Tag: question

What Makes You Read On?

Earlier today I was discussing what challenges can make readers not want to carry on with a story. Of course, I was trying to get to the bottom of why some students give up so easily on classic books, but this subject applies to everyone. So I decided to start the conversation here on my blog too.

What are the things that turn you off from a book? Are there any particular features that drive you mad?

Does book length matter?

Are you one of those people who likes shorter books? What would it take to get you reading something longer?

For me, I lean towards books of about 200 pages but happily read 500 page books by reputable authors like Joanne Harris and Liane Moriarty.

Are conversations better than exposition?

Big books or little ones?

Do you prefer books that have more speech than description? Or are you more inclined towards epic books that go to town on detailed descriptions in meaty paragraphs?

Lately I have read a few YA stories which include a large amount of dialogue. However, I also read a lot of first person books that have a lot of internal dialogue alongside plenty of description.

Does ‘Ye Olde’ English put you off?

Are you quickly losing interest in a book because the lingo is from the 1800s? Do you prefer modern colloquialisms?

I sometimes find classic books which are fairly old can be tricky to read. This is largely because they take longer to read as I have to double read some sentences due to the complex structure and historic vocabulary. Equally, I prefer when an author uses language cleverly rather than using lazy, modern slang and overly plain sentences.

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this matter. What makes you put a book down? Please comment your ideas underneath.

If you enjoy this type of bookish post perhaps consider following my blog. For a similar post click here.

You Are What You Read

Do you seek out books that reflect the type of person you are?

When it comes to food, the saying ‘You are what you eat’ means I must consist of 90 percent cake. I am one moving pile of sugar, butter and flour. If the saying applied to reading books then what would that make me?

Have you ever reflected upon the sorts of books that you are instinctively drawn towards?

Maybe superhero books reflect your strong desire to compete.

Do these books actually reflect your daily life?

I thought this would be something fun to think about. Have a go at the following questions and you will see that I have noted down my own thoughts on each one, just for fun.

Do you like to make everyday situations into dramas?

Most people will know that I love a bit of healthy gossip. I was brought up in a rural village where my nan used to twitch the curtains and watch the world go by, looking for potential drama.

I have a tendency to find drama or seek it out. That’s just me. And therefore there is no surprise to the fact that I am hooked on contemporary drama novels by Joanne Harris, Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty.

Were you the joker at school?

Maybe you were the class clown when you were younger. Or perhaps you are the office entertainer these days. I was not and am not but I love seeing people being silly and am always up for a laugh.

I suppose if the saying is true, then a person who makes others laugh probably reads comedy books all the time. Although I have read biographies of funny people like Mindy Kaling and Jennifer Saunders, I don’t read many comedy stories. Maybe I need to though.

Are there times when you live in an imaginary world?

When I was young I used to dream a lot about Narnia. I especially loved to imagine having adventures with Aslan the lion. I don’t normally visualise myself on another planet or in a Sci-Fi setting, but I know people who sometimes do.

Perhaps that’s why I don’t read much fantasy. I do however watch a lot of Sci-Fi movies and am a massive Star Wars fan.

This was just a short article to make you think about whether or not your personality or lifestyle links in any way to the books that your read. For a post about how interactive your reading is, click here.

I hope that you enjoyed this blog post about reading habits. If you liked it perhaps consider following my blog for similar future articles.