I first saw this tag on popcorncrunchy’s reading blog A Cup Of Tea And A Biscuit and noticed many others have been doing it lately. Just a fun diversion from writing reviews and some exploration of my reading habits.
You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How do you decide what to read next?
This isn’t terribly far from how long my actual TBR is! I’ve combated this issue by creating another TBR shelf on my Goodreads called 2019-TBR. Before adding a book I think carefully about whether this is a book to read someday or a book I’ve gotta read in the immediate future.
You’re halfway through a book, and you’re just not loving it. Do you put it down or are you committed?
This.. is hard. On one hand I think I’ve gotten this far and there must be a reason for it. There must be something within that (usually 150-200 or so) pages that brought us this far- and the temptation is to keep going. So basically my answer to this question changes depending on the book.
- If it’s a book I’ve been dying to read, and might like later when I’m more in the mood for it- set it aside, and come back later or re-read it at an altogether different time.
- If the book started out average or good but is approaching one star territory.. probably drop it. Don’t like dropping books though.
- If the book is super long (like 600+ pages) I’ll probably eventually finish because it seems so wasteful to just give up after that much time invested.
The end of the year is coming and you’re behind on your reading challenge.Do you try to catch up? And if so, how?
Arrange my TBR on Goodreads by number of pages and read some of the shorter books on my list! Or read short story collections. Those, by nature, should be briskly paced. I would add graphic novels or manga to the mix but I account for those separately since they take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to read and (depending on how awesome the series is) one can hurricane through 10+ volumes in a day. That’s what I did with this preciously adorable romance manga called Kamisama Kiss one day when the power was out for an extended period.
The covers of a series you love do not match. How do you cope?
This is so me. T_T The obsessive need for symmetry and/or consistency is real. This is why ebooks and library books are amazing, I no longer obsess over these little things when reading a book digitally or just borrowing it. That said, if they’re a set of hardcovers or really sturdy paperback, it might be cool to make custom covers for them? A neat little project for a rainy day.
Everyone and their mother love a book that you do not. Who do you bond with over your shared feelings?
Filter Goodreads reviews by 1 star and scroll. I do have to admit though, enthusiasm is contagious. If everyone loves a book they tend to go into detail as to why and it becomes easier to appreciate those things when reading.
You’re reading a book in public and you’re about to start crying. How do you deal with it?
This is why I sit close to restrooms, lol. Another strategy, if you HAVE to bring that soul-crushing book with you, bring the funniest one you know of to be its companion. Or have #cats on Instagram on your phone, at the ready. When you start getting too many feels, use breathing techniques, and quickly switch gears. Hopefully I remember these tips for myself since tearjerkers are my type.
The sequel to a book you loved just came out but you’ve forgotten a lot of what happens. Are you going to re-read it?
Nah, I’ll read some reviews, my own review or notes, or a deep summary if one is available online.
You do not want anyone to borrow your books. How do you politely say no when someone asks?
Okay so funny story- and by funny I really mean forever haunting and a cautionary tale. When I was 3-4 years old my father bought a giant, ultra-thick and illustrated hardcover book of fairytales from around the world. It was full of sumptuous full-color illustrations and we were often reading it together.
One day, a friend asked to borrow it. A couple months later when dad tried to retrieve it, the friend had moved away and their phone number wasn’t working either- this was back in the time of land lines and no Facebook and hectic lives where friends were easy to lose touch with.
Eventually, we also moved away and the book was lost forever. We didn’t remember the title or author of it, just how beautiful it was and over time we still bring it up and regret lending it out.
At this point my memory of this book has taken on dreamy, childishly exaggerated proportions. The cover is all sorts of unclear colors and designs, the book impossibly long, the pages thick and every single one with rich, otherworldly illustrations. I wish I could see what it really looks like. This reminds me of this quote from Jeffrey Eugenides beautiful coming-of-age novel, Middlesex.
“The mind self-edits. The mind airbrushes. It’s a different thing to be inside a body than outside. From outside, you can look, inspect, compare. From inside there is no comparison.”
― Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex
You have picked up and put down five books in the last month. How do you get over this reading slump?
Either to stop reading for that month, pick up a much-loved book, or try a book wildly out of my usual selection and from an under-explored genre.
There are so many books coming out that you are dying to read. How many do you end up buying?
I can see how this would play out.
Me : “This month is special, next month I’ll show restraint and not buy anything!” Next Month : *5000 amazing-sounding books get released.*
Thanks so much for reading this post! I’ll be doing more tags in the future, they’re fun.
If you’re doing this prompt please let me know I’d be happy to check out your post, and if you have any thoughts on my answers please feel free to share them I always love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading,
Kitty ❤
Kitty Marie's Reading Corner 