I started thinking about this after noticing several people that I work with reading one book at lunchtime for weeks. Weeks! If it took me that long to read one book I would have lost interest and gone on to another book. And I’m not talking about books my co-workers aren’t able to get into. One of them finally finished Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series. She read them one right after the other, loved them, and yet it took her months to get through four books!
I devour books. Unless it’s a book I can’t get into (which would quickly be replaced by one I can), once I’ve started a book I read it in every spare minute I have. I immerse myself in the world and the characters. I read while I’m fixing dinner. I read in bed, sometimes late into the night, even though I know I have to get up early. I read whenever I can until I’ve finished the book. I can’t imagine getting into a book and only reading it half an hour here and there. Sure, I have other things to do. Ha, I have my own books to write. But once I’ve started a book I have to read until I finish it.
I also seem to read in cycles. I go on binges, reading book after book, as many as I can, for several weeks. Then I won’t read any for a while. This often happens when I need to be writing, it’s hard to write and read too (especially if you have that devouring habit explained above.)
I read in multiple genres and sub-genres. There aren’t many that I don’t enjoy reading, but I find myself gorging on certain sub-genres. Sometimes I get in the mood for paranormal romances and I might read them exclusively for weeks. Or mysteries. Right now I’ve been reading tons of contemporary romances. Not sure why, just happens that way.
Unless I lose a book I’m reading (I know, I know, it happens though) I only read one book at a time. I’ve heard of some people who have one book they read in their bedroom and one book in the bathroom and another in the living room, then they pick up which ever book is in the room they're in. I can’t imagine trying to keep track of characters and story lines while reading three books at one time. Not to mention the above mentioned problem – I don’t stop reading one book until I’m done.
But how about you? Am I the only one with reading habits that mirror poor eating habits (devouring, binging, gorging???) Can you slowly read one book over weeks? Do you read exclusively in one genre? Do you read more than one book at a time?
And in case you’re looking for another one to read, as part of Red Sage’s 15 anniversary celebration, my novella, Quinn’s Curse, is on sale RIGHT NOW, for only $1.50. Go to the Red Sage blog http://redsagerevealed.blogspot.com/ and click on the Quinn's Curse link on the right.
So...how do you read???
Natasha – right now devouring With a Twist by Deirdre Martin
www.natashamoore.com
14 comments:
I READ WORD FOR WORD AND DEVOIR EVERY BOOK I READ. I CAN REMEMBER BOOKS I'VE READ YEARS AGO. I READ ABOUT 8 TO 10 BOOK A MONTH. ALL ROMANCE, BUT IN INTRIGUE, ROMANTIC SUSPENSE, PARANORMAL, TIMETRAVEL, ETC.
BUT I HAVE THE BAD HABBIT OF LOOKING AT THE LAST PAGE. IF I LIKE THE WAY THE AUTHOR ENDED HER STORY, I BUY. HATE UNHAPPY ENDINGS.
I LOVE SERIES AS I CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO MY H/H OF THE BOOK BEFORE. DIANA PALMER IS GREAT AT THIS. NORA ROBERTS WROTE A SERIES OF THE MACGREGOR FAMILY. 5 GREAT BOOKS..
I NEVER GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT A BOOK IN MY BAG.
JACLYN
I am totally with Jaclyn on the happy ending. I don't read the last page, but if you give me a sad or ambiguous ending, I'll never read another of your books.
If it's a book I absolutely love (and they are not the norm), I read obsessively. Otherwise, I have 2 or 3 books going at a time. I think that's because I mostly read non-fiction, which is easier to put aside. But there is nothing better than a new fiction book which I can't put down!
Carly
I confess to reading more than 1 at a time. Rather listening to one in the car (I have a long commute) and reading another in the house. I don't normally read during lunch only because I'm usually doing errands I don't want to do when the day's over and I can read. Or write, depending on a deadline. :)
I read print, e-books, and (as mentioned) audios in the car. I also find I like to walk (when the weather's nice) with a audio, and it might be different than the one in the car.
I keep track of them, tho wil admit to having to take a moment to remember who's who. After that, it's al good and I'm totally into the story.
I can remember plots and characters from stuff I read ages ago, but never titles and authors. It's the same with names of people I meet, tho. For that, my memory isn't so good. Give me a plot and I'm right there!
