People can be very particular when it comes to certain things. For example, my sister doesn't drink juice unless she dilutes it half with water because she doesn't like it too concentrated (gross, I know). Others, like some of my coworkers, can't take another step outside without putting their sunglasses on, which I find a bit strange because a little sun don't hurt nobody! Everyone has different idiosyncrasies and when it comes to books, that's where mine comes in.
Currently I am reading the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. What an extraordinary book. There are times I have to step back and keep rereading what the author wrote because the way she describes it is just so pleasing to the reader.
That said, I started this book back in July and yes... I am still on the journey to finishing it. World's slowest reader? You've just met her. (Hi!) I knew it'd be a challenge for me, the book being almost 800 pages thick, establishing itself as the longest one I've attempted. Looking for the root cause of my slow reading, I have created a list of my bookreading idiosyncrasies.
-I read slow. I cherish the moments I'm reading the sentence that will get me further into the plot. And if I really liked it, I'll linger and keep reading it over.
-I read word for word, in my head. If I think I skipped a word, even if it's an article, I go back and read the sentence again.
-I write quotes that I come across that really speak to me so I can keep a part of the book with me even after I close it.
-If I read a word I don't know (which happens more often than not with the Goldfinch), I put the book down and look up the word in the dictionary. Then I read the sentence again and I write the vocabulary word on the list of new words I am learning while reading the book.
-I am an avid user of the bookmark. Although I read very slowly, once I sense the story becoming more and more intense, my eyes have a tendency to jump to the bottom of the page to find out what happened. I have to cover the upcoming lines with my bookmark, so that I can only read line by line to not jump the gun.
Maybe you share some of these with me. It sure makes my time with my books special. As I am nearing the end of the book, I am feeling excited yet sad to finish it. But who knows? Maybe it'll be another two months until I read the last page.
