The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag!

So this post was originally going to be a June wrap-up but after writing and rewriting the post about five times, I decided that I'm just not up to it. However, I managed to read thirteen books - eight physical and five eBooks (because I finally bought a Kobo!) I haven't been tagged to do this but I've seen it all over Booktube and the wonderful Taryn's blog so I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. 

1. THE BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2017?

This was so difficult as I've hit the halfway mark with my reading challenge (50 out of 100 books!) so I've had to choose two. From the start of the year, my favourite has to be The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and my most recent favourite is Ragdoll by Daniel Cole. Both completely different - one a YA contemporary and the other a Crime Thriller but both have stayed with me to this day.

2. YOUR FAVOURITE SEQUEL OF 2017

Try and stop me using this book for the answer to every question though. This is the final book in the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab and woah, didn't it half end with a bang. This series has just been magical and diverse and funny and Lila and Rhy will forever be two of my favourite characters. I miss this world all the time! 

3. A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ BUT WANT TO

I have wanted this book from the second it was announced and now that it is finally out, I've got a TBR the size of a small child so I can't get to it yet. However, it is getting amazing reviews so I may have to bump it up further. It is an incredibly diverse sci-fi novel which is exactly up my street so I encourage you guys to check it out too!

4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

Yes, I am SO excited for Warcross by Marie Lu and 27 Hours by Tristina Wright but I would be lying if I didn't say this amazing book right here wasn't what I was most excited for. Not only is this a Wonder Woman story but it's also written by one of my all time favourite authors. There's a 99.9% I had a heart attack when it was announced. It will be released on August 29th!



5. YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

A lot of books were a disappointment this year but I think you have to choose one that you had high hopes for and for me, it was Flame in the Mist. I didn't watch a lot of Disney movies when I was younger but the one I loved above all else was Mulan and to hear this was a retelling made me so happy. Although the book wasn't terrible, it has problems with cultural and historical inaccuracies and bi-erasure. 

6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR


This was a surprise for me because the one genre I've never really read has been memoirs/non-fiction. However, I picked this up because of the blurb and the fact that it was being sold for very cheap in a local supermarket. When I finished this book, I probably cried for about ten minutes and immediately started researching other popular memoirs on Goodreads. It surprised me how much I was invested in a story that was real life and I also come away with a line that stays with me to this day - "I can't go on. I'll go on."



7. FAVE NEW TO YOU OR DEBUT AUTHOR

Ok, for this I'm going to choose Seanan McGuire who I discovered after reading Every Heart a Doorway. I just instantly fell in love with not just her twisted take on fairytales but also her imaginative and diverse writing. Definitely an author I'm going to keep up to date with.

8. YOUR NEW FICTIONAL CRUSH

I don't really develop crushes on characters and if I do, I haven't developed one this year but one of my newest loves is definitely Jessica from Not Your Sidekick. I just think she's amazing and the hero of her own story and just somebody I'd want in my life so she's getting this trophy. Sorry, Abby.

9. NEW FAVOURITE CHARACTER

 

I'm going to have to choose Molly from The Upside of Unrequited. She has just managed to stand out for me - she's kind, very good at baking and is an avid fan of Pinterest. I think she's just somebody you'd love to have as a friend. She's written brilliantly, has amazing humour and is just a character I missed as soon as I finished the book.


10. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

I think 99.9% of people who read this book got tears. I'm not kidding. This book isn't fun to read. It's heavy and heartbreaking and be aware of triggers for pretty much everything - suicide, self-harm, abuse. There's nothing 'little' about A Little Life so don't go into this expecting a light-hearted read. 

11. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

This trilogy is bound to make anyone happy. It's light-hearted, fun and just generally cute. Lara Jean is a likeable and relatable character, there is a strong family dynamic especially between the Song sisters and the story lines are typical coming-of-age issues. They are just books you can fly through in one sitting and just have your heart warmed by its contents.

12. FAVE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION YOU’VE SEEN THIS YEAR

I haven't actually seen one? I'm not the hugest fan of book to movie adaptations anyway but there's none I can think of this year.

13. FAVE BOOK POST PUBLISHED THIS YEAR
I'm super proud of a lot of posts we've made this year, especially our diverse recommendations but my favourite has to be our post featuring books with bisexual characters which you can find here. We've since posted a part II here.


