Reading Habits Book Tag

Thank you Amy and Kira for tagging me in this lovely little reading tag. I loved their answers and blogs, visit Amy HERE, and visit Kira HERE

 Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
At home I read in bed, sitting / lying on the sofa and sometimes in the bath! I liked Amy’s answer to this, as she said she wants to buy a reading chair. I would love a reading chair, but I think I will need to wait until I have my next house for that. 

 Bookmark or random piece of paper?
I love bookmarks, and mostly use them. I also use postcards or photos sometimes! I have had some nice postcards sent to me from Authors with their books, so I use them in their books. My favourite bookmarks are ones that have been made just for me by friends. 

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter / a certain amount of pages?
I can stop reading anywhere. I like to read whenever I have a bit of ‘waiting time’, i.e for a train, for a person, appointment, so that means I very often don’t get to the end of a chapter. But I find that end of chapters are often more of a page turner than middle of chapters! So, anywhere is fine with me.

♥ Do you eat or drink while reading?

Yes, absolutely. Plenty of cups of tea or hot chocolate. Lots of snacky biscuits, or pieces of chocolate! It would be better if I found healthier snacks!! Although I do drink more tea with books rather than snacking, so I suppose that’s something!

 Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

Neither, if I did have either, it would be quiet background noise. I do read my books if Hubby is watching something I’m not interested in (like football!). But if I’m alone, I will read in silence and let the pictures form in my imagination from the words of the Author.

 Reading at home or everywhere?
Everywhere. Its mostly at home, but I often have a book or my kindle in my bag ready for any ‘waiting’ opportunities, like doctor’s waiting rooms, waiting for other people or waiting for the train.

 Reading out loud or silently in your head?
Definitely silently in my head. I occasionally read a few sentences out loud to Hubby if they are particularly funny or thrilling.

Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

I don’t ever skip pages! I’d be worried that I missed something crucial. Sometimes when I get to a really exciting part of the book, I read too fast not taking it in so that I can get to the end of the page…..just to check he doesn’t die / get caught whatever…. But I always have to go back and slow down.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
Whatever comes naturally in the reading of the book, broken or not broken…. as long as it is enjoyed, I don’t care.

 Do you write in your books?
No, I think the only books I have written in have been travel books, but never novels. I have a book review journal, so I can write notes in that if I need to.

So, that’s my answers. if any booklovers would like to do this tag, please feel tagged and welcome. Or even just let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If any of you actually have a reading chair, I’d love to hear about or even see a photo!

I now would like to tag these lovely ladies. If you would like to do the tag, please let me know your answers, as I’d love to read them. Everyone should click these links and check out these girls blogs too! 

Princess Katie  @KatyGilroyBlog      Blog –  TheLilacScrapbook

Rayna                @ReaderRayna        Blog – ReaderRayna

Kat                     @Kat_thebooknerd   Blog – PerksofBeingaBookNerd

Cara                   @carawritesstuff       Blog – CaraWritesStuff 

I look forward to reading your posts girls.

Happy Reading! 

 

The TBR Tag.

This is the TBR Tag, in other words, the books I have to read and have not read yet!! I have only included books that I currently have. I think there are lots more books that I want to read, but I haven’t got yet.

I saw this tag on Katie’s site, link below: Thank you for this Katie.  😉

https://bookishtendencieskatie.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/the-tbr-tag/

I thought it was a really fun post to do, so I’m giving it a go. I won’t officially tag anybody, but if you do this tag, leave me your link below so I can see your answers.

Enjoy! Here goes:

 

1. How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I was lucky enough to win a book journal. It is one of the best prizes that I have won, because I can keep a list of all of my books, and as I read them I can also make notes along the way for my review. I also have a list on Goodreads, though I don’t think this is completely up to date! Plus it has lots of books on it that I don’t yet own.

 

2. Is your TBR mostly print or e-book?

Mostly ebook, I think that’s because I have been accepting so many books to review and I have them piled up on my kindle. I have quite a few print books too, some bought myself and some review copies. 

3. How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

Mostly it’s based on what I have agreed to review. My reviewing time at the moment is about 2 months ahead because I have so many, so I have my line up of tbr’s in order for the next while. However, if I get offered one that sounds really amazing, I sometimes bump it up my list.

4. A book that’s been on your TBR list the longest?

Probably ‘A Season to Remember’ by Sheila Flanagan. I received this as a Christmas gift, I didn’t read it at Christmas and it got pushed back. It’s the kind of book I want to read at Christmas or at least winter. So, it’s been waiting a while. When I do read it, I’m sure I will love it. It will be cold and snowy outside and the spicy scented candles are burning and I’m drinking hot chocolate.

