How I Read Tag + The TBR Book Tag

I need to catch up on some tags, so I decided to tackle two in the same post today (my efficiency is at an all time high)! I was tagged by Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts to do the How I Read Tag and Alyssa @ Alyssa is Reading tagged me to do the TBR Book Tag. Since these are both related to reading and reading habits, I combined the two in one post!

HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT NEW BOOKS TO READ?

There are a couple of ways I find out about new books. I flick through publicity catalogues put out by publishers to see what new books are being released in the coming months. I also get a lot of great recommendations by reading Top Ten Tuesday posts and book reviews. I also use the Listopia function on Goodreads and I always check the side bar on Goodreads to see what their recommendations are.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO READING?

I’ve always read a lot from a young age so I don’t really know how I got into reading. I stopped reading when I was doing my undergraduate studies at uni because I was always busy. I got back into reading this past year after discovering Booktube and I now have a more relaxed schedule that allows me to do whatever the heck I want with my time.

HOW HAS YOUR TASTE IN BOOKS CHANGED AS YOU GOT OLDER?

I don’t think my reading tastes have changed that much to be honest. I read a lot of YA contemporary novels when I was in high school and that’s still my preferred genre. I read a lot more literary fiction now and some of my all-time favourite books are literary fiction novels.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU BUY BOOKS?

Um… at least a couple a week. I know, I’m a terrible person. But I don’t feel terrible enough to cancel the book shopping spree that I’ve planned for tomorrow morning 😀

HOW DID YOU GET INTO BOOK REVIEWING?

I’ve been reviewing books on Goodreads for a while now and a couple of months ago I decided, why not start a blog so that I can reach a larger audience and have the opportunity to do book tags too? I also love to write and book reviewing actually helps me with getting my thoughts down onto paper quickly.

HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN YOU DON’T LIKE THE END OF A BOOK?

It depends if the rest of the book was good? I’m usually okay with unsatisfying endings as long as the rest of the book is good. However, if the whole book was bad… I just bitch and rant about it in my review. See my review of Fans of the Impossible Life for a recent example…

HOW OFTEN DO YOU TAKE A SNEAK PEEK AT THE ENDING TO SEE IF THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING?

I used to do this all the time. When I was in high school, I used to read the last couple of pages first before buying a book, to make sure that the ending was satisfying. But now I never look at the ending or even skip ahead when I’m reading.

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HOW DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TBR PILE?

I try to keep track of it on Goodreads. I only add books to my to-read shelf on Goodreads if I already own the book. I don’t add want-to-read books to that shelf. But I haven’t been adding my new purchases to my to-read shelf lately because I’m lazy and also because I don’t want to know the exact number of books I’ve bought and haven’t read…

I also try to keep my TBR books in a separate pile on my bookshelf so I that I can just grab one from the pile.

IS YOUR TBR MOSTLY PRINT OR EBOOK?

My TBR is mostly print. I don’t read a lot of eBooks, unless they’re eARCs or ones I downloaded for free on iBooks.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH BOOK FROM YOUR TBR TO READ NEXT?

I try to read ARCs as close to their release dates as possible and I usually get those far enough in advance that I can schedule when to read them. So what I choose to fill in the gaps depends on my mood and what I feel like reading.

A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN ON YOUR TBR THE LONGEST

I have no idea. There are books on my shelf that I bought 7-8 years ago when I was in high school… I have a lot of unread classics sitting on my shelf that have been collecting dust there for a long time.

A BOOK THAT YOU RECENTLY ADDED TO YOUR TBR

I received an ARC of The Lake House by Kate Morton from Allen & Unwin on Friday. I think this is the most recent book that I’ve added to my TBR pile.

I pre-ordered Tonight The Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales a while ago and it should be arriving on my doorstep tomorrow. Plus, like I mentioned above, I’ve planned a book shopping spree for tomorrow morning… so we’ll see what my TBR looks like tomorrow, after I’ve spent like all my savings.

A BOOK THAT’S ON YOUR TBR STRICTLY BECAUSE OF THE COVER

I bought The Ruby Slippers by Kier Alexander over a year ago because the cover was so pretty! The little red windows are actually shiny and it’s a stunning cover in person. This was definitely a cover-buy but the blurb really interested me too.

Another cover-buy on my TBR is Consolation by Anna Gavalda. It’s got a beautiful red cover with two white doves. (Just so you know, I like other colours too. I don’t just pick up books with red covers, though they are really pretty).

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU NEVER PLAN ON READING

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. To be honest, I don’t know why I bought this. I guess I was planning on reading it before the film came out, but it was just too intimidating. And I probably won’t ever pick it up.

AN UNPUBLISHED BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU ARE EXCITED FOR

So… I mentioned above that I only consider books that I already own but have not read as my TBR books. So I guess, I’ll choose a book that I own an ARC of but hasn’t been released yet?

For this, I choose The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood. I received an ARC of this from the publisher a few weeks ago and I’m super excited to read it. It sounds like a really interesting dystopian novel. This will be released on September 24 in the UK and Australia, and September 29 is the US release date.

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT EVERYONE HAS READ BUT YOU

Divergent by Veronica Roth. I’m actually not interested in this series at all. But I saw a US hardcover edition for $7 at a bookstore, and that was such a bargain that I had to buy it.

I’ve been told that Insurgent and Allegiant are kind of crap, so I’ll probably only read Divergent (if I can ever motivate myself to pick it up). I’ve also been spoiled for the series so I have no interest in continuing past this first book. Most of the people I’ve talked to recommend only reading Divergent anyway.

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT EVERYONE RECOMMENDS TO YOU

Everybody recommends Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. Eleanor and Park was the first Rainbow Rowell book I ever bought and now it’s the only one I haven’t read.

I actually started it when I first bought it but real life got in the way and I had to put it down. I guess I need to pick it back up again soon since everybody recommends it to me! I think it’s also the one that I’ll probably enjoy the most out of all of her books, so I have no idea why I haven’t read it yet.

A BOOK ON YOUR TBR THAT YOU ARE DYING TO READ

I’m DYING to read The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. Everybody raves about The Raven Cycle and I want to start this series so badly. I’ve read The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy also by Maggie Stiefvater and I enjoyed it. So I’m keen to read something else by her!

I have the three books in The Raven Cycle that have been released so far and I think I’ll marathon them later in the year, in November or December, so that I’ll be ready to read the last book in the series, The Raven King, when it comes out in February 2016.

HOW MANY BOOKS ARE ON YOUR GOODREADS TBR?

[edit: I can’t believe I left out this question!]

I have 117 on my Goodreads to-read shelf, but I have about 30 books that I haven’t shelved yet… so it’s probably closer to 150. It’s shameful. I know.

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I TAG:

I’m going to tag a couple of people to do either or both of these tags. Feel free to ignore me (as I’m sure you will even without me telling you) if you’ve already done these tags or have no interest in doing tags.

• Aentee @ Read at Midnight
• Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
• Alyssa @ Seals of Approval Books
• CW @ Read Think Ponder
• Jesse @ Books at Dawn
• JM @ Book Freak Revelations
• Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts
• Josie @ Josie’s Book Corner
• Lydia @ 22 is Still Young Adult
• Summer @ Xingsings