.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Either. I have a ton of bookmarks, and I use them a lot. Having said that, sometimes my pile of bookmarks disappear (or is just out of reach), and I have been known to grab anything from a dream catcher (that looked very appropriate in Wicked by Gregory Maguire) to till slips. Last week I used a pen's lid...

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

I try and stop at the end of a chapter. If it is one of those books with unusually large chapters or if my eyes have decided that time is up, they are closing, then I will either stop at the end of a paragraph or on a new page. Terry Pratchett had caused me many hours of sleepless nights until I finally gave up and succumbed to this rather more practical approach.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

I drink coffee. I don't eat while reading though. I don't want dirty marks in my books or greasy fingerprints on the cover. And how does one manage that anyway? You need two hands to turn a page...

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

Generally I don't. However, when I was younger I used to read to instrumental music. What is awesome about that is that when I hear those pieces even now, I am automatically thrown back into the stories from decades ago. Something like smell memory - except to classical music.

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

I was initially a 'one book at a time' gal. Nowadays I have no issue juggling many books at once. It is especially helpful when I have a book that I am not enjoying as much, as I can pick up something else while plodding along through the other. I do not, however, read more than one book at a time of the same genre. Two high fantasy series at the same time would confuse me to no end.

Currently I am reading: The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Complete Illustrated Short Stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Outsiders by SE Hinton (for school), Romeo and Juliet by (... geez, do I really have to say this?) William Shakespeare (for school) and Animal Farm by George Orwell (also for school). So that is three for me and three for work. Hmmm... this could possibly be the reason I have not finished a book in a while.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

Home and only home. I get distracted far too easily with everything else going on around me. Ironically, I can write just fine at a coffee shop. But reading - not a chance. 

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Silently in my head unless I am reading to one of my classes. I am good at reading out loud. I do voices, have dramatic pauses and enjoy scaring the crap out of them. It is the one time I have their complete and utter attention. Anyone would swear I am a Marvel super hero!
For my own personal reading, I read too fast to read out loud.

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

No. The closest I would go is skim reading parts - you know the parts: the one's with really long boring expositions that are going into technical details that I am not interested in, or those parts where the writer felt it was necessary to repeat themselves for the twelfth time since the last chapter - just in case the hint wasn't picked up. Meh. 

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new? 

Like new!!! Books are so bloody expensive here, I can't justify damaging them. Plus, a nice smooth spine feels nicer under my fingers. And of course, it looks a lot nicer on my shelves too!

11. Do you write in your books?

Hell no!!! Not in my books. When I was at university, I even tried using transparencies to make notes on instead of writing in my books. (Surprise, surprise! That didn't work!) I ended up putting a gazillion notes between my pages. I do, however, write in the setwork books that belong to my school. It is faster for me to remember the points I want to mention about that section, than trying to juggle notes. Two weeks ago *cue drum roll* I even used a highlighter! Oooooo!
My books are pristine though. (Does that come across as having double standards? It is for educational purposes - THEIR educational purposes. I think it is better to be prepared than overly fussy in this regard. Or at least, that is how I am justifying my actions to myself. I feel guilty about having done it!)

The 12th part of this tag was to tag someone else. Is anybody here? Would you like to do it? If you do, post a link to your tag below so I can read it! I actually enjoy reading and watching other people's tags!