Challenge Day 1: Bookish Confessions

Make 15 book related confessions

Here we go!

1. I can only read one book at a time. I am not one of those readers that can have a couple books going at once. It gets confusing if I'm trying to read two books together - especially if they're in the same genre. But because I read super super fast, it doesn't really matter. I finish a book in no time and can move on to the next one on my list. If I end up sick and tired of the book, I switch to something in a different genre. I'm one of those people that has to finish what I started.

2. I can't stand writing in books. Especially in pen. I never ever make notes in my books. If I'm going to make notes, it's going to be on a post-it. And in my textbooks - I make notes in pencil, so they're not permanent.

3. I don't use bookmarks. Well, I use scrappy train tickets, old receipts, and sometimes an un-sticky post it, but most usually I just dog-ear. Yes, yes, I know some people think just as badly of dog-earing as I think of writing in books, but it's just simpler. I always end up playing with my bookmark as I read and breaking or ruining it, so if it's a scrap of paper it doesn't really matter if it ends up as some sort of weird ripped up folded bit. I do own a lot of bookmarks, though, that I got as gifts, but I rarely use them.

4. I like physical books better than e-books. I have a Kindle that my dad got me for my 16th birthday, but I only "buy" the free classics available, and rarely use it (especially now that it's dead because I dropped it in the water and promptly attempted to turn it on. Yeah, stupid me.). Somehow seeing myself make my way through a long tome is much more gratifying than a percentage in the bottom of a screen on a device that's thinner than a picture book. And the smell and texture of books - and the way they get old and yellowed and awesome...

5. My dream house has one of those old libraries with oak shelves that cover the walls. And a comfy couch in one corner. And a nice desk that matches the oak shelves, with lots of drawers. And possibly a second level balcony with more books.
Yessssss.....

6. I rarely spend money on books. Weird, I know. But the library is my best friend. I read fast, so due dates are no issue. Free books, whenever you want them. There are four libraries in my area, so at least one of them should have the book I want. Also, classics are free on the Kindle, in case I want one now, and not five minutes from now. (Let's disregard the fact that my Kindle is dead at the moment.) I have only spent $3.99 in my entire life on a book. That was when I was very very desperate. It was the night before my flight to Costa Rica and I had no books to take with me, so I resorted to buying one on my Kindle. Of course, I spent more money buying books as gifts for friends, but otherwise - just $3.99.

7. My favorite complement ever was when my friend called me a Book. Another friend was complaining about how he got a 4 on the AP Lit test, and I got a 5. She replied, "But Sophia is a Book. When you're a Book, Lit tests just come naturally. There are gifts that come with being a Book." Yes. I am a Book.
Favorite. Complement. Ever.
Ever.

8. I freaked my dad out when I corrected his reading. I was three years old. He was reading The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to me before bed, and I was looking over his shoulder. He was tired. He accidentally misread a word.
"Dad?" I said. "You read that wrong."
I showed him exactly what he had read incorrectly, and told him what he should have read.
He woke up completely. :-)

9. I hate grammar errors in books. Especially if they're big ones, like who vs. whom. Darn editor should have been doing his job.
Surprisingly, I am not a Grammar Nazi in speech. Maybe because my sister is one, and yes, I make grammar mistakes too, and know what it is to have them shoved back in my face. It gives the impression that the listener is not listening to the content but for the grammar.

10. I am very hesitant about reading books without a recommendation from a friend. I just don't want to waste my time on a bad book. I don't generally just pick a random book off the library shelf and check it out - I need to have a recommendation from a friend or have read a review.
This is why I read so many classics - they're the "Tried and True." I know they're not all my style, but there's a pretty good chance most of them will be.

11. My favorite books ever are The Chronicles of Narnia. I love them because they are children's books, but they also have a depth that makes them great for adults, as well. I have them all in one volume. I got it for Christmas a few years ago. I have also seen the movies. The first one was good.
The other two, you ask?
Keep reading.

12. I don't judge movies-based-on-books as harshly as you may think. It takes one person to write a book. It takes hundreds to make a movie. And a movie script is mostly dialogue - which is only a small part of a book. What is great in writing may not be so great on the screen.
Which, in continuation of #11, is why I think the movie of Dawn Treader is better than that of Prince Caspian. The plot of the former is not made for cinema. The latter could have worked without so many changes from the original story, which was decently suited to the big screen.

13. I cannot read in the car. My friend's mom once said, "I though that if anyone could read in the car, it would be Sophia!" Nope. Sorry. My inner ear clearly doesn't realize that I am a Book (see #7). :-) I get dizzy if I even read a page. However, I can read on the bus for a short time, and I can read on the train with no problems. Weird, huh?

14. I hope to publish a book of my own, someday. Yes, one of my dreams is to be an author. (the others are to be a pediatrician and a world traveler, if you are wondering.) I'm working on all three dreams, currently.

15. I'm running out of ideas for these confessions. Seriously, this is hard!
Let's just leave it at 14, okay?

If you want, make your own book-related confessions in the comments! 

The challenge continues tomorrow!


~Sophia