What Matters About Reading? Book Tag Time!

I watch Criminolly, a book related YouTube channel, about reading and books. Olly, from  Criminolly, did the "What Matters About Reading?" book tag, which I enjoyed watching. 

I decided to do the "What Matters About Reading?" book tag here on my blog too. 

1. What do you want to get out of reading? What stays with you after?

I read for a wide variety of reasons. I read for entertainment, escapism, relaxation, learning new things, empathy, and diversity.

What stays with me is the enjoyment of reading a book and feeling relaxed and satisfied after I've read a book. I also find joy in learning new things, which is probably why I love reading nonfiction books so much.

2. What is reading with intention?

Reading with intention is reading books that fulfill your interests and needs. Plus, being present and savoring the written word with relish.

3. What interests you about somebody else’s relationship to a book? 

I like knowing what makes someone excited about reading books in general, what genres they like reading, and hearing what makes a book they've read great. 

Sometimes, I am even swayed to read a book by another avid reader based on the book's summary and what this reader thought about the book.

4. How do you talk about books with others? What do you usually want them to know about a book? 

Usually, I share my thoughts about books I've read here on my blog. I also share my thoughts about books on Bookcrossing with other readers in the forums section. This year, I am also participating in a monthly online book club offered though the public library, where we discuss a book club pick we've read during the month. Additionally, I discuss books with other avid readers in person when I can.

5. Do you review books (publicly or privately)? 

I review books publicly! Hence my blog! Occasionally, I will leave reviews on Goodreads or Amazon.

6. Do you use a rating system? Why? Why not?

Yes, I use a rating system when reviewing books. I give my reviews a numerical rating between one and five. 1 = terrible, 2 = okay, 3 = like, 4 = really like, 5 = love. If the book I read falls between two ratings, then I'll give it a rating of 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, or 4.5.

I like to rate books after reading them to gauge how I liked reading them at that moment in time. 

7. Do you ask yourself if you’ve liked a book? And how much does liking a book matter? 

Yes, I ask myself if I've liked a book I've read and this is important to me. I don't want to read poorly written books or things I'm not enjoying... Or if, I'm reading something to learn a topic/subject, then I should learn something from reading the book.... Otherwise, what's the point (in this case) if I learn nothing from the book. So, enjoying a book matters a lot.

8. What do you seek out from others who read publicly? Reviews, summaries, analysis, a curriculum? 

I like hearing other people's thoughts regarding what they think about the books they'v read, whether they write reviews for blogs, etc., participate in book clubs, or just like discussing books in person with other people.

9. Who do you go to for those things?

The short answer is a variety of places...Sometimes I find books from blogger reviews, Bookcrossers, book club picks, the articles I read, the topics I'm interested in learning more about, genres I like reading, or books from authors who I have read books from in the past.