Bonjour,

Recently I came across the 'bookworm tag' on a couple of different blogs and decided it was absolutely perfect for me. I tend to call myself a bibliophile (hence bibliophilia) which refers to a love of books specifically as opposed to someone who loves read, but I suppose both terms apply really!

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

My mum taught me to read when I was very young and before that she used to read to me every night, so I suppose it was around then that books became a very big part of my life. I can't really remember a time where I didn't love reading!

Where do you usually read?

I mostly read in bed before I go to sleep at night, but I also love reading on long car journeys to make the time pass faster - luckily I don't get travel-sick. I quite like reading by the pool on holidays, but I get paranoid I'm going to drip water on the book or drop the whole thing in!

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?

When I was younger I often used to read several at once because I got bored very quickly, but obviously these days the plots tend to be a lot more complicated so I think if I tried to read more than one at once I'd forget the story and get it all mixed up in my head.

What is your favourite genre?

Historical fiction is my current favourite, and I especially like anything set in the 15th and 16th centuries. I really like gothic stories too, and kind of mysterious modern fiction, if that makes sense.

Is there a genre you will not read?

I tend to avoid anything overly supernatural or with dragons in it, as well as typical lovey-dovey teen fiction. Also anything that depicts vampires/zombies/immortal being as poor, misunderstood tortured souls.

Do you have a favourite book?

I don't have one all-time favourite, but ones that stand out at the moment are Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and of course The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.

What is your least favourite book?

Unfortunately I accidentally deleted the post I did on my least favourite books of all time, but I'm pretty sure it included A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Immortals series by Alyson Noel, The Owl Service and a couple of others.

What is the longest book you have ever read?

I'm not sure about page length but just by looking at my bookshelf I'd say that Breaking Dawn, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Sweet Far Thing are all contenders.

What was the last book you bought?

See this post!

Do you prefer library books or buying books?

I much prefer buying my own books, not because I like to destroy them or anything but I just love to know that it's my book and in a way I partially own the story, although of course I don't at all, haha. However this does end up quite expensive, but I always think books are worth spending money on - plus there isn't really an English library anywhere near where I live.

What are you currently reading?

I'm about halfway through The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin, after that I will probably start A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

Where do you buy your books?

Mostly on Amazon to be honest, but I like to check the list of previously owned books and find a good deal if possible rather than buying the latest edition straight off. I also get quite a few books at the biannual secondhand book sale at my local English shop.

Do you ever pre-order books?

I haven't ever, no, but I do have a spreadsheet of books that I desperately want that aren't out yet, including the release date, which I consult regularly.

How many books do you buy a month?

It really depends on whether I'm going to England at all, as to avoid the extortionate delivery prices to Belgium I tend to have stuff sent to my grandparents' house which is much cheaper all round. I can easily buy upwards of ten at one of the secondhand sales, so it depends on that too.

How do you feel about second hand charity shop books?

Personally I love secondhand books - I always find that in among the numerous copies of The Da Vinci Code and Fifty Shades of Grey there are always a lot of interesting titles I never would have come across on Amazon or in an actual bookshop. I've found lots of absolute gems that way.

Do you keep your read and to-be-read books together?

Yes, I have them all on my bookshelf (which is reaching bursting point, I've added two shelves in and an extra top section, plus a half-width one next to it and I still can't fit everything on). I used to mark my to-read books with sticky notes, but it got a bit ridiculous as at one point I had more to-reads than reads, so these days I just mentally keep track of them all.

Do you plan to read all the books you own?

Of course! I'm dedicating this summer to making some headway on this mission, and I've made some considerable progress already.

What do you do with books you own that you know won't be re-read?

If I know I'm not likely to re-read books I store them in boxes in the attic, but I'll never get rid of any. This is mostly because I'm planning on giving them to my children, in the same way that my mum gave me her Malory Towers, The Twins at St Clare's, and The Famous Five books when I was younger.

Have you ever donated books?

Not really, as I said I keep everything.

Have you ever been on a book buying ban?

I try to be because it really was getting ridiculous when I was buying them much faster than I could read them, but I always manage convince myself that this Amazon order doesn't count as I'd definitely have bought them at some other point anyway... I don't see the logic either.

Do you think you own too many books?

I don't think it's possible to own too many books! I know I'll be collecting them for my whole life, so maybe one day I'll have enough to turn a room into a small library,

Hope you enjoyed reading my answers!

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