Lost in a Book Tag

I recently saw the Lost in a Book Tag on Helen’s blog, at teainthetub. and I thought I should give it a go. I’ve answered a few questions from this Lost in a Book Tag in the “about me” post, but not all of them.

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
No. I would read on the sofa, or in bed. In Winter I might read on the floor, near the fireplace, with the dog curled up beside me. In the summer I will read on the sofa in the conservatory.

2. Where do you like to read?
On the sofa is my favourite spot.

3. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
Bookmarks, I have 10s. Or a random piece of paper if I can’t find my bookmark, still happens. I would never bend the corner of a page to mark it. That is something that annoys me a lot.

4. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop at a chapter?
I prefer to stop after a chapter if the book doesn’t have long chapters, but I stop when I have to. I take advantage of every moment I can spare during the day to read.

5. Do you eat or drink while reading?
As my blog suggests, I drink coffee while I’m reading. I would also drink tea. I don’t like eating though.

6. E-reader or real book?
Real books are my favourite. I like the whole idea of flipping the pages. It makes the whole experience wonderful. I don’t have an e-reader. I tried to read from the phone, but it was annoying, so I gave up. If I’m going away, I would take a book with me. I went to London with a hardcover book about Alexander McQueen, on the train. Now I know I should get a smaller and preferably paperback book when traveling without the car.

7. Music or television while reading?
Music and TV distract me when I’m reading, so it has to be a no.

8. One book at a time or several at once?
Several at once. I usually have a book I would read before bedtime, with subjects like maths or astronomy.

9. Reading at home or everywhere?
Everywhere.

10. Reading aloud or silently in your head?
Silently in my head most of the times. But, if I want to practice reading aloud, I will do that. English is not my first language and it helps to read aloud from time to time.

11. Fiction or non-fiction?
I enjoy reading both, although I prefer non-fiction. Last year I’ve read 38 non-fiction to 22 fiction. I guess this year the percentage would be even higher, with 20 non-fiction books to 9 fiction, so far.

12. Do you read ahead or skip pages?
I don’t skip pages, unless is something that I’m not interested in. I might look back though, especially with harder to understand concepts or if I want to remember something.

13. Break the spine or keep the book like new?
Keep it like new! I take extra care of the books I’m reading, regardless if they are my own or borrowed from the library.

14. Do you write in your books?
No. I have a couple of Word documents I write stuff in, especially if I want to remember quotes. Why would I write something in a book?

15. Your favourite book.
This is a hard question. Because I read books that are so diverse, it’s hard for me pick one that I like best. I can’t even pick a favourite author, because I know which one is my favourite author of fiction, she is Mary Balogh. With the non-fiction is not as easy.

I will make a list with 5 non-fiction books I enjoyed the most last year, in alphabetical order by author:
– Survival of the Prettiest – The science of Beauty by Nancy Etcoff
– The Missionary Position. Mother Theresa in theory and in practice by Christopher Hitchens
– The Myth of Martyrdom. What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers by Adam Lankford
– The Marshmallow Test. Understanding self-control and how to master it by Walter Mischel
– Alexander McQueen – Blood beneath the skin by Andrew Wilson

As you can see, they are quite different, hard to pick a favourite for the year, even harder an all time favourite.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my Lost in a Book Tag. If you are a blogger and you’ve completed this tag, leave a link so I can have a look.