I have some odd reading habits. (I imagine all voracious readers do, though I don’t consider my reading style to be “voracious.”) Perhaps you do some of these things, too. Maybe you think I’m a total nut who doesn’t know how to read properly. Either way, today I’m a open book. (Pun so intended.)
I always look to see how many pages a book has. Sometimes I even read the last page or paragraph of the book. I know I’m spoiling it, but sometimes my anxiety needs to know. Also, when I really love a character, I check the last page or chapter to make sure they’re still alive. #sorrynotsorry
I don’t enjoy thrillers. They make my whole body shake and I dream about them and I try to figure out “who done it” the whole time… but after reading The Woman in Cabin 10 I can accurately conclude that I tend to breeze through them much faster than any other genre. (And I definitely didn’t enjoy that one!)
I work better with a challenge. I like making a summer reading list or participating in Erin’s challenges because they give me a direction and a “to do list” for book reading. Even if I read things off that list, I have something that I’m working toward. I read best that way.
About halfway through a book I decide what I’m going to rate it on Goodreads/my blog. Then I give it the second half to up its score (or, unfortunately, wreck it).
If a book is good enough, I scour the internet for fan art/more details/background stories. I don’t think that’s too out of the ordinary, though, right? (I am all about the fan art with The Lunar Chronicles.) I try to curb the searching if I feel like it might ruin the ending/next book.
When I’m super into a book I typically force myself to put it down… even if I pick it up again 5 minutes later. I think my brain just needs a few minutes to process what I read or feel that urge to HAVE to jump back in. If someone were to watch me read they’d see me read for 30 minutes or an hour, set the book down and look out the window or toss the dogs’ toys a bit, then crack it open for another hour of reading.
I have a serious love/hate relationship with my Kindle. K gave me a Paperwhite for my birthday last year. I love it because it’s portable AND it’s backlit (that’s the term, right?) so I can read in bed while he’s sleeping. And therein lies the hate… If I’m not tired I will open up that Kindle and read for hours. Last week I read from 9:30pm to 2:30am. I have always been more productive at night, but I tried to change my ways after I graduated college. Kindle is making me regress…
I need to have at least 2 books going at the same time (and they can’t be similar). Also, there’s no limit to how many books I have going… Right now I’m reading seven. I switch based on what I’m in the mood for (like how one would pick a movie) and I scatter them all over the house so something is always at my fingertips 🙂
To be clear, I don’t always let myself spoil books. There are times I avoid GoodReads reviews or skip over a book during the #SUYB link-up. I’m not a total monster.
Do you have any strange reading quirks? Do we share any?
*I’m going to take next week off from blogging. I’ll still be hopping around and reading your posts, but my creative juices are lacking and I think a week off will help! 🙂
Life as Louise 
I have a colleague who always reads the end of a book first. If she doesn’t like the ending she won’t read the book. She even does it with detective novels, which for me I think would spoil the reading experience… imagine reading the end of an Agatha Christie book first?!
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I try to just glance at the page number. If I’m *really* anxious about a character dying I’ll skim for their name and dialogue from them. I actually just did that in a book I finished and totally blew the ending for myself. I really should show more restrain…
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I also look at how many pages a book has when I start it! And yes I can relate to enjoying a book and wanting to see what others thought online. Even when I know the story and the ending I’ll read reviews and spoilers haha!
I’m reading two books at the moment too – been a habit of mine for ages.
Great post 🙂
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It seems like a lot of people glance at page numbers 🙂 I love digging around to see if my opinion of a book matches other people’s.
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I loved this!! I really like to know how many pages there are too, and I formulate a rating really quickly. The only thing I can’t do is more than 1 book at a time!
Enjoy your blogging break- you deserve it!
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More people glance at page numbers than I thought!
I don’t mean to rate a book so soon, but it definitely just happens by 50%. Lol
I just can’t read one book. I get bored.
Thank you!!
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I always check to see how many pages a book has before I start it, but I don’t read the ending first. I can read two books as long as they’re not the same genre. As in, I can’t read two thrillers at the same time because I get confused easily lol. I’m with you on the rating halfway through and challenges too. I guess one weird quirk is that it takes me a long time to decide on what to read next once I finish a book. I need time to process.
