The Terror of Knowing

Another week, another Thursday dawns, which means it’s time for another tag! I saw this tag over on Thrice Read (don’t I seem to start all my tag posts saying that?) and I couldn’t resist doing it myself, so let’s just get started on the Reader Confession Tag.

Have you ever damaged a book?

Not intentionally. I may have slightly ripped a page corner or creased a spine or two in my time as a reader. I also dog-ear pages to my heart’s content now so I mean… I guess some people consider that ruining a book?? I’m kind of not sorry about it any more though – they’re my books, I’ll do what I want with them. And I’d much rather be able to enjoy a book fully and annotate or dog-ear to my heart’s content – if I want a pristine copy I’ll buy it new and in a fancy edition but if it’s just for reading’s sake then yeah I “damage books”.

Have you ever damaged a borrowed book?

I don’t think so. The only books I ever really “borrow” are from the library and handily they put those protective plastics covers on them so it’s nigh-on impossible to really damage them. I haven’t yet borrowed a book from my friend Liz but I’ll be sure to be considerate when I do.

How long does it take you to read a book?

Depends entirely on the book. If I’m really invested in it and it’s about 300-350 pages then maybe 3 or 4 days, if it’s a long fantasy book or a classic I need to take my time on then it could take me closer to 10 days. That being said, it definitely just depends on the book and not necessarily the genre because I’m pretty sure I finished a re-read of A Gathering of Shadows in like 2 days and it’s easily a 500-page book.

Books that you haven’t finished?

I’ve definitely DNFed books, more than my DNF shelf on Goodreads would suggest. Some just fall of my radar and then I come across them months later at the back of my bookshelves and remember I was reading them at some point because there’s a bookmark left in there. My most personally shameful DNF is probably Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene or John Milton’s Paradise Lost, both of which I enjoyed but never actually read to the end. (My MA was in early modern literature, just so you have some context as to why it’s remotely embarrassing to have not completed these books!)

Hyped/popular books you didn’t like?

I didn’t expect to love A Court of Thorns and Roses, but out of curiosity I picked it up anyway in the hopes of being proven wrong. I was not proved wrong, sadly, and I ended up really hating it, loudly (as my friend and housemate, Liz, will attest to).

On a less controversial note (since it’s about classics), I didn’t enjoy Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I’m not sure if perhaps I was just too young to understand the complexities??? Either way, I just didn’t get the fuss. Ditto Wuthering Heights, to be honest.

Is there a book you wouldn’t tell anyone you were reading?

There aren’t any in particular that I can think of. Partly because I hate when people shame others for what they’re reading – not cool, bro.

How many books do you own?

Too many. I’d  guess at about 350, but my guesstimation could be waaaaay off.

Are you a fast reader or a slow reader?

Anyone who isn’t a regular reader would probably say I read fast; anyone who is a reader/bookblogger/booktuber/bookstagrammer/whatever would say I read kind of slowly.

Do you like to buddy read?

Yes, when I can find a buddy to read with. I haven’t done many at all but it is something I would like to do in the future – if you’re up for a buddy read, let me know!

Do you read better in your head or out loud?

I don’t read out loud that often but I enjoy it when I do, like when I was doing Shakespeare at university and I always read that aloud to help get the rhythm of the speech and performance etc. But I mostly read “in my head”.

If you were only allowed to own one book, what would it be, and why?

This is a nigh-on impossible question! It’s like Dessert Island Discs but even more cruel because I only get to choose one book. Why would you ask such mean questions?! My gut says Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it’s a book I love and I don’t think I’d ever not want to read it. I toyed with Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens for a while because it’s hilarious and I adore it but I think I’ll plump for Pride and Prejudice in the end because it’s funny too but also has some darker moments, nice bit of light and shade in a book is what I’d need I think.

That’s all folks, that was the Reader Confession tag.

If you want to do this tag, consider yourself officially tagged by yours truly! If you do do the tag for yourself, please link your posts below because I’d love to see your answers, especially to the last question!

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