The Book Addiction Tag

Hello Everyone!

It’s Thursday, which means it’s tag day! This week I’m doing the Book Addiction Tag! I found this tag on Elle’s Blog and it looked like a lot of fun. I’m not tagging anyone specific in this tag, so if you see this and you want to join in, consider yourself tagged!

1. What is the longest amount of time you can comfortably go without picking up a book?

This is a difficult question because it really depends. Ideally, I’d like to pick up a book every day because I love reading, but unfortunately, slumps happen. When I’m in a slump, I can go a week without picking up a book, I try to avoid that and force myself to read a few pages every couple of days, but slumps are slumps and they are the worst.

2. How many books do you carry on your person (or kindle) at any one time?

This really depends on where I’m going. I carry an oversized purse (it’s big enough to hold a book, a bottle of wine, and a cat) so I usually have some sort of reading material with me, either my current read or my kindle. Sometimes, like if I’m going to work and I know I won’t have any time to read, I’ll leave my books at home because they do get heavy to walk with.

3. Do you keep every book you buy/receive or are you happy to pass them on to make space for more?

I am happy to pass books along to make space for more, but it is a struggle sometimes to decide what books to get rid of. If I don’t like a book, it’s easy to add it to a free little library or something like that. I have a more difficult time admitting to myself that I’m likely never going to read a book and that it’s time for it to go.

4. How long would you spend in a bookshop on a standard visit?

Ideally, I’d like to spend an hour in a bookshop, wandering around and exploring all of the shelves. If I’m with someone who isn’t much of a reader, I have to significantly cut back on the wandering.

5. How much time per day do you actually spend reading?

I think on average, I spend around an hour a day reading. I try to read before bed, but sometimes I’m extra tired and I only read for 15 minutes or so. Other times, I am wide awake and I read for hours.

6. Where does the task ‘picking up a book’ appear on your daily to-do list?

It appears pretty high on my daily to-do list, except for when I’m in a slump. I like reading and I like that reading is an escape, so I try to make time to read every day. When I’m in a slump, it’s a lot more difficult to find the energy to have a to-do list, so reading isn’t always near the top.

7. How many books do you reckon you own in total (including e-books)?

I don’t even know how to begin estimating this. When I look online, it says there are 104 books on my Kindle, but that does not include NetGalley books and ARCs, which brings the total much higher. I feel like I probably have at least 500 books in my room? So to be super conservative, let’s say 750 books? Though that might be a low number.

8. Approximately how often do you bring up books in conversation?

At least once a day. Books are my main hobby and they make me happy, so I talk about them a lot.

9. What is the biggest book (page count) you have finished reading?

According to Goodreads, the longest book I’ve read is Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, which is 659 pages. I read this book in 2019 and I think I actually listened to the audiobook for it. I think the longest book I’ve read this year was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which was 487 pages.

10. Is there a book you had to get your hands on against all odds (i.e searching bookshops, online digging, etc.)?

Not that I can think of, though I did put a lot of effort into getting a light pink copy of Solitaire by Alice Oseman to match the rest of her books that I have.

11. A book you struggled to finish but refused to DNF?

At one point, I had the attitude of “I have to finish this book!” but I’ve gotten over that and now I DNF books all the time if I’m not able to get into it. The only times I’ve struggled to finish a book was when I’ve committed to reading it for a blog tour or something like that and the book itself is enjoyable enough, it’s just I’m not in the mood for the particular genre.

12. What are 3 of your main book goals for 2022?

Read more middle-grade books, read more Indie books, and get my net galley ratio to 80%. We’re approaching the last third of the year and sadly, I’m not doing well with any of these goals, but there’s still time.

13. Have you ever had the privilege of converting someone into a reader (maybe via inspiration or incessant nagging)?

I don’t think I’ve converted anyone into a reader, but I do have a couple of friends who are reading more now because I invited them to join a book club.

14. Describe what books mean to you in five words.

Exploring the world through pages.