I haven’t done a tag in a while and was just thinking of doing one when I saw The Book Addiction tag pop up on Ally’s blog, Ally Writes Things, and thought it sounded like fun. So let’s go!

What is the longest amount of time you can comfortably go without picking up a book?

Honestly, I get a bit antsy if I go more than a day without reading a book. Like, one day is weird, but fine. More than that, though, and I definitely feel like something is wrong!

How many books do you carry on your person at any one time?

I mean, I almost never go anywhere without my kindle, even if I’m reading a physical book, and I’ve got PLENTY loaded on there. Plus I keep most of my kindle books downloaded on my phone, too. You just never know! But I usually only carry one physical book at a time, unless I know I’m going to finish it that day, in which case I’ve been known to carry two. But even then, I usually plan to switch to my kindle instead of carrying around a second book.

Do you keep every book you buy/receive or are you happy to pass them on to make room for more?

I used to hoard all of my books, but these days I have rather limited shelf space and am trying to practice keeping my shelves curated with books I absolutely love, so even if I really enjoyed something, if it’s not a new favorite, I pass it on. I tend to share a lot of romances with friends and family, but I donate the bulk of my books to Housing Works in New York.

How long would you spend in a bookshop on a standard visit?

Ok, so I feel like this is possibly sacrilegious as a reader and blogger, but…I don’t actually like shopping in book stores all that much. The reality is that I know a lot of stuff that’s out already and I’ll buy it when I’m ready to read it, so even though I love to stop in book stores, I actually don’t spend too much time in them. Though I would like to make it a purpose sometime in the near future to walk into a book store and make an effort to pick up something I haven’t heard of but think I’ll like, just because there’s so much out there and I don’t know what I’m missing out on!

How much time per day do you spend reading?

That can vary a lot from day to day. During the week, I’d say I spend at least an hour a day reading between my commute and lunch, though it’s usually a bit higher than that. And it’s not unheard of for me to go home and just read for several hours. On weekends, it depends on how much is going on. I probably read at least an hour even if I’m busy, but I love spending the whole day reading if I have the time. Most weekends are somewhere in the middle, though!

When does the task ‘picking up a book’ appear on your daily to-do list?

I wouldn’t say “pick up a book” is something I’d ever put on my to do list, but I do definitely write down that I need to finish something if I’m getting close to the end and want to prioritize finishing it that night. Plus it’s a fun thing to cross off when I’m done!

How many books do you own in total (including e-books)?

Good Lord, I’m not sure I want to know. Let’s just say I have two standard size Billy book cases and two narrow ones, each with two extenders on top. The set I have in my living room is completely full of books I’ve read, while the set I have in the bedroom has some of my husbands books and other miscellaneous items. But I’d say that’s at least half full of my books as well. So, basically, a lot.

Approximately how many times do you bring up books in conversation?

It depends. I’m fully capable of talking nonstop books if I’m at a book event with other friends who read, but I don’t bring it up often with most people that I know aren’t big readers. That said, I’ve convinced one of my coworkers to occasionally dabble in audiobooks instead of podcasts, and I’m responsible for at least two downloading the kindle app on their phones, including one who uses it to read with her kids when they’re waiting for stuff. So I like to think I’ve been a good influence on getting them to read more than they did before!

What is the biggest book (page count) you have finished reading?

I actually did a whole post last year on the longest books I’ve read, and it hasn’t changed at all! I suspect A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin will retain the top spot with 1,177 pages for a very long time. I actually thought Dark Age by Pierce Brown would be able to shake up the list again once I (finally) finished it, but its 757 pages would only make it into the honorable mentions (it would take 12th), which is super depressing considering what a hard time I’m having with this book.

Is there a book you had to get your hands on against all odds?

I have definitely gone out of my way to get specific editions of books, specifically various editions of Jane Austen books and Harry Potter, as well as books where I liked the British cover better. In fact, I most recently preordered Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff from Book Depository specifically to get the paperback Australian edition because I love paperbacks and think the Australian/UK covers are way cooler. But as much as I’d love the Boddington edition of Pride and Prejudice or the UK edition of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, there’s no way I’m hunting them down and paying a fortune to add them to my collection.

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There you have it, the Book Addiction Tag! What an appropriate title for a tag for book lovers. And I love that it had some different questions I haven’t really answered on my blog before.

How many books do you carry with you at a time? Let me know in the comments!