Two weeks ago I did a similar post titled Reader Confessions in which I talked about some of the shameful things I do as a reader. After I wrote that I realized that I used to have some other “confessions” that I used to do before I really immersed myself into this blogging/book community. So, I wanted to share with you what those were 😀
I used to throw away dust jackets
Yep, you read that right. I used to buy a book, take them off, treat them like crap, then throw them away. Back in the day, I wasn’t obsessed with book covers or the way the book would look in bookstagram photos. I hated dust jackets so much, they just got in the way and I always ended up damaging them. So, in the trash they went. But now I have several older books that don’t have dust jackets anywhere to be found (i.e. The Fault In Our Stars 🙁 )
I used to dogear pages
I didn’t have a bookmark collection like I do now, so I would either dogear the page or stick a random receipt/piece of paper in the book. Dogearing was usually my destruction of choice, though.
I used to be embarrassed about reading
Before I found bookstagram/book blogging, I was super embarrassed about reading. I would be especially embarrassed when I read a young adult title. Looking back, I don’t know why I cared what people thought, but it was something I oddly did care about. I wish I had embraced this passion much sooner.
If you’re anything like that, stop doing that immediately! Embrace it!
I used to not read all that much
I mean, I did, but not nearly as much as I do now. I didn’t keep up with the current YA titles, I didn’t know many different authors, I didn’t even know there was an online book community. I had a very small book collection, and to be honest, I don’t even know how I found out about the ones I did read. What this meant when I finally found all you awesome people was that I had a lot of catching up to do. All the series so many of you love, I haven’t even touched. I feel like I’m forever behind on what other people are reading or recommending.
Me when I finally joined bookstagram and people talked about books:
That’s it! Some things I used to do as a reader before I joined this awesome community!
Do you have any old habits that you finally broke out of?
30 Comments
I lost all my dust jackets for the last 3 Harry Potter books because early teenager me did not care ? I also used to dogear pages like crazy (…I may have only just recently stopped). It never really worried me all that much though because I like when books look used. I still use the random receipts and pieces of paper for bookmarks now haha. I stopped reading for 2 years, but even when I was an excessive reader I had no idea the book community existed online (except Goodreads). I only found out BookTube was a thing this year ?
hahah I lost all of mine for my older books. It actually kind of makes me sad now because I can’t take pretty pictures of them xD #bookstagramproblems I don’t mind dogearing too much. However, I did get a book from the library recently and somebody dogeared the crap out of it and it got really annoying, they would like fold almost half the page down. It looked bad, so that made me second guess me not caring xD I only found out bookstragram/book blogging/booktube was a thing last year! So, we’re on the same page.
Wow, half the page does seem a tad excessive! I only used to do fold a bit of the corner, haha. Also, yes #bookstagramproblems haha. I don’t have any cool accessories or items like most people seem to so I’m just like “here’s a piece of dust!!” ??
I have items/props but sometimes I’m just too lazy. That’s why I have a “nature theme” going right now. No props necessary lol xD
yay I love your confessions. I relate to them pretty hard. I despise dust jackets. I take them off, put them on the bookshelf, read the book, and then put them back on. The only positive thing I can say is that they’re usually in mint-condition because I take them off and don’t touch them. I think lots of books look better without them.
I totally know what you mean about being embarrassed with reading, especially YA titles. I think it’s just that perception people have that as an adult you’re somehow dumbing yourself down by reading YA. The few times I go into a bookstore vs buying online I often feel awkward standing in the teen section with the teenagers. I also hold myself back from creepily going over to them and being like “what do you have there? can I make a rec? you should read x and x”
That’s what I do with my dust jackets now. They go on my bookshelf until I’m finished with the book — they’re just so annoying! BUT they’re pretty so…. xD
I used to even feel embarrassed about reading YA in high school — which is weird. I think it mainly had to do with no one really even reading around me while I was super into a story. Now, I don’t care at all. However, I’m still getting used to telling people I have a book blog haha ALSO YES. Do you know how bad I want to chit chat with the girls in the YA section, but they’ll probably think I’m a creep. xD
High school is the time to be reading it! But I can see it being awkward to be the only reader around.
I totally understand the dust jacket thing; whilst I never threw them away, I would always take them off because they slip about when reading and get damaged so easily! My worst reading habit that I broke out of has to be flipping through a book and taking a quick peak at the ending. I used to ruin so many books for myself because I was so impatient and couldn’t resist! Then, knowing the twist or outcome, I’d get bored of the novel and wouldn’t finish it. Luckily I’ve broken that habit now I’m not an impatient child any more!
I definitely still take them off, but now I just treat them better and put them back on xD They’re annoying to read with on! I’ve never been able to do the look-ahead thing. I know a lot of people that do that. I can’t do that! I’ll even put my hand over the last line in a chapter to avoid a major spoiler if I feel one coming. Good thing you broke that! xD I can’t imagine being spoiled lol
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I still dogear pages *yikes*
Tanya Patrice
Girlxoxo.com
Dogearing, dust jackets… Et tu, Brute?!
Kidding!
But really, I used to be embarrassed about reading too – now I don’t care what anyone else thinks even if I want to stay home and read on a Saturday night. And I’m kind of the same – I had a few years’ break where I didn’t really read that much (because ugh, uni). I always have so much to catch up on!
