August 28, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: I Must Confess

As always, this feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
Ooh, this week's TTT is definitely a fun topic! I'm sure we all have our own little secrets when it comes to books and reading and all that fun stuff, so I thought I'd jump right in and share some of my own...

1. There are times when heavy description drives me crazy. When I feel restless and bothered, I tend to skim these sections or sometimes even skip them. Honestly, I fell asleep the first time I read The Fellowship of the Ring because the part about the history was a little too long. (Since then, I have read it though, I swear!)

2. Sometimes, I dog-ear my books. I always tell people who borrow my books that they're not allowed to do that... Normally, I don't either, but there are days I forget and do it out of reflex.

3. I also underline and highlight passages in my books if I can't find a post-it or bookmark within reach. I like being able to read books again and see which passages struck me the most. It makes me feel like my book was loved - which it probably was.

4. There are just some books that I will not read, based solely on their story, even if people I trust (like my baby sister) tells me I should. Prime example? 50 Shades of Grey. I don't care for what the story is about, personally.

5. If I'm faced with books that are on major sale (like when the huge Borders was closing last year), I will go home with at least 20 books. And that's minimum. This is why I currently have nearly a hundred unread books in my apartment. Book sales are not good for me AT ALL.

6. I am still trying to learn how to DNF a book. I just can't do it at all, even if I'm not feeling the story or can't relate to the characters. It's hard for me to not complete something (which may indicate a level of OCD I never realized was possible).

7. If I'm buying a series, my book covers have to match perfectly or I'll feel like something's off. It just needs to look nice on my shelf, okay? (Obviously, I am mildly OCD...)

8. Even if I really and truly loved a book after reading it, I forget character names, or mix them up between books. This is especially true of characters with the same name or similar sounding names. That's why I'm careful when I talk about books to think about who was in them before I speak.

9. Honestly, it takes a long time for me to feel comfortable lending out books I own to other people. This is probably due the trauma I experienced when I lost half my book collection in elementary school because I lent them out without thinking twice. If I lend you books now, you're definitely deemed worthy!

10. When people ask me to recommend a book for them in real life, especially people I know, I actually feel shy and like I'm under so much pressure! I always want to encourage reading and to find something that suits people to a tee, which is pressure to me!

What are your bookish confessions? Feel free to share in the comments!

22 Comments:

  1. I'm actually really, really nervous to lend out my books too. What if they get lost in the mail? What if someone doesn't take care of it -- dog ears it, smashes it up in their purse, etc? I feel like most bookies understand how precious books are, but I have some friends who don't hold them as near and dear to their hearts. :-/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my gosh, so so so many I agree on too!
    If I'm keeping the books in a series and not swapping them, they all have to be the same format, for sure. I'm OCD about my bookshelves!
    One of my best friends and I actually got in a fight about 50 Shades because she loved it. I still refuse to read it!
    And totally agree about book sales! I just cannot pass up a sale! Even if a book is just slightly marked down and it's something I want enough... I reason with myself that it's a good sale so I can buy it haha.
    Loved your confessions! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. HA! Skimming through books was my first confession, too! I absolutely agree. Every so often, heavy descriptions can turn borderline boring.

    Giiiirl, I love me a good book sale, too. I do miss Borders though.

    And yes to the forgetting character names. How many times do I have to ask YOU what so and so's friend's name is? :-P

    Love ya!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your Top Ten! :) I underline or highlight passages all the time too, but then I feel so OCD because sometimes the lines aren't underlined perfectly and I feel like getting a ruler or the highlight leaks through ever-so-slightly. I also have to buy a series with the same covers and sometimes I hate not owning a full series and just a few of the books. I also totally buy waaay too many books at book sales and I almost never lend books. I only lend them to my best friend, but anyone else? I always stutter and tell them someone else has the book and quickly run away. I once lent my books to someone who ripped my cover of Eragon just a tiiiny bit and I've been terrified every since. Anyway, I totally understand your predicament but lovely list! :D

    ~Keertana
    Ivy Book Bindings

    ReplyDelete
  5. Once I started DNFing a book I feel like I give up to easily now. I had to give myself some rules so I have to read a least 100 pages of the book before I DNF it. Awesome confessions :) My TTT:

    Crystal @ Elegantly Bound Books

    ReplyDelete
  6. Totally agree on # 7. I've even bought strictly UK books for series before because I needed them to match. ~Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm totally with you on number 4. But I just won't read The Hunger Games. I'm sure it is an amazing book, but I don't like dystopian novels. I've tried a couple times, but I have finally given up.

