I watched Emma from Drinking By My Shelf do this as a video tag and thought I’d take part too (even if I haven’t technically been tagged!) I tag Pauliina from The Bookaholic Dreamer but anyone who would like to take part can consider themself tagged too!
I found the questions at Storme Reads A Lot.
1. What is the longest amount of time you can comfortably go without picking up a book?
I pretty much read every single day, but sometimes I can go a few days, if I’m really busy. Also, sometimes I get into a reading slump and then it takes some real motivation to pick up a book after that. But it never lasts too long!
2. How many books do you carry on your person (or kindle) at any one time
I always carry my Kindle, wherever I go because I will always find any possible moment to pick up a book. Sometimes I bring a physical book with me too, especially if I have a long train or plane journey. I will read just about anywhere, even if it’s only for 5 minutes but I can’t read in the car, which was a huge disappointment to me as a child and remains so even now.
3. Do you keep every book you buy/receive or are you happy to pass them on to make space for more?
I am extremely strict about which books I keep. I try to embrace minimalism in my life, and therefore I will only keep items that truly make me happy. I pretty much get rid of any book that was under 4 stars and regularly go through my collection to get rid of books that I don’t think I will reread. That does mean that my lucky family regularly receive huge bags of books from me!
I also like the idea of being able to pack up my belongings and move at the drop of a hat (which I hope to do in the next few years) and unfortunately having hundreds of books would ruin this romantic vision.
4. How long would you spend in a bookshop on a standard visit?
I can quite happily spend hours in a bookshop, especially if I can also be fuelled by coffee while I’m there. My go-to sections are Fantasy and General Fiction and I will wander up and down the shelves endlessly, like I’m haunting the place.
Visiting a bookshop was my first non-essential shopping trip since COVID-19 brought on lockdown here in the UK. Although I have anxiety about being out and about, I felt a bookshop would be the right place to test the water.
5. How much time per day do you actually spend reading?
I tend to read for at least an hour every evening, but then read a lot more on weekends too. If I’m really invested in a book, I cannot put it down and may let a whole weekend just slip by. The last book that inspired this all-day reading was Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. It’s now an absolute favourite book of mine and I recommend it to everyone!
6. Where does the task ‘picking up a book’ appear on your daily to-do list?
Usually it’s not at the top of my list because I know I don’t need to remind myself to read, or push myself to pick up a book often. Answering emails, on the other hand, doesn’t inspire the same enthusiasm.
7. How many books do you reckon you own in total (including e-books)?
It’s impossible for me to estimate Kindle books as I have so many! I download anything that’s free as well as the latest 99p offers. As for physical books, I have about 65. I plan to get that number even lower as I finish my TBR.
8. Approximately how often do you bring up books in conversation?
I would say too often. I am always read to rant about my latest read- good or bad- and bring up reading whenever I can. That’s probably also why I am active across Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads and this blog because I keep needing more places to talk about books!
9. What is the biggest book (page count) you have finished reading?
I think it’s The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been really enjoying this series so far and can’t wait to read the next book, when I eventually get round to it. I also have The Way of Kings on my TBR to read at some point this year.
10. Is there a book you had to get your hands on against all odds (i.e searching bookshops, online digging, etc.)?
There are a few books from my childhood that I can’t remember the name of and have tried using forums to figure it out, to no avail. I think they might be lost to time and replaced with nostalgia and maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
11. A book you struggled to finish but refused to DNF?
Ninth House.
Sorry everyone but I really didn’t enjoy this book. And I went to the book event, bought the cute Ninth House tote, got it signed by the legendary Leigh Bardugo and…. hated the book.
However, as I was reading it for the Books for the Brave readathon, I felt really motivated to be brave myself and to persevere.
12. What are 3 of your main book goals for 2020?
After looking at my 2019 wrap-up, I really wanted to read more diversely in 2020 as the books I read were also overwhelmingly by white cishet authors. This year, I’ve following so many more authors of colour and/or queer authors across social media which has resulted in some really great reads!
I also wanted to finish my physical TBR. Yes, I really mean it this time. I have way too many books I haven’t read yet sitting on my shelves and I want to get that number down to zero. It’s August as I write this and I still have about 40 to go, so I’m no longer feeling too optimistic!
Another goal was to read more books than I’ve ever read before. This year my Goodreads goal is 80 books, which to me is beyond amazing, seeing that only a few years ago I maybe read one (1!!!!!) book per year. It’s definitely a challenge but so far I’m on track- fingers crossed!
13. Have you ever had the privilege of converting someone into a reader (maybe via inspiration or incessant nagging)?
I don’t think I have. Most of the people in my life are also at Uni (like me!), and it’s really hard to motivate yourself to pick up a book when you’ve spent the whole day going through journal articles. So a lot of the people I’m closest with don’t read much outside of their specialist area. My family read lightly and my partner reads non-fiction so I’ve not managed to convert anyone… yet!
14. Describe what books mean to you in five words.
An escape to another world.
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