Thursday, July 30, 2015

Beyond the Books: The Real Me



Once again I'm participating in Beyond the Books hosted by KissinBlueKaren a feature where we look behind the books.  Today's topic is The Real Me and I'm combining it with the Reading Habits Tag.  I was tagged by Tina over at Novel Meals and I think these two should work together.

Five Facts About Me:

1.  My favorite color is green.  I have to make an effort to not choose that for everything - clothing, paint colors, household items, jewelry, etc.

2.  I'm very much a homebody.  Given the choice I would stay at home about 95% of the time.  If I spend to much time away from home I start feeling frazzled.  On the flip side we're planning a little vacation for September and I'm really excited about it.

3.  Without contacts I'm virtually blind.  My vision is really really bad.  Like a prescription of -10 bad.  Forget not being able to see the big E, I can't even seen the chart.  Luckily it's fully correctable but it's a little weird to think if I'd been born 100 years ago I'd be considered blind.

4.  I'm a night owl.  I stay up to 12 or 1 most nights and could probably stay up longer except I make myself get up at at 7 most mornings.  

5.  I'm a total TV junkie.  I love TV - crime dramas, true crime, anything food related, book related Hallmark/Lifetime movies, My To Watch list is almost as long as my To Read List!

Reading Habits Tag:

While this is still book related I think a person's reading habits show a lot about them so I thought I'd share mine.

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
I do most of my reading in my bed but I'd really like to do more reading in a big comfy chair in the living room.  However, with the Tornado still being little I don't do much daytime reading!

Bookmark or random piece of paper?
I usually use a bookmark.  My first choice one is one that Emma made for me when she was in kindergarten (she's leaving for college in 2 weeks) and if I'm already using that one I have a set of owl bookmarks that are next.  I have been known to use a random piece of paper but that doesn't happen very often.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/a certain amount of pages?
I normally stop reading when I'm so tired words stop making sense but I do like to stop reading at the end of a chapter.
Do you eat or drink while reading?
I try not to eat because when I'm reading I don't tend to pay attention and could eat an entire bag of chips without realizing it.  I do have a drink with me - generally Diet Coke or herbal tea depending on the time of day and my mood.

Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
I like to have music on while I read but it's not necessary.  I can read with the TV on if it's not something I'm super interested or if the book has really hooked me.

One book at a time or several at once?
I have at least 2 going at once - 1 ebook and 1 print book but I usually try and do separate genres so I don't get confused.

Reading at home or everywhere?
Most of the time I read at home but that's more necessity than preference.  I don't like to read if I'm somewhere with the Tornado as I get too absorbed.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?
Silently unless it's too funny or interesting not to share.

Do you read ahead or even skip pages?
It depends.  If there's an animal or a child in a thriller I've been known to flip to the back and make sure they're still around in the ending.  Sometimes I skim a scene or two if something's dragging on a bit too much.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
I'm not super picky about this - probably because the majority of my books I've gotten used.

Do you write in your books?
Absolutely not!  I wrote in a cookbook once and I still don't feel quite right about it.

For this one I'm tagging:
Quinn at Quinn's Book Nook
Bea at Bea's Book Nook
Lark at The Bookwyrm's Hoard
BrittanyL at This is the Story of my (Reading) Life
and anyone else who I missed but wants to do it!

26 comments:

  1. Always nice to see another 'side' of a person or rather more about them. So, I like purple, but I wear pink more. Somehow it looks good on me. Green was my color of choice when I was a teenager. Definitely a homebody, but it's more from necessity now, living out in the sticks. My glasses are interesting in prescription - one nearsighted eye, one farsighted eye, and then you add the bifocal part. They would make anyone else dizzy to wear. I love TV crime shows too - especially British ones. Definitely not a night owl - a morning lark. Early rising does not bother me at all - and then I turn into a pumpkin at about 9:00. And as to books, well, I always use a bookmark, never turn down a corner, try not to break a spine, don't write in books - books are people too! LOL

    Enjoyed this, Katherine!

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    1. I feel the same way about books! I'm still not 100% comfortable with making a note in a cookbook once! I love purple as well and wear it fairly often - especially in winter. I'd love to wear link more often but I have to be careful about the shade because of my hair color. That's crazy about your prescription! I'm nearsighted in both I can't imagine being different in both.

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  2. I'm so excited that you tagged me for this one! And I really enjoyed reading your responses and getting to know you a bit better. I'm a total homebody too. I love being home with my puppies. I have a staycation coming up and I am just so excited about it.

    My favorite color is pink, and I have to control myself too because I want everything pink. Although lately I've also been into mint green. Sooo pretty!

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    1. A staycation sounds awesome! I'd love to really do that. I love minty green! I love pink too but my hair makes that a tricky color to wear. I really hope you do this one! Can't wait to see your answers!