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I wouldn’t be able to read two thrillers either. The books I read simultaneously have to be pretty different from one another.
If I don’t currently have another one going, it takes me a while to slip back into a book. That’s half the reason I like to read multiple at one time 🙂
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I also check the page count first thing! I like to keep track of how far I am because I’m a progress oriented person.
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Agreed. If I’m reading a book long enough to change it to “currently reading” on GoodReads then I update the progress by page number (physical book) or percentage (ebook) as I go.
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This was fun! I always check the page count as well and then estimate/plan when I will finish it. I read about 50 pages a day. But I can’t imagine having so many books going at once! The most I ever have is one fiction and one non-fiction. I couldn’t do two fiction at the same time. I do almost always read the end of a book at some point. Oddly I feel that it helps me to enjoy the book better because I don’t feel rushed to find out what happens.
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I completely agree about reading the ending. I don’t do it with every book, but sometimes I need the assurance that it’s all going to be ok before I get there (and if it’s not, at least I have a warning). I aim for about 50 pages a day but once I hit the last 100 pages or so, I read until the end.
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For many years my reading process was to read chapter 1 to ensure that I liked the book, then read the ending to make sure I liked the ending. I have mostly stopped doing that but I will occasionally do it with books I’m considering DNFing. If I read the ending and I am like WTF, then I generally read/skim the book. If I read the ending and it’s as terrible as what I’ve read thus far, I smugly pat myself on the back and quit.Those who read multiple books at once always amaze me. I can only do that if I’m reading a self-help book and something else. Otherwise, I get confused. Sadly, challenges have the opposite affect on me. I become like Nanny McPhee. If I have to read you because you’re on my challenge list, now I no longer want to read you. But all those books that I can read anytime, I want RIGHT NOW!
Enjoy your week off! I plan on taking next week off too. 😀
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I thrive with challenges. Even if I’m not reading a book ON my challenge list I consider it a win 🙂 I don’t read the entire ending first. I usually don’t read it at all… but if I’m anxious about a character’s fate I skim the last few pages for some dialogue from them 😉
Thank you! Enjoy yours, too!!
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I’m with you on checking fan art! I want to know if I’m picturing the characters the way other people do, and sometimes I realize I missed something critical and go back and re-read descriptors to re-imagine them better. If I’m really into a book I also like to look up whether or not it has been optioned as a movie (and if it has been cast yet.) It’s always fun to go ahead and imagine the actor or actress as you go if you can.
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Agreed! I won’t lie… my brain is so white-washed that sometimes I COMPLETELY miss when a character is anything but Caucasian. Then I’m all irritated with myself for missing that important detail! I tend to look up movie adaptations toward the end of books- I like seeing characters in my head first, especially when I read their description correctly and have a strong mental image!
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False, you ARE a voracious reader. Stop lying 😉
Also, when I do get into a book (like Need to Know recommended by Laura), I force myself to go slow so I can process/remember it all!!
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Hahahaha- I have moments, but other people can read the pants off my slow progress 😉
Some books I definitely have to process slowly, too!!
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The first thing that I do when reading a book is check how many pages it has! Whenever I tell someone I do this they think it’s so weird! I LOVE this post – so fun to read about people’s quirks and habits. I generally can’t read more than one book at once. Whenever I say I am going to do that, I usually end up reading an entire book and then going back much later to the one I put down. Often I will end up starting over!
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Apparently you’re in good company here because lots of people have said they check page numbers, too!! I really love reading multiple books. I feel like it gives me genre options (like flipping channels).
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I sometimes read the end of books early also. I don’t like surprises.
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Totally agree. And if my favorite character is going to die then I need to be mentally prepared for that…
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I totally have at least two books going at all times. Usually one audio and one actual book. Sometimes when work is slow, I have a third book in audio form to listen to while I am at work and doing the mindless tasks or uploading. I try not to know spoilers.
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I wish I could do audio books! My commute is 10 minutes and I don’t have the ability to listen to anything other than music while at work. I split my books up between the kindle and physical books. That way I can read some of them in bed when I can’t sleep 🙂
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If I’m really into a book, I have to put it down, too. Part of it is needing time to process the story, and the other part is not wanting the story to end 🙂
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I completely agree with both of those reasons! (Although if I have the time I tend to pick it right back up after 10 or 15 minutes!)
