Rules

We all have them. If we’re readers we all have our little habits we’ve built up over the years, our little quirks and rules. These are my Rules for Happy Reading.

1. Avoid a physical ‘To Read’ pile or list, or you’ll start to feel like you should read certain books instead of want to read them, and Bang! It’s a school assignment all over again.
2. Keep a general cloud of books floating around the house. Whatever mood you’re in there will be something appropriate at hand.
3. Never, NEVER turn down a corner to mark a page. Books aren’t toys. They know who their defacers are and will come for you in the night.
4. Abandon any book that isn’t delivering the goods. There are too many wonderful books  to waste reading time on fizzers. Give them a fair go – a few chapters at least – then glue the pages together. (Note: Be nicer to classics. It was a different style back then. Also don’t glue the pages together if it’s not your book. Just saying.)
5. Don’t discount ebooks. You can buy books you couldn’t afford otherwise, and can carry a book on your phone. (That’s a sentence that wouldn’t have made sense when I was a kid.) They’re also great to read while you’re eating, because you don’t have to hold the book open. No jam or coffee stains on the page. Magic.
6. Check out your local library’s ebook and audiobook borrowing. You don’t need to leave your house or even remember to take them back, because they return automatically. You can renew with a click of a button. No more late fees. Wonderful!
7. Don’t be a book snob. Or an anti-snob. Ask friends about good books in categories and genres outside your normal preference. You might be amazed at what you find.
8. Share. Tell other people about a book you loved. You don’t have to go door-to-door and keep talking over the top of residents when they politely say, ‘Thanks, but I have a book I’m reading already’. Tell people who would like to know. They might share a favourite of theirs with you. Even better, buy a book for someone. What could be a better way to share?

Do you have your own rules for happy reading?