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  3. Another TV junkie here! I agree all the shows I want to watch is a very long list rivaling my TBR!!

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    1. Yay! I love my TV and I'm glad I'm not the one!

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  4. I'm going to have to check out Beyond the Books and see if it's something I can participate in. Does she pre-post questions?

    My husband's favorite color is green too. I have such a hard time picking a favorite color. It changes every week, sometimes every day. I'm mostly homebody too, so I can relate. :-) I am glad I am not the only one who likes to watch television. I don't really like to eat while I am reading, but I do during my lunch break.






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    1. She does! I do hope you participate. It's really fun and I'd love to see your answers to some of the upcoming topics. I'm feeling much better about my TV addiction. It's nice to know I'm not alone! I did read while eating lunch when I was working but now that I'm at home things are a little more flexible.

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  5. Fun post. My right eye is a -10. I laughed when I was told it was medically necessary and I got a discount on that box. I love to stay up late but I can't sleep in. My body hurts the next day. I'm like an old lady; I have to go to bed no later than 9:30 and I usually wake up around 8. I wake up on and off through the 10 hour period. I love green too! I'm hankering to knit something emerald green or forest green. But blues attract me every time and so a few rooms in our house are blue. I usually only read blogs or blog with classical music so I can concentrate on the content. But now I have a workout mix on from Spotify and the selections are too good to turn off.,

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    1. The knitting project sounds lovely! A gorgeous scarf or hat in a really pretty emerald would just be stunning. I hope you do so I can see the results! I love blue too particularly in bedrooms. So soothing. I love Spotifys workout mixes. Definitely motivating!

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  6. love this! great way to know new things about your I wouldn't otherwise :)

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    1. Oh thank you! I had a good time with this one!

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  7. I am pretty much a homebody too, but I do love to travel, but I also love when I am back in my own bed. :)

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    1. Oh there is nothing better than that first night back home after being out of town!

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  8. Oh I just love how you combined this with a tag. I stay up late, too. I keep thinking I will catch up on the weekends, but that never happens because my Miguel insists on getting up at the butt-crack of dawn every single day. We have a lot of similar reading habits.
    Thanks for playing along this week!

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    1. Thankfully J and I are both night owls. People getting up early makes me stabby - especially if they're noisy about it. I had a good time with this one and it was fun seeing everyone's answers!

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  9. We have a few things in common...I'm a homebody too although I do like to travel sometimes. I also love crime dramas on TV. This was fun to read.

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    1. Oh thank you! I know we have some books in common so good to know we have other things in common!

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  10. Hah, I just saw this, little stinker. I'll add it to my to-do list. :D

    I stay up late too; I usually go to bed between 12 and 1AM, even those days where I have to be at school at 8 any my commute is about an hour. Coffee is my friend. :D

    Green is one of my fave colors; my couch is a Kelly green. <3 I also like blue and purple.

    Fun post!

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    1. I hope you get to this! I'd love to see you answers.
      Coffee is definitely my friend too. I probably rely on it a bit too much but it's so good!

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  11. Thank you for participating, I love your answers! It's great to get to know a little more about a person!

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  12. I am also have extremely bad eye sight. My contacts are my life. I can't see anything without them either. Totally sucks.
    Also a night owl. Unless I'm utterly exhausted I can't fall asleep before 12. On a good night(like when I gotta work the next day) it's 1230.
    Happy reading!
    Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life

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  13. We would so get along. I love green and also red. I am a night owl too and usually am awake until 2 and get up between 7-8 am. I do like an afternoon cat nap though! I am a serious homebody. I have left the home 3 times since the 4th.

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  14. Great list! I used to be a night owl too, but now I am mostly asleep by 10 or 11.

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  15. I am also a TV (and movie) junkie, and subscribe to so many channels that, without the DVR, I wouldn't see most of them. I am very excited that my service now offers Hallmark. I had been asking them for ages when they would get it. Do you think they heard me? LOL

    But seriously, I would see movies that I wanted to watch on the Hallmark channel, and sigh in defeat. Now I have DVR'ed so many, it will take a while to see them all.

    My eldest son, who is visiting from Europe with his wife, stays up half the night to watch TV, as they don't have nearly as many shows in Berlin (or Prague, where they're going when they return).

    I am also a home body, but I wasn't when I was younger. Enjoy your vacation, though.

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  16. I'm with you on the staying at home - my husband has to really push to get me to go anywhere. Not that I don't enjoy being out and about but I'm perfectly content in the home I've created...with a book, of course! I recently wrote in an ARC since I knew I couldn't sell it or give it away and even then it was so weird. But I used to write in books all of the time for school.

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