Top Ten Bookish Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new subject each week and this week's topic is "Top Ten Bookish Confessions". 

1. In college as an English major, I sometimes read the Cliffs Notes for a book I was supposed to read or watched the film version instead of actually reading the book. *Gasp!* 

I never actually read Daisy Miller or The Turn of the Screw by Henry James or Melville's Billy Budd or Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. I watched the movie version of Sense and Sensibility instead of reading the book (and didn't do well on the exam). I have since read all of Jane Austen's completed novels and love them but at the time for whatever reason I didn't read that one. The other books I just plain don't like. I will never ever ever be a fan of Henry James. Ever.

2.  I sometimes read ahead to find out what happens.

This is a bad habit of mine that I only justify when I don't like a book or it is dragging and I want to decide if I should keep reading. At other times the suspense over the fate of a character gets to me so I peek ahead. I confess that when reading Mockingjay I looked ahead to see if Katniss and Peeta survived. I did not however look ahead with the Harry Potter books (though it was hard). Give me some credit :)

3. I hate mass market paperback books.

I am not a fan of mass market paperbacks because they don't last very long and depending on how thick the book is, the spine tends to become "deformed" or break. I also don't like how they look on my bookshelf so I will spend more money to get the hardcover or trade paperback if it is available. Of course now I do most of my purchasing on my Kindle so that isn't an issue.

4. I sometimes buy books intending to reread them but I never do.

I don't reread most of my books. I do reread the Harry Potter books every year and I reread Jane Austen or other favorites periodically. Otherwise unless it is part of a series with a new book coming out, I usually don't reread. I am sometimes tempted to buy a book that I've already read as a Kindle e-book. I tell myself that I may want to reread it someday or if I own the hardcover that I can now make more room on my bookshelves by giving the hardcover away. It never happens.

5. I don't loan out my books.

Once upon a time I had a beloved series of historical fiction books. I loved them so much that I let my friends borrow them. I received the books back with pages stuck together, food stains, bent pages, etc. Now I do not loan out my print books unless they are books I don't care about as much like ARCs. I would however lend my e-books to friends with Kindles because I'm nice like that.

6. I don't like literary fiction.

While I love Jane Austen and a few others, I mostly don't enjoy the classics or "literary" books that are read by book groups. Strangely enough, I run two book groups for my library. Last night I had to force myself to read The Tiger's Wife for today's book discussion. I don't know why I just can't bring myself to love literary books but it rarely happens. I prefer to read for entertainment I guess.

7. I sometimes lie about what I'm currently reading.

Maybe lie isn't the right word. When someone asks me what I've read recently, I answer depending on who the person is. If it is someone who wouldn't read YA fiction, I tell them about the most recent book for adults that I've read or I tell them about a book I read in the past few months that I loved. It isn't necessarily that I'm ashamed but rather that if I want to have a conversation about books, it is easier when I'm talking about something that might be familiar to that person. Sometimes it really is because I don't want them to know that I just read a bodice ripper because they might not approve. Try having that conversation with a minister or former English teacher or Great Aunt Ruth... Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad person :)

8. I sometimes buy books for the library because I want to read them myself.

Okay so I am not the only librarian guilty of this one! At one library my director who was into chess would buy these obscure chess books for the collection. He is probably the only one who reads them. Thankfully the books I want to read tend toward chick lit, women's fiction, and other popular fiction genres. With a couple of notable exceptions (who doesn't want to read a book about the history of sarees) the books I select usually appeal to more than just me. 

9. I am addicted to Kindle Deals.

I check the Amazon website every day for the Daily Deal as well as the free e-books. I also periodically check the Teen section for sales and everyday I check my wishlist to see if the prices have gone down. I spend so much time on Amazon every day but thankfully I don't buy books every day or I'd be broke.

10. I am thinking about giving up book blogging.

I used to love book blogging particularly during the first year I blogged in 2010. I made friends and connected with other readers who shared my enthusiasm for books. Now however it sometimes feels like a chore and I haven't got the time to connect with people that I used to have. I also have that pesky little problem with my wrist that may or may not be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Still I don't know that I'm ready to throw in the towel just yet. I think I will wait till January to make my decision.

What are some of your bookish confessions?