The Day And Night #Book Tag - #AmReading

This is another tag I found via Cat. You can see her post for it here. As usual, if you want to play along too, feel free to do so, whether that be on your own blog, in the comments section of this post, or whatever. Just don't forget to tell me where I can find your answers if you're not posting them directly in the comments section of this post, since I'd love to read them, and would hate to miss your post. For now though, here's the tag, along with my own answers.

***~~~***

D – Do you read more in the morning or at night?

As a general rule, I do most of my reading at night. I always read for a while in the evenings, whether for only a few minutes or for a few hours. However, I can - and often do - also read in the morning or afternoon. But since I read in the late evening every night, and only sometimes read at other times, I definitely do most of my reading at night.

A – Are there any books that changed the way you thought about things?

There are several, though I can't really name titles, or give you examples of how a certain book changed my way of thinking about or looking at something. Whether we realize it or not, the books we read can - and will - influence our thoughts and feelings on a particular subject, whether on a concious or subconcious level.

Y – YA or not?

Yes, absolutely; I read YA books quite often. I read books for all ages, including young adult books. I see no reason why adults shouldn't do so, since there are some fantastic YA books out there, and being older than the intended audience is no reason for me to miss out on getting to read them.

*

A – Are there any characters that you honestly believe are real?

Is this a trick question to gage what little sanity I have? I know characters - while based on real people, or a mixture of several real people, regardless of whether the author conciously based them on someone real or not - aren't actually real, even if they feel real. However, there are several I wish were real. Also, in the best books, characters feel real to me while I'm reading the book and following their story, which is the important thing. I can only hope my own readers feel that way about at least some of the characters in my own books.

N – Nobody touches my books or I don’t mind loaning my books out?

Nobody touches my books. I used to be willing to let people borrow my books, but after one too many came back looking battered, with pages bent and scribbled on, etc, I stopped letting people borrow my books.

D – Do you ever smell your books?

I used to, when I could still see to read print books. But smelling braille books and eBooks just isn't the same; they don't have that bookish scent. So I don't any more, and have to settle for enjoying the smell of books if I'm in or near a bookshop, or if someone I know brought a new book and is willing to leave me alone with it long enough for me to have a quick sniff. Yes, I'm weird. No, I don't care what you think of that. At least, I don't care while I'm writing this, though I guess I must care a little, since I try not to make it obvious that I'm offering to carry someone's books for them so I can sniff them. The only thing better than that new book scent is the smell of old books that have been around for a long time; new books smell great, but you can't beat that musty library scent.

*

N – Not everyone loves books…Is that a positive or negative?

Neither, though I do think it's a shame. To each their own though, and if books aren't your thing, that's totally up to you. Different people have different interests and passions, and if some people get their enjoyment in a way that doesn't involve books, that's not for me to judge. I do wish those who don't like books wouldn't look down on those who do, and vice-versa, and that everyone would at least give reading a chance though.

I – I keep my books in the best condition or not?

Absolutely! I always try to keep my books in the best condition I can. I mean, it's not easy to damage an eBook - not if I still want to be able to use my Kindle anyhow - but I did when I still read print books too. Even as a child I was reluctant to do anything that could potentially damage a book, prefered to use something as a bookmark rather than folding the corner of a page to mark where I was reading, and didn't scribble in my books. These days I know how much work goes in to producing a book, so am even more dismayed by those who mistreat their books, but from a young age - even before I knew exactly how much work it was to produce a book of publishable quality - I considered them treasures that needed to be cared for as well as possible, and did my very best to take care of mine.

G – Gosh! I have too many books!  True or false?

False. There's no such thing as too many books. I do wish I had more time to read, so my to-read list wasn't so long. But being surrounded by books is pure bliss as far as I'm concerned, and I would never claim I have too many books.

H – Have you ever spilled or stained your books with something, and if so how?

Twice, unfortunately. One time I had a nosebleed that came on suddenly, and a bit of blood dripped on the page before I could do anything about it. Another time I accidentally spilled a whole cup of grape kool-aid on a book... A super-sized cup too. I still feel bad about it... Especially the kool-aid incident, where the book was ruined in the drenching.

T – Toned or untoned?  In other words, do you read and workout at the same time?

Not really. I mean, I have in the past listened to audio books while using a rowing machine or an exercise bike at home. I've also listened to one through headphones while running on a treadmill at the gym. But these days the only exercise I get while reading is housework or playing with the dogs. Mind you, with how much I crawl around the floor with Lilie and Logan when I'm playing ball or tuggy with them, that could definitely count as getting a workout while reading. It's certainly as tiring as doing so, that's for sure!