Confessions of a Bookaholic

Over the years, I’ve heard a bunch of authors and readers share their bookish confessions. Odd things they’ve used to hold their place in a book (other than bookmarks), whether they dog ear corners, which classics they have on their shelves but have never read…

I thought it might be fun to share some of my own. So, without further ado, here are ten of my bookish confessions.

Confession #1: I judge books by their covers. All the time.

Doesn’t mean I won’t read a book if I don’t like the cover, but I’m a lot less likely to pick it up. But a pretty gown, a couple in jeans and Converse shoes, jewel tones, something fun… they’ll get me every time.

I know you’re not supposed to, but, meh. I do. They make me smile, and smiles are the best medicine. (Actually, that’s laughter, but close enough. Same deal )

Confession #2: Libraries cost me a lot of money, especially for something that’s free.

There are many books on my shelves which are there purely because I borrowed them from my library, fell in love with them-and went and purchased my own copy. I’ve never paid a single cent for the privilege of using the library (or in overdue fines) but I have ‘needed’ my own copies of books I’d found there, so headed straight from the library to the bookshop.

Melanie Dickerson, Brigid Kemmerer, Kasie West, Becky Wade, JK Rowling, Kiera Cass, and Julie Klassen (among many, MANY others) are all authors I’ve found through libraries who are now auto-buy authors for me. My budget might not like this one too much but I have no regrets.

Confession #3: Sometimes I quite literally forget that book characters are actually fictional.

Twice, on two totally different occasions, I’ve told someone I had a friend who ___ (fill in the gaps) only to realise later when I was trying to figure out who it actually was that it was a fictional character. Um…

Confession #4: I pulled an all-nighter to read the final Harry Potter book the week it came out.

My mum used to cover books for the school library and was doing some over the weekend. The seventh book was one of them and therefore sitting in our kitchen for the weekend (before heading back Monday to the very long list of kids waiting to borrow it). I ‘borrowed’ it, read it that night, and returned it around 8 the next morning. Again, no regrets.

Confession #5: I cover all my books.

Speaking of covering books, that’s the first thing I do when I get a new book. I can’t actually read a book (okay, I really, really struggle!) unless it’s covered. I do all the paperbacks in clear contact, and my mum very kindly does my hardcovers for me since she has the library-grade plastic for those.

Confession #6: Despite trying four times on four different occasions, I still haven’t managed to read The Hobbit (and haven’t gotten past the intro to the first Lord of the Rings).

I don’t know if it’s the language, the fact that I watched the movies first, or something else entirely but I just haven’t been able to finish it. I do, however, own all the books. Including three different copies of The Hobbit. Don’t fault my commitment to the task. One day.

Confession #7: I’m a mood reader.

Regardless of what (or how many) books are on my To Be Read list, or what I have out of the library, books are my escape/way to relax and I read accordingly. Because of this, I have books I’ve read twenty times (or more), and others I’ve only ever read once.

When I’m tired or stressed, I tend to go for YA contemporary (ie light books with not much more to them than a sweet romance) or fantasy (which are so far from my reality that it’s like an escape for a few hours). When I’m depressed, sad or super busy and just need a break, I’ll go for old favorites or ones that make me laugh. They’re like being surrounded by friends, without having to explain to said friends why I need them when I can’t even put into words what I need.

Confession #8: I have a bunch of books on my shelves by favorite authors which I’ve preordered months in advance, anxiously waited to arrive – and still haven’t read.

Part of this is the mood reading thing (see confession #7) but mostly it’s that I know I’m going to absolutely LOVE the book and don’t want to ‘waste it’ when I’m too tired to concentrate/too stressed to deal with more emotions/too busy to enjoy it/etc.

Timing is a funny thing though. So many times, I’ve picked one of these preorder books off my shelf months (occasionally years) after I’ve put it there to find it was exactly what I needed in that moment. Would it have had the same impact if I’d read it the day it arrived? Maybe. But then, maybe not. It does make it more special though to think God would know how much I needed that particular book/message/encouragement/laugh on that exact day.

Confession #9: When it comes to dystopian, fantasy and sci-fi books, I usually wait until the whole series is published before starting it.

The main reason for this is that I’m not great with cliffhangers, and most series in that genre seem to love them. I have super vivid dreams and tend to dream up endings if it’s not finished, which, depending on the book, aren’t always fun to ‘live’. (Although…. Brand of Light ended on one and I loved the dreams I had that night, all about, oh actually that would be a spoiler so I won’t say what they were , but they were fun!)

I’ll break this unspoken rule occasionally (once again, the Droseran Saga comes to mind!), but it’s rare. Other any genre, I read the books as they are released.

Confession #10: I don’t like reading outdoors.

I know, I know, reading outside is the dream – especially at the beach, or the deck of a holiday house, or in a hammock under the swaying palm trees – but I just can’t do it. I get too distracted, either by the people around me, or the animals, or the weather, or the shadows/glare, or the sounds, or… etc. Probably doesn’t help that I’m not a big fan of the beach, or mosquitoes/bugs, to start with. I can read anywhere indoors, even in public places like a library or foodcourt, but just can’t seem to concentrate outdoors. Weird but true.

So there you have it, ten book-related confessions of mine. Can you relate to any of these? Have some of your own to share?

Drop me a note in the comments! I’d love to hear 🙂