 

5. A book you recently added to your TBR?

The latest one that was added to my list is ‘Kidnapped by Nuns’ by Bob Fuss. Bob is a retired CBS News Correspondent, and I think he will have some amazing takes to tell. I am exited to read this.

 

6. A book on your TBR strictly because of it’s beautiful cover?

I wouldn’t read a book solely based on its cover, but the covers do bring me in to read the blurb. I do like books with beautiful covers, they look so enticing to read. One I recently requested from NetGalley is The Coincidence Of Coconut Cake, by Amy E Reichert. This cover is lovely and so enticing, don’t you think?!

 

7. A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

I plan to read them all….. eventually!  😉

 

8. An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for?

‘For the Love of Ash’ by Taylor Lavati looks like a lovely book all about the importance of family and love. I have been given a copy of this by the author in exchange for an honest review. I love to receive arc copies, and I’m really looking forward to reading this. This is due to be released this month.

9. A book on your TBR that basically everyone has read but you?

I think this would have to be ‘Chocolate Wishes’ by Trisha Ashley. This has been out since 2010, so I think most people who like the same kind of books as me, would have read this. I love the cover of this book, so quaint and lovely looking. I think it looks like a perfect book for a chocoholic book lover like me! If you have read this, let me know how fantastic it is. I promise I will read this soon, it looks so delightful.

 

10. A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you?

I was recommended to read this by AJ from https://ajbookreviewclub.wordpress.com

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell. AJ told me this book was totally amazing, I read her review of it and it sounds a very creepy book, but really good too. AJ raved about it so much, that I really am looking forward to reading it. 

 

11. A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

A book which really is next on my tbr list because it look so good is ‘Japan Guide..Less: Emails’ from Japan by Nicole D’Arcangelo. This book looks so funny and brilliant. I also think I will be able to relate to it really well because it’s about a lady’s life teaching English and surviving in a foreign country, which I have done and loved.

 

 

12. How many books are on your Goodreads TBR shelf?

At the moment my Goodreads TBR list is at 33. I’m think I could probably add a few more to it, but 33 is plenty to keep me going for a while. I started the Goodreads challenge this year and said I would read 30 books this year, so far I have read 7, so I’m doing well.

 

That was a fun tag to do, if any of you bookbloggers or readers want to join in, then please do. Let me know some of your answers or add me your link to your post below. I’d love to hear from you. 

 

 

World Book Day 2015

In celebration of WORLD BOOK DAY, I thought I would write and tell you about my love of reading, literature and how it led me to creating ‘ChocolatePages’.

This post is part of the World Book Day ( http://www.worldbookday.com ) campaign. I have been asked by My Voucher Codes ( http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk ) to tell my story of what literature means to me and how it inspired me to start blogging!…. And what a great subject to write about.

I have always loved reading, I remember going to the library to choose books when I was in primary school, it continued while I was in secondary school and still now I use my local library. I remember having my parents and relatives reading me bedtime stories, some were made up!! and some were from books. Both were as good as each other.

Reading for me, is like being transferred to another world. If a book is great, then your imagination will take you away into the land that the author wrote for you. There are so many amazing authors out there and a favourite Twitter quote of mine is this:

As I got older, I found that my friends weren’t as enthusiastic about reading as me. My Mum still liked to read, and we would chat for hours about the books we both read, our thoughts on the characters, what we thought of the plot, the endings, our favourite authors! Its great, we still do that now, and I love it.

I wanted to talk about books more though, and talking about books encouraged me to read more books. I decided to open a Twitter account, just to see what this ‘social media‘ craze was all about!! Never did I expect it to lead me to ChocolatePages!

As I was exploring Twitter, I stumbled upon #BookBloggers!!! As I explored more and found all these lovely people talking about books, authors, literature, I wanted to be involved. So then came about ChocolatePages.

I love blogging as much as I love reading. I love to share with this community about all the books I have read, am presently reading and are on my list of to be read. I love that via my blog, authors will chat to me. I even have a bookblogging journal now. 

 Authors are a lovely part of my blogging life, because they see my blog and ask me to read their books and review them. Now I get to a chance to write about the books I read and sometimes encourage other people to read them too. 

If anyone celebrating World Book Week, doesn’t have a blog / Amazon / Goodreads account, I would say think about starting a blog! It’s an amazing way to air your thoughts and chat with other bookish people. There are loads of us out here!!……..Come join us! 😉

 

The Chocolate Book Tag.

                                            THE CHOCOLATE BOOK TAG.

I saw this tag on http://www.Confessionsofabookgeek.wordpress.com by Rachel and just knew this was the perfect tag for me. So, thank you Rachel for introducing me to this one. I hope you all like my choices.

If anyone would like to join in, feel free and please send me your links after you have written it so that I can read your choices too.

So, lets get started.

