Carol

10 Bookish Confessions From an Ardent Bibliophile #TopTenTuesday

August 17, 2021

“Spinning the TTT Topic”

10 Bookish Confessions From an Ardent Bibliophile

10 Bookish Confessions From an Ardent Bibliophile (white text over a background of a woman reading in a hammock)

Image Source: Canva

Today, I’m linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Places I Love to Read.

The dilemma here is that I can read ALMOST ANYWHERE and I love to read EVERY WHERE! So a more interesting SPIN on this topic is places and circumstances in which I CANNOT read….thus a confession of sorts.

Top Ten Tuesday (meme)

If you’ve clicked over from That Artsy Reader Girl, Welcome! Please look around and enjoy your stay.

***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I can read almost any where and at almost any time!

Readers Gonna Read!

♦ Late at night (into the wee hours) ♦ During most TV programs ♦ Outside or inside ♦ At sporting events ♦ At coffee shops ♦ While standing in line ♦ Waiting rooms ♦ When it’s quiet or noisy ♦ Sitting in a comfy chair, at a table, or on a sofa ♦ In bed ♦ While cooking (e-books or audio books makes it easier!) ♦ Inside or outside ♦ During cold or warm seasons ♦ Instead of other projects ♦ In the bath ♦ At Disneyland (yes I read an entire book one day when my children were old enough to be on their own and had “check-in” times!) ♦ During meals ♦ …

Of all the places and times I read, late at night is probably my favorite because once the house is quiet I can immerse myself in another world for endless hours! However, I don’t have a favorite place or location.

Here’s my confession regarding the Top Ten circumstances in which I CANNOT read!

  1.  I CANNOT read early in the morning (although I can stay up all night reading, I can’t wake up early to read….usually because I’ve been up too late!). I would fall asleep immediately.
  2. I CANNOT read a physical copy while I’m walking (on a sidewalk or treadmill) or while on an exercise bike.
  3. I CANNOT read during my favorite TV shows even though I can otherwise read in the same room while the TV is on. My favorite shows that dictate I set aside my book include The Rookie, Blue Bloods, This is Us, Chicago Fire, NCIS, Jeopardy!, and Gymnastics during the Olympics.
  4. I CANNOT read while children are swimming in my pool (I keep a careful eye on young swimmers at all times).
  5. I CANNOT read an audio book while sitting still……they immediately put me to sleep or my mind wanders! (audio books work for me while driving probably because I’m accustomed to listening to talk radio). Even listening to an audio book while doing chores is too distracting for me. Basically, any time my mind is free to wander, it will!
  6. And this is the most SHOCKING! I CANNOT read at the beach! It’s not for a lack of trying. In fact, I always have a book with me. The sound of the surf and ambiance of the environment overpowers me.
  7. I have DIFFICULTY reading during troubling times. I noticed that in 2020, it was difficult to read during the onset of the Pandemic. When I could focus, my brain craved lighter books and escapist reads. I had no interest in historical fiction during the earliest months of the Pandemic. After about six months, my reading mojo began to return.
  8. I CANNOT read physical books with light, tiny font! I’m used to being able to enlarge the print on my kindle, so on the rare occasion I pick up a physical book and the font is small and the print is light, it’s ANNOYING for me to read and it negatively affects my reading experience! I’m spoiled by my kindle.
  9. I CANNOT push through and read a book I’m not enjoying. Life’s too short to read bad books…or books not to my taste. (see my DNF post here)
  10. I CANNOT reread….at least I RARELY reread. Once I’ve already had the experience, I’m done. The few times I have reread a book, I didn’t derive the same pleasure from the experience as I did the first time. I’m not opposed to rereading….I reread Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Book Thief before the movies came out. I reread The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry because I was desperate for something to read one weekend and couldn’t find a kindle deal and my library hold hadn’t come in and I was caught up on ARCs.  Fikry was already on my Kindle and it had been years since I read it, so in order to have something to read, I dove in. I actually enjoyed my reread! But rereading is not something I do often or seek out like some readers.

