Guest Post: All About Books!

Guest post time! Again! Whoohoo! As usual, Katherine, Kel, and Hazel have joined The Reading Hedgehog. Our topic is similar to April's, in the fact that there's a series of questions we all answer. Tangents and ranting were encouraged. ;-) This guest post was inspired by a book tag Justine TP did on Youtube.

Katherine's "All About Books" Answers

How do you find out about new books to read?

I find out in a variety of ways. Sometimes, I'll be browsing in a bookstore, find a book with a pretty cover, read the blurb, and if it sounds interesting, I buy it. I also get recommendations from real-life friends, GoodReads friends, and BookTube. I'll read pretty much anything, so I'm always happy to receive good recommendations!!

How did you get into reading?

Probably my parents. They used to read to me every night before I went to bed, even before I knew how to read. My mother read me classic children's stories and picture books, and my father told me folks, fables, fairy tales, myths, legends, and Bible stories. It definitely worked, because I've been a bookworm ever since, and there's no sign of me stopping anytime soon!!

How has your taste in books changed as you've gotten older?

My taste has definitely matured, but I still like to read children's books from time to time. And since I am going to be an elementary school teacher, it's a good excuse to go back and read some of my favorite books from childhood. As I've gotten older, I've been reading more YA and adult books, particularly adult. I'm able to handle a fair amount of foul language, violence, and sex (but not too much. . . .). And I especially love that I'm able to appreciate mystery and psychological thrillers more than I used to (think Gillian Flynn or Tana French).

How often do you buy books?

WAYYYY too often. I do try and request books at my library, but it takes an awful long time to get them in stock when it's a new book, and I simply can't wait that long. Book sales are the worst, particularly library sales. I mean, all the books there are 50 cents to a dollar!! That's just asking for trouble for a book buyer.

How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?

I don't really have a reaction, to tell you the truth. I may be a bit disappointed, but I'm a boring reader; I don't verbally think out my thoughts too much, unless the person or event is incredibly stupid.

How often have you taken a sneaky look at the back page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?

Alright, I confess; sometimes I do take a look in the back, but I only do it with mystery novels, to find out who the killer/culprit is. The suspense is torture. Otherwise, I generally don't do it.

Kel's "All About Books" Answers

How do you find out about new books to read?

A mixture of Goodreads, Amazon, NetGalley, Edelweiss, and blogs. (The blogs are usually most helpful on backlist books no one is advertising anymore.)

How did you get into reading?

My mom. She always loved reading and gone through books at breakneck speed. It left an impression.

How has your taste in books changed as you've gotten older?

I don't know that my tastes have changed so much as my patience and exposure. I'm more likely now to put a book down or drop a series. And I've gotten better at ignoring "adult content" as I read.

How often do you buy books?

Too often. (I know there's no such thing, but my wallet says there is.)

How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?

Rant, write a ranty review, and edit the ranting out of said ranty review.

How often have you taken a sneaky look at the back page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?

Only when the beginning is boring me and/or the writing is terrible and I know I'm not going to read the whole book.

Hazel's "All About Books" Answers

How do you find out about new books to read?

In many various ways. Sometimes I will feel like a certain kind of book, so I seek out only those of that genre (like Roman Britain, or Victorian Mystery) but I mostly just pick up whatever sounds interesting at the time while I'm browsing in the library or bookstores. I always love getting recommendations from other Readers who I trust to give me good recs. I won't take reading advice from everyone, though. ;)

How did you get into reading?

I can't really remember a time when I didn't love books or stories. When I was little, I much preferred people to read them to me, but when I was about nine or so - it was a difficult time on a personal level - and I began to really seek out books as an escape, and that was when I really started reading with a passion and my love of writing came about soon after that.

How has you taste in books changed as you've gotten older?

In most ways, I really don't think it has, since I seem to love the same kinds of books now as I did when I was younger. I loved reading the American Girl series when I was little, and I think those really started my love of historical fiction. I've always loved classic adventure stories and fantasy, and I have always had a love of the dark and scary as well. I remember loving scary stories since I was about six or younger probably, and I still adore a creepy story that can actually freak me out. And I still love my dragon books. ;) The only think that's really changed is that I'm more patient with books now, and more inclined to actually go all the way with ones I don't like just to say I finished them. I'm also more inclined to try something different. I used to be very particular about what I would read, and didn't like to try new things, but over the years, I have found out that sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised. I've found myself falling in love with books I never would have considered reading five years ago.

How often do you buy books?

All the time. Between new releases, and picking up older books and books that I have gotten from the library and need to own (yes, need) I will usually buy anywhere from 5 to 10 books a month. Sometimes more, depending on where I buy them and how many funds I have at the moment.

