Friday 30 May 2014

Reading Habits

   

I was tagged in the reading habits tag by my friend Katie from KatieLou who has a beauty and craft blog. It looks like a fun tag to do so I hope you enjoy!

1. Do you have a certain place for reading at home?
I normally either read in my bed or on the sofa in my lounge- I like to be cosy when I read.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
I generally try to use a bookmark, I have quite a few and I am kind of weird about it because I like the bookmark to match the cover of the book I'm reading, but if there is no bookmark near me I will just slip in anything I can find that will work. I NEVER fold the edge of the page over though.

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have stop at the end of a chapter or after a certain number of pages?
I generally like to stop at the end of a chapter, but if I need to stop straightaway I will stop at the end of the first paragraph that i find suitable to stop at.

4. Do you eat or drink when reading?
I do enjoy a cup of tea when reading but if I get to engrossed in the book I forget about it and it just goes cold. If I'm hungry or thirsty I will eat or drink something but it's not something I will always do.

5. Do you watch TV or listen to music while you read?
I never watch TV while reading, I mean, who does that? I sometimes listen to music, but it has to fit in with the story (don't want to be reading a really sad part with loud, energetic music on in the background).

6. One book or several at once?
Normally, just one. However if I'm reading a book that's a little out of my usual comfort zone, I might be reading another book as back up. Also if I'm reading a graphic novel that I'm not going to finish in one sitting, I will definitely have another book on the go.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?
Usually I read at home but I can read in most places (apart from the car) so I tend to bring a book with me in my bag just in case I have a moment to spare.

8. Read out loud or silently in your head?
Silently in my head, I can disappear into the story's world so much more.

9. Do you ever read ahead or skip pages?
I used to read the last page of a book, but is can't do that now. Sometimes I will glance at the other page and see something that interests me and have to restrain myself from reading on, other times I accidentally skip ahead and have to find my way back when I get confused.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it new?
I never want or intend to break the spine, but I often do it by mistake because it's so hard to read without breaking the spine. I don't mind my books looking old, though I prefer to think of it as well-loved.

11. Do you write in your books?
No, but I do see the appeal, I just worry it will ruin my book.

12. What are you currently reading?
City of heavenly fire- it's amazing but I don't know if I will be able to handle the ending. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, I certainly enjoyed doing it although I have a lot more weird reading habits that haven't been shared. I'm not sure who tag, so I tag anyone who wants to do it!
Love Ellen xxx

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Tuesday 27 May 2014

Goodreads Q&A

  

I am a big lover of Goodreads and have found myself to have become a little addicted to it. It is so helpful for tracking the books I read and organising books into handy lists. However, it doesn't come without its flaws. Because of these things I thought I would do the Goodreads tag thingy and answers some of the questions.
What was the last book you marked as read?
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (obviously a re-read), need I say more?
What are you currently reading?
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (the fifth in the mortal instruments series that I am sure most people have heard of) and I am loving it so far!
What was the last book you marked as to-read?
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which is about a girl who commits suicide and leaves behind 13 cassette tapes recorded by her, for her classmate, Clay who had a crush on her. The cassette tapes hold thirteen reasons why she killed herself and Clay is one of them. This book sound so good which is why I picked it up and marked it as "to-read".
What book do you plan on reading next?
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, the final instalment in the Mortal Instruments series. It comes out tomorrow and I am so excited.
Do you use the star rating system?
I do use it because it is universal and everyone understands what it means, however I don't like it as there isn't much choice option and wish it would be a percentage system instead.
Are you doing a 2014 reading challenge?
I challenged myself to read 60 books this year and have so far read 33 books, meaning that I am 55% complete and 9 books ahead of schedule.
Do you have a wish list?
Yes I do, but is on Amazon not Goodreads.
What book to you plan to buy next?
Again, City of Heavenly Fire which I intend to buy tomorrow when it comes out.
Do you have any favourite quotes?
I have many favourite quotes, most of which are from Harry Potter, however none of them are listed on. my Goodreads. An example of one of my favourites though it "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light"
Who are your favourite authors?
J.K Rowling, John Green, David Levithan, Cassandra Clare, Jane Austen.
Have you joined any groups?
I have joined one group, which is the City of Heavenly Fire read-a-long which starts on the 1st of June and there will be a youtube liveshow on the 28th of  June that I definitely want to watch.
What could Goodreads do better?
I think to make Goodreads better, they should change the rating system to maybe a percentage system  so to make rating a book easier and more understandable. The search bar also needs to be improved because unless you enter the exact correct thing, the book you are searching for will not come up.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you use Goodreads? What do you think of it?
Ellen xxx
Goodreads: Ellen Graves https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/27980858?shelf=to-read
Twitter: Bibliophile556
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Monday 26 May 2014

Hi, I'm new (kind of)

Hi I'm Ellen and I am 15 years old. I already have a blog (- http://elliemay7.blogspot.co.uk ) which is about beauty and fashion but I kept finding myself wanting to write about books instead because I love to read! I didn't want to convert that blog to a book blog because my followers were there for beauty not books so I started this instead!


I named it bibliophile because it means book lover and collector which is what I am and what this blog will be about - reviews, hauls, wrap-ups, tbrs, discussions and many other things!
I hope that I have a few interesting things to say and that you enjoy reading my blog.
Ellen xxx
Twitter: bibliophile556
Instagram: bibliophile556
GoodReads: Ellen Graves https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27980858-ellen