Whew! That was difficult for a hard-core reader like me to come up with 10 examples of when I don’t read!

QOTD:

Do you have a favorite place to read?
Do you have circumstances in which it’s difficult or impossible to read?

Happy Reading Bookworms!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection!
Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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Happy Reading Bookworms!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection!
Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price. This money will be used to offset the costs of running a blog and to sponsor giveaways, etc.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

The book covers and author photos are credited to Amazon or an author’s website.

© ReadingLadies.com

34 comments

  2. I like you twist this week and I agree with almost all of these Carol. I do read early in the morning thought. I think it was because that was my time, before the family got up and I have continued this. I do listen to audiobooks when doing those mundane chores because it keeps me paying attention, otherwise, I am with you, although for me it was swimming, soccer and track during the Olympics. 📚💖

    Reply

  4. I feel you on a lot of these! I can’t sit still and listen to an audiobook either (especially not in the car) as I immediately fall asleep as well. While driving? No problem! While doing housework or exercising? Absolutely! Just not while sitting still. Also, I hardly ever watch t.v., but I do love Jeopardy! and Blue Bloods. We watched BB as a family during the pandemic and were sad when we had no more episodes to view.

    Happy TTT!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

    Reply

    • We’ve loved Blue Bloods for years! Have you ever tried The Rookie? It’s our new fav show! There was also a show a few years ago called Rookie Blues (and ran for a few seasons) which was great! I guess I like men in uniform! 😂😂😂

      Reply

  5. I can agree with almost everything on your list Carol! I can’t listen to an audiobook unless I’m either driving or walking, I rarely re-read a book, even if I’ve enjoyed it, but I tend to read more in troubling or trying times, rather than less. isn’t it funny how we sometimes don’t realise these things until someone else points them out? Thanks for a great insight into your reading habits!

    Reply

  6. I can’t read anywhere like you can Carol. I can read early in the morning, but not late at night. I usually do read in waiting rooms, but often get distracted if there is a lot going on. My favorite places to read are on my couch under a blanket or on my front porch in the summer.

    I enjoyed your spin on the topic!

    Reply

  7. A great list! I don’t re-read often; actually, it’s been years. A few times, it was because the book had different titles, and I didn’t realize it was the same book (looking at Agatha Christie!!). I think the last time I re-read a book was before Half-Blood Prince came out; I was trying to re-read the series before the release. I just couldn’t re-read Order of the Phoenix.

    When you get the chance, I hope you stop by my post: https://readbakecreate.com/10-books-with-travel-locations-in-their-title/

    Reply

  8. Well done Carol! I doubt that I could have come up with even half those reasons. I love to read first thing in the morning, in bed in the winter, or with an early morning cup of tea on the deck in the sun in the summer. But I get one-more-chapteritis, and run late. ❤📚

    Reply

    • Thanks Sandy! My mornings
      in bed routine has developed into my social media time…cross posting, blog hopping….answering comments, etc. but, yes, reading in the morning would make me late for everything!

      Reply

  9. Great list! I also feel like I can ready almost anywhere, but some scenarios just don’t work. I do love to re-read, but I absolutely won’t continue a book that’s not appealing to me. I mean, I give it a fair short, but there too many other books out there to spend time on something I’m not enjoying. I can’t really read with the TV on in the same room — it’s just too distracting!
    My TTT

    Reply

  11. I can’t walk while reading very well. I’m hoping to be able to figure that one out on the treadmill! Ha! I do love audios though, some of my best cleaning happens with a great audio!

    Reply

  12. I’m starting to get into reading early in the morning – it feels luxurious to snuggle down for an extra 30 minutes all to myself. I find I’m fresher then and can remember what I read whereas when I read at night I often have no memory of it the next day.

    Reply

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