Top Ten Tuesday: My Bookish Confessions

Posted July 30, 2019 by meezcarrie in Top Ten Tuesday / 79 Comments

Happy Tuesday! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is a freebie, so I decided to talk about bookish confessions. You know, those things we’re afraid to admit in a crowd of other book lovers because if we do ‘fess up we might have to turn in our ‘bookworm for life’ card. Check out Modern Mrs. Darcy’s post on this subject too!

And let’s just get this one out of the way before we officially start the list – I own more books than I will ever read in one lifetime…. but I keep getting more. (Raise your hand if you could say this too!)

I love Pride & Prejudice but I don’t get the fascination with Mr. Darcy. Give me Mr. Knightley any day!

I read Twilight. I’m not proud of it.

I have never read past the first chapter of Wuthering Heights. I’ve embraced the fact that I never will.

I borrowed my friend’s copy of Rebecca YEARS ago and a) still haven’t read it and b) still haven’t returned it. I hereby hang my head in shame.

I dogear pages. (Gasp!)

I go to sleep every night listening to the Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone audiobook read by Jim Dale. Particularly the first chapter because I love the line “A cat. Reading a map.” Apparently I’m not too old for bedtime stories 😉

My first word was ‘book’. Foreshadowing at its best.

As a child, I used to read the heroine’s dialogue as though I was acting it out in a movie or play. (Bonus confession: I still do this in my head. Ahem.)

Sometimes I read the last page first because I want to know that everything ends okay. (I never do this in a mystery or suspense novel, though.)

I have, on more than one occasion, read a book that was meant to be a gift before I wrapped it up and gave it to the intended recipient.

Ok, now it’s your turn to ‘fess up! This is a safe space 😎 What ‘bookish confessions’ have you been dying to get off your chest?  Share them in the comments!

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79 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday: My Bookish Confessions”

  2. Kim G.

    Dog ear Carrie??? Noooooo!!! Do you also crease your spines? Gasp!!

    Okay, I’ll fess up to having never read a Jane Austen or any of the HP books and I probably never will!

    Reply
  3. Martha Troxel

    I refuse to underline most books. ?
    I have started Pride and Prejudice, but haven’t gotten much read. Plus, I haven’t read any of her other books!?

    Reply
  4. DeAnna Dodson

    I do NOT dogear pages (shame on you all!).

    I do check the end of books (not mysteries!) to make sure there’s a HEA before I waste my time.

    I really don’t understand the fascination for Cathy and Heathcliff. They’re both quite unpleasant.

    I don’t act out books I read, but I do act them out as I write. Got to get all those action beats right! And I say every bit of my dialog out loud.

    I buy a lot of books I haven’t had time to read . . . yet.

    Reply
  5. Paula

    I did bookish confessions too and I read Twilight – the entire series and back then loved it and I too am a dog-earer.
    Check out mine @ The Phantom Paragapher

    Reply
      • DeAnna Dodson

        And what happens when that oft-dogeared page corner FALLS OFF? What then, missy? 😐

        Reply
          • DeAnna Dodson

            I’ve seen it too often in a rare old book I’ve searched for for years. Does it make the page unreadable? Not usually. But it does often take off a page number. Not a fatal problem, but it just seems sad to see one like that that wasn’t cared for.

          • meezcarrie

            That would be very sad. But – in my defense – I usually read a book in one sitting so I don’t dog ear often 😉

          • DeAnna Dodson

            Well, that’s good, but really— a book jacket or an envelope or a gum wrapper or a popsicle stick, a post-it note or a pencil or even another book, fer cryin’ out loud! Almost anything can be a bookmark. A watchband or a hairclip or a ring (bet you have a wedding ring!) or one of those glasses-cleaning thingummies or the strap on your camera bag, your water bill, a birthday card, a DVD or a CD, a (clean!) candy wrapper, a leaf from an artificial plant, a tissue or a jar lid, a small rock, a catnip mouse, one of those magazine subscription renewal cards they stick inside magazines, a comb, a pair of scissors, a pocket knife, one of those labels you’re not supposed to cut off mattresses . . .

  6. Rebecca Maney

    Well, I have read past the first page of Wuthering Heights and I do like Mr. Darcy. (oh well, I am confident we can still be friends) The only books that I consistently go to the end before I have read there? . . . Ronie Kendig’s. I tried so hard not to do it with Storm Rising, and I almost made it. . .. emphasis on almost.

    Confessions? Sometimes I would rather go back and re-read favorites than begin a new book. (when I am especially tired, particularly) And I really do try to work casual conversations into, “I read a book about that once . . . . “

    Reply
  7. Michelle Lunsford

    I can definitely relate to #1. I also dog ear pages on occasion. I’ve reached a point in life where I’m comfortable knowing there are certain “classics” that I will simply never read, and yes, Wuthering Heights is among them (the one movie adaptation I watched was so depressing that it affirmed I would never want to read it). Other confessions: I struggle with how to respond when someone offers to loan me a book because, well, #1 already ensures I have more books than I can read, and I can be quite particular in what reading I choose and enjoy. While I can live with others not agreeing with what I think are great reads I dread having to admit to a friend, “um, actually I didn’t like that at all”. Oh, and I have a sort of automatic suspicion of authors who have chugged out tons of books. Rationally I know the productivity of an author, as well as myriad other factors that influence publication of stories, isn’t necessarily an indication of the quality of writing or if it will be writing I enjoy, but that tug of suspicion still rears its unpleasant head on a regular basis.