14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT/RECEIVED

So my initial choice would have been The Tiger's Daughter because I fell in love with that cover art as soon as I saw it but I don't technically own it as I read the ARC from Netgalley. So if I had to choose one I do own, I'd choose the Russian fairytale The Bear and the Nightingale. Like most books, this has different editions but each one manages to be stunning! 



15. WHAT ARE SOME BOOKS YOU NEED TO READ BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR?

So, in reality, the answer to this question would be the entirety of my TBR which is, no exaggeration, the size of a fridge but these are the five that have already been released and that I want to get around to reading ASAP. I've got some fantasy, crime thriller, sci-fi and contemporary so I think this is a good mix.

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And that's the tag. I tag everybody who reads this to do this tag, whether it's on their blog or Youtube channel. Especially the bloggers who are just starting out! I'm happy with the way my reading is going this year - I have delved into the world of non-fiction and gone back to my favourite genre growing up which was crime fiction. Can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings in terms of reading!
Love Angharad @

Top Ten Bookish Facts About Us

Angharad

• When I was in primary school, I won a Harry Potter colouring competition and received a signed copy of Order of the Phoenix and some other goodies. That was the start of my love for the series.
• I was always entering library reading competitions as a child that required you to read a certain amount of books in a certain amount of time. Being as competitive as I am, this trained me to become a fast reader which comes in handy now when you've got a TBR as long as your arm.

• When I was eleven, a poem we had to write about recycling in school was published in a poetry book. My mother proceeded to carry the book around with her, showing it to everybody and anybody.
• I always 'receive books' for special occasions but people never know which books to get me so what I actually get are gift cards. I don't mind because it gives me an excuse to hide in Waterstones for hours on end.
• I recently got a book related tattoo! It was drawn up by Becky and it is a take on Rhysand's tattoo from A Court of Mist and Fury. 

Becky

• I also have a tattoo inspired by A Court of Mist and Fury! After reading ACOMAF, we both fell in love with the book and rushed out to get almost matching tattoos inspired by Rhysand’s tattoos - of mountain peaks with three stars above them.
• When I was eleven, I won a short story competition and got to meet Jacqueline Wilson. I’ve got to say, to an eleven year old, this was probably the best prize in the world. Since twelve years have passed since then, I honestly don’t remember much about what happened (and I have no clue what my short story was about) but I got this photo taken with Jacqueline Wilson and a signed, personalised copy of her book Love Lessons.

• I did actually want to be a writer when I was younger. Most people who know me these days don’t seem to expect it, since I’m definitely more of a photographer than a writer now, but it’s true. The first “book” I remember writing when I was ten (by hand, stuck together with a glue stick, and with a 3D cover made from pieces of coloured card) was called “What Should I Do?” and was about a young teenage girl who had an abusive home life and well, wondered what she should do about it. Evidently, I was a pretty messed up child. Why I wasn’t writing about a girl getting a pet unicorn or something when I was ten years old is beyond me. Anyway, I’m no writer anymore, but my husband has wrote a couple of YA novels that he’s in the process of trying to get published!
• When I was twelve, I was part of a book club in high school. We had to read three new releases and choose our favourites for a local book awards ceremony. One of these books was Sleepwalking by Nicola Morgan, and although I wouldn’t consider this book to be the greatest now, it massively impacted me at the time as it’s the book that got me into dystopian fiction. I think if I’d not been assigned this book to read, I would’ve never read The Hunger Games, and then most likely wouldn’t have been into reading as much as I am.
• Probably one of my biggest reading achievements was reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in a day, on it’s release day. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure how I did it - I don’t think I could manage it now. That book is a hefty 600+ pages and I must have been about eleven or twelve when it was released.

Tell us some interesting facts about you - bookish or not! Leave them in the comments below.

Love,

Unpopular Bookish Opinions Tag

Today we decided to do the unpopular bookish opinions tag - because doesn't everyone love a bit of controversy? These are just our opinions, so feel free to disagree with us, but lets keep it civil!

We tag everyone who's reading this post to do this tag!

1. A popular book or series that you didn't like.

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Angharad: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski. 

