Monday, September 4, 2017

25 Bookish Facts About Me


This tag has been going around for ages now, and it's been over six months since I have started Heather's Reading Hideaway so I thought this would be a great way for everyone to get to know me more as a reader. So here are 25 random bookish facts about me!

1. My favorite genre to read is fantasy. I think fantasy stories are always so much fun to read. I enjoy the world building, the characters, and the magical systems that typically are in fantasy stories. It's so interesting to me that two years ago my goal for 2015 was to read more fantasy, so I did, and I am so happy I did.  I have not been reading as much this year, because my focus has been on diverse books and unfortunately diversity isn't common in fantasy (I'd love suggestions!).

2. If I had to choose between a paperback or hardcover I would choose a hardcover. However, I love reading big floppy paperbacks. I have this big floppy paperback of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and it's the best kind of paperback. I absolutely love it.

3. I prefer reading on my kindle over reading physical books. I know that's a controversial statement, and for some reason I have been told I am not a true book lover or reader because of this fact about me but I disagree. For me, kindle reading is more practical. It's easier to hold, I can use the back light to read at night when I can't sleep, the books are generally cheaper, and I use the functions (dictionary, highlighting, note taking) often. I love owning books, but I also love reading on my kindle. I have a Bookish Discussion on this topic if you're interested.

4. I prefer to read character driven stories versus plot driven stories. I enjoy both, but I tend to not like a book as much as I normally would if I don't like the characters. But I have enjoyed some books with just okay plots but with amazing characters.  

5. I do not think "loved" books have to look damaged.  Although I understand why people say a book is loved when it's tattered or has a broken spine, but I don't particularly agree with it. I think a book looks more "loved" when they're in good conditions. When I see a bookshelf of books that are in good condition I know the owner of those books really takes care of them, which always makes me happy. However, I won't deny that I have a few tattered copies of my favorites. So I understand both sides. 

6. I update too frequently on my Goodreads. I absolutely love the Goodreads app. There are a few things I would change or add but overall I think it's the best reading app available currently. I really enjoy seeing what other people are reading and I like to see the little progress bar fill up, which means I update my page numbers probably more often than I should.

7. I like to try to take a lot of breaks while reading. This is actually something I have been doing for about a year. I like to take a lot of breaks while reading because I have learned I tend not to absorb the story if I speed through the book without theorizing or just summarizing what's happened. I have so many books I want to re-read that I read in one sitting and barely remember the plot. 

8. I love audiobooks, but I get distracted easily. My brain can never fully focus on the story I am listening to so I tend to have to read along with the book. However, if I do not have the book there are a few mindless app games that I can play and it keeps me focused on the story. The app I play most of the time while listening to an audiobook is Unblock Me FREE. It's such a fun challenging game, but it's not so challenging or distracting that it takes your focus away from the story. You can find it in the iTunes app but I assume Andriod has a version also. 

9. I have a Harry Potter tattoo. It's one of my favorite decisions I have ever made. Harry Potter was a connection I had to my Nanny, who is the reason for my love of reading. Both her and Harry Potter were my safe spaces. When she passed away, I got a tattoo about a year after her death, which is a more personal tattoo that I also love. But when I got this tattoo it was not only to show my love for the universe J.K. Rowling created, but for me to remember that even if Hogwarts is a fictional place, when I visit Hogwarts I am also visiting my Nanny and the memories we built together. 

10. I am a Gryffindor! Lion Pride! I have always identified with the Gryffindor house. However as I have grown up I realize I have a lot of Hufflepuff traits also. When taking the Pottermore quiz I have always gotten Gryffindor, however I have taken other quizzes and I have gotten Hufflepuff with Gryffindor right behind. I have two Gryffindor inspired posts here and here.

11. I prefer reading a series versus reading stand alone books. This preference isn't a strong one. I love both, but if I had to choose between them I would choose a series over a stand alone. I think because I prefer character driven stories I love being with the characters as long as I can. 

