Guest Post: How I Read
Hello fellow Squeaky Book readers! This is Nerd Goddess, a fan of Enna Isilee's blog as well as her friend/writing buddy out in the 3D world. ;)
Since this is a book blog, I figured I'd write a post about books, but I've had a hard time trying to decide what to come up with. So, since lists seem to be popular around here, I think I'll make one of my own. ;)
How I read:
1. Position: My favorite reading position is, at the moment, lying on my stomach on my bed with pillows under my chest. I like it because the pillows prop me up, and I can read without having to hold the book. This works better for hardback books and longer books, as they stay propped open better. The downside is that it tends to hurt my ribs. When I was at college, though, I preferred reading while I was sprawled out on the couch in the kitchen, as it was often more quiet than my room. So this is something that changes.
2. Munchies: I know for some people eating while reading is an absolute taboo. But I find I like munching on things whilst I read. Especially popcorn, Smarties, Nerds (heh, Nerd Goddess...), anything with chocolate in it, and anything else that can be eaten with one hand without getting crumbs all everywhere. However, if I don't want to get a book dirty (like if it's new, or I'm borrowing it) I will refrain from doing this, just in case.
3. Page Count: This one's a little weird. I am always acutely aware of what page I'm on when I read. It matters not if the book is so gripping I forget how to breathe, or if it's so boring I can hardly stand it, I always check what page I'm on. And I always know how many pages are left. I never read the last page of the book, but I always carefully check to see what that page number is, and I silently count down in my head as I go. 300 pages left, 200 pages left, 100 pages left. I don't know why I do this, but I'm kind of curious to see who else does this.
4. Critiquing: I only just started critiquing books as I read, and I think Goodreads is probably to blame, since you can post your reviews on there. I find that when I read now, I note when things are bothering me, like if I haven't gotten enough time to know the characters, or the dialouge is stiff, or if the writing isn't smooth. It's kind of distracting, but I think it also shows that I'm starting to pay more attention to things other than the plot. It makes for more informed decisions on reviews, but it makes it a tad harder for me to enjoy a book if "ly" adverbs keep glaring at me from the page.
I think that'll do for now. I'm sure I do other, random things, like make funny faces or grunt at the book or something, but if I do I don't know about them, so they shall not be told of in this post. So my well-read friends, how do you read?
Edit: If any of you happened to read the post that got posted an hour ago, sorry about that. I had it scheduled, but I meant to delete it, since I wrote this post instead. My apologies on any confusion.
Since this is a book blog, I figured I'd write a post about books, but I've had a hard time trying to decide what to come up with. So, since lists seem to be popular around here, I think I'll make one of my own. ;)
How I read:
1. Position: My favorite reading position is, at the moment, lying on my stomach on my bed with pillows under my chest. I like it because the pillows prop me up, and I can read without having to hold the book. This works better for hardback books and longer books, as they stay propped open better. The downside is that it tends to hurt my ribs. When I was at college, though, I preferred reading while I was sprawled out on the couch in the kitchen, as it was often more quiet than my room. So this is something that changes.
2. Munchies: I know for some people eating while reading is an absolute taboo. But I find I like munching on things whilst I read. Especially popcorn, Smarties, Nerds (heh, Nerd Goddess...), anything with chocolate in it, and anything else that can be eaten with one hand without getting crumbs all everywhere. However, if I don't want to get a book dirty (like if it's new, or I'm borrowing it) I will refrain from doing this, just in case.
3. Page Count: This one's a little weird. I am always acutely aware of what page I'm on when I read. It matters not if the book is so gripping I forget how to breathe, or if it's so boring I can hardly stand it, I always check what page I'm on. And I always know how many pages are left. I never read the last page of the book, but I always carefully check to see what that page number is, and I silently count down in my head as I go. 300 pages left, 200 pages left, 100 pages left. I don't know why I do this, but I'm kind of curious to see who else does this.
4. Critiquing: I only just started critiquing books as I read, and I think Goodreads is probably to blame, since you can post your reviews on there. I find that when I read now, I note when things are bothering me, like if I haven't gotten enough time to know the characters, or the dialouge is stiff, or if the writing isn't smooth. It's kind of distracting, but I think it also shows that I'm starting to pay more attention to things other than the plot. It makes for more informed decisions on reviews, but it makes it a tad harder for me to enjoy a book if "ly" adverbs keep glaring at me from the page.
I think that'll do for now. I'm sure I do other, random things, like make funny faces or grunt at the book or something, but if I do I don't know about them, so they shall not be told of in this post. So my well-read friends, how do you read?
Edit: If any of you happened to read the post that got posted an hour ago, sorry about that. I had it scheduled, but I meant to delete it, since I wrote this post instead. My apologies on any confusion.
We're very similar! I'm always reading more than one book at a time. I read sitting on the couch, usually with my feet up. I have different foods for different genres--weird, right? (Murder mystery=chocolate chips) I also keep track of how far along I am and also calculate my reading pace for each book. Lastly, I'm a notorious inner-critic!
ReplyDeleteI like to read outside on my porch a lot...we have a little sofa kind of thing you can sit on. Either that or on the couch or chair in the living room. I can't lay on my stomach for too long or it drives me nuts! Lol
ReplyDeleteI tend to drink things when I'm reading a lot...I eat every now and then but it's not really a regular thing.
And I'm always seeing how far I have left to go in a book. It's kind of a reviewing thing, I guess. I'm always reading something and often more than one book at a time, so it's good to see how far I have to go..and like you said, whether i like the book or not. :)
Lauren
Man, these guest posts are inspiring me to think about the way I read.... :)
ReplyDeleteI read FAST.
ReplyDelete