3:28 PM
Hello Internet!
I know it's been a while since I've written on this blog. But recently, I got the idea that I might want to publish more posts from my book blog onto here. If you don't know, along with this blog, I also have a book blog called Belle's Book Nook. I used to do book posts on this blog all the time until I created Belle's Book Nook. Well, I've been thinking that maybe I want to converge these two blogs a bit...
With this, I recently came across a tag that I thought might be a really fun way for you to get to know me as a reader as well as act as a sort of introduction to me posting more bookish things on this blog again. So without further ado, I've decided to do the 25 Bookish Facts About Me tag! I hope you enjoy!
25 Bookish Facts About Me
1. I prefer hardcover books to paperback, to the point where I refuse to buy paperback unless it’s the only edition of the book available.
2. I wrap all my books in plastic dust jacket protectors, like the ones they use at the library. As much as I love the feel of book covers, I love even more that my books will be in good condition for a long time.
3. I don’t dog-ear my pages, nor do I annotate or highlight in my books. I’m incredibly meticulous about my own books—I like to keep them as perfect and clean as possible.
4. I’m not as big a fan of fantasy books as I used to be. When I was a kid, I adored fantasy books. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I’m not quite as interested in them anymore. I either find that too many fantasy books are repetitive and have the same regurgitated plot, or I find the worlds to be too complex and overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, there have still been fantasy books published in the past few years that I’ve completely fallen in love with, but I would no longer say that it’s my primary genre I turn to.
5. I have a rule about not purchasing a book until I’ve read it first. If I don’t absolutely love a book, I don’t think it belongs anywhere on my bookshelf. I also just hate the idea of throwing money away at a book if I don’t know for sure whether I’ll like it in the end… that’s why there are libraries!
6. Along the subject of book-buying, 9 times out of 10 I would say that I purchase my books online. I’m sorry. I know that it’s not as good for the author when you buy their books online for cheaper, but… books are expensive and I’m very frugal, so at the end of the day I am going to choose the option that’s more affordable for me.
7. I never cry over books. Yep, you heard that right. No matter how sad a book is and how many emotions I feel, I simply can’t cry over a book. I wish I could! I feel so alone when I hear others say how much a book made them cry… and then I just feel like an emotionless robot. :|
8. I wish I could love audiobooks… but I don’t, really. I love the idea of audiobooks, of having someone read a story to me while I draw or I’m on the bus or laying in bed. But to be honest, I can’t stand most voices of those who narrate audiobooks. I almost always find them to be really flat and robotic, which makes it incredibly hard to enjoy.
9. I have only been to one book signing in my entire life, and that was to see Lemony Snicket, who proceeded to sign my books and call me a miserable orphan… It was pretty great.
10. What really fostered my love of reading growing up was going to the book fairs at my school. I loved getting to wander through the book fair and seeing all the newly released books of the year. It was even cooler because my mom worked at the book fair, and you’d better believe that I milked that and felt like the coolest kid in school.
11. As much as I like the idea of it, I’m actually not the biggest fan of reading outside. There are just too many distractions—the weather, bugs, lots of noises, cars and people passing by, no comfortable reading positions… Need I go on? Sure, I love the idea of sitting on a blanket and reading under a tree or on a park bench, but when I actually am reading outside, all I can think about is how much I wish I were at home, curled up on the couch.
12. I pretty much spontaneously combust any time anyone asks me, “What kind of books do you like?” …. What… kind of question is THAT?! Do you know how many different types of stories and genres and themes there are in the world of books?! Where would I even START?? Like, I dunno, man, I just like good stories, I guess..?
13. I love bookmarks, but realistically, most of the time I just end up using library receipts and random slips of paper. D’oh! I’m trying to consciously use bookmarks more often, but… it’s just so easy to use whatever’s around.
14. I absolutely HATE literary elitism, especially in regard to classics. Ironically, I could write an entire essay on how much the belief “everyone should read classics” angers me. Just… you do realize that there are thousands of books that have been published in the time since all of those classics were written, right? You do realize that you can have zero attachment to classics and that this still makes you a reader, RIGHT? Go away with your snobbery.