    I actually find it too easy to DNF a book. I don't think that is necessarily a good thing either.

    As for number 10, I like to recommend a TON of books, so hopefully one or two will work out for the person. I also ask them some books they've read recently that they liked, so I know where to start. But I do that often in my job because I am a children's librarian (best job ever!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. DNF-ing is a MUST. Also: dog-earring.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm a spine cracking dog-earer but I don't think I've EVER written in a book! Even when someone told me I should tick off the characters in Battle Royale's cast list at the front of the book to help me keep track, I made an excel sheet instead!

    ReplyDelete
  10. GIRL. I so know how you feel re: pressure. If I recommend a book, I legit get nervous that the person I've pushed to read the book will feel like it was a total waste of their time. Plus, if someone recommends a book to me, I will usually finish the entire book because if they loved it so much (even if I'm not enjoying it at the time), there MUST be something amazing within.

    Oh, bookish pressures :P

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've the opposite problem with DNFing. I do it far too easily especially if I'm bored.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Stop the dogearing, lol! I used to do it when I was younger and now I can only be horrified by such destructive tendencies..
    I'm with you on the book sale, it's scary how little self control I have when it comes to bargainpriced books.
    I only feel comfortable recommending books to about 3 or 4 people I know in real life and I still feel SO nervous when they do actually read it!
    Great list :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG YES TO 9. I get REALLY upset over that. Don't do anything to my book (at all, I'm super picky about that) and return it in a timely manner, is that so hard to ask?!

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1,6,7,8,9 and 10 are all me too!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Uh, number 10 is always me. I'm afraid people will start thinking "she liked ??? that

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love all of these! I couldn't agree more with your #5... I have the same exact issue and it's the reason why I have a bajillion books STILL sitting on my shelves years after buying them. And I'll be honest, I gasped out loud at #3. I can barely dog-ear a page let alone WRITE in a book. But I'll forgive you ;)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don't really like description heavy books either and I tend speed read the descriptions.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Book sales are my downfall, too ... Chapters has sales for BEAUTIFUL hardcovers and it's hard to say no to a price that's under $5.

    I've never really dog-eared books ... if I'm falling asleep while reading and can't find my bookmark, I'll tell myself to remember the page and close the book. Let's just say I NEVER remember the page in the morning ...

    Thanks for sharing, Alexa!

    ReplyDelete
  19. It is very traumatic loaning out books. I don't understand why people don't treat this borrowed treasure like what it is. Would you bring back someone's car "it's just a scratch". No!! DNF is a hard one for me too. It isn't as necessary since I read mostly recommended books & not a lot of review/ARC/unknowns.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Can't say I blame you for falling asleep during all of those descriptions in the Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings books can be a doozy. I remember trying to get through them when I was 13. I was pretty much impossible.

    I recently got a hold of my Lord of the Rings books, and I've been thinking of giving them another go. Like, maybe after 10+ years I'll have more patience or appreciation for Tolkien's writing. Who knows.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Alexa, you and I are alike in so many ways, it's not even funny! I will say that I do not dog-ear my books but I do use anything that is in reach to mark my pages including but not limited to: candy wrappers, straws, bobby pins, etc. Also, I feel the pressure too! I get so worried that my non-reader friends that ask for recommendations will not like what I pick out for them. It has caused a panic attack or two in the past!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment! I love seeing what you have to say, and will try to reply (here or on Twitter) as soon as I can :)