The Reading Challenge Group discussion
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Question 17 - Reading Rules
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Mine is don't write in books. Bookmark your spot at the end of a chapter but if you can't put it down, stop after you read 5. If it's a short ebook read it until you get tired then get back to it later. If you don't have time to read on a day, get back to it the next day. and I use certain bookmarks for certain books too.
I love this question! It really reveals a lot about our personalities. Until trying to compose this post, I would have said that I don't have many rules but as it turns out...1. Must only stop reading on a page that ends in a period.
2. Spine breaking is definitely frowned upon.
3. I must purchase all of my books (I blame this on my father, he's the exact same way)!
4. Books should be kept rather than given away/sold. Yes, this creates a massive storage problem!
5. Use magnetic bookmarks as they are easier on the pages.
6. Match my bookmark to the genre of the book (I have things like a magnifying glass for mystery and a heart for romance/chick-lit).
7. Don't lend out books - they are like babies and I wouldn't lend them out :)
8. No writing or marking up of the book, bending pages or otherwise harming the pages. My books usually still look brand new after I've read them.
9. If buying a series, all books in the series must be in the same format and edition.
10. Read every day!
11. When storing books, they shall be stored by author and genre and stored in clear bins with a complete inventory.
12. Always carry a book with me - I never know when the chance to read might pop up!
Wow...I seem to have quite a few!
Ooh this is my favourite question so far! The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:1. Try as hard as possible to stop reading at the end of a chapter.
2. Only give away / sell books that I abandoned. All read books (regardless of quality!) are to be kept.
3. Writing on books is a no-no EXCEPT in the case of poetry in which all bets are off. Notes, underlining, highlighting all OK in poetry books.
4. Never fail to record completed books on Goodreads and in my own personal Reading List document.
5. As far as possible, I agree with Kassandra - all books in a series should be the same format / publisher / cover design etc.
6. Rereading books is a privilege not a right.
7. Never read more than one book at a time.
8. Never read a hardcover with the dust jacket still on.
9. Books lent to me by friends are bumped up to the top of the priority list, regardless of previous plans.
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That needs to be on a t-shirt.
Lucy wrote: "Rereading books is a privilege not a right."I love it!
I love it when people write messages in the front of a book when they're giving them as presents! But i agree with having to end a chapter before putting a book down and having to own books instead of just borrowing from the library :3
I disagree with not reading more than one book at a time though lucy, i have to!
I had no rules until 5 minutes ago when I read the question and discovered that yes, I do. I'm not strict enough though and I'm a total pushover. I've lost countless books either by lending or adding them to a donation box, only to look for them later and mourn their loss. I have to stop doing that.
1)I have 3 bookmarks that I use and never deviate from. Thankyou all my friends who buy me pretty markers but they sit on my shelf like ornaments because I'm a creature of habit and only use same markers over and over.
Bookmark 1 is a freebie I got promoting the soon to be released Dark Tower VII by Stephen King from 2004. This bookmark has survived so much in the last 10 years so deserves my unwavering loyalty.
Bookmark 2 is another freebie. It's bright, it's colourful and it's got a list of all Roald Dahl's kids books. I use this for fun books or if I just need a bit of colour to cheer me up.
Bookmark 3 I did break into the purse for. It has a print of an embroidered tudor rose on it and I got it from a cathedral in Liverpool. It's very pretty but also solemn, I use this when I read anything historical either fiction or nonfiction.
2)Never leave the house without a book. This is why giant handbags were invented.
3)If I can't get to the end of the chapter, I have to at least get to the bottom of the page.
4)Avoid sad stories (same rule for movies) I will never read a memoir of child abuse or tragic loss. I respect the bravery it took for these authors to put their story out there but I'm a coward and can't bring myself to read them.
5)Any ebook purchases must immediately be organised into a collection. My physical books are not organised at all, they look a bit disheveled in my bookcase and I love it.
6) As my bookcase is small and a mess, all Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden titles that I possess (almost all they've ever written) go to my brother's bookcase for their own protection. There they can enjoy the space to run in series order and be gazed at lovingly by my brother who loves them as much as I do.
I'm a coward too. I really can't read stories about abuses or about something that really happened. When I read I wanna go away for reality so I look for fantasy. But I love sad and un-happy endings XD Anyway my rule is to keep my books good as new: no writing of course but I also pay attention to not ruin the cover.I think it's my only rule... :)
1-No writing in books. NO exceptions.2-I Never reuse a bookmark
3-I read one book at a time
4-If I read a series, I read it back to back.
