How do you read? A bookish meme (from Stephen’s Blog)
Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
Either my sofa or laying on my bed if I feel like a bit of a
stretch out. My sofa is only a 2 seater and being a little over 6 foot I can’t
really stretch as I’d like to.
Can you stop reading anywhere, or do you have to stop after
a chapter or certain number of pages?
I prefer to stop at the end of a chapter or section but I
can stop anywhere really. In extremis I can stop mid-sentence and carry on next
time as if nothing had happened.
Bookmarks or random slips of paper?
One of my usual online booksellers sends a bookmark with
every book they sell so I’ve certainly got no shortage of them as they tend to
last a fair bit. I will use just about anything though from an old envelope,
expired credit card (they last FOREVER), a pencil/pen (for short periods) so
anything!
Multitasking: music or TV while reading?
I can’t have the TV on and read too. I used to watch
movies/TV shows and read in the ad breaks but I don’t do that these days. So
music generally, but it has to be something that won’t interrupt my
concentration. Bands I know extremely well (like U2 or Counting Crows)
constantly break me away from a book so if I’m reading I won’t listen to them.
Do you eat or drink while reading?
Drink definitely – Coke/Pepsi in the daytime and, these
days, orange flavour Lucozade after 6pm. Food, sometimes, but it has to be
something I can eat with one hand so snacks generally.
Reading at home or everywhere?
Everywhere. If I’m going somewhere and I know there’s any
waiting involved I ALWAYS take a book.
Do you read ahead or skip pages?
I sometimes skim read bits I’m either overly familiar with
or I find boring. Any sex scenes tend to get skim read unless they are funnily
bad. If a book is on the barely readable range I might skim through bits just
to get it over with.
Break the spine or keep it like new?
People are usually surprised that most of my books look
completely unread despite the fact that I have indeed read them. Spine breakers
no doubt inhabit a special place in literary Hell.
Do you write in your books?
Those who write in books inhabit a separate section of
literary Hell. I unfortunately own several copies of books that have been written
in. It almost puts me off reading them at all. I think it shows an essential
lack of respect from the written word. An extreme opinion I know but still….
5 comments:
pichforks and poison for book breakers!
I've actually seen at least one person who was given a brand new book and the *first* thing they did was crack the spine. I shuddered and closed my eyes in disgust.... [shudder].
Hah, glad to know I'm not the only one who skims through sex scenes and can't bring himself to write in a book.
I have an entire small drawer of bookmarks, a clipped together pile on my desk, and another collection in a drawer beside my bed. I like to rotate them each time I start a new book.
@ Stephen: I find sex scenes usually totally superfluous (likewise in movies), simply badly done or too funny for words. There's really no need for them - especially with icky details! If I wanted to read that sort of thing I would - just not in my standard novels. As to writing in books - if you want to make notes get a notepad!
@ Judy: You can't but help accumulate them over time. But I just pick up the next one off the nearby pile. No system with me.
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