15. Going along with this, it probably isn’t surprising to anyone that I predominantly read YA. I will occasionally read an adult fiction novel or even an interesting nonfiction book, but I’d say 90% of my reading does tend to fall under the YA category, which… not complaining :)
16. I’m much more likely to pick up standalones than series. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m incapable of enjoying book series. There have been some book series that I’ve really, really liked, and I love the experience of getting reacquainted with your favorite characters again. It’s just that there’s SO much more time and risk involved in a book series and whether that series will be good through the very end. I’ve read far too many book series where the first book was great, but the books following it just didn’t live up…
17. I’ve done a few editorial internships, and while I’m grateful for the experience, I no longer know whether I want to pursue publishing. This could also be its own separate post, and I do eventually want to write about my thoughts and experiences on this blog one day because I think it’d be really enlightening. But to sum it up, my two biggest reasons why I might not want to pursue publishing are: 1) I could see myself getting burnt out working in editorial, reading manuscripts and email queries all day 2) publishing is a notoriously underpaid industry. No bueno.
18. Goodreads is perhaps the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my book habits. I love Goodreads. I love that you can customize your own bookshelves, from having a “YA” bookshelf to “Books to Read Around Christmastime.” I love that I basically have a digital record of every book I’ve ever read since 2010, and my ratings of each one?? WHAT, COME ON, HOW COOL IS THAT. I also love that it’s become SO much easier to find new books to read through Goodreads. (My TBR has never been longer!)
19. I’m actually not hugely invested in fandoms, nor have any real interest in them. I don’t know, I don’t really care to look up fan art or ship different characters together or create an aesthetic post once I’ve finished a book. I mean, sure, occasionally I’ll reblog a cute Harry Potter or Lunar Chronicles post on Tumblr, but I don’t spend hours scrolling through fandom tags or anything like that.
20. I find it really hard to concentrate on reading with background noise, like music or TV. Some people can and love to read while listening to music, and I wish I could be that way, too, but I just can’tfocus when there’s sound playing in the background. It has to pretty much be dead quiet while I read. (On another note: I can read out in public to an extent, as long as peoples’ voices aren’t too loud or grating and they’re dulled enough to where they’re like white noise.)
21. Reading LGBT books when I was a teen is what got me into being passionate about gay rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and led me to studying Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies later in college. I would read books by David Levithan, as well as a fantastic series called The Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez, and I loved all of these books so, so much. I’m so grateful that these books came into my life and had such a profound impact on me, which just goes to show how books you read early on in life can stay with you for a long time.
22. I love bookish tote bags. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of a lot of bookish items like candles or pins or even art prints. But you better believe that I love a quality bookish tote. I currently have two Harry Potter-related tote bags that I bought off Society6, but there are still so many more from that site that I want to eventually buy, including this one aaaand this one.
23. I love buying books online, but I am THE WORST when it comes to waiting for my books to arrive. As soon as I place my order, I anxiously await that confirmation email letting me know I can track my order. Then I track my order even though I know it’s been literally an hour and it can’t have possibly made much progress in that time. Then every single day afterward—often multiple times throughout the day—I check the tracking to see where my book is now. I suddenly become obsessed with checking the mail, where before I couldn’t have cared less. Until that book is in my hands, I am a nervous wreck waiting for it to get here. I have no chill, basically…
24. My favorite types of books include:
books about bookstores/libraries,
books with representation of mental health/gender identity/sexuality, etc.
books that have a fairy tale aspect to them
dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels. (Because yusssss.)
contemporaries where there’s a group of misfits that come together and become friends (even better if they have a car scene together!)
25. Finally, I’m so grateful that reading has led me to finding an entire community of others who love books just as much as I do. Sorry, guys, but I gotta end this on a sappy note. I will never not feel grateful for stumbling upon the book community. It’s turned what was once a very solitary act for me into something that I can feel welcomed and involved in, in all sorts of ways. My life now revolves around books and feeling a part of the book community, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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So, that was my 25 Bookish Facts About Me! I hope you enjoyed it and that you learned a little bit about me that you might not have known before. If you’d like to do this tag, I highly encourage you to, and I tag anyone who wants to do it!
Until next time!
Belle
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