Unfortunately here is another year that I couldn’t make it to BEA 🙁 Living in Texas and going to NYC is a bit too far for me. Especially going by myself. I just couldn’t make the leap to do it. Next year tho I am MAKING my mom go. She’ll be retired by then so it’ll be ok lol But ANYWAYS, since I can’t go, I will be bringing BEA to me…. And my armchair lol
TOPIC OF CHOICE
I had no idea what I was going to write here until I actually sat down to write it. Isn’t that always how your best happens though? But thinking about what I like I couldn’t really make up my mind up. I had so many ideas floating around, and we’ve covered so much in such a short time, I didn’t even know what to talk about. Soooo, I’ll go with my bad bookish habits.
1. Putting a book in my purse/bag.
-Gah I hate when I do this. But I can’t go anywhere without a book. I hate being without a book somewhere. But then I do it and it gets all beat up and looks gross.
2. Eating while reading.
-This isn’t a bad thing, but at the same time, it depends on what you eat. I always find myself eating like hot Cheeto puffs or drinking some red juice. You know anything that will leave smudges on the pages or a stain if I accidentally drop a drop.
3. Using anything for a bookmark.
-This isn’t necessarily a bad habit, but I’ve learned the hard way what you can and can’t use. I once used a Dollar Tree bookmark and it basically had rubbed off on my pages and got all over the place and I could barely read the words.
4. I can’t walk out the library unless I have 5 books in my stack.
-Clearly that was before I started reviewing. Because now, I don’t even visit my library unless I am dropping off some donations smh
5. I feel myself judging my reading by looking at other people’s goals.
-I see some of you who’ve read a hundred something books already and I’m barely on 40 something and I get embarrassed. How come you read so fast? How come I DON’T? I know everyone is different, but I think it just intimidates me a little.
6. I will literally read anywhere.
-Sometimes it’s in the middle of my floor, sometimes its on my mom’s floor, sometimes its at Wal-Mart, and sometimes its at family reunions O_o I know it’s weird, but if it’s really good or I’ve been waiting forever for it, I don’t care. I will get comfy, find a snack and crack open my book.
MIDDLE GRADE/ YOUNG ADULT
As an MG/YA/NA blogger, I almost skipped this topic. In the first ABEA post I gave you my favorites and its all I’ve been talking about the rest of the time. But I guess I’l go with the question I’m most asked…. “Why YA at 25?”
1. I’ve never read it until now.
-As a kid I read anything I could get from the library. It was mostly The Bailey School Adventures or Encyclopedia Brown.Then it changed to Harry Potter in 5th grade. And then in middle school it was The Babysitter’s Club. But then in high school I was reading anything my mom had on the shelf. Probably things I shouldn’t have read until now lol But I didn’t have anything that just caught my interest. But then, when I was in college, my roommate at the time said she’d read Harry Potter (which I love) if I would read Twilight (which she loved.) After that, anything paranormal romance I wanted to read it. It just so happened that was mostly YA.
2. I have wayyyy too many adult problems to read about another person with adult problems.
-When I go out and check the mail, I always get bills, bills, coupons, and more bills. I don’t want to read about someone else that is having trouble paying bills. That is definitely no fun for me, so why would it be fun reading about it for someone else?
3. I’m studying to be a YA librarian.
-I’m studying to become a YA librarian should be all the excuse I need. Don’t judge me because I’d rather read something like Cinder than something like How Stella Got her Groove Back or something lol
4. At least I’m reading period.
-My main reason for wanting to become a librarian is the fact that I look at children and I see them with Kindles or Nooks and they’re playing games on it, they have cell phones at age 3, they have just all these different electronics and no books. And if you ask if they like to read they get agitated and angry. It hurts when people say they only do it because they have to, never for fun. And I feel like that’s one reason the literacy rates are falling. Everyone makes it seem like its torture instead of fun. And that’s what kids look for, fun things. *end rant*
5. Let’s face it, YA things are more fun than adult.
-Let’s be honest, there is no way you’d have as much fun reading a Greek mythology adult book than you would reading the Percy Jackson series. Percy is just amazing so that may not be a fair comparison, but you get my drift.
Great idea for your final Armchair BEA post. Of these, the most painful to me is judging my reading by others' standards. I try and try not to do that. It's difficult for me.
Hope your Armchair BEA was great and I'd love to have you stop by and sign up for my giveaways!
Awesome post!!
I have the habit of eating and reading too and it does get messy.
I'm turning 24 next month and still prefer YA to adult books or even NA. 🙂
I think I do every one of your bad habits. Especially using random receipts and other items as bookmarks. And I just bought a new crossbody bag specifically sized to hold a book. lol
I eat while reading a lot and I feel like it almost ALWAYS ends badly. I still do it,haha
Loved this post! It was funny. 🙂 I'm 34 (going on 35 but who's keeping count really) and I read YA too! I do read some adult fiction (Song of Ice and Fire specifically right now) but mostly it's YA or NA.
Holly @ Words Fueled by Love
Ahhh, you shouldn't let others' goals upset you! They just have different lifestyles, that's all. Halfway through the year and I'm almost at 100, would be at more if I stayed away from my video games or internet, but I also have no life. I'm sure you work, have friends, go out and do other things. I'm envious of you. Sure, I sit around reading all the time, but I'm also stuck here in my house with nothing else to do. So, it's just a matter of lifestyle and you have been doing great for you and it's nothing to be embarrassed about!
Lol at your bad habits! I am the worst about eating while reading. Enjoying your favorite book with a plate of fried chicken is all fun and games until you have to turn the page…
40 books? I've read like 15 so far this year, so you're a head of me! I used to get my panties in a twist about other people reading so much faster than me and I've tried to learn how to read faster, but it just wasn't as satisfying. Now I'm happy with my reading speed and all that matters to me is enjoying and learning from the books I do read. The number one thing I find in library books (other than crusty things that look suspiciously like boogers) is cheese dust. As a Doritos addict, I'm also guilty of leaving my own traces!
I love your bad book habits list! I've done a bunch of those.
I was telling someone the other day that I read books I'm embarrassed by using the anonymity of an e-reader and they were like, "why, are you worried people will judge you?"
Yes, yes I am. Because I do it to others. *am sometimes a terrible person*
Far worse than "anything as a bookmark" I also chronically dog ear my pages, although I have rules about this bad habit which I attribute to good book-loving upbringing.
1)It must be a paperback… and usually mass-market
2) It must not be new. I'm hoping it has been read at least one and the spine is no longer stiff.
2) It must be mine
3) It must never never ever be a library book or bad things will happen and you will be shamed. (Is that my mother I hear?)
Yes, its ridiculous. But then I don't have to feel bad and can dog-ear and love my paperbacks to death.
I think most of your "bad" habits are pretty good! 😉 The one that always gets me is the snacking while I read…I'm terrible about that!
LOL! You are not alone in your bad reading habits. I share most of them with you. I have a couple of Cheeto-stained paperbacks that I will not discuss here.