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I always check out how many pages are in a book – well, a physical book. And I LOVE my Kindle Paperwhite, but yeah, it really does keep me up way later than I should be up sometimes. haha
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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I kind of hate that I can’t look at page numbers on a Kindle (although I could always look online). That said, I love having the percentage down in the corner. It helps me set goals 🙂
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hahah i feel the saaaame about my kindle too. i get so sucked but when traveling – so so good! i always see how many pages there are but i’ve gotten better about not reading the ending. haha
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I never thought I’d like my Kindle or ebooks so much. I was always a ‘real book or die’ kind of reader. Man… I really love my Kindle now 🙂 Haha! (And I love real books still, too!!)
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I always have at least 4 books on the go too! Except I haven’t read anything in weeks, I am trying to get into it again because my brain is turning into mush with all the tv I’ve been watching!
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Well… I think you’ve got a pretty good excuse 😉 Hope things are going well!! Glad to hear from another reader that has more than two or three books going at any time! Haha!
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gasp! i can’t believe you read the last page or paragraph. i like to know how many pages a book has, real or kindle. i sometimes google to make sure a character doesn’t die, so whatever. i probably do that more with tv than books though. i am not really one for thrillers for the same reason (well my body doesn’t shake but they do give me nightmares) but they take me a looooooong time to get through, whereas i can read a romance book in a few hours, depending on how many pages and distractions.
i am the same with the multiple books. right now i am only reading one and i am itching to start another haha. this never happens!
i feel the pain with your kindle. generally, i don’t get in bed with a book. otherwise i will just keep reading. i can’t fall asleep with a book or kindle in my hand, so i will keep reading until i force myself to put it down.
i have a bunch of strange reading quirks. i’m gonna do a post now 😉
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I don’t always read the last page or paragraph (and usually I get really mad at myself when I do it). But I do always check pages numbers. (I always look up how long a movie is, too, before I go see it.) I prefer to watch tv series that aren’t on the air any more so I can make sure my character(s) live in the end 😀
I love reading in bed… even if it does lead to sleepless nights. And I just can’t read one book- it makes me crazy and bored!
I loved your post on this topic!!
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Hello!!! I have been in the land of paint and carpet ripping… not glamorous… and I miss blogging and reading!!! I love this list. I have noticed myself reading a head a few paragraphs and letting myself see what comes next. Which is about as crazy as I get with spoilers. I hate spoilers… hhehehe But I know many people like them. I definitely got so obsessed with ACOTAR that I have a secret pinboard of fan art. And I bought the coloring book… LOL. hehe I definitely need to read multiple books at once as well! It usually works, but sometimes it makes it easier to abandon or put off really slow or boring ones. LOL. XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
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Hahaha- hello! You were missed!! (And I was so impressed to see you got our blog collab post up! I’d have 100% missed the deadline with all you have going on!)
I read a little ahead, too. Then I force myself to go back and take in all the details from the paragraph or lines I skipped over. I don’t like huge spoilers, but I like to be prepared for a death. LOL. The Lunar Chronicles are my favorite art to look up. And Harry Potter 🙂
I like switching between books and genres so I need multiple books going. I end up putting off the dull ones, too.
HOPE YOU’RE ENJOYING YOUR CRUISE!!!
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When my best friend told me that the first thing she reads in a book is the last page- i was absolutely horrified, but at least she’s not alone! hahahah that’s funny about thrillers because they’re my favorite…but i’m also known to check if the doors are locked about 10 times if the book is really intense hahaha. Love learning all this about you!
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I always glance at the last page- at least for the page number! When K catches me doing it he scolds me, lol. He hates when I read ahead/look up spoilers on TV shows, too. I just don’t like the anxiety/surprise! Hahaha!
I’m definitely not a thriller lover, but I’ve read a few. When I get freaked out from books or tv shows or movies I lock all the doors and search the whole house with a kitchen knife in my hand and my bigger dog next to me. HAHAHAHA!
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