5-I always try to finish either at the end of a chapter or at least at the end of a paragraph.
6-Paperbacks over hardcovers, every time.
7-I use a 1-strike system when lending books. If it's not returned to me in the same condition I lend it in, I won't lend another book to that person ever again.
8-Keep bending to a minimum for paperbacks. None for hardcovers.
9-I read at least 80 pages everyday. Why 80? Dunno.
Gavin, I love your rule about reading 80 pages per day. That's a great number - it shows your commitment!
Gavin, my number per day is 50.I'm with Susan and Sandy, I have not thought of rules before, but I know that I do.
1. If it is a series, they need to be read in order only.
2. I love book marks, but I tend to save the pretty ones and set aside so they do not get messed up. So that lends everything else to be used as a book mark. I'm really trying to read with ambiance lately and use the pretty ones.
3. I love hardcovers of special authors, but because I have so many books now, I'm trying to read more library books and e-books.
4. My bookshelves are in a jumble, because I have lost interest in reorganizing them. We've moved to many times. I have a dream that one day they will be put in order and that a room will be set aside to look like a real library. Sigh....
5. I like to finish at the end of a chapter or paragraph. End as close to 50 or 100 pages at the end of the day.
6. Two to three different books, but different in genre going at all times. Sometimes I will go with the book that is interesting me at the moment.
7. I only lend to my mother, sister, or aunts because I know I will get my books back and in the same shape.
8. If I own a paperback and its by a good author, I have started highlighting and making notes; so if I should reread again I will remember what I found interesting at the time. Or I can go back to that page to remind myself of the quote or thought that I would like to discuss with a family member, since we all like to discuss our books in depth. But this is only a used paperback.
9. I usually avoid sad stories of mothers and children.
10. Last but not least, always have something to read with me at all times!
Faye, The super long chapters drive me nuts too.
Well, I have few 'rules' for reading, but here goes:1) As I am a Bookcrosser too, I LOVE to share most of my books after I've read them. I do not register any books that I do not wish to share.
2) I don't share my Stephen King books and any autographed books.
3) I usually have a minimum of 4 books of different genres going at one time - a 'quiet' book on my nightstand (nothing too bloody or intense), a easily picked up book in the potty (usually a humorous book or something with small sections), one that goes to work with me (I read at my desk at lunch), and one in the den. There's also usually a book I listen to in the car (usually a nonfiction book, again something easily stopped and started). These are usually different enough that it's no problem keeping up with them.
4) If I read the first of a series and like it, I try to get as much of the rest as I can because I HATE not being able to find the next book in a series.
5) I rarely give a book more than 50 to 75 pages - if it does not grab me by then, I'm moving on. Life is too short to read dull books.
I wouldn't call them all "rules"; more like preferences:1 - I don't dog ear, fold, bend, highlight, underline, write in pages. I don't like books that come that way either.
2 - I try to read 100 pages/day but it's not a hard set rule if I'm short or skip a weekend.
3 - I read only one book at a time, the exception being sometimes I'll sprinkle in books that compromise short stories. The ones where I can pick up and finish a story in a few pages.
4 - I tend to only lend to people who I know are heavy readers because they tend respect books the way I do.
5 - My books are organized in alphabetical order by author.
6 - I like to switch genres/themes between books, so I typically won't read all the books of a series in a row.
7 - I don't like to read within the 1st hour of waking up or within an hour of bed time, because I fall asleep very easily and reading is definitely a winding down activity.
I read this and thought I have no rules what are you talking about. Then I clicked on the link....big mistake. They all apply to me! I have actually been using the same bookmarks for over 30 years! sigh
Gavin wrote: "1-No writing in books. NO exceptions.2-I Never reuse a bookmark
3-I read one book at a time
4-If I read a series, I read it back to back.
5-I always try to finish either at the end of a chapter or..."
I agree with #7--learned the hard way about lending out my books. If the book is special to me, it never leaves home. Otherwise, I give away a lot of books--just don't have room to keep them.
1. Never, under any circumstances, buy a handbag that will not be big enough for a hard cover book.2. If you are having a conversation with a human and it is not as interesting as that big ass book in your bag, cease conversation immediately.
