I Do Hereby Confess

I Do Hereby Confess

• Jul 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!

Honestly, I couldn't really think of that many things to share that were specific to blogging. So, I decided to just share ten book-related confession because those were easier. I have no doubt that other readers have some of these same quirks!

Top Ten Blogging Bookish Confessions

1. I do not understand the whole "love the smell of books" thing.

I'm sorry, y'all, but I just don't get this one. I see people talk about it all the time, and I have never once thought to stick my face in a book to smell it. And I hate the smell of used bookstores - old books and other people's germs. Thanks, but no thanks. I will occasionally buy used books, but I typically avoid them because I can't deal with the smell.

2. I prefer hardcovers over paperbacks.

Paperbacks take up less room and are easier to hold, but I just love hardcovers so much more! I think they look so much better on my shelves, and I love that I don't have to even think about cracking the spine. I love taking the dust jacket off to see what the book looks like "naked" and keeping it off while I read the book so I don't ruin the jacket. Even if a book is already out in paperback, I'll typically try to buy the hardcover.

3. I never write my review immediately after finishing a book. 

I think this is my only confession that strictly relates to blogging. I am seriously the worst at writing reviews once I finish a book! I always intend to write my thoughts on it before moving on the next book, but that never happens. This is the reason why I usually have a ginormous list of books that I need to write about, and I hate myself for it every single time but I can't change my ways! I'm not good at taking notes on what I read either, so some books never get reviewed because I've let too much time pass and can't remember enough about it to share my thoughts.

4. When I start a book, I put a sticky note in it at chapter five. When I get to chapter five, I move it to chapter ten... and so on.

So, I obviously can't do this with Kindle books, but I do usually do this with hard copies. If the chapters are really long, I won't. And if they're really short, sometimes I'll mark every ten chapters instead of every five. Either way, I have a sticky note marking a place in the book while I'm reading. It's almost like a goal for me - "I want to at least read to this point now that I've picked up my book."

5. I own multiple copies of many of my favorite books.

My husband does not understand this one at all. I'm most guilty of it with classics because publishers are always coming out with new covers and designs for some of my old favorites. And how am I supposed to say no? I collect Pride and Prejudice on purpose, but I think I have at least four copies of all of Austen's other books. I own multiples of some of L.M. Montgomery's books, too. Those aren't the only examples, but they're two where I'm the worst!

6. If I love a book that I've read on my Kindle, I'll buy a hard copy for my shelves.

This probably goes hand-in-hand with the confession above. If I read something on my Kindle and love it, I almost always end up buying a copy for my bookcase. I've also done the reverse - bought a Kindle copy of a book I own if the Kindle copy goes on sale. I know, it's a problem. I typically only buy things on my Kindle from authors I haven't tried before or books that I'm not totally sure about. If I love an author already, I'll automatically buy the hard copy.

7. I frequently clean out my shelves and pass books on to others.

I buy a lot of books. I'm not a clothes/shoes/bags person at all. I like to dress nice, but I've always been someone who would buy entertainment (books/movies, etc.) or beauty products (nail polish/makeup, etc.) instead. Because I bring so many books into my house, I try to be really good at also passing them on. I hang on to anything I loved and/or know I will want to re-read, but nothing else is safe from me when I get in a certain mood. I usually go through my shelves every six months or so and look for things to give to other readers, donate, or trade in at my local used bookstore.

8. I wish I hadn't gotten rid of quite so many books when I was younger. I have very few of my old favorites!

Unfortunately, sometimes I go a little overboard with my clean outs. When I was younger, I kept most of my books on shelves in my closet and was constantly getting rid of stuff. I had a limited amount of space, and I didn't know that one day I'd wish I had kept those "little kid" books that I thought I'd outgrown. I did hang on to some of my favorites (like my original Anne of Green Gables books), but there were so many others that I didn't keep. That was a major mistake on my part!

9. I sometimes buy multiple books in a series before I've even started the first book.

Yes, this is true. It's not the norm for me, but it has been known to happen. I usually just buy the first book, but sometimes I get ahead of myself and want to be prepared to binge read them. There's only been once or twice where I really wish I'd waited to read the first book because I didn't like it enough to want to finish the series, so this hasn't backfired too much. But still, I need to learn some self control!

10. I almost never let people borrow my books.

If I let someone borrow a book, it's because I've decided I don't care if I get it back. If I love a book, there's no way I'm letting someone borrow a copy. I wish I wasn't this way! Since I only really keep my favorite books, I don't like letting people borrow them. I've had one too many books that were never returned or were returned damaged. Now, I am good at cleaning out my shelves so I do frequently share the book love with my friends... but my favorites stay with me. I've had friends say to me, "Oh, you love to read! I need to come look at your shelves and find something to read." Yeah, no. Not happening.