How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?

I usually think of how I could have written it better. :P It depends on why I didn't like it. Sometimes, as a writer, I totally have to give the Author a nod in how they end something just for daring alone. Like if it's terrible, yet bittersweet or poetic, I don't mind so much. However, if it's just pointless, then it can totally ruin the whole book for me, so sometimes I really want to throw a book across the room (though I would never do that because I can't stand book abuse). Then I will usually write a scathing review.

How often have you taken a sneaky look at the back page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?

Eheheh ;) Hmm, it depends. I can usually refrain from doing so in mystery novels because that would ruin the entire book, but series are kind of very tempting. And then sometimes if it's a new book, I might do it because I want to know if it has a good end or not because I might not feel like reading a depressing book at the moment. I don't do it a lot, but I can't say I haven't.

The Reading Hedgehog's "All About Books" Answers

How do you find out about new books to read?

A lot of different ways. Goodreads is often my most primary source; I look at recently created lists in Listopia concerning upcoming YA novels, I look at Goodreads recommendations, et cetera. The booktubing community it also a great source. I follow several booktubers, and I learn about new books through their book hauls and wrap-up videos. Other bloggers, as well, are a great source, as are my librarian friends, my co-workers, my friends, and any book magazine (like Publishers Weekly) I can get my hands on. The bookstore I work at gets it on a regular basis, so I scan their articles - and Book Page - for new books.

How did you get into reading?

It just sort of happened. No, seriously, I began as a reluctant reader. Not because I didn't like books - I loved it when my parents read out loud to me, and so a love for books and stories was encouraged in me at a very early age. But when it came time for me to learn how to read all by myself, I rebelled. I didn't want my parents to stop reading out loud to me! However, as soon as I did learn how to read, there wasn't any stopping me. My mum would often complain because I would speed through whatever book I was assigned for my reading portion of school (I was homeschooled) and she would want to go at a more leisurely pace. Reading just ignited a part of me that hadn't quite come to light until I started reading on my own. A monster was born that day. ;-)

How has your taste in books changed as you've gotten older?

It's definitely expanded. As a kid, I was dead-set against anything that was fantasy or science fiction. I adored fairy tales and myths, but that was as far as I would go into the fantastic. I loved adventure and mysteries and historical fiction. But when I started volunteering at my local library, my volunteer supervisors opened me up to whole new book genres, and it just kept building from there. My journey into fantasy was babysteps, and while I still don't like hardcore stuff like Robert Jordan, I do like fantasy. I took to dystopian and post-apocalyptic very easily, as well as paranormal, while ghost stories took a little longer. As I've gotten older, fewer things scare me, so I read a lot more stuff than I would have as a kid. And of course, while my parents were never overbearing about what I read, they did keep an eye on what I brought back from the library, and I hated lectures, so I was even more super careful about what I checked out. Now, though, I'm an adult - I can decide for myself what I can handle and what should be thrown into the garbage bin.

How often do you buy books?

Every month, and almost every week. So because I work at a bookstore, I preorder all of my books at the beginning of every month from our suppliers, and just wait for them to come in. Because there's so many new releases that I don't want to wait for the library to get in, my list of preorders is more than a little long; I have a new release scheduled almost every week. And then I just buy them as they come in. Employee discount helps me feel less guilty about it. But, yes, I do have a book buying problem. So many people think they have a book buying problem - until they meet me.

How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?

It really depends on the book. If I am so totally fed up with a book that it's agony just finishing it, I welcome the end, no matter how bad it is. If it's a book I've loved up until the end, I grab my stuffed hedgehog Hannah and squeeze it for dear life, then go into my library and stare at my shelves, repeating over and over in my head that I hate whoever is responsible for destroying an otherwise excellent novel. Then I curl up in my chair with my real hedgehog and just sit for a while. Sometimes, though, I just jump into the next available book. I don't even want to think about the ending at that time; I just need to distract myself until I can process what just happened.

How often have you taken a sneaky look at the back page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?

I used to be horrible about this as a kid - especially with mysteries. Forget about spoiling the book; I just want to know if I deduced the ending correctly! Now, though, I don't do it at all. I will flip to the end of a chapter, but not the end of the entire book. I have, in fact, stopped even flipping casually to the end when I first buy a book just because. I ruined a book that way, and I don't want to do it again. Oddly enough, I don't mind if other people spoil a book for me. It's just when I spoil it for myself. But that isn't an invitation to suddenly start dropping spoilers! Please ask me first if it's all right that you spoil a book for me!