Thou Shalt Not Dog-ear: Reading Rules and Personality

I found a post on Twitter the other day that led to the site BookRiot about a person's reading rules revealing personality traits. It made me think about some of my own rules and what they might say about the kind of person I am. So here's a few of my own rules.


1) No dog-earring of pages or writing in a fiction book read for fun. (As for books such as non-fiction or those used for research, either is fair game and I have dog-eared tops and bottoms of pages, with numerous sentences underlined for a killer history thesis paper. Photographic proof to come later.) However, I break the spine all the time.

2) Always stop at the end of a chapter or section. Stopping in the middle of a page makes me liable to forget where I was a reread something, freak me out, or even make me want to keep reading, which leads to:

3) Keep reading until I can't keep my eyes open any longer or as long as the story holds my interest. Example: I started The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan last night. It's finished tonight, and I had a long day of work on just a few hours of sleep because I love me some Camp Half-Blood.

4) I never write my name in my books. Someday, although unlikely, I may give out some books... They'll become someone else's and who wants the previous owner's name plastered everywhere throughout the book? But, be very careful about lending books. If you get it wet or ruin it, you're buying me a new one... and in the same condition as mine was. Hardback for a hardback.

5) You can never have enough books. So what if you're TBR pile could rival Everest (okay, okay, maybe not Everest... but a minor peak, maybe)? Want that next book? Get it anyway, might be a super quick read to get you through a plane ride or a lunch break or a stormy evening in. Point and case: I bought The Lost Hero  and The Book Thief yesterday while I still have a minimum of four other books to read yet.

6) Just say no to movie covers.

So what does this probably say about me? I'm organized, orderly, and neat. I think it may say something about having a gentle, loving, caring side, too. But that might be a stretch. There may be a hint of paranoia in there, too. But most importantly, I just can't say no to anything related to books. It's an addiction and a love affair. I wouldn't have it any other way. My relationships with these characters are sometimes even better than real life ones, so of course I'm going to cherish and treat those friends the right way.

What are your book rules?!