We’ve done a lot of tags on this blog now, but one we haven’t done is the I Am The Reader Tag. We loved the idea of this tag because it’s not all about the books. Tags are fun because you get to choose different books you love (or hate) to represent the questions asked. However, this one is all about yourself and about you as a reader. It goes a little more in depth to you as a person and why you read. We loved doing this tag very much and we hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about us!
Choose one word that describes being a reader.
Sarah – Privileged. I don’t mean this in an education sort of way, that’s for a whole different blog post. But I feel very privileged to exist in worlds other than ours and to read about incredible characters that you connect with.
Sophie – Exciting! A pretty overused word probably but honestly it is true. There is nothing more exciting than finding a new story and new characters to potentially fall in love with. Every time you pick up a book to begin, there is a potential for it to be a favourite, or affect you in some way, and that’s always exciting.
What’s the very first book you fell in love with?
Sarah – One Day by David Nicholls. I absolutely fell in love with this contemporary romance when i first read it. It was one of the first books i ever read in full and really opened my eyes up to incredible writing and story lines. Years later i am still completely in
love with it.
Sophie – Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson. This was so hard because there are so many children’s books which I could have put but this is the first I remember reading over and over and over. It’s also the first book I remember which made my heart ache and bring me to tears! I adored this book and I’m now really nostalgic for it again…
Hardcover or paperback?
Sarah – Paperback! After having a discussion with Sophie about this, i firmly think that paperbacks are so much easier. They’re easier to transport around and also they look a lot better worn down than hardbacks do. Saying that, a shelf full of hardback books is a wonderful thing.
Sophie – I would also have to say paperback because of the same reasons! Although hardbacks look beautiful on bookshelves, taking them with you to read somewhere is a hassle.
How has reading shaped your identity?
Sarah – Reading has honestly made me who i am today. I didn’t start reading properly until I was much older than most, and that meant I missed out on all the children’s favourites. Reading has formed me in to a blogger, writer, English degree graduate and so many more things. I wouldn’t have done my course that I did or met the friends I have if it wasn’t for reading. It’s given me insight in to other people’s lives, different cultures and identities. All round I think it’s made me a better person.
Sophie – Reading was such a huge part of my life growing up and has continued to be so now I am an adult. It has been a constant in my life. It’s given me a way to learn new things, to escape when things get tough and it has expanded my mind. I would not be half as creative as I am now if I didn’t read and it has definitely helped me when I write scripts and my own work.
What book do you read when you need to be comforted?
Sarah – The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is my go-to comfort book. I don’t really have a certain thing that i go to when i need to be comforted but The Fault In Our Stars is my most familiar book so it would be the one that i’d go to if i need to comforting book.
Sophie – I don’t have anything specific I can think of but when I’m down, picking up any Harry Potter book and reading a chapter or even just a few paragraphs always makes me feel better. I’ve read them a lot so I don’t have to concentrate on the story and I can just fall back into feeling comfortable at Hogwarts.
Who taught you to be a reader? (Or did you do it all on your own?)
Sarah – This is a very cheesy answer i feel but i have two people who taught me to be a reader. One of them is my dad. He has always been a really big reader and he kind of taught me how to buy books. At the same time, Sophie has been a huge influence on my reading and also taught me to be a reader. Whereas my dad taught me my love of books, Sophie introduced me to different genres, authors and really did broden my horizons when it comes to reading. She will always be the person i look to when i’m asked about the start of my reading habits.
Sophie – I feel like mine is a very obvious choice but my mum and dad taught me to be a reader (and to read in general). They read to me before bed when I was a child and I then began to read lots by myself at quite a young age, often challenging myself to books way too difficult for my age (it turned out I wasn’t a Matilda child prodigy but the effort was there). It’s odd considering they aren’t actually big readers themselves but they were very adamant about reading to us which I am forever thankful for!
Describe your dream reading lounge.
Sarah – This question is so difficult! There are so many choices to make for a really great reading lounge. Mine would have to be quite dark and cosy (obviously light enough to read) with loads of fairy lights and lamps that i could turn on at my own leisure. It would have to be little shed or something with a huge window that i could sit at with blankets when its raining. It’d be filled with cushions and at least two walls floor to ceiling book shelves.
Sophie – Honestly, to narrow this down to one specific type of room is difficult. However, I would definitely have bookshelves all around on nearly every wall and it would be light and airy with a big window and a huge arm chair I could curl up in. I’d have a few blankets and cushions lying around and probably a shelf of cute notebooks and bookmarks too.
What book changed the way you act or see the world?
Sarah – Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig has both changed the way i act and how i see the world. I feel so passionately about this book that i tell every single person i meet and talk to about books to read it. It’s a fantastic, real representation of depression and anxiety and something that i really have related to. It reminded me that you should be positive and try to love yourself and look forward in bad times to situations that might make you a whole lot happier. Everyone should read this book, its changed my opinion on life and optimism, it could change yours. I feel like its a very important book for the 21st century.
Sophie – I could also say Reasons to Stay Alive for the exact reasons Sarah has, but lets change things up a little rather than repeat things. Another book which changed me is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I remember reading this and so many of the words and morals of the characters really stuck with me. It made me think about the human race as a whole and how we have both changed and stayed the same in so many ways. The way each human can make an impact, however large or small, really affected me and made me put so many things into perspective as well as inspiring me to become a kinder person.
We are tagging Wonderfully Bookish and Twenty Something and Daydreaming.
The Little Contemporary Corner 