So you’re a “running nerd?” Do you listen to audio books while you dash up mountains?
No, not when I dash up mountains 😁 but late autumn and winter here are usually cold and very dark, so during those months I need all the motivation I can get to go out and run. And audio books provide me with motivation and a well-needed distraction from the weather. I’ll never forget running in a dark forest last winter, with only my head torch for a light, in the snow, and listening to a murder mystery….It certainly put a spring in my step!
Usually though I prefer running without anything in my ears, especially when I run in the forest. I need that time to clear my head and let my thoughts wander.
How many chapters do you give a book to grab you? Or are you a “must finish every book” reader?
Oh I’ve suffered through many a bad book! I think I’ve only ever given up on one book. I figure if I’ve already paid to buy the book and invested time in reading the first 100 pages I need to finish the book (=throwing good money after the bad) – or maybe it’s my FOMO? Maybe the book gets better later! If I just read it to the end, there just might be a twist that will make it all worth it…(it hasn’t happened so far but I haven’t let that little fact stop me from masochistically forcing my eyeballs to read bad books).
Which do you find easier to write, the 5 star reviews or 1 star?
That’s a very good question. It’s certainly much more pleasant to write 5 star reviews but often when I give a 5 star review it’s largely because of the way the book made me feel, and it’s not always easy to explain in objective terms why that particular book was good. A book I didn’t like has usually given me plenty of ammunition. But it sucks to give negative reviews. No matter what my personal opinion of a book was, the author still put a lot of effort into it and I feel bad writing those reviews. Luckily, it doesn’t happen very often.
You seem to read a wide variety of genres. How do you decide what to read next from your TBR pile?
Depends on my mood. For example, sometimes I want to get in a quick read before the thick book I have to read for my book club. Maybe I’m still in the same mood the previous book put me in (especially if I enjoyed it a lot) and I want to read something in the same genre. Also, certain times of the year make me feel like reading certain genres (Halloween – predictably – puts me in a horror book kind of mood for instance).
Did you attempt (successfully or un) to learn any new skills while quarantining?
Not exactly a new skill but I picked up a crocheting project last autumn that also required some embroidery. I hadn’t embroidered anything since I was 10, so 30-odd years later I was very rusty. But it was a lot of fun.
I’ve also learned how to play three songs on the piano really badly. Planning on expanding the set list to four next autumn.