Confessions Of A Book Reviewer

• I don’t always remember to write a review after finishing the book. My memory isn’t what it used to be.
• I copy the same template for all my reviews. My reviews would be a mess if I didn’t structure them.
• I forget some details. Sometimes I’ve even looked up the protagonist’s first name.
• I don’t take notes while I read. Maybe I should.
• I love reviewing physical books. More often than not, they’re fiction. But hopefully one day, I’ll get around to reading more nonfiction.
• I finish every book. I feel like it isn’t fair to the author or potential readers if I only read and review half the novel.
• I use the same phrases in my reviews. There are only so many ways to say I recommend a book.
• I don’t write in books. I can’t do it. At most, I’ll write on a sticky note to mark a specific passage or page.

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A Reader’s Thoughts In A Bookstore

I read this. I need to read that. I own this one already.

What a great deal. Wow, how expensive.

I don’t need to buy more books, but I want them all.

That’s cute. Oh my god, it’s so pretty.

My wallet is going to hate me. I better not spend over my credit limit.

What a beautiful cover. Yes, please.

I remember reading that forever ago.

Oh, boxed sets are the best.

It smells amazing in here. I need to buy a perfume that smells like old books.

I could sit here all day and read. But I should go home and read the book I started.

It’s getting late. It’s dark out already? I’ve been here for how long. Two hours? I don’t have anywhere else to go though.

You know what would be perfect right now? A coffee. Tea doesn’t sound too bad either. I’m thirsty. Come to think of it, I’m hungry too. Maybe I should get something to eat, so I don’t starve to death.

I wonder how many books I can carry before I break both arms. How much is too much?

No one can ever have too many books. I’m running out of space on my shelves. I’ll make room.

I really ought to sell some of my books. I could use the money to buy new ones.

I should borrow from the library. Will I have enough money for food if I spend most of my pay check on books? Why do humans have to eat anyway? Stories are nourishing.

What should I buy? That looks interesting. Let me take a picture of all of these, so I can check them out later. Am I really a reader if I walk out of a bookstore empty-handed?

It’d be cool to work in a bookstore. I wonder what that’s like. I wonder if they’re hiring. I could tell them how much I love reading on my resume.

Underrated Talents Reader Possess

• Forgetting everything they just read but remembering something they read ten months ago.
• Lying to themselves when they say “one more chapter”.
• Navigating their way around bookstores and libraries.
• Spotting red herrings a mile away.
• Reading multiple books at once.
• Recommending great reads on demand.
• Organizing their shelves by colour, genre, and height.
• Picking up a book but not putting it down.
• Keeping snacks on hand.
• Owning novels they haven’t read.

Why I Love Books But Hate Showing People My Bookshelves

I love books. I love reading. But I don’t know why I don’t like showing people my shelves.

Maybe I’m just weird.

A lot of my relatives don’t read. You can’t pick family, right? At least, my best friends read.

I’m all for being surrounded by books. It brings me so much joy to look at my shelves. But I don’t love the prospect of someone else staring at it.

My younger cousin walked into my room one time and proceeded to count how many books I owned. I was curious and mortified at the same time.

Since then, I’ve added many more to my ever-growing collection. It’s grown so much bigger than I expected. So now I’m way too lazy to count all the books I possess.

I’m not embarrassed by my shelves. If anything, I’m quite proud.

My one issue is that I only have one bookcase.

At the rate I’m buying books, I’ll need an entire room to store them all one day. Hopefully, by the time I run out of space, I’ll have the means to move out into my dream house. A girl can dream.

I think you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their bookshelves. I wonder what my collection would say about me.

I love books, but I don’t love showing people the shelves in my room. I’m not the biggest fan of sharing my babies either.

I’m strange. But that’s okay.

Get To Know The Reader

Why do you love books?

What’s there not to love?

Why do you read?

To escape from the real world. Fictional ones are better anyway

What’s your favourite genre?

Anything suspenseful. Crime. Mystery. Thriller.

What’s your least favourite genre? 

Romance. At times, it’s a bit repetitive.

When do you read?

I tend to read in the morning or afternoon. Natural light all the way.

Where do you read?

In my room, in my bed.

Do you have a favourite author?

I can’t choose one. But I like David Baldacci, Pierce Brown, Sarah J. Maas, and Jodi Picoult.

Do you have a reading routine?

Kind of. I wash my hands before reading since I’m a bona fide germaphobe. I update my Goodreads status after (if I remember).

10 Reasons Why You Should Buy Books

1. Support other authors. Artists supporting artists will never get old.
2. Writing novels is hard. Reading stories is not.
3. Add to your ever growing to-be-read list. May you get to all of them one day.
4. Escape the real world. Fictional worlds are the best.
5. Walking out of a bookstore empty-handed is wrong. I don’t make the rules.
6. Take cute pictures. Do it for your Instagram feed.
7. Books are magical. Experience that magic first-hand.
8. You need a distraction. For all the times you need to forget about how you embarrassed yourself in front of your colleagues or crush.
9. Make new friends. Get this, you don’t even have to leave your house.
10. You only love your bed and your books. I’m too old to make references to pop culture.

Falling In Love With Ebooks

I’ll be the first to admit I’m old-school, super traditional. I also describe myself as a stubborn person with specific habits.

Which is why for the longest time, I never even read an ebook, much less reached for one. But last year, I discovered I don’t mind them as much as I thought I did. So now I’m a fan.

I still and will forever love physical books. Nothing can replace the experience of turning real pages. Too bad they aren’t as portable as ebooks.

As someone who takes the bus and train, I love having a collection of books on my phone. I’m never truly alone then.

While in transit, I tend to pore over non-fiction. I love fiction, but I don’t love having to stop in the middle of a chapter when I reach my destination. With non-fiction, regardless of where I left off, I find it easier to pick up at a later point.

Both print and digital books have their pros, their cons. Either way, we can use the format that best suit our preferences or lifestyles.

Admittedly, I haven’t given audiobooks a go. Part of me wonders if I ever will. But it’s great to know that many people out there love listening to them.

I don’t own a dedicated e-reader of any kind. My phone does a decent enough job. But if anyone wants to get me one, I wouldn’t be opposed.

No matter the form it takes, reading is a wonderful thing. I will never be against anyone who loves any and all kinds of books.

How To Read Every Day

Throw your phone away. Toss it into the trash. Take the garbage out. Right now.

Throw your TV out the window. Watching movies isn’t the same as reading books.

Throw your sleep schedule out the door. Let’s be honest, some days you’re going to stay up until the sun rises. It’s okay. Who needs to sleep anyway? Any reader of great literature knows the answer to that rhetorical question.

Throw your computer off the roof. Laptops and tablets have to go too. Any kind of distraction is no bueno.

Throw your car off a cliff. You can’t read while you’re driving. You shouldn’t anyway. Just stay home and enjoy a novel or ten.

Throw your gaming consoles at friends. Then grab some popcorn.

Throw your work at co-workers. Less working, more reading.

Throw yourself into another country. The alternative is to throw everyone you know as far as possible.

Throw me into a cell. I hope reading my bad posts doesn’t take time away from reading good books.