40 Things About Me as a Reader

A couple of months ago I came across this blog post outlining 100 things about the author as a reader. I was intrigued by the idea, so here's what I have so far on my list.

1. I learned to read at a young age and have loved it ever since.
2. When I was learning to read, my mom was worried that I was just skipping over words, so she would make me read all my books out loud to her.
3. I have fond memories of both my mom and my dad reading stories to me and my brother when we were kids.
4. My mom introduced me to L. M. Montgomery (one of my favorite authors) and my dad introduced me to C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien (two more of my favorite authors).
5. I loved Tolkien's books before the movies came out (IYKYK).
6. I can't imagine a life without books.
7. I read some every single day (unless I am really sick - and then the fact that I don't want to read is a huge indicator just how poorly I am doing).
8. I always read multiple books at a time. I currently have several non-fiction books going, a fiction book, and an audiobook.
9. I was one of those kids who read with a flashlight under the bedcovers.
10. Ever since I was a kid, I've been a strong library user. I've saved all my library cards from the different places that I've lived.
11. When I travel, I like to visit local libraries (no matter how big or small), and I keep of list of the libraries I have "collected".
12. I read a lot of children's classics when I was growing up, and to this day, when I visit a bookstore and see the classics children's section it feels like reuniting with old friends.
13. I own a couple of thousand books (not counting all the ones on my Kindle).
14. Over the last couple of years I have read more than 100 books each year.
15. I spent seven years in Germany while I was growing up and I still occasionally read books in German to help me keep up my fluency.
16. Reading is my favorite hobby.
17. One of my favorite spaces to spend time - outside of my house or a coffee shop - is the library. I like being around books.
18. During college I worked at my college's library - and I loved it!
19. One of my favorite memorials is the memorial in Berlin in memory of the books that were burnt there on May 10, 1933.
20. I like to read a wide variety of both fiction and nonfiction, but if I had to pick a favorite genre, it would be mysteries.
21. I like to read new books, but I also enjoy rereading my favorites. It's like spending time catching up with an old friend.
22. Currently (outside of audiobooks), my favorite format to read books is in digital form.
23. I usually first borrow a book from the library and then buy my own copy only if I really want to own it.
24. I haven't read every single book that I own, but I have read the vast majority of them.
25. One of my favorite things to do is to poke around used bookstores and find unexpected treasures.
26. I have been getting books as Christmas and birthday presents for as long as I can remember.
27. There have been Christmases when the amount of books my parents got me were measured in feet, not in numbers of books (my mom loves to bargain shop for books!).
28. I love the way that a book can transport you to a different place and a different time.
29. I love finding used books that are marked up by previous owners. It makes the book unique and transforms it into a group discussion between the author, the previous owner, and me.
30. When I do mark up books myself, I always use a pencil. I can't bring myself to write in ink in case I make a mistake.
31. As a kid and a teenager I was always carried a book with me "just in case." Now I make sure to always have my phone and the Kindle app on me "just in case."
32. I've always enjoyed reading while riding in a car and have never gotten carsick.
33. My husband and I sometimes take vacations where part of our plan is to just sit and read without any of the pressures of having to do something else.
34. One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning is to lie in bed and read.
35. I've been known to stay up late just to finish a good book.
36. Not only do I like books, I also like books about books. I'm intrigued by what other readers find interesting about reading and about books.
37. One of my pet peeves is people collecting books just because of how the book looks without caring about what the book itself has to say.
38. One of my favorite types of books to collect is old (as in 75 to 100 years old or older) school books. I'm fascinated with what has changed about how certain subjects are presented to students and what hasn't changed.
39. I borrow so many books from the library each year (mostly digital ones these days) that I joke that I get my tax dollars' worth out of the library.
40. So far, I've always only been the reader of books. One day I would like to also be the author of a book.

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