3. Do not leave the house without a book. EVER.
4. Do not leave the country without at least four books. EVER.
5. Do not ever bother having a second date with a guy who says, 'I guess I'm just not that into reading...'.
6. Don't bother finishing a bad book. This could be the last book you ever read. Do you want it to be a bad one??
7. Yes, you do need another copy of that book (even though you have 3 already) because the cover is so frikkin pretty.
8. It's perfectly normal to theme your evening meal to tie in with the book you're currently reading (although I'm not sure this applies to the disturbing meat craving I had while reading A Carnivore's Inquiry...)
9. It is perfectly acceptable to cut your family out of your will and leave your entire fortune to your local library. Honest :o)
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Whooooooa... I had never thought of it that way! :O
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I have 3 that are specifically for library books, because those are the ones that I don't mind getting all dirty and germy and other-people-smell-y. I have 3 that are my absolute favourites and are never EVER used for books that I don't own. Two of the 3 I only ever use in new books, but one of them I can use in second-hand books if they're in good condition. I have 2 that are for not-so-good-condition second-hand books, or really-good-condition library books. Then I have spares that aren't among my favourite bookmarks but can be used if I'm reading so many books at once that I've run out of the others, heh. All of the above are the fringed leather kind of bookmark that you can pick up in tourist places in the UK. I've been collecting them since I was a kid. (Life-long pet peeve - when someone takes a bookmark out of my book and puts it back in WITH THE FRINGE INSIDE. Fringe goes outside, people. Otherwise it gets all bent out of shape. And then so do I. :P)
There's also this paper Garfield bookmark that I've had since I was little (my very first "real" bookmark!) and has somehow survived, and I still use it sometimes to mark the notes at the end of classics... but never EVER in a library book, since I had a scare where I thought I'd sent the book back to the library with Garfield still in it! I have these mini-postcard bookmarks for use in the back of library books - they're nice, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I lost them.
*deep breath* Ahh, it's so good to finally let all that out there. Hi, my name is Faye, and I'm a bookmark addict. :)
1. Never dog-ear pages, never. I cringe when books from the library are dog-earred.2. Anything will work as a bookmark: the kindle, the front cover of another book, a folded piece of scrap paper. Just don't fold the page in the book, even it was previously creased. See # 1.
3. Never buy a book new. Exception: kindle editions (are these really new?) and new editions of required college material, damn you!! whoever "you" are!!!
4. Only purchase a book if it is intended to be used as reference. Ex: cookbook, DIY manual, etc. (And buy it used. See # 3. And amazon.com, 1/2 price books, etc.)
5. Books are intended to be shared; pass on the books you love to the people in your life who will appreciate the books as well. Books you don't like? There's always 1/2 price books, goodwill, amazon.com, etc., surely there's someone out there who will want them.
6. Alternate between easy reads and hard reads. 2 hard reads in a row will hurt the brain.
Well, my main form of reading now is on my ebook reader because it's easier on my eyes, so my rules have changed.#1 rule is don't leave home without it.
2) Library books go to the front of the line and must be returned as soon as finished because someone may be waiting for it.
3) Not really a rule, but if I'm going to pay attention to the order of a series, I have a strong preference for reading them in order of publication (vs. internal chronology). It baffles me how Ursula Le Guin's first published novel can be considered book 3 of a series. Maybe there's a Star Wars fan who can sympathize with me on this? The Foundation series starts with Foundation, not the Prelude to Foundation!
4) Track books on goodreads and read at least one book from this month's genre.
I do want to use libraries because unwanted books may get taken out of circulation, but I'm not organized enough to have rules around it. I also want to buy books from authors I like. Even though I know libraries pay more for them, it just doesn't feel the same.
Faye wrote: "I'm so glad I'm in good company with the whole obsessive-bookmark thing! I collect bookmarks, have a massive pile of them on my shelves, and I'm always asking for more. It drives my aunt nuts when ..."Hi Faye, you are still loved being a bookmark addict, especially in this crowd and please go on being an addict; for this is an acceptable one. Boy I wish I could see your collection. What fun it would be to actually see the bookmarks.
My rules are simple:1. If I am reading in public, do not ask if it is a good book. Instead. Send your query by fax and allow 4-6 weeks for my response.
2. Book versions are always better than movie versons- except for Looney Tunes in 3D.
3. Never use a blow torch or a power tool to take out frustration on a book with a bad ending.
4. Books and series should flow in logical order. Therefore, prequels are to be considered evil and avoided if possible.
5. Trips to the library/book store are considered critical to my reading happiness. So, it is fine by me to be late to a wedding or birthday party because scanning new releases with the gr app takes priority.
