The Currently Reading Book Tag

Hi Everyone!

Today I’m once again collaborating with my wonderful friend Larkin! (you can find her goodreads here) She’s a close friend, and we always have a ton of fun writing these posts, so I hope you enjoy!

This time we’re doing the Currently Reading Book Tag. I stole this tag from Rhea @ Bookchanted, and you should definitely go check out her blog!

And we’re… umm… mostly doing the tag, and not just bantering back and forth about random nonsense… mostly.

Larkin: Hello I’m Larkin! Although that seems rather obvious seeing as this started with my name. In case you couldn’t tell I only introduced myself because Iris said I had to.

Iris: Yes, yes, I know. I just thought it might be nice to introduce yourself anyways…

Larkin: Well I did.

Iris: Yes you did. Now let’s get on with the tag shall we?

Larkin: I don’t think you actually meant that as a question, did you?

Iris: No. I meant it as “We’ve spent too long on the introduction.”

1 – HOW MANY BOOKS DO YOU USUALLY READ AT ONCE?

Iris: I usually have a couple books that I’m supposedly ‘Currently Reading’ but haven’t actually picked up for ages, sometimes an audiobook, sometimes a reread, and then another book or two, that I’m slightly more actively reading.

Larkin: I pretty much always have one book going and one audiobook going at once.

2. IF YOU’RE READING MORE THAN ONE BOOK AT A TIME, HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHEN TO SWITCH BOOKS?

Iris: As I already said, I’m usually mostly reading one main book. If I get tired of it, I might take a break, and read something else, such as my reread, or a new book. If I have an audiobook going I switch to that when I’m doing something I can’t easily read a print book while doing.

Also if I’m reading something particularly dark or creepy I try to switch books before it gets too late. And usually fail, but… I can try.

Larkin: I’m dyslexic so I usually read my print book as long as I can before I start having a hard time understanding the words, then I’ll switch to audio. Or like Iris said if I’m doing anything that I can’t (or shouldn’t) do while reading I switch to audio

Iris: Such as cutting something with a big sharp knife??? Because doing that while reading a print book sounds incredibly dumb.

Larkin: It wasn’t that big…

Iris: It was only once? Really?

Larkin: …no, but it was always with the same knife.

But anyway, back to the question! I only really have one more thing to say and that is that also as Iris said if I’m reading something to dark I try to switch before it’s too late.

3. DO YOU EVER SWITCH BOOKMARKS WHILE YOU’RE PARTWAY THROUGH A BOOK?

Iris: Bookmarks? What are those?

Larkin: I don’t know, I’ve never heard of these things you call “bookmarks”

Iris: No, but in all seriousness, I think it’s more rare for me to use the same thing as a bookmark all the way through the book than it is for me to switch. And it’s usually not really a bookmark either. A receipt. A random piece of paper. A ribbon. If I’m really desperate a hair tie, or the corner of a blanket, or whatever other vaguely flat thing is nearby. And when I do use I bookmark I tend to lose it as soon as it leaves the book, so I end up having to find something else to use next time I put my book down.

Larkin: well if you insist upon being serious, I don’t normally use bookmarks but when I do I use them for writing quotes on, so I try very hard not to lose them (at least until I’m done with the book and have written the quotes on my computer)

4. WHERE DO YOU KEEP THE BOOK(S) YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING?

Iris: All over the place. Literally wherever. The coffee table, the kitchen table, my bed, my desk, one of the shelves in my room, the couch, my family member’s desks, the windowsills, the counter, this little half wall thingy we have at the top of our stairs, on top of our shoe rack.

Larkin: Wherever I’m keeping myself at the time!

5. WHAT TIME OF DAY DO YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME READING?

Iris: All day, every day. Okay, not quite… but no specific time. I read whenever I have the chance, and that completely varies depending on the day.

Larkin: I do whenever I have the chance too, I probably read least in the evenings because someone keeps distracting me.

Iris: Two things. First of all, that sounds romancy… Very very romancy. Which it most certainly is not. Second of all, you’re the one who never responds to my Skype messages during the daytime… mostly.

Larkin: Three things. First of all, “romancy? I’m pretty sure that romancy isn’t a word, but yes I definitely did not mean it romantically. Second of all, you have terrible timing with Skype messages! I’m always out, or away from my devices when you do! And third of all, hahaha I have a third thing and you don’t!   