I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it. It just felt too slow and uneventful for me and as much as I love Kestrel, her love interest who's name I can't even remember?? Well, I didn't like him and I wasn't overly fond of their relationship. I wish it was just more Kestrel with her brilliant mind. 

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Becky: The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. 

I read the first book in this series, wasn't into it at all, and to this day I just don't get the hype. I didn't enjoy the plot or the writing style, and the main character (who's name I can't remember... Juliette, apparently?) just irritated me nonstop. I really wanted to like this series, because not only was I really interested in the synopsis, but the covers are so gorgeous and I wanted to have those beauties on my shelves.

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2. A popular book or series that everyone else seems to hate but you love. 

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A: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

I admit I read this a long time ago so my opinion of it has changed since then but at the time I bloody loved it. I loved Patroclus and Achilles and I loved their relationship. A lot of people hate it and compare it to a 'published fan fiction' and I can see their point but a part of my heart will always love this book and the amount of tears it made me spill. 

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B: Sleepwalking by Nicola Morgan. 

It's not that I think people actively dislike this book, more just that I don't think many people have heard of it. I read it when I was twelve as part of the little English Lit club I was in in High School where we were given books to review for some sort of national competition, and I fell in love with it. This is the book that got me into dystopian fiction. I re-read it a couple of years ago, and although I can now see that this book is far from perfect, there are definitely multiple books out there that I would have never looked twice at if it wasn't for this book. 

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3. A Love Triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with, OR an OTP that you don't like.

*spoilers for the Grisha trilogy below*

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A: Alina and The Darkling from the Grisha trilogy.

Alina and the Darkling were equals - equal in power. To be with Mal, Alina had to sacrifice her power. Why should she do that? Why did she have to become less to be with Mal? I'm not saying her relationship with Aleksander was perfect but I hate the idea that she had to change to be with Mal whereas Aleksander would have welcomed her as his equal. 

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B: I've got to agree with Angharad on this one - Alina and Mal shouldn't have been together. Mal didn't even pay attention to Alina until it turned out that she was the Sun Summoner - in fact, even though they were best friends, he just didn't seem to be very nice to her at all until she became "worth something". I didn't like him as a character at all. Yeah, so The Darkling may have been just a little bit crazy and evil, but to this day I still stand by my opinion that Alina should've ended up with him. 

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4. A popular book genre that you hardly reach for. 

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A: magic realism.

It isn't because I don't like this genre, it is purely because I haven't read much of it. One of the books on my TBR list is 'The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender' which fits into this genre and I'm really looking forward to it. It's just not a genre I'm educated in. 

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B: I rarely read classics. I think the memory of trying to read Jane Eyre when I was about eight and not understanding half of the old English words still puts me off. I don't read much crime/thriller fiction either, but on the occasions that I do, I tend to love it, so I should probably start reading more of that genre!

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5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like. 

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A: Sloane from Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson.

I'm not really sure if Sloane is popular seeing as this is the only Morgan Matson book I've read but I finished it recently and Sloane immediately popped into my head. I think she was quite manipulative of Emily when they were together and made her do some things she wasn't comfortable with doing. I've had a friend like Sloane and now I'm away from that friendship, I can see the problems and so her character didn't sit well with me. 

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B: Adelina from The Young Elites by Marie Lu. 

When I first came across The Young Elites, everyone went on about how Adelina was a really badass protagonist, but honestly, I just couldn't see it. It wasn't just that though - I didn't connect with her at all.

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6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into.

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A: Cassandra Clare (but for many reasons).

It's not that I can't get into Cassandra's writing, it's just that I've seen a lot of problematic things about her on the internet (such as plagiarism and general cruelty to her fans) so she's an author whose books I will not read in the future. 

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B: Stephen King.

I really struggle with Stephen King's books, even though I feel like if I could get through one, I'd really enjoy his writing! 

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7. A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing.
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A: Love at first sight when the two characters don't even know each other but dive into a relationship.

"Oh my god, I love him so much. He's my life, I would die for him." Yeah but do you even know his birthday?? It just doesn't feel right to me. Yeah, he's attractive and seems amazing and you feel this 'pull' towards him but come on girl, get to know each other first because chances are, he's a dick. 