Rob wrote: "My rules are simple:1. If I am reading in public, do not ask if it is a good book. Instead. Send your query by fax and allow 4-6 weeks for my response.
2. Book versions are always better than m..."
Your rules are the best, Rob! I wholeheartedly agree.
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I'll see if I can manage to take a picture of them all. :)
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1. If I am reading in public, do not ask if it is a good book. Instead. Send your query by fax and allow 4-6 weeks for my response.
2. Book versions are always better than m..."
LOL!
Rob wrote: 5. Trips to the library/book store are considered critical to my reading happiness. So, it is fine by me to be late to a wedding or birthday party because scanning new releases with the gr app takes priority.I love this rule Rob, I'm going to have to share that with my family for the next event because I'm always getting in trouble for taking too long at the bookstore!
Thank you Bridget and Faye.Kassandra, Me too! I am always getting into trouble for taking forever. I might arrive at the church when the bride is walking down, but at least I will have the latest John Grisham novel scanned into my TBR pile :)
Awesome excuse for being late to a wedding! I'm really excited for the next John Grisham too. I've already pre-ordered it and it doesn't even have a title yet.
#1. Use a bookmark! No dog earred pages or broken spine backs#2. Read until you fall asleep. Wake up with the book on your face.
#3. Stop on a page multiple of 50. (Unless rule #2 applies)
#4. Never buy a book that you can get from the library. It's the original "recycling!"
#5. Give a book 50 pages of honest try. If you don't like it after that, you can quit.
#6. Always carry a book with you. You never know when you're going to have to wait. I hate wait.
Pat wrote: "#1. Use a bookmark! No dog earred pages or broken spine backs#2. Read until you fall asleep. Wake up with the book on your face.
#3. Stop on a page multiple of 50. (Unless rule #2 applies)
#..."
As long as I have a book (on my iPhone or a paperback in my purse), I LOVE to wait. I will let everybody go ahead of me if I'm really into a passage… but no book-then I'm a grump.
Don't mess up books, no writing, bending or folding. End of chapter reading.
Must read before the movie is watched. LOL
I don't have much of them, but here are the few of them I have/follow:- No, absolutely NO pen marks on the book except maybe for my name on the first page
- No reading while eating
- Stop reading only when chapter ends.
- Listen to music while reading (not applicable always).
I've only got one reading rule that I strictly adhere to and that is using a certain bookmark for a certain book. I make bookmarks of my own from pressed flowers and magazines and each book mark has a theme which I like to match to the book.
Laura wrote: "I've only got one reading rule that I strictly adhere to and that is using a certain bookmark for a certain book. I make bookmarks of my own from pressed flowers and magazines and each book mark ha..."That's really neat, Laura!
1. Don't stay up all night ,(unless its a page-turner,desperate times call for desperate measures). I always break this rule smh
2.Stop at a chapter ending.
3. Don't rent more than 3 library books at a time.
4. Use a bookmark NEVER fold the page.
5.If its not engaging after 5 chapters its probably not engaging at all.
6.Don't stick to one genre,explore.
7. Don't start a trillogy unless all books are published and available to you. (guilty, and have suffered the consequenses numerous times).
8. Always have a dictinary(app) at your disposal while reading
Okay so i could go on for days but yeah i basically break all of these rules occasionally but I try to live(read)by them.
not really a rule but i hate it when my kids fold the corners of a page, if they cant find a bookmark i would rather then get a piece of paper from recycle bin!
I don't have many rules, probably just "Always carry a book with you. " for myself and like Amy said "use an improvised bookmark, e.g. library reminder ticket, instead of earmarking" for the kids.
1. Use bookmarks. No dog earred pages.2. No writing in books.
3. No eating while reading. (I don't like crumbs or food stains in my books.)
4. No spine breaking new books. (I don't care so much if it's a book I bought used.)
5. Always take off the dust jacket on a hardcover before reading it.
6. Don't lend out books.
1- Don't turn down the pages in books .
2- Don't write in books . ( I can't stand reading a book that someone else has written in )
3-Do NOT drop food on books while reading . I also have a pet peeve about getting a library book and having food smeared on it . GROSS .
4-Also, I have never smoked, but I cannot stand to read a book that a Smoker has read. The whole books stinks of cigarettes . YEK.