There are ALWAYS 3248092384903249 series that I’m behind on because I used to not read that much. It’s really disheartening xD
& yes, I was mean to my books back in the day lol
Omg my dust jackets are also ruined or ripped or I threw them out… I thought they were so ANNOYING, I hated having a dust jacket on a hardbook cover…
I used to dogear pages as well, and I also never read a lot. The books I read were limited to the ones the library put on their ‘YA New Releases’ shelf or ‘ YA You might like’ shelf. But they weren’t always up to date etc. When I discovered Goodreads, I was AMAZED at how many books I didn’t know about!
I definitely know what you mean by most of these!
Jordon @ Simply Adrift
SAME! YES! Someone who can relate to that! I HATED dust jackets. I thought “wtf is the point of these?! You just take them off to read it anyways?!” So, out they went. hahah
I don’t even know how I ended up with the books I read. It wasn’t from recommendations or the library. I’m pretty sure I would stroll through B&N and buy random books based on the cover hahah
I can relate to some of these, before I started book blogging I’m not sure I even knew there was a YA section lol. After I started blogging I was like oh- look at all these books! Where have they been?? I thought all the sci fi was in the sci fi section! So yeah- and I used paper all the time. I used to have bookmarks but I don’t know if I have any even now! I also had no clue blog tours or all the promo stuff bloggers do was a thing. 🙂
I didn’t even know there was a book blogging community before I joined bookstagram. So, imagine my surprise! Yay for book blogging & discovering all of these things!
I used to finish every book I started. Now I have realized that I have too many books in my TBR to waste time on books I don’t like.
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Ah, I still kind of finish every book I start. I’ve never officially DNF’d a book. However, I do put them “on hold” for an extended period of time with the intent of finishing it sometime. So, they’re sort of DNF but not really. I want to get over that because like you said, there are way too many books I want to read.
I am guilty of all of these and it kills me!! I hate a 3 in 1 copy of LotR from WAY back in the day and I threw away the cover and I want to cry!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I love that you shared this though! Great post 😀
Tracy @ Cornerfolds
OH NO! And it’s LOTR! That’s so sad D: I’m probably making that worse….whoops. haha xD
Wow, throwing away dust jackets? That’s harsh…! How did you keep your books? What did your shelves look like? *gasp*. I still dog ear my pages sometimes, which is so so bad!! I do have a lovely book mark collection, but I’m just not using it for my current read… I’m using the receipt for when I bought the book! At least it’s not damaging the page, haha. I used to be embarrassed too! The book community has made me really embrace reading instead of be ashamed of it, which I’m so glad of ♥
Denise | The Bibliolater
hahaha, I just had them on my shelves. I didn’t even have a bookshelf back then, though, because I only had a small handful of books. I use the receipt or random pieces of paper still even though I have a decent sized collection at the moment. Oh well haha Also, yes, the instagram and blogging community is definitely welcoming! It’s nice to have a group of people that share the same interests.
What?! You threw out dust jackets?! Even when I wasn’t obsessed with covers back in the day and didn’t worry about keeping my books in perfect condition (hell, a lot of them were from the used bookstore and already pretty roughed up), I still felt like the dust jacket was part of the book. I mean, I often used the dust jacket as a book mark, sticking it into the page I was on to mark my place, so they would get bent out of shape, but whatever lol.
I also dog eared pages though. I could never for the life of me manage to keep a bookmark. I don’t even have an explanation. Bookmarks just, like, disappeared at some point between opening the book and closing it again. And by dog earing, I could remember which side of the page I was on. I also marked quotes I wanted to remember by folding pages. Sometimes I’d just find little ripped pieces of paper to use.
But seriously, before book blogging, I don’t think I paid much attention to pretty covers or how books looked. It was like I really only cared about the story inside. In a way, I think that’s nice that we used to feel that way, that it was all about the story. But now I’m obsessed with the prettiness and also think it’s nice to appreciate that part of the book too!
I did xD They would get beat up when I took them off because I’d just throw them somewhere, so then I’d just toss them out lol Especially because I hated them. They just got in the way all the time. So it was one less thing for me to worry about xD
I did the same thing (the folding pages to remember quotes) but then I would never remember what the quote was haha
Also, same. Before blogging/bookstagram, I just didn’t care all that much. I tried to treat them okay, but not to the extent that I do now. I used to use a book to smash a spider, now, I’ll find ANYTHING else to use hahah
I never threw away dust jackets, but I used to not care as much about the condition of books, including the dust jackets, before blogging. It made it a lot easier to buy used books and not care about the condition, but now I’m obsessed with making sure the books I buy are in good shape. I’m not sure if this is a good thing, as I end up spending more on books because of it. Yikes!
I usually didn’t care either back in the day. Now I do, because bookstagram xD So, I totally get it.
Throwing away dust jacket?? That’s… wow. As much as I hate dust jacket I never throw it away xD I also used to dog eared my pages, I even liked how it made my books look loved and read 😀
hahahah, I know, I know xD Everyone has been saying that to me. I just hated them so much. I also used to throw away those sleeves on dvds? If you know what I’m talking about lol I don’t know what they’re called.
Aww I really related to this post! Especially with having no idea what peoplr were talking about when I first joined. Weird acronyms like TBR kept throwing me off haha xD
hahah There are STILL some acronyms and phrases that I don’t understand. When I joined the #BooksForTrade thing on Twitter there were tons that I had to ask about lol