Thank you so much to Brigid Gallagher for nominating me in the Book Lover’s Tag. It’s a long while since I’ve participated in a tag. I’ve been so busy doing my own book promotion that this is a welcome change.
https://watchingthedaisies.com/2017/09/06/book-lovers-tag/
Do you have a specific place for writing? I write at my desk in my office at home. One blissful year I went away to Brighton for a few days and wrote in my hotel room, in cafes and in the library. That was wonderful.
Book mark or random pieces of paper? Mainly a book mark but I have been known to use anything that comes to hand!
Can you stop anywhere or must it be at the end of a chapter? Always at the end of a chapter unless I’m reading on the bus (and I do this often on the way to work,) and then I’ll make a mental note of where I stopped!
Do you eat or drink whilst reading? No, I don’t unless I’m in a cafe. Otherwise, I tend to focus 100% on the book.
Music or TV whilst reading? Do people do this? Shock, horror, no I never listen to music or watch TV. I’d find that too distracting. My husband reads in the bath which I find equally odd. How can you turn the pages with soap bubbles everywhere?
One book at a time or several? Oh, I rarely read more than one at a time but occasionally I might read a paperback and a kindle. I don’t like to do this but time pressures sometimes mean that I do.
Do you prefer to read at home or elsewhere? I’ll read at home, on the bus, travelling by train, in the library, in cafes, anywhere!
Read out loud or silently? Silently, but I have been known to cry whilst reading a book in public places!
Do you read ahead or skip pages? I never skip pages, ever.
Break the spine or keep it like new? I keep it like new.
Do you write in your book? Ouch, never!
What books are you reading now? I have been reading Malala Yousafzai’s biography, the Pakistani schoolgirl who stood up to the Taliban and defended her right to an education. It’s an amazing book, about halfway through. I recommend everyone reads this, very inspiring, educational and moving too.
Other than that I read anything I can get my hands on. I found another little gem recently in the same independent bookshop in Ely, Topping Books – Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast.
It’s a tiny black penguin classic with ‘Wildes’s celebrated witticisms on the dangers of sincerity, duplicitous biographers, the stupidity of the English – and his own genius.’
Some of my favourite witticisms from the book:
‘We spend our days, each one of us, in looking for the secret of life. Well, the secret of life is in art.’
‘One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.’
‘Thinking is the most unhealthy thing in the world, and people die of it just as they die of any other disease, Fortunately, in England at any rate, thought is not catching’
‘Pleasure is the only thing one should live for. Nothing ages like happiness.’
‘Life is much too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it.’
‘The old believe everything: the middle-aged suspect everything; the young know everything.’
‘To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.’
‘Time is waste of money.’
‘I love acting. It is so much more real than life.’
‘The tragedy of old age is not that one is old. but that one is young.’
‘Murder is always a mistake. One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.’
“Life cheats us with shadows. We ask it for pleasure. It gives it to us, with bitterness and disappointment in its train. ‘
I also like to read and support Indie authors.
Here are some reviews I’ve done:
https://mjmallon.com/2016/08/19/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-the-eternals-by-richard-m-ankers/
https://mjmallon.com/2017/01/04/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-glimpses-by-hugh-w-roberts/
https://mjmallon.com/2016/02/11/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-living-in-the-shadows/
https://mjmallon.com/2016/08/05/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-dead-flies-and-sherry-trifle/
https://mjmallon.com/2016/05/23/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-oak-and-mist/
https://mjmallon.com/2016/04/21/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-ravens-gathering/
https://mjmallon.com/2016/11/05/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-abomination-by-jane-dougherty/
https://mjmallon.com/2016/06/04/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-amber-wakes/
https://mjmallon.com/2014/07/04/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-swamp-ghosts-by-marcia-meara/
Here is the full list of all my reviews: https://mjmallon.com/2015/09/28/a-z-of-my-book-reviews/
Favourite childhood book? C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe
All time favourite book? The Book Thief, Marcus Zuzak.
The Nominations for the Book Lover’s Tag: (If you’d like to join in, no pressure!)
Annika- https://annikaperry.com/
Anne – https://booksbakingandblogging.com/
Cathy – https://betweenthelinesbookblog.com/
Bye for now, happy reading. What are you reading at the moment?
My social media links:
Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Twitter: @curseof_time
To vote for my cover art or the first lines in the AuthorsDB competition follow the link to find out more: https://mjmallon.com/2017/09/08/please-vote-for-me-in-authorsdb-first-line-contest/
Fellow Administrators of my Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club #ABRSC on Facebook:
Myself, Colleen Chesebro, Debby Gies (D G Kaye.) Click on photos to visit Debby and Colleen’s blogs.
Thank you for continuing the tag Marje. I shall have to add Malala’s book to my list. It is so nice to read about other authors reading preferences. 🌼🌼🌼
Welcome, Brigid. And yes do add Malala to your list. Highly recommended. 🙂
Marje, thank you very much for the nomination and I look forward to taking part! 😀😀 I loved learning about your writing and reading habits. I know, how can people listen to music and write!! I’ve never tried writing in a cafe but it sounds a very positive experience for you so might well give it a go sometime. The Malala book is one I’ve meant to read for ages, thank you for the reminder and now I know you’re enjoying and finding it a rewarding read I’ll order this today! Have a lovely Sunday and hope your daughter is settling in well abroad.❤️
Hi Annika, that’s great looking forward to reading your tag. Glad that you are going to read the Malala book. I picked that up with my daughter just before she went to S. Korea. She’s settling in well. Lovely Sunday to you, Annika. 🙂
Wonderful answers! I really enjoyed reading all the Wilde quotes. I didn’t read C.S. Lewis until I was in my thirties, but I wish I’d read it as a child. I know I would have loved it then, as I did so much later. Thanks for the fun post!
Hi Angela. Thank you, glad you enjoyed! Happy reading. 🙂
What fun to learn more about you Marje. You have reviewed a wonderful lot of Indie books.
Hi Robbie, yes I love reading and reviewing but of late I am struggling to keep up with everything. I miss my bookish posts so this one is with that in mind. 🙂
I salute your respect for books and reading Marje. Thanks for sharing Oscar Wilde’s witty quotes, I love them as he says a lot through short sentences. 🙂
Thank you Balroop. Glad you enjoyed Oscar Wilde’s witticisms to. 🙂
Great answers! I loved The Book Thief as well! I only recently got into reading, but I just finished “The Thing About Jellyfish” for a book club I’m in, and it is AMAZING! I am also currently working on the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series and also “The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley.”
Like you, I cannot believe that people listen to music or watch TV while reading – that’s not giving the author’s words their complete attention ~ eeeeek! I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the story! Fun to learn more about your reading experiences, MJ 🙂
Thank you Christy. Yes people have the strangest book habits! 🙂