12. I am a sucker for beautiful covers. I can't help it. Beautiful covers make me so happy and although I don't tend to buy books without researching them, I have easily taken books out of the library solely because of their cover. I am more likely to buy/borrow a physical copy of book if the cover is well done. Otherwise I would probably just buy the book on my kindle. 

13. I do not loan out my books often. This has everything to do with past experiences. I can't begin to count how many times I have loaned out a book and got it back damaged, if I got it back at all. I am so much more strict about it and I only loan out books to people I trust. Granted, most of my book-ish friends do not live close to me so I don't have a lot of opportunities to lend out books.

14. I have a small but growing bookmark collection. I use my bookmarks almost every time I read. I love buying or making new ones that I can use. I have a little Hedwig mug filled with different ones but there are two or three I use the most. 

15. I always take off hardcover book's jackets before reading. I do this for a couple reasons. The first one being that I don't like how the jacket slides all over when I hold the book. The second reason is that I don't want to damage the book jacket. Especially if the cover is a good one. 

16. I love hardcover book designs. A lot of people bring up judging a book by its cover and buying books because of their covers but one thing that isn't brought up as often and should be is when a book has a design of some sort on the book under the jacket. That immediately is a good thing in my opinion. I think it just shows how much time the publishers gave to making sure the book looked the best before putting it on shelves. 

17. I do not like deckled edges on books.
It drives me nuts when the edges of the books are cut up in a way to make it look tattered. I think it looks so cool, but it's so hard to flip through pages to get to a certain area and I don't like that they sometimes get frayed. The only time I can think of where I was okay with deckled edges is for the book Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. The reason I wasn't upset with it there is because the book's pages have this old parchment tint to them to look like old documents, so the deckled edges aesthetically just looks nice. So if there's a reason for them, I like it. Other than that I am just not a fan. I get irrationally annoyed when I can't properly flip pages.

18. When I was younger I slept with books under my pillow. I did it for longer than I care to admit and even now I sometimes wake up with my current read or my kindle on my lap or resting near my leg because I read for too long or woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep. 

19. Books almost always make me cry. I am a huge baby when it comes to reading. I get so emotional because I am very empathetic, which is something I didn't really learn about myself until the past couple years. If a book is well written and/or has amazing stories then I am most likely going to cry at least once. 

20. I try to give a book at least 200 pages (or half way, whichever one comes first) before I stop reading. I don't like forcing myself to read a book if I am not feeling it, unless I know someone who convinces me otherwise or I read a review that changes my mind. Life is too short to be reading bad books.

21. I have to read graphic novels and comic books in physical form. Reading them on an e-reader or an app/tablet is almost impossible for me. I am not sure why. It's so interesting because I have absolutely no problems reading a book on an e-reader. I think it may be the format of reading plus I really love to admire the art which I think is a better experience (for me) when you're holding it. My fiancé is subscribed to the Marvel Unlimited app where he gets to read basically the entire archive of Marvel comics on his phone/ipod. I have tried it also, but I just couldn't read it on my phone.

22. If I am reading alone I read dialogue out loud. I am not sure when I started doing this or even why but I read dialogue in books out loud all the time. I even give each characters voices and act it out. I don't even do it consciously and sometimes I will do it with my fiancé in the room without thinking. 

23. I can read about 100-150 pages an hour if I am not being distracted. I am known for being a quick reader who finishes books in a day or two. Although like I mentioned before I have been forcing myself to slow down, this fact about me is one I am proud of. I enjoy being a quick reader, but now that I have forced myself to read a little bit slower I think I have improved more as a reader

24. My favorite and typical reading routine is all about comfort. Hair up in a bun, pajamas, fuzzy socks, warm sweater, hot tea, and a comfy seat are the important steps to having a great reading experience. If it's after dinner and I am reading this is probably exactly how I look. 

25. I almost always have a cup of tea by my side while reading. Tea and books just go together. I cannot think of a better thing to have while reading. Granted, I also make myself drink a lot of water while reading but tea is so comforting and perfect for relaxing. The only downside is when I get so wrapped up in book that when I go to take a sip of my tea it's cold! Here is my post about my favorite kinds of teas.

Thanks for reading!

What are some bookish facts about you?

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