Everyone's answered them but me

If there's one thing bookworms like, it's finding out what other bookworms like. What are our bookish habits? How do other's habits differ or complement our own? So I'm going to answer some of those basic bookish questions today.

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

My favorite (and almost exclusive) place to read at home is in the left-hand corner of the couch, propped up against two pillows, with another on my lap to prop up my book, and if the weather demands—which it almost always does—a blanket. Also, a floor lamp trained on my book. This is known, in my house, as “the queen’s location.”

 

2. Do you use a bookmark or a random piece of paper?
Bookmarks. I’m forever on the search for the perfect bookmark—one I love the looks of, but that doesn’t disintegrate with use. I usually use free ones we get at work from The Book Depository. Each has Post-it note tabs lined along the right edge for marking passages.

 

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter or a certain amount of pages?
I stop anywhere. If I can, I try to end at a chapter or natural break, but it doesn’t stress me out if I can’t.

 

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?
A great deal of my reading is done at work over lunch, but other than that, I don’t eat or drink while I read. I don’t like spills or smudges in my books.

 

5. Do you watch TV or listen to music while reading?
At home, the TV is always on, so I read to a lot of news. Most of the time this isn’t a problem, but with more difficult nonfiction or poetry, I’d prefer quiet.

 

6. Do you read one book at a time or several at once?
I usually have four going: my main book; a second, shorter book read at home only; a book of poetry, and an audiobook.

 

7. Do you prefer to read at home or anywhere?
I prefer to read at home. It’s cozier. And the lighting is better.

 

8. Do you read out loud or silently?
Out loud? Do a lot of folks read out loud? I read silently.

 

9. Do you read ahead or skip pages?
Neither. I can’t bring myself to skip pages, and reading ahead would spoil the natural progression of the book.

 

10. Do you break the spine or keep it like new?
Horrors! No.

 

11. Do you write in your books?
No. Except to correct typos. I correct in pencil and then circle the page number. I spent enough years as an editor that I can’t stand to leave things uncorrected.


12. Do you buy your books or borrow them from the library?
Okay, so this is my confession for everyone to read. Even though I work in a library, and also have access to a great public library, I buy the books I read. (There are a few exceptions, like children's books.) I just can't stand not having the book I want to read when I want to read it. And to borrow a book, read it, like it, and then have to purchase it? Since it will be several years before I read it again, the books never get purchased. So I vet books well, reading excerpts and paying attention to reviews, then buy a few books every other week. This is one of my great decadence as far as spending money goes. I pinch pennies elsewhere.