Reading is a very personal hobby for most people, and the way we approach reading says a lot about us. Here are my hot-takes.
I never reread books.
A lot of people love rereading their favorite books, but even some of my absolute favorite books I’ve only ever read once. This is because I’m in the mindset of, why would I spend time rereading a book when I can spend that time reading a new book that I’ll absolutely love? I will, however, look back on my favorite quotes or just reread sections of my favorite scenes. I don’t know — is this a hot take?
I own about 10 books.
Okay, this one is a bit weird because a lot of people I know who are avid readers, or people on BookTok, have really massive collections. But guys, books are so expensive. It’s like $15 for one book, and that’s like an hour of work for me, and I just can’t afford it. This is why I read most of my books from the library or borrow from a friend. Which leads to another reason why I don’t reread books, because borrowing is kind of a hassle and I can’t just simply pick up a book and reread it. This is also the reason why some of the more popular books take me a long time to get through, because the wait time at the library is pretty long. It’s also because of reason three.
About 90% of my reading is audiobooks.
Now don’t let anyone tell you that listening to audiobooks isn’t reading — it 100% is. It’s just a bit concerning to me because other than literally last week, I don’t think I’ve actually picked up a physical book in over a year (sound effects: womp womp womp). Look, I just don’t have the time anymore to sit down and read. I’m a full-time pre-med student, and although I’m working on it, it’s really hard to find the time to read. Also, because I borrow most of my books from the library, I have to finish them quickly to return them, and because of my busy schedule I have to get through them fast — and in an audiobook, I can do that in like two to six days.
I also just have a lot of commuting time on campus, like when I’m walking to class or riding the bus, and my favorite way to fill that time is with audiobooks instead of music or TikTok scrolling. I know a lot of people feel like they can’t focus on the book when they’re reading, but I feel like audiobooks really help me get through tasks I don’t wanna do, like cooking or cleaning or any type of busy work. If I’m gonna do something I don’t like, I’m gonna pair it with something I do like. So if you’re like me and want to get into books but don’t like reading, I highly recommend audiobooks. I actually put both my parents onto audiobooks, and neither of them were ever readers in their life, but audiobooks really converted them.
With that being said, I do want to put more effort into taking the time to physically read, one, because I think it’s a good way to fix my attention span, and two, I really just miss the physical act of reading.
I never buy bookmarks.
Okay, I guess I can’t speak too much on this topic because I don’t really read too many physical books, but when I do, I never use a bookmark. I get it — some of them are so cute — but why spend money on a piece of paper when you can literally use a piece of paper? Also, it’s so easy to make them yourself, and there are also so many places that just give them out for free, like your library or your college campus. Save your money where you can, no matter how cute that bookmark is.
I hope some people can relate to my reading habits, or can choose some to try.