Two blogs in a day! That’s quite a lot for me especially today when I have no help around the house and lots of things that still need to be done. But then, I thought I’d take a Mindful Break from my humdrum routine and go through my WP Reader.

The first post that caught my fancy was Kohl-Eyed Me’s post. I always enjoy her posts – they are frothy and fun. As I read through it, I realised that I too could take up the tag of All About Books which Shalini herself picked up from  Shilpa and Vinay.

Before I begin answering the questions, let me confess that I am a lapsed reader. I am almost ashamed to admit that currently my book reading has reduced to almost two pages a week.  But this is largely because I haven’t got down to getting books that I really want to read. Most times I make do with whatever is lying around the house.

Perhaps answering these questions will help me become a reader again.

1.Do you have a specific place for reading?

Not really though I love reading in bed just before falling asleep.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Neither. I hate marking a page. I prefer to remember the number of the page. If by change I forget, I flip through and find the last word I had read.

3. Do you eat or drink whilst reading?

If I’m reading in the afternoon or morning, especially when I’m sitting in a chair or flopping on my sofa, I like to munch something.

And if I’m all alone at meal times, I open a book to keep me company because I don’t like eating alone!

4. Music or TV whilst reading.

Definitely NO TV whilst reading. And only soft, instrumental music in the background. I tend to get distracted with the lyrics and loud sound of the TV.

5. One book at a time or several?

There are several books that I read at a time especially since I’m such a lapsed reader. However if a book catches my fancy, I can read it at one go till it’s done!

6. Do you prefer to read at home or elsewhere?

I prefer to read at home though I don’t mind reading in a library.

7. Read out loud or silently?

Always silently. Unless there’s a whole load of only conversation then I often read out one character’s words aloud just to keep track of who is saying what.

8. Do you read ahead or skip pages?

Most times I’m a diligent reader but when the reading is heavy or if I have to return it, I skip pages. And sometimes I even read the end and try and figure out how the author came to such a conclusion.

9. Break the spine or keep it like new.

Never never never! I like my books to look unread and untouched by human hands.

10. Do you write in books?

That to me is even more sacrilegious than breaking the spine or folding a corner.

11. What books are you reading now?

The book that is lying on my bedside table is “The Men Who Ruled India” by Philip Mason.

12. What is your childhood favorite book?

That’s a hard one to answer as I used to buy two paper backs every weekend and read each one over and over again. I did like all of Enid Blyton’s books, Richmal Crompton’s William was adorable and I even enjoyed Agatha Christie in my early teens.

13. What is your all-time favorite book?

This one’s another toughie. It would be a toss up between Desiree, Gone With the Wind and Nicholas & Alexandra.

Well, answering these questions really has made me feel terribly guilty that I’ve abandoned my best friends. 

Perhaps I should take a break from blogging and get back to some serious reading isn’t it?

Thanks Shalini, Shilpa and Vinay for introducing me to this tag. It was a fun thing to do the last thing at night!