I read one book at a time, but I like to switch from one subgenre of romance to another when I chose which book it will be. I read slowly--every word--and I always finish books.
But if a book really grabs me, I will devour it. I love those page turners. They make me ignore everything else so I can finish the book. :^)
I read one at a time, and usually only at night before bed, but not every night. I'm a slow reader.
I read one book at a time. When I start a book, I'll usually finish it within a week or days. Usually I read in big chunks. If I have a free day on the weekend (much more likely now with the kids out of school and a minimum of sports going on), I'll sit on our back patio and read for a 2-3 hours. I can usually get through at least half of a book doing that. Then I'll read at night in my rocking chair for another few hours. I don't like picking up a book when I know I'll only have a half hour or a few minutes to read.
I read one book at a time also. But don't take time to read as much as I'd like. I have huge TBR stacks (both print and electronic). I can't seem to stop myself from buying and collecting books I can't wait to read. But then I don't start them because it seems there is always something else I have to do. If I start reading a book and love it, I'll read every spare minute no matter what until it's finished. I LOVE books like that. But I also start a lot of books that I don't finish simply because they're not compelling enough. Or they've gotten slow somewhere in the middle and I'm not motivated to finish. Those half finished books lay on my bedside table for weeks or longer (or stay on my laptop.) I might finish them or might not. I only wish I was a speed-reader so I could read more books faster because it is one of my favorite hobbies.
I'm fairly steady as a reader - rarely do I have reading droughts.
I have a harder time reading ebooks, because I read them on my laptop so I'm always going ooo instant message or ooo email! The internet is killer on my reading.
I can read several books at one time and sometimes I do that, but I prefer to read one at a time - mostly because I get sucked into the story and want to know its ending.
Hi Jaclyn. I don't go anywhere without a book or a notebook.
Carly, I rarely read non-fiction books unless I'm doing research.
Isabel, good for you remembering all those plots. Sometimes I have trouble when I start reading one, say, paranormal and forgetting that it was the LAST book I read that had the evil shapeshifter traitor and not the one I'm reading now LOL
Hi Penelope. I love to lose myself in books too.
Kelly, I wish I could confine my reading to bedtime, I'd get so much more done. But that book just keeps calling to me and I end up picking it up. :)
Carol, we just got a swing for our back porch and I love to curl up and read there after work.
Hey Nicole! I have stacks of books too - on the shelves, on the floor, on my hard drive, on my e-book reader.
Hey Keira, I love my ebookwise reader. Not very expensive and I can curl up with it so I don't have to read my e-books on the computer.
Re: eBooks - I have both a netbook and a smartphone. Netbook is rockin' for plane trips, and the smartphone with its PDF reader is great for work - if I ever remember to load books onto it!
When I do actually read things other than textbooks, I go straight through one book, then onto the next. As a kid, I loved obscure series with 4-5 books in them. Some favorites from middle school: Half Magic, John Bellairs... I tended to hang onto authors and then read everything they'd written, ever. :)
Now, for school reading, I read once through w/o notes, then read through again and take notes. I don't highlight because the texts are too heavy to carry around. Notes fit on a USB stick - textbooks require a pickup truck!
This is a great topic, Natasha :) Used to be I was a voracious reader. Read a book in one sitting and went in search of the next one on my to-be-read pile. Of late, I confess, time has not been kind and allowed me spare moments for one of my favorite pastimes.
Once I move into my new home (YAY, I've found my dream home!), and all the unpacking is done (trying hard not to think about all that's ahead), I plan on relaxing and focusing on making my to-be-read pile dwindle. Give me some spare moments each evening, and I'll go through those novels cover to cover before I get under the covers :)
Happy week wishes,
Shawna
I have to be very careful in reading. Nothing important in my life needs to be going on. Once I pick up a book, my reality stops. Stops! Nothing exist outside the book I am reading. I sometimes wish I could be one of those people who can read a chapter or two, then close it. I think I would actually read more than I do if I could. I can't. I've laid in bed until four in the morning knowing I have to get up early, the bags under my eyes feeling like they are touching the pillow and still continue on. I can read for hours and hours. Completely submerged in the world the author created. And once I read the final page, it takes me a moment to get back into where I left off in real life. Now that is a GREAT book, lol.
Esme
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