Women Reading | A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea.

Charles French tagged me in a nice little Reading Habits Q&A.

You know that I am all about reading, books, dead writers, and reading books about and by dead writers. I’m also not shy about sharing my preferences and opinions. This Q&A is my cup of tea.

You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next? My real life TBR pile is pretty lengthy, and growing, although it’s nowhere near 20,000. Still, I have years of practice in determining which book to pluck from my teetering stacks. This method involves one part mood, one part intuition, and one part “it cannot be in the same genre as my own current writing project.” I also have at least 6 books in active rotation at all times.
You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or commit? If I start a book, I will finish it at any cost. I’ve been known to walk away from a particularly terrible or boring book, but I always return. I’m incredibly stubborn.
The end of the year is coming and you’re so close yet so far away on your GoodReads challenge. Do you quit or commit? I only joined GoodReads in May 2014, so this year is my first challenge. I’m totally indifferent as to whether or not I reach my goal. I honestly don’t know how to feel about the concept. I read for myself, and sometimes for professional obligations, but it’s not a race. However, if you remember the last line of my answer to question #2…I’m incredibly stubborn.
The covers of a series you love DO. NOT. MATCH. How do you cope? I. DO. NOT. CARE. As long as the covers aren’t “worthy” of being on Lousy Book Covers, I don’t give a damn how they look.
Everyone and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings? The world is full of people reading books I really don’t like. I’ve better things to do than look down on others for their choice of reading material. We’re all adults here.
You’re reading a book and you’re about to start crying in public. How do you deal? By crying in public? Tears aren’t poisonous, and neither is some stranger’s opinion.
A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a summary on GoodReads? Cry in frustration? I’d re-read the book as quickly as possible.
You don’t want ANYONE borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people “nope” when they ask? Books are for sharing. (Except for a few old, precious ones.)
You’ve picked up and put down five different books in the past month. How do you get over the reading slump? Reading slump? Never had one! I’ve been on a reading tear since the age of three.
There are so many new books coming out that you are dying to read! How many do you actually buy? I have a book buying addiction. Most of the books I buy are either second-hand or on sale. If there is a new book that I must have NOW, my sweet momma usually gifts it to me. Of course, I cannot buy every book that I want to read. Thank goodness for libraries, friends, my Nook, and Kindle for desktop.
After you’ve bought a new book you want to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf until you actually read them? It depends on the book, the timing, and my mood.