Book Chat - Reading Style

Book Chat is a discussion, which is being hosted by The Book Rat and whilst I would totally post a video response, I’m seriously camera shy, and find myself unable to talk like a normal person – so I figured that was best avoided! 

Location

In terms of my favourite places to read, I have to admit that my number one is probably when I’m tucked up in bed at the end of the day.  I just love getting myself warm and comfy, and letting myself get lost in the story for a little while before I go to sleep.  For me, I guess it’s a sort of winding-down exercise – a little bit of quiet time to myself at the end of the evening. 

The bath is another one I frequent – I don’t have baths that often, I’m a shower-and-go kind of girl, but when I do, I like to make it good and bubbly, and lie in there with a good book.  I have lost a good few books to the water, and that’s why I make sure my Kindle never, ever goes in the bathroom – I can’t afford to replace it, and I doubt it would fare as well as my paperbacks! 

I also enjoy reading on the train or in the car – I don’t get travelsick, and for me it makes journeys go a lot quicker, and it means I tend not to notice annoying or strange things other passengers are doing. 

Finally, I really do love sitting out in the sunshine (not that we get much of that here in England!) and reading a good book.  It’s a nice way to spend one of those too-hot afternoons (when they eventually occur) outside with an ice pop and a good book. 

What I Read

As previously mentioned, I have a Kindle, and I admit to using it a lot.  That’s mainly a convenience thing – my Kindle fits in my handbag, meaning I don't have to carry around hefty books, and what with my love for epic fantasy, a lot of the books I read tend to be really heavy. 

That said, if a book costs the same in paperback as on Kindle, I’ll tend to have the paperback instead.  I admit, I like the feeling of physically holding a book and turning the pages, and it makes things easier if the books contain maps for reference of location etc. 

I own very few books in hardback, and this is for a few reasons.  One is that I have freakishly small hands, and I actually struggle to hold larger paperbacks!  The other is the price – I’m a Uni student, and that often means money is tight, so if I want a lot of books, they have to be cheap.  The other is that I broke my wrist at Christmas last year, and it’s never healed quite right, meaning I can’t hold a lot of weight, and hardbacks tend to lead to it aching, which detracts from my enjoyment of the read.  Besides, when you’re reading when you’re sleepy, dropping a hardback on your face is much more painful than a Kindle or a paperback! 

Reading Quirks

In terms of reading quirks, one of mine is that I’ll read a little bit, then I pause to digest the information.  I can’t explain why, but I have to stop and think over the last few pages’ worth of events before I can move on. 

I also get really, really annoyed if someone asks me a question, or asks me to do something when I’m partway through a page – I have to stop at the end of a page, and even better if that page ends on a completed sentence. 

Also, as previously mentioned, I read a lot of fantasy.  But if I’ve read a lot in the genre one-after-another, especially when they’re long, I then have to go back and read a couple of chick-lits (i.e. things I can blast through quickly) before I can go back to fantasy again. 

That’s about all I can think of for now, but it’s actually been really interesting trying to think of the way I read, and what I read.  I suppose you don’t realize these things until you actually sit back!