Iris: And why on earth should I care that you have a third thing and I don’t? Because I truly, truly don’t care one bit.

Larkin: Spoilsport.

6. HOW LONG DO YOU TYPICALLY READ IN ONE SITTING?

Iris: Depends on the book and how much time I have to read on that day. Wow… I just officially gave the most generic answer possible. I’ll be a little more specific. If I’m enjoying the book and don’t have plans, I can sit and read for hours. I’m pretty sure I spent almost seven hours straight when I got Obsidio… I stopped briefly a couple times, but barely. Soooo… I can read for a LONG time. I often pick up my book, and then next thing I know three hours have passed, and I haven’t moved from my seat. Or eaten. Or gotten dressed.

Larkin: So as I said before I can’t usually really read print books for much more than two or three hours at most, but I can listen to audiobooks for a long time. I’m pretty sure that I once listened to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in one sitting…

7. DO YOU READ HARDBACKS WITH THE DUST JACKET ON OR OFF?

Iris: Off. I hate reading a book with the dust jacket on. It’s annoying and gets in my way. Plus I find I’m more likely to damage the dust jacket with it on, and I really don’t want that.

Larkin: Off. I think Iris has summed up how I feel about dust jackets quite well.

I will add though that most of the hardcover books I read are from the library so I don’t really get much of a choice in the matter.

Iris: Yep, I love libraries, but those dust jackets drive me bonkers! And I once had one where only one side was taped, so the other side was flapping around, but I couldn’t remove it. It was awful.

Larkin: That sounds awful!  

8. WHAT POSITION DO YOU MAINLY USE TO READ?

Iris: Usually sitting on the couch, at the point where it curves, so I can have my back up against a nice comfortable cushion, and have my feet up in front of me.

Larkin: The I’m-trying-to-not-fall-out-of-a-tree position.

Okay, maybe that’s not the main position that I read in, I don’t really have a main position, but I spend quite a bit of time reading in trees so…

9. DO YOU TAKE THE BOOK YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING WITH YOU EVERYWHERE?

Iris: Depends. I don’t tend to take it if I’m going certain places, such as the library. I don’t take it if I’m going over to someone’s house (because otherwise I might be rude and start reading, because the temptation is too hard to resist.) If my book is a big, heavy hardcover, and I know I probably won’t have time to read, then I’ll leave it behind. But for the most part? Yes.

Larkin: Yes. I take it everywhere I go. It doesn’t matter if I’m going straight to the library, or on a walk that I’m not going to stop on THE BOOK COMES.

10. HOW OFTEN DO YOU UPDATE YOUR GOODREADS PROGRESS ON THE BOOK YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING?

Iris: Once again, it depends on the book… I know, I know, I keep answering that, but it really does. Basically this whole post is just me proving that I am completely inconsistent (unlike Larkin, who actually has some solid answers).

But yeah, it depends. If the book is particularly gripping and exciting, or if I’m feeling particularly lazy, then I might not update at all, and just tell goodreads I read it after I’m done.

If I’m rereading, I’ll often update three, or five, or even ten times.

It also depends on how much solid time I have to read. If I need to stop reading for some reason, I’ll probably update before I pick it up again. If I have time to binge-read the whole book, I’ll often forget to update.

Typically though, it’s somewhere in the one to three range.

Larkin: Honestly I almost never remember to tell Goodreads how far into a book I am… I’m more likely to if it’s an audiobook but even then it’s unlikely, I usually just tell it when I’ve started the book and when I finish it.

Iris: And not actually when either… more like weeks later.

Larkin: Not usually weeks…

Iris: Fine. Maybe days. But like, four or five of them.

Larkin: Shhhh.

Well, I hope you had as much fun reading this as we did writing it! These posts will probably be a somewhat regular occurrence, because I just enjoy them so much, sooo… Yeah, hopefully they’re enjoyable to read!

I’m not going to tag anyone, but feel free to steal this tag if you want… We had a lot of fun with it.

Do you enjoy these posts? What book are you currently reading? How are you at keeping track of your bookmarks? (If you can actually manage not to lose them, you’re a magician, and you need to teach me your ways!) How often do you update your progress on Goodreads?