How I Read – Book Tag #amreading #booktag #howiread #bookblog

Welcome to my humble attempt at the How I Read book tag. Not entirely sure who created the tag but I saw this one over at Reading In The Wings and thought I would give it my best shot. I thought the questions were intriguing and I was in the mood to ramble so here we are! Hope you enjoy the tag and feel free to do it yourself, just tag me so I can read and share it. First question…

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

Not particularly. When it’s warm I try and be in the garden as much as possible. I definitely can’t read in bed because that always ends up with me waking up 45 mins later with an entire book stuck to my face. Everywhere else is fair game.

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

I can stop reading after one sentence. I usually have to. A busy household makes for a poor reading experience. Since I started blogging I’ve to let things go. Reading goals. Self imposed deadlines. Finishing a book in one go. If I can finish a chapter and make some notes, I am a happy chap.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

I’m either/or on this one. I have a bookmark that I’ve had for nearly a decade. It one of those 3D ones with skeletons dancing on it. Still makes me laugh to this day. My sons frequently commandeer this bookmark, and my frog one, for themselves so I make do with pieces of paper. Usually that days post.

Multi-tasking: music or TV while reading?

I usually have a fan on. I find the white noise helps my concentration. I can’t do music and I definitely can’t watch TV. I am hardcore when it comes to reading. My wife knows this and as soon as I pick up a book, important topics of conversation flood her mind and they all need to be addressed. I love my wife with all my being, but she can clearly see that I am reading 😀

Do you eat or drink while reading?

I’m far too sloppy to eat while reading. All my books would be multicoloured, crummy stains. Gross I know. I barely pass at drinking tea whilst reading. The amount of mugs I have broken not putting them back on the table properly when reading is far higher than your average household.

Read at home or everywhere?

Usually anywhere but home. I find it hard to settle into a book at home. I do it often but it’s not the same. My best reading is done in a coffee shop. Pot of tea, something sweet and an hour to myself.

One book at a time or several at once?

One at a time. I used to be a cool hip young reader who could juggle, and have opinions about, a multitude of books all at once without thinking twice. Now I have a family, a job and very little sleep. I do my best to focus on just one book at a time these days.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?

As a father who spends quite a lot of time reading aloud to his kids, I enjoy the solitude of my head when I am reading. I have been known to read aloud when I am eager to continue reading but have began that stage where reading becomes almost hypnotic and I find myself nodding off.

Do you read ahead or skip pages?

If I am desperate or engaged enough in the story then I have to read ahead. I can’t help myself. If I need to check if someone I care about has died or someone I hate has met their much needed exit then I totally jump ahead. I’ve only actually skipped reading sections of a book once or twice. Not because I’m bored, but because I can’t handle that particular part of the story. (I am talking about you A Suitable Lie).

Break the spine or keeping it like new?

I would say keeping it like new. Not that I really put too much thought into it. I just seem to be careful with my books most the time. I’m more concerned with the state of some of the books that have been returned to me after someone has borrowed them. Stuff of nightmares.

Do you write in your books?

I don’t but I kind of wish I did. Don’t judge me! I am fascinated by all sorts of books. Growing up I always wanted a dog eared copy of a book I loved that had been scribbled all over and I could recite it from memory. I never got to that point unfortunately. Closest I got was Eminem’s autobiography.

Thank you for coming by to check out my latest attempt at a book tag that is doing the rounds. I thought these were some fun questions I could give completely serious answers to so I could take a break from all those books I’m avoiding. I do really enjoy talking about personal experience surrounding books once in a while. I am not really an ‘living out-loud’ type of person but every so often I do appreciate reflecting on how I live my life day to day. Especially when that topic involves books. I hope you enjoyed the post and please recommend me some more tags to do!