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B: The "I'm a young teenage girl living in a ruined world but I'm strong and I'll learn to fight/steal/hunt/control and use my magical powers to protect my family" protagonist.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this sort of main character when it's done well, but quite a few times now I've seen carbon copies of Katniss that just don't work. Where's the backstory? How did the character get this way? Please just tell me and then I'll be perfectly happy with this sort of character!

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8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.
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A: The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare.

When Lady Midnight came out, pretty much everyone on social media screamed for about a month and so for that month, I taught myself 'selective eyesight' as I like to call it. For reasons stated about Cassandra Clare, I have no interest in reading this series. 

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B: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.
I'm fairly sure that I will read this series eventually, but I've tried to start the first one a couple of times now and never got past the first few pages without getting distracted by another book. 

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9. The saying goes "the book is always better than the movie", but what movie or TV show adaptation do you like more than the book?
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A: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I did not like the book purely because I'm not a fan of novels written in diary format. I did like it at the time, I did resonate with Charlie and there are some beautifully written lines BUT I just liked the movie better, I loved seeing it all play out visually. Also, the soundtrack was A++.
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B: I haven't actually seen the film, but I'm gonna go off trailers/good authority and say The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I couldn't stand the books so, even from the snippets I've seen of it, I'm assuming the film was better.

also, *whispers*, The Lord of the Rings. I'm SO sorry. I just find it so difficult to make it through the books and it's one of the few instances where I watched the films before reading the books and agh, the films are just so much more enjoyable, whereas the books feel like a monumental task that you need to approach with caution. I'M SORRY.

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Do you have any unpopular bookish opinions, or did you agree or disagree with any of our choices? 
Let us know in the comments!

A-Z Bookish Survey Tag

Today we are doing the A-Z Bookish Survey tag created by the wonderful Perpetual Page Turner.

We tag whoever reads this and feel free to tag us to yours in the comments. So without further ado, here are our answers.

+ Author you've read the most books from + 

George R.R. Martin & J.K. Rowling

+ Best Sequel Ever + 

A Court of Mist and Fury (we both agree)

+ Currently reading +

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson & A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

+ Drink of Choice While Reading +

Cup of tea & smoothie/fruit juice

+ E-reader or physical book? +

Physical

+ Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Dated In High School + 

The Darkling (because he's such a little goth) & Gansey (even with his boat shoes)

+ Glad You Gave This Book A Chance +

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb & Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

+ Hidden Gem Book +

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma & Defiance by C.J. Redwine

+ Important Moment In Your Reading Life +

When I read The Hunger Games and rediscovered my love for reading & receiving a book from my grandmother before she passed away.

+ Just Finished +

This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab

+ Kinds of Books You Won't Read +

Dull Romances & Non-Fiction

+ Longest Book You've Read +

ASOIAF series 

+ Major Book Hangover Because of +

A Court of Mist and Fury (yes, again)

+ Number of Bookcases You Own +

Three 

+ One Book You Have Read Multiple Times +

Throne of Glass by Sarah J.Maas & The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

+ Preferred Place To Read +

In bed (or on it)

+ Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read +

"It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on..." - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

&

"I do not want to be human. I want to be myself. They think I'm a lion, that I will chase them. I will not deny that I have lions in me. I am the monster in the wood. I have wonders in my house of sugar. I have parts of myself I do not yet understand.

I am not a Good Robot. To tell a story about a robot who wants to be human is a distraction. There is no difference. Alive is alive.

There is only one verb that matters: to be." - Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente

+ Reading Regret +

Not reviewing books on Goodreads sooner & deciding to stop reading for over two years

+ Series You Started And Need To Finish +

Shatter Me series

+ Three of Your All-Time Favourite Books +

A Court of Mist and Fury, Six of Crows and Deathless

&

The Book Thief, Vicious and The Nightingale 

+ Unapologetic Fangirl For +

Sarah J. Maas & The Raven Cycle

+ Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others +

Crooked Kingdom & Empire of Storms

+ Worst Bookish Habit +

Dog-earring my pages & my inability to DNF anything

+ X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book +

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

+ Your Latest Book Purchase +

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas & Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

+ Zzz-snatcher Book (last book that kept you up way too late) +

A Court of Mist and Fury (the answer to everything)

Reading Habits Tag

Today we are doing the Reading Habits Tag and we have got the idea from the wonderful Polished Page Turners. We tag everybody who reads this post and you can either do it on Youtube, Tumblr, Blog, Instagram etc. Let's share our habits!

