Time for a bookish declaration....

Why hello there!

Nice to see you again (or for the first time should this be your first visit…^_^).  So, how has week one of 2012 been treating you?  Good I hope.  If not, no worries…I hear ya and totally sympathize, but it’s too early to get on the “this-year-sucks” bandwagon just yet; give it some time (I know I’ll be).

So far this week, we’ve welcomed the new year, took a trip to Europe (literarily speaking), sampled a bookish tease or two, and discovered that the cutesy woodland creatures may not all be as nice on the inside as they are on the outside.  Basically a whole lot of bookish fun…and there’s plenty more where that came from.  Today’s post was an impromptu one inspired by another blogger who was inspired by a librarian who was inspired by…well, probably their love of reading, but I think you get the point…the circle of influence is HUGE and I plan on spreading it even more. 

The post that inspired me I found through one of my Twitter friends (@roses7184 … I’m talking about you!  ^_^).  The site:  Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile….catchy name, right?  It’s a lovely book blog that you really should check out when you have a moment (and follow, like, etc, etc)…and while today’s post was a fond remembrance to her, it was bright-shiny-new to me.  It’s a little something called the….

Pretty nifty, huh?

I thought so.

Now it’s fine and dandy to post this little beauty but again taking my cue from HDB, I’m digging into our rights a little closer….for personality sake.  ^_^  Here we go….

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1.  to read anything at any time

…and this is one I LIVE by!  No seriously.  With the limited time I have, and the voracious reading appetite I also claim as my own, reading time is at a premium.  That;s why I always carry 1-2 books, my eReader, and my phone (with nifty reading app) with me at all times.  Which leads me to the next “right”…

2.  to read anywhere in any position

I don’t generally stand on my head or anything, so position wise it’s usually with my feet up or neatly tucked under me….but it is all about LOCATION.  Again, time is a premium and there are SO MANY missed opportunities to read out there!  Such as…waiting for my work PC dino to load a page, waiting for a doctor appointment, waiting to pick someone up, waiting for a movie to start…and even waiting in line at the grocery store (with the occasional read as I shop move too…multi-tasking is my middle name).  All prime windows of time PERFECT for just a few pages more.

3.  to read without intrusion

Oh brother…can I PLEASE blow this one up and post it at job 2?  No seriously…if I’m on break with a book in one hand and eating my lunch with the other, making sounds of amazement about something you are unpacking or reading over just to draw my attention…so not cool.  Dude…I’m reading!  Leavez me alone…unless you want to discuss the book…  ^_^

4.  to move your lips while you read

So I’m probably guilty of this on occasion but more often I run into trouble with a smile or laugh inducing scene.  I can’t help but let my reaction show which can lead to some fairly odd looks of concern from your fellow coworkers….

5.  to read as slowly as you like

I do this on occasion, but it’s harder when you have a fairly active blog.  The last one I TRULY took my time with…literally savored it over a month or two was my ARC of MATCHED by Ally Condie. 

6.  to read several books at one time

This describes me to a T!  It’s not just about accomplishing more reading because really, you can’t read any more pages with two titles running than one but it does serve the fickle side of my personality.  One never knows what you’ll be in the mood for and as variety is the spice of life, I like to keep my options open.

7.  to underline favorite passages

Okay…so I DON’T do this one, but I have been known to make use of my semi-extensive sticky note collection to mark a page and write on the note what part I was taken by.  My books = my precious (ß say that with a Gollum accent and you’ll understand…)

8.  to ignore literary critics

To be honest, I read what they say (as well as other bloggers), but it is not the determining factor as to whether I read a book or not.  For example, I’m probably one of the only people left on the planet not taken in by The Hunger Games craze.  *ducks flying objects*  I’m not dissing the series…I haven’t even read it at this point (though I did purchase book 1 a few weeks back), but I am saying that when I read about it even in light of the hoopla, I wasn’t taken in by it.  Every book, every series hits readers differently, that’s why there is SO much room for SO many different books.  No two experiences will be exactly the same just as the interest level between two people in the same title will vary.  Will I eventually fall in love with the series and join the masses?  Who knows?  But right now, I’m cool with being the “outcast” so to speak….

9.  to skip pages or chapters

Um, no…while I respect the right to do this…I don’t skip chapters.  The closest I come to this is skimming.  I will certainly skim if a book is dragging its feet and I need to move it along to the “good stuff”…but it’s rare and only for small bouts.

10.  to read the last chapter first

…and yet another one I don’t do.  I do have the bad habit (hey, at least I recognize it!) of turning to see how many pages a book has and accidentally catching a glimpse of a few words on the final page.  It may not seem like much but it can cause issues!  It gets your mind working on how the story could possibly turn to fit the ending you saw and can take away from the reading experience.  Now when I turn to that final page, I pretty much cover by eyes and leave just a smidge of space to peek at the numbers…

11.  to stop reading in the middle

Admittedly, I’ve done this before….but I always end of going back to it.  The book:  The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman.  I was not enthralled when I was reading the first of this series; in fact I was getting a bit bored actually.  Too much technical mumbo jumbo or religious discussion and I lose focus.  I put it down, came back to it while on a trip a few months down the line and TADA…I was back in the game (and luckily the story picks up later on too!).  Sometimes a break is necessary and then other times….

12.  to read a book over and over again

…you just want to say “AGAIN!  AGAIN!” like a child riding the merry-go-round at the fair.  I am a fan of rereading but I can’t say I get to do it too often as of late (not complaining of course, just simply stating a reality).  The books I’ve reread most would be the Harry Potter series books 1-4 (I kept rereading the preceding books in the series just before the next would release…until it took me a year form the date of release to read book 5!), The Forbidden Game series by L.J. Smith (maybe 3 times?)….and then this one children’s book at Christmas called Ted E. Bear Finds Christmas (SUCH a cute story if you can find it!).

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So, there you have it.  The Reader’s Bill of Rights done Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers style…have you heard of this bookish declaration before?  Which ones do you personally do?  Anything you would add if you could?  Feel free to share your thoughts and comments…and of course to create your own post and pass the bookish love along.

Until next time…FIGHT for your RIGHT to …READ!  ^_^

(…and of course, happy reading!)

The Reader’s Bill of Rights