Tuesday, June 1, 2010

What Kind of Reader Are You?

So lately I've been reading books of two particular genres: contemporary baseball romances and historical romances set in Britain. What a pair, eh? The mystical force that picks what I read must be PMSing this week. It's weird how that works, choosing what to read next. It's unpredictable and often nonsensical, hence the baseball and regency romances. I like to stand in front of my bookshelves and wait for something to stick out and grab my attention, much like grazing in the kitchen and staring into the fridge.

And then, the reading. My favorite part. I love the feel of a book in my hands and how I lose myself in the pages, especially when I surface from the story and regain consciousness of my surroundings. I am always amazed how wrapped up I get in whatever story I'm in. I recently borrowed my cousin's Sony eReader to take it for a test drive since my husband let me know that I could possibly expect a nook for Christmas this year and have read Melissa Marr's "Stopping Time", parts one and two. I loved the story, a revisiting of the love triangle of Irial, Leslie, and Niall from Ink Exchange but I wasn't enamored of the little machine. The eReader itself is nothing special with a backlight that illuminates from the sides and pages that turn a little slower than I'd like. Maybe I should try a whole book with the eReader and see what happens. 

And now to the point of this post (finally). Jane and I want to know HOW you book lovers read. This week's topic: SERIES. Are you more of a "straight on through or bust" type or a "make it last" type - once you read the first book in a series do you then have to read the rest right away or do you like to take your time and divvy them out piecemeal? 

For me, it depends on the series. If the individual books are lengthy, I'll space them out (even if they're awesome) so it doesn't feel like I'm reading one loooooong book. If they're shorter and irresistible then I'll gobble them all up one after another. I've referred to myself in the past as a serial series separator, an obviously made-up term that I think is pretty accurate for my situation - I'm notorious (in my own little world anyway) for reading the first in a series, hunting down the rest with an almost unhealthy obsession, and then leaving them to languish on the shelf for months. They sometimes sit so long that when I go back to see if I feel like reading them and read the blurbs on the back covers or whatever I wonder what made me so fanatical about collecting them.

Next time we'll discuss the buying aspect of books. In the mean time, leave a comment about how you read. Or you could just tell me I'm one crazy bookworm :)

2 comments:

Sweet Calliope said...

I have a love-hate relationship with series. Once I start reading a series, I feel compelled to keep reading it even if I'm not enjoying the series any more. Does anyone else find themselves doing this? I am also a serial series separator. I really need to join the Finish That Series Challenge!

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

You, my dear, are a crazy bookworm. But so am I. So I'll totally ride the crazy train with you.

I do the whole standing in front of my shelves too. But sometimes all the choices overwhelm me so I snatch and grab the closest thing to me.

I'm usually a 'straight on through or bust' series reader until I start reaching the end of a series I really love and then I'll try to prolong reading the last couple of books. I know, it's weird. So I guess my answer is All of the Above?