Today feels like a good day to talk about books and reading. I want to ask you what’s your reading style?
Is this something you’ve thought about?
I chat to a lot of readers and it does strike me that we do have certain reading styles. Whether consciously or not, we do tend to read in a certain way. And this can change over time for each of us.
For example, some people will have a few books on the go at any one time. Some people only like to read hardbacks. Some people only read at certain times or in certain places – in bed at night, on the train while commuting and so on. Some people stick to one or two genres, authors. Some people have an ‘in order’ to be read pile. Some people don’t have a next book ready, others have dozens to hand.
I got to thinking about reading in this way when I popped to my bookshelves to choose my latest read. I enjoyed perusing my shelves and narrowing down my books until I managed to choose one. Finally!
I have recently made a few changes to my office area, including getting some new bookshelves, and I am absolutely loving them. I like to stand there and choose new books, and naturally I like to keep on finding more to fill them up with. I shared a little tour over on my YouTube channel, if you’d like to take a closer look.
I have a lot of books on my to be read pile and I enjoy selecting my next book each time. After all, I have plenty to choose from.
However, it’s a rare thing that I can tell you what my next book will be at any given time. I never seem to know until I am standing in front of my bookshelves trying to decide.
I go with my mood in that moment. It’s the only way I can do it. How about you?
When I did this the other day, it got me to thinking about the books that I read just for a little bit of fun and light relief to the ones that swallow me up, heart and soul.
I like to read a mixture of both. It offers me a balance.
I read plenty of books, this gives me space for those ‘not having to think too hard’ books, not having to emotionally invest books. I like these books.
I’ll sometimes read a run of them, before launching into something more gripping, more challenging. Then sometimes I can only possibly read a run of really good, really satisfying books, one after the other. At other times, I mix things up reading a completely different genre each time. I go with my mood every time.
Book in hand, I guess I can now sum up my reading style.
I like to read paperbacks, and I only have one book on the go at a time. And I do always have to have one book on the go, I hate to be without a book! I like to read absolutely anywhere, any time, and there are only a few genres that I don’t enjoy.
There are many, many authors that I love to read and this list seems to grow year on year as I discover more. I rarely know what I will be reading next, I always fail miserably at trying to stick to an order to read a pile of books in. And my to be read pile is, quite simply, out of control. And still growing, which is just how I like it.
What’s your reading style?
I will give books a go if I have to, for example, for your lovely read along I read books i would never ever pick out normally! I do like a good psychological thriller, a little crime but not too bad and some Tudor novels too. I can only read one book at a time in general and hate hard backs!x
I like how the readalong does that, pushes us all to try something a bit different. Thanks for joining in! I am with you on those hardbacks!
Interesting question!
I read mostly non-fiction both physical as digital but have never tried audiobooks, and I have one book on the go at a time. Well, most of the times. I can read two books at once but only if one is fiction and the other is not! I usually have a book going and am hardly any days without a book. I make a yearly TBR to stick to for at least half of my reads. I like to read sometimes in the early or late afternoon, always every day at night in bed, or in the weekend when I’m over at my partners house. I don’t like romance, but I’m a sucker for dark stories, mysteries, horror and thrillers. They can be fantasy but that does take me more time. I also don’t care when a book was released, I don’t need to be the first to read something and I read a lot of books that are over 20 years old. And this is one that most people find weird: my books come from everywhere but I don’t buy books, unless I know I want to reread them forever. This also means I easily give my read books away, if I know that I don’t.
Thanks for your reply!
I do like dark stories, too, I have so many on my shelves right now! I know what you mean about acquiring books, I get that too, but I also love browsing and buying them. And I am with you on the release date, it really doesn’t matter at all. Well done on the yearly TBR pile discipline, I just can’t stick to it!