This Is How I Read Books

I’ve been wanting to share this for awhile because I go back and forth with books so much and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with on Twitter where I’m at in my reading life so finally, I sat down to write this down. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Okay, so…this is how I read books…

1. I’ll read books back to back, taking as little as one day and as much as a few months to read each book.

2. I’ll read multiple books at a time throughout the month and repeat this process until I go back to the routine of number one.

Number two is my current routine.

What I’m Currently Reading:
The 100 by Kass Morgan
Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

What I Plan To Read Next Week:
Split Second by Kasie West
Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Where I Get My Books and When I Read Them:
My Bookcase – I have one bookcase so I am constantly in the process of reading the books I own and donating the books that I don’t need to have on my shelf. I am trying to get through the rest of the books I need to read and decide to donate or keep before BEA in May. We’ll see. Anyway, the books on my bookcase consist of books gifted to me, ARCs & finished copies of books sent for review, and books I bought through Amazon, B&N (both online & in store), independent bookstores (Strand & Cathy’s Half Price Books), and conventions/signings.

The Library – Last year, I began using the library a lot more than I had in a long time asI became unemployed. My local library has been awesome! I also use the OverDrive app which lets me take out library e-books (and audiobooks).

Kindle (Amazon Store), iBooks (iTunes Store), Overdrive, Audible, & Bluefire Apps – These apps are all on my iPad. I love Kindle Daily Deals. I love getting ebooks through iBooks when I receive iTunes gift cards. I love library ebooks and audiobooks through the Overdrive app. I love audiobooks but they are expensive so I only buy audiobooks I want through Audible Daily Deals. I love the Bluefire app for downloading certain ARCs from NetGalley.

As far as when I read… I read everyday – when I’m not taking a reading break. But but but I don’t read as much each day as I used to. This needs to change. My goal this Spring is to take more time each day to read. Especially with this ridiculous goal I set for myself. I also found that strangely I read faster when I read on my iPad. I know many others have discovered this about their own reading habits. Anybody know why this happens? I read even faster when I turn on Siri to read aloud and get the audiobook feel (Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> VoiceOver -> Turn On VoiceOver) Anyway…

What is this reading break I’m talking about? That feeling you get when you look at your bookcase and want to read everything but just can’t find it in you to take that free time you have to read anything. Now. I watch Netflix, Hulu, DVRed shows, and shows/movies On Demand essentially everyday from September to May and I really zoom through my Netflix queue in the summer. But when I fall into what many refer to as a “reading slump” which is code for…give yourself a break you silly girl, I take this time to zoom through Netflix as well. Among other things. (Yes, I do go out. Mainly to Broadway shows…when I’m not unemployed). If you love reading but aren’t a fan of TV, read this post on my writing blog. Basically, I cannot go a day without reading someone’s words or watching someone’s words come to life. I can’t.

Why I Read Multiple Books At Once:
I like to be in different worlds at once and I like to be in those different places for awhile so I take my time reading. Sometimes I wish I had taken my time on day reads. Rarely do I wish I hadn’t taken my time with books I stretch out.

How I Read Multiple Books At Once:
This is typically how it works. I’ll start reading 3 books on different days of week one, put down 2 of those 3 books come week two and focus on the 3rd book, take a break from all 3 books come week three and read a 4th book in one or two sittings, then go back to the 3 books and finish them with another day read or two thrown into the mix.

Sometimes, 1 or 2 of the books I choose to read over time end up being quick reads at which point I’ll add another book to the pile. For instance, I’m probably going to finish reading Seriously… I’m Kidding today or tomorrow. So once I’m finished reading that, I will start reading Adaptation by Malinda Lo. The book I know I’ll read in one or two sittings is Split Second by Kasie West since I read the first book in this duology, Pivot Point the same way.

I don’t always know what book will be my “day read” book but I have a pretty good idea each time be it because I read the previous book(s) in a series that I’m continuing quickly, because of its short length (I go by word count not page length when I can and look up the word count here), because it’s a novella and not a full length novel or it’s a graphic novel or some other form of a quick read. Because. Because. Because. Because. Because!

How I Choose What I’ll Read:
I like to read a mix of things. A new release I’ve been dying to read. A book being adapted. A book from years ago that I’ve been meaning to get to. A book I have to review for the blog. You get the idea.

So…this is how I read books. How do you?

6 comments

  1. My reading is place-dependent. I have one book on the table where I eat — I usually call this my lunch-book, but I sometimes read it at other times as well. Another book is my bathtub book that I read just before bed. A third book is an e-book on my phone that I read in odd moments. That's generally it. I sometimes have other books in partial stages of completion, but they don't get completed until the become the book in one of those three places.

    I enjoyed reading about your reading habits and practices!

    Joy's Book Blog

  2. Thanks for stopping by, Joy! That's interesting! One of my friends has similar reading habits as you. I'm tempted to leave books around the house and try it! 🙂

  3. I really need to get to the Pivot Point series soon – I've loved Kasie West's contemporary novels, so it will be interesting to see what I think about her series.

    I usually try to read only one book at the time. This fails quite often since I have to read quite many film books for my university class, but I usually have that one book that I read for "fun", and I don't start another one until I finish with the one that I'm reading.

  4. Interesting post, as I like hearing about other people's reading habits. And what a goal you've set for yourself! I'll be happy if I read 100 books this year, so am impressed you're shooting for 347!

    I tend to go through phases where I'll read multiple books at once, followed by reading just one book, then rinse and repeat. When I read multiple books, I've noticed that they're usually different genres. Right now I'm in a one-book phase. Not sure why.

  5. Yes, Milka, definitely read Pivot Point as soon as possible. I have yet to read Kasie's contemporary works but I can't wait to!

    Thanks, Alexia! Yeah, I have no idea how I will accomplish 347 but it's worth a shot to try and vigorously get my TBR pile down. 🙂

    Loved hearing about your reading routines! Thanks for stopping by!