Question 1: Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

Becky - I mostly just read in my bedroom, but I'll read anywhere really! I think I've definitely sat on the kitchen counter to read a book in the past.

Angharad - I mostly read on my sofa and sometimes it's hard to find me because I'll be buried under blankets and pillows. I have read in the shower once.

Question 2: Bookmark or a random piece of paper?

B - I usually end up using a train ticket, as I catch them so often that I always have tickets on me.

A - HA! I rarely use bookmarks. I just always lose them. I've used plasters, tickets, tissues, receipts, ice lolly sticks, even a cushion at one point.

Question 3: Can you stop reading anytime you want or do you have to stop at a certain page, chapter, part, ect.?

B - I always try to stop at the end of a chapter, but if I can't do that, I have to at least stop on a page where a sentence ends at the bottom of the page and doesn't cut onto the next one - I imagine that that's just my OCD's though.

A - I have to get to the end of a chapter before I can put the book down. That can be annoying if I'm in a rush and the chapters are long but I can't stop at a random page.

Question 4: Do you eat or drink while reading?

B - I usually will since I'm always drinking something when I'm sat still - plus a pretty drink or snack is always a nice addition to a bookish photo!

A - I will always have a cup of tea whilst reading a book and I do snack but nothing too messy or that involves sticky fingers for obvious reasons. My dog put a mushroom on my book once. It was anarchy.

Question 5: Can you read while listening to music/watching TV?

B - Yep! I generally don't find it a problem unless I'm really not getting into the book. If a book's immersive enough, I could read it whilst people were screaming at me - I just wouldn't hear it if I'm lost in a story.

A - Nope, nope and more nope. I need complete silence. My only exception is train journeys, I can handle some background noise.

Question 6: One book at a time, or several at once?

B - I try to just read one at a time, but I usually end up reading two at once - either one new book and one that I'm rereading, or two that I couldn't wait to read. I'm usually reading one on my iPad and another paperback at the same time, too!

A - It depends on the book. If I'm immersed in one, then I'll struggle to put that down to read something else. However, if I'm rereading or just casually reading certain books, then I can switch easily between them.

Question 7: Reading at home or everywhere?

B - I will read anywhere. I definitely get most of my reading done at home though, or during long train or bus rides. I also read a lot of eBooks during classes but no one needs to mention that...

A - Like I said above, I need quiet environments to read in so it's difficult for me to read outside of the house. If I do, parks and beaches are the way to go.

Question 8: Reading out loud or silently in your head?

B - Silently! I could never understand why people prefer reading out loud - my husband much prefers it and it confuses me so much!

A - From the moment I learned how to read, I have read silently in my head. Even when I've had to read out loud to young family members, it has been torture. I just think it's one of those magical human abilities, to read silently and construct the worlds in our heads.

Question 9: Do you read ahead or skip pages?

B - I try not to but sometimes I'll skip or skim a chapter if I'm reading a multiple POV book and I don't like the character whose chapter I'm up to.

A - I don't. Sometimes when the story is being too slow, I do need to resist the urge to jump forward but I just know that I'll probably miss something crucial to the plot so I just grit my teeth and read through.

Question 10: Breaking the spine or keeping it new?

B - I'd love to keep my spines looking nice and new, but since I mostly read paperbacks they usually end up breaking at least a little! I try my best though.

A - I think it's kind of difficult not to, especially as Becky said, with paperbacks. I do find satisfaction in seeing a broken spine on my shelf, just brings back memories of reading that book. However, I have never and will never, bend a book back completely *shivers*

Question 11: Do you write in books?

B - No! This is a pet hate of mine. I used to write or draw in my books all the time and I'm so annoyed at my younger self for it when I look through my old books - especially when I tried and failed to draw little cartoonish versions of the characters. I've recently started sticking post its in my books though and I find this to be much more tidy and efficient - plus I can remove them whenever I want, which I can't do with pen marks!

A - I go through different stages of marking up a book. I have written in them in the past but only with pencil or I've underlined certain parts. I've had my dog-ear stage and I still occasionally do that but my most recently discovery is marking with Post-it notes. I would definitely recommend it as you can use different colours for different characters etc. And it doesn't damage your book at all!

What are your reading habits?

Let us know in the comments!