I saw this little game of Book Tag on Sarah Brentyn’s blog, Lemon Shark, and thought it would be fun. Happily, she invited the Immediate World to join in, so, on the count of three, here I go. *counts, here* 

Do you have a specific place for reading? 

I will read anywhere I can, but these days, I have very little time to indulge. I carry my Kindle in my purse, so any time I’m stuck in a waiting room, for instance, I read, as best I can. At home, I used to have a comfy chair which was my favorite reading spot, but it bit the dust, sadly. The new comfy chair turned out to be not so comfy. So now, I mostly read in bed. That’s about the only time I have to devote to it, anyway, since the rest of my day is usually spent writing.  

Bookmarks or random pieces of paper? 

Since I read most of the time on my Kindle, it’s not really a relevant question. Kindle very kindly opens right to the spot where I left off. If I’m reading one of my print books, I’ll use anything at hand. Sales receipts, paper scraps, or bookmarks, of which I have plenty. Just not always where I want them. 

Can you just stop anywhere or must it be at the end of a chapter? 

I prefer to finish a chapter, or at least a scene, but since I have to read whenever and wherever I can, that’s not always an option. Therefore, I have gotten pretty good at stopping when I have to, and picking the thread right back up again.  

Do you eat or drink while reading? 

Oh, absolutely. Almost the only daylight reading I do is during breakfast and lunch, where I have my Kindle propped on a little easel next to my plate. And if I’m sitting in the not-so-comfy chair, I usually have a cup of tea handy. Decaf in the evenings, of course. 

Music or TV while reading? 

Not one thing. Nothing. No music. No chitchat. No noise at all. Exactly as I am when writing. I want to be lost in an imaginary world with nothing to remind me that I’m sitting in my own family room. It would pull me right out of the story. Or drown out the voices of the characters. 

One book at a time or several? 

Usually one at a time, though I’ve been known to add a second book, if the first one is slow, and I need a break from it. Mostly, though, I stop reading slow books, and focus on one. I will binge read an entire series back to back, though. 

Do you prefer to read at home or elsewhere?

Home is better. I can control the environment more easily. But as I say, I do read in waiting rooms, and certainly I read in bed when I’m visiting family or the like. I just don’t sleep well if I haven’t read a little bit before dozing off. 

Read out loud or silently? 

I only read out loud when I have an audience. Since I do a lot of local Meet the Author things, there are often times when I read a scene from one of my own books for them. But that would be the only time. Otherwise, I read silently, lost in that imaginary world.

 Do you read ahead or skip pages? 

Absolutely, positively not. Under ANY circumstances. I’ve been known to cover the last page with a sheet of paper to avoid the risk of accidentally seeing how it ends before I actually get there. I can’t imagine reading ahead. Does. Not. Compute.

 Breaking the spine or keeping it like new? 

I try very hard not to damage my books. I have a LOT of them, you see. Floor to ceiling bookshelves in three rooms, and smaller ones elsewhere. I collect them like some people collect works of art, and indeed, consider cover art to be one of my favorite things. I would never, ever, intentionally damage any book. Period. 

Do you write in your books? 

See above. Writing in books is even more heinous than breaking the spine, which sometimes happens even with plenty of TLC. This is where Kindle comes in so very handy. You can underline to your heart’s content without damaging an actual book. I have many of my favorite books both on my shelves, where I can admire them, and on my Kindle, where I can READ them.

 And that’s it, folks. I’m going to do exactly what Sarah did, and suggest if you think you’d like to play along, you’re tagged. Just copy the questions, and have at it. Give it a whirl. It’s fun, and a bit cathartic, too.