DARK CHOCOLATE: a book with dark content or theme.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was a great book that I really love. However, it does have a dark theme as the story revolves around Susie who is a young girl who was murdered. Susie watches from her heaven as her family attempt to deal with her death.

WHITE CHOCOLATE : a light hearted read.

My favourite light hearted author to read is Sophie Kinsella, for this topic, I will choose ‘Undomestic Goddess’. Samantha Sweeting makes a big mistake at work, so she leaves work, gets on the first train she sees and ends up being mistaken as an interviewee for a job as a house keeper. The story is light hearted and creamy – just like white chocolate.

MILK CHOCOLATE:  a hyped popular book that you really want to read.

Well, I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan and she has just released a new book called ‘Shopaholic to the Stars’. Lots of people have been talking about this on Twitter and everyone seems so excited by it and those that were super lucky enough to get a pre copy to review gave it glowing reports. So, I really really want to read this soon.

CHOCOLATE WITH A CARAMEL CENTRE: a book that makes you feel goey inside.

I think for this one, I will have to go back to my childhood favourite. My favourite then was The Folk of the Faraway Tree, by Enid Blyton. I also really like a new children’s book called The Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury This makes me feel all goey because I read it to the autistic children in my class at school. They all love it so much, know all the words and all the actions to it. I love that the book can give them so much pleasure.

A WAFER FREE KITKAT: a book that surprised you.

Well, for this one I am going to choose a book that I have written a review on. ‘The Kabul Beauty School’ by Deborah Rodriguez. This is about the author herself who goes to Afghanistan to help out, she opens up a Beauty School to help the women of the war torn country. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. I usually prefer chick lit and expected this to be quite heavy with political references. The book spoke of the problems of the country and the hard lives that the women were enduring, but the author also wrote of the strength and courage of the women. I really enjoyed it and will be reading more of Rodriguez’s books.

A SNICKERS BAR: a book you’re going nuts about.

Well, this will be an old favourite of mine called ‘The Food of Love’ by Anthony Capella. After I read this book, I bought a further FOUR copies and sent them to all my friends and family who had birthdays coming up. They all loved it too. It is about Laura who is on a trip to Rome, she is looking for sensual food and a sensual man. Laura meets Tommasso who introduces her to the amazing food of his restaurant, and behind the scenes loving Laura from afar is Bruno. Its BRILLIANT.

HOT CHOCOLATE WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND MARSHMALLOWS: a comfort read that you turn to again and again.

For this I am going to choose “Bridget Jones’s Diary” by Helen Fielding, the first one. The first one is most definitely the best. I love the way this book was written in the diary form. I can read a few extracts and then put it away again, because I know the story so well. I love Bridget.

A BOX OF CHOCOLATES: a series that has lots of things that many readers will like.

Well, I thought and thought about this one and can’t really think of a series that I have read that would have lots of things for many different readers. Maybe perhaps, Roald Dahl’s books???? He has written a lot of different stories?? I’m not really sure about that one. I would love to hear your choices though, so please carry on the Chocolate Book Tag and share your answers.

Chocolate and Books – How Perfect!!

 

#sunathon

I have been lucky enough to be invited to be involved in a special project by a lovely lady Emma Louise (EmmaIsWriting). Emma has created #sunathon. As many of you already know, I love to read, so a project like this is perfect for me. It will let me read and also chat to other fans of the great world of books. Emma Louise is happy for as many people as would like to be involved in #sunathon.

Below is a quote from Emma of exactly what #sunathon is:

“From the 21st to the 25th July, book bloggers from around the world will be taking part in #sunathon. What is #sunathon? Created by Emma Louise (@EmmaIsWriting), for that particular week in the gorgeous sun (or rain if you’re in the U.K), we’re going to read. It doesn’t matter how much you read, as long as you make time for reading. There are a lot of people around the world who are blind to the magical world of books and its a shame. More of us should read. I’ve decided to make it full week – Monday to Sunday because  a lot of book bloggers have full time jobs and they squeeze reading in between. I’ve made it longer just for them.”

If you want to join in, I would be happy to book chat with you, and I know Emma would too.

I have my summer book list all lined up. A few books I bought myself and a book I had as a gift. I work as a learning assistant in a special needs school. My lovely teacher gave me a great looking book, so I think I will be starting with this. The first books on my to be read list is “Written in the Stars” by Ali Harris.

Also “The Kabul Beauty School” by Deborah Rodriguez”.

I’m looking forward to reading both of these books, especially as it will be part of #sunathon. I hope many of you will join in, read, chat, enjoy.

This is one of the books I will be reading, I read a mix of `real`  books and books on my kindle.

I look forward to chatting to you about all the books we will be reading.

A great big shout out and thank you for organising this fab idea. Thank you Emma Louise @EmmaIsWriting. Heres to a great #sunathon.