Monday 13 April 2009

How do you read?

I love reading and consider it one of my favourite pastimes, both for learning purposes and pleasure. I have friends who are also avid readers, but their reading habits are vastly different to mine. Even friends with whom I share a common interest in books read them in a very different way to me. It's sometimes amazing to think that we can have so much in common (ie our love of books and reading), yet approach this in such diverse ways.

So here are a few facts about how I read:
  • I generally have 2-3 books on the go, usually a novel, a biography of some sort, and sometimes something lighter for when I'm too tired to concentrate on heavier content.
  • I am a book borrower, particularly of fiction. Most of my fiction books come from libraries or friends' bookshelves. Occasionally I am given a book (or, even less occasionally, buy one) and it almost always makes the rounds of several family and friends before one of them inadvertently finds a permanent home for it.
  • I don't tend to re-read books. I figure that there are so many millions of books in the world that I would like to read. Do I really have time to read one I've already read?
  • When I start a new book, I always check which year it was written in, then see how many pages there are, where the last chapter started (and how many chapters there are in total), and how long the first chapter is. I don't know why I do it, but somehow this practice helps me frame the structure of the book as a whole before tackling the finer details from start to finish.
  • When I am tired or very busy, I prefer reading books with shorter chapters or sections breaks which allow me to pick it up or put it aside more easily.
  • I am a cautious reader. I don't really understand how books can fall apart after only a couple of readings. I treat new books with utmost care; most people don't realise I have actually finished reading some books as the pages and cover are perfect (no dog-ears) and the spine still in tact.
  • I am happy to read a chapter or two at once, if that is all that my time allows. I have friends who cannot bear to do this; instead, they will lock themselves away for a full weekend and read a novel cover to cover in one go. I rarely do this.
  • I do most of my reading at night, just before going to sleep. Even if it is only for 10 minutes, this is how I prefer to relax before sleeping.
  • I love to peruse bookshelves, libraries, book stores, book stalls ...
  • I tend to look for new authors, rather than new titles. If I like an author's writing style, I will often end up reading a lot of their work.
How do you like to read?

4 comments:

Courtney Elizabeth said...

I prefer to read books all at one time if I can. This usually results in very late nights :P.

Donna said...

I love reading them cover to cover if I can. If not, I read any chance I get. I'm starting to love some non fiction books and am trying to broaden my horizon when it comes to fiction books. And I've got some great classics that I really want to read and am determined to read.

Kellee said...

For the last 10 years, I've only been able to read when I've been able to arrange a complete lockdown, cover to cover, & generally resulted in one book per year at christmas time.

With my list though, I've got to read one every month, so I'm learning to break it down, a few hours here and there. Don't think I could ever read 10 mins & stop though :)

Dialect Of Heart said...

Thanks for dropping by my blog :) I too read 2-3 books at one time. Depends on my mood. Mid-day lethargy is unsuitable for heavy tomes, while commute time is best for a captivating fiction, while night time is purely for my love for non-fiction.
Btw, I like your Henna design. i got one done recently too :)