WHAT KIND OF PRINT BOOK READER ARE YOU? - THE WISDOM OF LISTENING BLOG TOUR (AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY)

I have come to realize there are at least three kinds of print book readers I see on a regular basis. First is the tidy reader, second is the messy reader, and third is the hybrid reader. Do you know which you are?

 To the tidy reader, reading a book is like eating a gourmet meal in a five star restaurant. All of their books are purchased brand new, although exceptions might made for signed first editions. They want to be the first to crack that stiff spine open and love that new book smell. In a bookstore these readers never take the front book from a shelf or the top book in a stack. They reach behind and under to find the most pristine copy they can. 

 New books are brought home with as little jostling as possible and stored carefully on a bookshelf or stacked neatly on a table next to their reading chair. When they read, they sit upright and always turn a good reading light on. No drinking or eating is allowed to avoid staining the pages. No notations are ever made or corners turned down to mark their place. Only a proper book mark will do. When finished, the books are still in pristine condition. Only another tidy reader would know that its spine had already been cracked. 

At the other end of the spectrum is the messy reader. Reading for them is more like eating while camping with no table, chairs or utensils. Books come from every source – new and used book stores, thrift stores, library sales, garage sales and friends. It doesn't matter whether the book is in fabulous condition or a little raggedy; is clean or a little marked up; and dog eared pages aren't even noticed. As long as all the pages are intact and it's a good read they're happy. 

HOW TO KNOW THIS IS THE RIGHT BOOK TO READ

In the past, people had to make an effort in order to get ahold of books they were interested in reading. Nowadays, though, they have an entirely different problem. There are so many books out there, yet there is not enough time to read them all. Of course, the solution for this would be to make your selection narrower, and then work your way down the list. But how do you narrow it down?

HOW TO LEARN SPEED READING

Today the Internet provides people with tons of useful and interesting information. There is no need to go to the library or pay enormous sums of money in order to read desired book or article. It is possible to find great amounts of information in the vastness of the Internet. Thus, it is extremely important for modern people to read more information and apply useful reading techniques that can improve person’s reading skills. Here are some tips that can be beneficial for readers:

SUMMER READINGS WITH SOME ISSUES: DO YOU EVER WANT TO LOVE A BOOK BUT SIMPLY CAN'T?

On reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander saga books 4/5. Torn between love and boredom.  I know, it’s always a question of personal tastes. De gustibus.

Do I love Outander, its characters and its world? If you mean the TV series, the answer is: YES! I’M TOTALLY HOOKED! If you mean the books, instead, you must know that my relationship with Gabaldon’s saga has always been quite conflictual, complicated, with many ups and downs.

In my frenzy to discover more about the fascinating world of Gabaldon 's Outlander, after watching the TV series and reading the first 3 books (I loved Voyager),  I went on reading, enthusiastically. I wanted to know more, to discover more.  However, I started experiencing growing disappointment and came to a deadlock. I had quite a few troubles with book 4, Drums of Autumn,  but it went worse and worse with book 5. I suffered and struggled all through The Fiery Cross.

I love Jamie and Claire's relationship now they are middle-aged and live in 18th century America. To have characters growing up and developing their relationship through decades is unusual and great. Through endless (mis)adventures, troubles and ordinary issues Jamie and Claire, Roger and Brianna and their friends are tested and it is rewarding for devoted readers to get to know more and enjoy more of all of them.

WHAT MAKES YOU PUT DOWN A BOOK?

Daniel Pennac in his Reads Like a Novel stated it  as one of the rights of the readers: the right not to finish a book. 

How often do you avail yourself of that right? Well, you are not on trial, don't worry! I just would like to reflect with you on the reasons which bring us to put a book down at times and how often that happens in our reading life. 

Among the reasons I personally stop reading a book
- reason 1.  is  usually bad writing, - reason 2. I  can't relate to any of the characters at all 
- reason 3. I find it boring and of no interest.

The books I couldn't read to the end are less than the ones I completed, actually. Among the ones I still remember putting down after attempting reading them for a certain sense of duty, Jack Kerouac's On The Road (yeah! never finished) and Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I know, I know. They are best favourites of so many readers but I just couldn't like them nor convince myself to get to the end. There are many other books, especially in my recent reading life as a book blogger, that I couldn't finish reading. No sense of duty could  prevail and help me in those cases. Do I feel guilty? No, not at all. Reading must be a pleasure to me, not a duty, even less mind torture.