45 Facts About Me as a Reader
Back in February, I shared 32 facts about myself. When I initially typed my list, many were related to books. I decided to stick to more personal facts for that post and saved all of the facts related to my reading life for this one! It's perfect because the topic had been on my mind ever since Modern Mrs. Darcy posted her own list. It's fascinating to think about my reading identity, especially because it can change so much with time. One of my favorite things about blogging is having a record of my bookish life. Being able to look back on the past 10 years, it's amazing to see what's stayed the same (my love for re-reading) and what's entirely new (hello, audiobooks). Without further ado, here are 45 facts about my reading life:
1. Reading is my favorite hobby and has been all of my life.
2. If the love of reading is inherited, then mine comes from both of my grandmothers.
3. The best signing I've ever attended was Markus Zusak for the 10th anniversary of The Book Thief.
4. Typically, I'm reading several books at one time.
5. Tracking my reading is one of my favorite activities. I wish I'd done it since childhood!
6. My favorite bookstore is the Picadilly Waterstones in London.
7. For some reason, I can be really resistant to reading books recommended to me.
8. As a little girl, I had Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans memorized.
9. Hype causes me to pick up more books than I'd like to admit.
10. Culling books – read or unread – is one of my favorite ways to organize.
11. Gilbert Blythe, Peeta Mellark and Fitzwilliam Darcy are my three biggest book crushes.
12.I love the thrill of the hunt with used bookstores and have a long list that I routinely visit.
13. Deanna H. never returned the copy of Anne of Green Gables I loaned her in 4th grade. I'm not over it.
14. I belong to two library systems – one for the county I live in and one for a county nearby that I pay to have access to (because it's my favorite).
15. The best trope is hate-to-love, no question.
16. Talking to Kelly about what I've read helps me clarify my rating, especially when I have mixed feelings on a book.
17. Sometimes I buy multiple books in a series before I've read the first one.
18. Excellent teachers helped me love books like Anna Karenina... but Lord of the Flies is dead to me.
19. The best bookish gift I've ever received are the custom bookshelves my husband built me.
20. My five favorite authors are Jane Austen, Melina Marchetta, Sarah J. Maas, Mhairi McFarlane, and L.M. Montgomery. Apparently, the Ms are my sweet spot alphabetically!
21. I listen to audiobooks on at least 2x speed... and often 3x.
22. Buying books is almost as much fun as reading them.
23. My proudest bookish accomplishment was moderating Sarah J. Maas' Tower of Dawn tour stop in Atlanta.
24. I don't mind abandoning a book that isn't working for me.
25. My love of historical fiction stems from an early love of the American Girls and Dear America books.
26. When I start a new book, I try to pair it with a bookmark that matches it.
27. Re-reading brings me great delight, which was true even when I was younger.
28. My books are organized by broad genres on my shelves – Non-Fiction, Classics, Middle Grade, Historical, Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller, and Fantasy. Unread books are separated out at the end of each section.
29. I love looking at one-star reviews for books I loathe... and love.
30. My favorite place to read is in the bath.
31. Only my sister and my bestie have book borrowing privileges.
32. Growing up, I would pretend to have a stomachache at bedtime so I could sit on the toilet and keep reading.
33. Contemporary is my favorite fiction genre, and memoir is my favorite non-fiction.
34. Audiobooks have changed my reading life for the better!
35. Unsurprisingly, my favorite thing to give (and receive) are books.
36. I've completed the Goodreads Challenge every year since 2011.
37. Over time, I culled almost all of my childhood books. One of my biggest bookish regrets!
38. When I pick up a book, I stick my bookmark in at the spot I want to read to (usually at least five chapters ahead).
39. When I finish a book, I always read the acknowledgements.
40. Generally, I feel best when there's balance in my reading life – backlist and just released, long and short, re-reads and new-to-me, etc.
41. When traveling, I try to buy at least one book at a local bookstore.
42. The best thing I did for my reading life was start a book blog.
43. Thanks to reading, there are a lot of words I know the definition of but don't know how to pronounce.
44. I read aloud to my boys every single day, and I hope that's still true years from now.
45. At last count, I own 51 copies of Pride and Prejudice and 36 copies of Anne of Green Gables.
What's true about you as a reader?
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