Good & Bad Reading Habits Tag

Okay. So this is actually two different tags, but don’t they just beg to be put together in one post? Especially since it was the always-entertaining Ally @ Ally Writes Things to tag me in BOTH the Bad and Good. Thanks, Ally!!

Some of these might end up being a little controversial, but what fun is the world without a little unpopular opinion every once in a while? Let’s do this!!

GOOD

Never hesitating to read when finding a few minutes during the day

Waiting for an appointment, long commute, lunch break. Doesn’t really matter if it’s 5 minutes or an hour. I always have at least two books on the go. One physical and one digital. That way I don’t even have to carry my physical book with me to make use of found time. I’m always preparing to whip it out and have a go! (I was talking about reading! What did you think I meant?!)

BAD

Reading When I Should Be Social

I often think I’m contributing to a world that doesn’t talk to each other anymore. Instead of having my nose in a book, maybe I should be giving a strange an awkward nod and saying something obvious about the weather. I don’t know. I don’t like small talk and it’s very unlikely to have a life-altering conversation with a total random.

GOOD

Making use of my local library’s services

Physical books I only borrow on occasion, but I use the digital resources my library offers on a daily basis. Overdrive and Hoopla are a great source for audiobooks, and you just can’t argue with that price!

BAD

Never Reading New Releases

Since the bargain section of bookstores don’t normally have new releases and I tend to go after the ‘available now’ titles from my library, I’m usually a few years behind with what I’m reading. I’m not what I’d call a trend-setter. People much better than me are diving into mountains of books and coming back to tell us all which are great and which aren’t.

GOOD

Buying books that are on sale

I’m not talking about the books that are 25% off, or even 40% (well… sometimes.) I love the browse the bargain section of bookstores. The place you can discover hidden gems for $5. And that’s usually the price of a hardcover! Not sure I’ve ever found an AMAZING book there, but I also don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed either.

BAD

Buying too many books because they were a good deal

The other place I love to buy books from is kindle. Especially when they’re on sale for a buck or two. And once in a while, a really interesting book is offered for FREE!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! The problem quickly becomes obvious when your digital library has about 100 titles that you haven’t read, and yet you’re still looking at what eBooks are on sale! eBooks Anonymous? Is that some kind of newsletter that will tell me about discount books?!

GOOD

Using a bookmark instead of dog-earing

Okay, okay. Dog earring a page isn’t that big of a deal. It’s not going to destroy a friendship or anything, but I’ve always got a bookmark handy. A while ago I printed a bunch of images off and cut them into strips. Cheap, plentiful, and a great variety.

BAD

Counting Pages

Is there anything that doesn’t do this? Sometimes you just have to know if you should keep turning pages or put your bookmark in mid-chapter. Not the best reason to push on and finish a chapter, but sometimes it just HAS TO BE DONE!

GOOD

Listening to suggestions of others for what to read

Easily one of the greatest things about being in the blogosphere is the sheer number of high-quality recommendations. It’s a community that takes all of the books in all of the world and distills them into a list of the absolute best books ever published!

BAD

Reading books based on Hype alone…

I’ve now read a fair number of books based on hype & recommendations alone, never once bothering to find out what the book was about. Seriously. I’ve read books without even glancing at the synopsis. So far, it hasn’t let me down, but how long can that last?

GOOD

Always remembering to add an interesting book to my TBR

If you hear about a book that sounds good, and you’re going to want to read it, don’t wait. Pull out your phone, write it on your hand, or have the cover tattooed on your bicep. Don’t assume you’re going to remember it, because there’s a good chance you won’t.

BAD

Adding Books to My TBR Knowing I’ll Never Read Them

Every book I add to my TBR sounds interesting. Otherwise, why add it. But there are times when I’m adding one that sounds “kind of” interesting, knowing that odds aren’t good I’ll ever get to a book that sounds “kind of” interesting.

BOTH

Reading ARCs when I really want to read something else

Sometimes there’s a book on my shelf that’s calling to be read. But often times (especially this past year) I chose to ignore the book I really wanted to read, and stay on top of my ARCs. That’s good, because I’m staying responsible and giving priority to the books I’ve been given in exchange for a review, and bad, because I’m not listening to that inner voice that gave me my passion for reading in the first place.

I tag: EVERYONE!!

Fun fact about this post: Before I wrote this post, I never considered any my reading habits to be good or bad. Just habits. Now I get to feel guilty about certain things. Thanks again, Ally!!