I’m not talking about decoding here. I know HOW to read (actually how one actually reads would be an interesting discussion completely over my head). But I’m talking about the practices YOU put into place when you read.
I’ve realized that I have certain unnamed rules that have crawled into place over the years. Since I’ve been reading so much these last couple of years, I’ve probably realized what works for me.
I’ll share some of my traditional “rules,” and I’d love for you to think about your practices and share them too!
- I don’t usually like to start a book if I only have a few minutes to read before bed. I’ve figured out that it usually takes me up to 60 pages to really get into a book. If I know that I’m only going to read for 10 or 15 minutes, it’s not worth it for me to start a book, because I often don’t remember those introductory pages if I’m not fully invested.
- I don’t really like to finish books right before bed either. I know that this is a far-weirder habit. I don’t usually stay up late into the night past my bedtime to finish the last chapters of a book; and since I have many books on my stack, if I only have 15 or 20 pages left, and I plan to read for 30 minutes or more, I might select another book instead of the novel I might finish in that time. There’s a couple of reasons for this. One is the reason listed above. If I finish a book and still have a few minutes to read, I can’t start another novel. Another is that I like to sit on the ending a while, so ideally I finish a book one afternoon or evening, then move on to something else. And the third is that I am not a night owl. When reading a night, no matter how lovely and compelling the book is — I am often dozing off, so I lose track of the plot.
- The majority of my reading does not happen at bedtime. I think that this is probably different from most of your habits as well. Again, it’s for the reasons listed above. I would say that most of my reading is done in the middle of the day, perhaps when others are being industrious housewives or responsible wage-earners or indulging in mindless TV. I try to set aside some of those minutes for reading.
- I don’t take half-finished books on trips. For a bookworm, how much reading material to pack is a critical decision that is debated much longer than which shoes match which purse. Because I know that I’m likely to put in many hours of reading time, I never “waste” one of those books with one that is half-finished. I also usually prefer to bring paperbacks over hardcovers, and I prefer reading fiction to nonfiction on trips, so I decide accordingly.
- I recently found out that I completely differ from Dawn who prefers to read non-fiction in chunks and grab minutes with fiction. I can and do select nonfiction if I only have a few minutes. I don’t get as engrossed in it, so I can easily read one chapter or even just a section and then put it down.
I’m sure that some of these will seem normal, but other things might seem totally weird to you. Let me have it! Let me know if you’ve developed some reading habits of your own.
Jennifer Donovan likes to read, even if it causes her to fall asleep at night, or get engrossed at the wrong time, or laugh aloud like a crazy person. She blogs at Snapshot.
Krista says
We all have our habits! I’m totally with you on the fiction/non-fiction thing. I just can’t seem to follow non-fiction for more than 2 chapters so it’s a good thing for me to read before bed. Although maybe I get less out of it since it makes me sleepy…
But if I’m reading fiction I will often finish at 3am… yikes!
The only other times I really read are nap time and road trips. And that last one is getting harder as I get older. 🙁
Jennifer says
I do a LOT of reading on road trips. I hope that it never starts to bother me. I would be very very sad.
stacey says
I stop reading 30 minutes before I go to bed. I have killer insomnia & reading before bed keeps me awake. I read in the afternoons & early evenings.
I love to reread my favorite books & when I travel I must pack a mix of new & old stuff on the theory that I might not like the new stuff & I need a fall back in case that happens.
I no longer finish books I am not enjoying by 100 or so pages in. Life is too short to waste it doing something I am not happy about & have a choice to stop.
Jennifer says
What a great idea of bringing along a favorite book just in case!
And yes, I have also gotten to where I stop after about 60 pages in if I don’t like a book.
Jenny says
I always read over lunch. I feed my kids and send them off to play, then I have my “lunch break” and the kids know that they only better come and pester me if someone is bleeding or the house is on fire. I get in a good hour a day with this habit. They’ve started up the same habit and now almost everyone has a book to read at lunchtime. We draw the line for dinner, though. We have to have conversation during our meals at least once a day. 🙂
I’m too tired at night to read for very long, so I’ve never been able to stay up until the wee hours to finish a good book. I just save it for the next day and read over breakfast.
Jennifer says
My 12-year-old daughter always brings a book to the table at breakfast and lunch, and this summer, my 7-year-old son asked if he could do it to be like his sister. I loved that!
Cindy E. says
I often times, like Krista can read read till the wee hours of the morning, if it’s a really good story that I can’t wait to finish. I find your reason for not starting one is often the reason I will. Most novels are not too catching in the beginning. I find I can esily recall the story, at worst I need to skim a few pages and it comes right back to me. So for this reason I often never read a book more then once. My newest habits are audiobooks and ebooks on my blackberry. I work full time and only have a half hour lunch so the ebooks come in handy as they stay scrolled to the last place I read and the audiobooks allow me to get maybe 4 hours of story in a day. I also have 2 small children so the theme for me is read when you can, and read fast lol!
Jennifer says
Yes, that’s a good point — that if a good book usually keeps you awake, it would be good to start a new one if you just wanted to read 15 minutes or so.
Lisa notes... says
I really resonate with # 4 about packing books for a trip. It is definitely an item on my list that takes serious consideration! I ALWAYS take far more books than I ever read because I don’t want to get caught with no reading material. Clean clothes–who cares? But books–may I never run out. Ha.
Jennifer says
Exactly! If I’m visiting family or someone, a book isn’t as critical, because I’ll likely be visiting (and could find something to read there), but if I didn’t have a book to read on a car trip or a relaxing vacation, I’d be very sad.
That’s one reason that I love having my Kindle with a bunch of titles that I’ve stocked up on when they were free. I won’t ever run out.
Junglewife says
I agree with most of your “rules”, especially #4! If we are headed out on a trip, and I finish a book within a day or so of leaving on the trip, often I won’t start a new one before we leave, just so I can “save” it for the trip. But a friend recently gave me an e-reader, and I took it on our last trip, and even though i still love “real” books, it was so nice to not have to worry about how many books I could take!
Jennifer says
I do love my Kindle, preloaded with books I’ve stocked up on when they were free or inexpensive. But yes, one of the books I brought on this trip was one that I really wanted to read, but I didn’t want to start it before I left, so I still have it.
Dawn says
I love your comment about what other folks might be doing during the middle of the day. 🙂 When I return to full-time work in less than a month, I imagine my reading will have to shift from the middle of the morning while the kids play around me, or the early afternoon while they nap. Thankfully, we’ll have a bus ride each morning and afternoon in which I hope the kids will do as their brother used to years ago when we rode to school together each day– LOTS of reading was done during our commute. 🙂
Jennifer says
Mass transit is definitely good for reading, and why not start encouraging that habit early.
Halle says
I don’t like finishing a book before I go to bed, either! Everyone I’ve ever told this thinks I’m crazy, so I’m very glad to have found a kindred spirit! 🙂