5- I try to read until I'm t the top of the right hand page ,so I know where I left off .
6- I don't waste much time on books that don't grab my attention fairly quickly. If it's boring, I don't give it very many pages til I try something else . Life is too short to read bad books .
2- Don't write in books . ( I can't stand reading a book that someone else has written in )
3-Do NOT drop food on books while reading . I also have a pet peeve about getting a library book and having food smeared on it . GROSS .
4-Also, I have never smoked, but I cannot stand to read a book that a Smoker has read. The whole books stinks of cigarettes . YEK.
5- I try to read until I'm t the top of the right hand page ,so I know where I left off .
6- I don't waste much time on books that don't grab my attention fairly quickly. If it's boring, I don't give it very many pages til I try something else . Life is too short to read bad books .
No reading in the middle of a series... idk how anyone can do it.Refuse to sell my books unless I somehow had it and realize I would never want to read it, but I sell only to a bookstore or donate to a library or give to a cousin/friend that also likes to read.
No writing in the books.
Don't get them dirty - though that is hard but I manage to still eat while reading.
No lending them to someone I already know won't even give them back.
If I have a book in a series, I won't read that book until I have the whole series.
Don't stop in the middle of a page if I can. Try to make it to the next page if the period is at the end of the sentence on the last page.
Take off the book covers on hardbacks and save them - they look so much prettier without the book cover.
Read the book before the movie, or else reading the book would not interest me.
Document every book after I read it.
Try not to read more than 3 books at a time, but if it so happens then once the end of the year comes closer, I try to finish all the books that I left unfinished throughout the year. Lol
Buy books used as often as possible. I learned this the hard way. When I got a job straight out of high school I spent a lot of money on new books for a year or two. (My mom messed up my library account when I was younger and had to pay too much money and I wanted to own books instead) Until I realized I could be looking online for used books. Now I go to flea markets, used book stores, yard sales and even the library. Most of the libraries in my city have a section of books they sell for no more than like $3 or $4 each but there's one specific library that sells books for $0.10 - $0.50 and I'm obsessed with it. Last week I bought 7 books for 75 cents (1 True Blood book, 1 David Foster Wallace book, and a VC Andrews book) The selection isn't the BEST, but I've gotten some interesting ones from there and even some really good, popular ones.
That's really all I can think of. I fold my pages but not too much lol bookmarks annoy me. I don't like my books damaged but they don't need to be perfect considering I usually buy them used.
1. Always put the Kindle up on the shelf before falling asleep. (Ask me about my first, short-lived, Kindle, and how I bricked it... >.<)2. Support women science fiction authors by pre-ordering their books, when possible. (This is the figure that their publishers use when deciding how profitable a writer has been.)
3. Don't finish reading anything you don't want to. There are too many books out there!
3a. For Bedtime Story Hour (reading aloud time that my husband and I share, with us taking turns choosing the book) either of us can veto a book at any time for any reason. Life is to short to share it with books you find tiresome or unpleasant. Even if your dearest love thinks the book is amazing.
4. Stay away from older books, because the casual sexism and racism of the characters will just piss me off!
5. Look up from the book, occasionally, to remember the people you live with. Spend time with them. Preferably reading together. ;)
1. Always try to to stop reading at the end of a chapter. Or at least, at the end of a paragraph. This is not always possible, though.2. Free books from your dusty shelves! Books are made to travel (yes, I'm a bookcrosser). If you don't like a book, release it (bookcrossing), swap it or give it to someone who might appreciate it.
3. If the book is bad, just abandon it!
Don't lend books. People who promise to return them are (mostly) liars.Support the library system by using it (I'd be bankrupt if I paid for every book I read).
Leave books behind for the next reader. (I only keep technical and very favourite books as I read soooo much).
Read every day.
Read a series in the correct (intended/order of publication) order.
If you hate it, don't waste time reading any more of it (I always stick to the first 100 pages - after that, if you ain't hooked me, I'm gone gone gone....)
Read at least one book a month that I wouldn't 'normally' go for.
Technical/crafting/skills books don't count as 'books read'.
I don't really have any "reading rules" that I can think of to be honest...
Mine are pretty much the same as the ones in this article - http://bookriot.com/2013/05/22/what-y...
Especially the certain-bookmarks-for-certain-books thing. Oh yes. And stopping at the end of a chapter, though sadly that isn't always possible. Books with massively-long chapters drive me nuts.