    Reply
  8. Toni Shiloh

    Do you need me to send you a bookmark girl?!
    I read Twilight and loved the books and watched the movies.
    I can’t stand Anna Karenina and I’m not sure why anyone likes it.
    Oh and your #10 had me rolling and gives me ideas for the future. 😉

    Reply
    • Winnie Thomas

      I was going to say the same thing, Toni! I have a few I could spare! 😀 Maybe we should all send Carrie some bookmarks. We could find something that hangs on the side of her recliner and holds bookmarks!

      Reply
  9. Andrea Stephens

    *Raising my hand. I understand the fascination with Mr. Darcy, I don’t necessarily agree with it though.
    *I have read ALL of Wuthering Heights, I’ll never do that again.
    *I would NEVER, EVER dogear or write in a book. I simply can’t do it. I cringe when I see others do it. I can’t fold back paperback covers either (to hold in one hand). And I never crease a spine, except my Bible, it creased without my permission.
    *I love falling asleep while listening to a book. I rotate the ones I listen to. I wish I could get the Stephen Fry narration of Harry Potter, just to compare. I also want the original British versions of the books.
    *I talk to characters in books…out loud. Loved ones make fun of me for it.
    *I’ve recently begun your #9. I never used to and I feel ashamed but I’ve been hit with several cliffhangers (I hate cliffhangers) and want to avoid them if at all possible. Not all books, just a few.
    * I have read books that are intended as gifts. I had to make sure they were good 🙂
    Great list of confessions, Carrie!

    Reply
    • meezcarrie

      Hahaha “it creased without my permission” – love that. And YES exactly. Why would we give a book without knowing it was good haha

      Reply
  10. Lydia

    I’ll sometimes read the last page first, too. It’s important to know if there’s a happy ending for certain types of plots!

    My TTT.

    Reply
  11. Melissa Romine

    I have never read any Jane Austin books, but I have watched at least 3 movies based on her books. I couldn’t tell you what many of them are about.
    I have, however, read both Rebecca (which was very good) and Wuthering Heights (it was for a grade).

    My confessions: I often start a book and if I can’t get into it, I put it on the nightstand and read something else. I think there are about 5 books there now. I will probably end up reading them at some point.
    I’ve read a book during choir practice when I just couldn’t wait to finish it. It was on Kindle on my phone, of course.
    I have an aversion to the books of a certain author who is very well known in CF. I tried, but I just can’t.

    Reply
  12. Sarah Monzon

    Instead of confronting a person in real life that I’m upset with, I’ll have the confrontation/argument with them in my head like a dialogue from a book.
    I also narrate things or describe them in my head like I would if they were in a book.

    Reply
    • Eric

      I will crease the spine only because I had a textbook that was poorly bound. If you didn’t crease the spine, the glue bind “broke” and clumps of pages (aka signatures) fell out of the binding!! It was traumatic seeing fellow students with broken books. The teacher joked that he knew you didn’t read it if your book was intact. I found that if you … broke the spine, the signatures stayed in. I felt the need to explain to everyone and the teacher on how to keep their book preserved. Yes, it was in college. Yes, I may have been looked upon as odd but I didn’t want more books to be destroyed!

      Reply
  14. Patricia Bradley

    It’s been many years since I dogeared a page. There is just something wrong with it. lol And if there is the slightest chance the main character may die in a book, I won’t pick it up. Just not going there–I have been known to peek at the last pages on those books.

    Reply
  15. Gloria A

    I am raising my hand….can’t resist a good deal…free or .99 ebooks. My husband says that I need to use the Dewey Decimal System in my “annex,” which is a bookcase in our son’s old room. I don’t dogear anymore…reformed. My husband breaks the spine upon starting a book. I cringe. I just can’t stand it. Mr. Darcy is not my favorite. I don’t read the last page. I admit to not reading a lot of classics.

    Reply
  16. Eric

    I’ll crease the spine, but won’t dog ear a page.
    I’ve … ok … I’ve listened to the Harry Potter series so often that I win Harry Potter fights online … especially against movie fans. I drop trivia that messes with their heads like “Well, I guess you’ll never know what happened when Hermione rode the Knight Bus…” or “the part with Voldemort’s grandfather … wow.” Yeah, I can be annoying.

    For classics: I read prefaces, introductions, forewords, footnotes, appendices and will look up references. I will also look at the time the book was published and look up what the author was going through at the time and how old they were.

    I recoil at popular buzz non-fiction. Ghost-written cash grabs… “You’re a disgrace to the industry!”

    Reply
    • meezcarrie

      Hahaha how can I love a spine creaser?!? Well you ARE my Mr. Knightley & you love me even though I dog ear pages so I guess we’re even 😉

      Reply
    • meezcarrie

      You need to give Mr. Knightley another try – he is, hands down, the best Austen hero. But I agree – Emma is my least fave. And YES Colonel Brandon

      Reply
  20. Beckie B.

    I read the endings too — even of mystery/suspense. The only time it was a mistake was with How The Light Gets In. Big, big spoiler.

    Reply
  21. James

    lol I love this post, such a great idea. I, too, have never gotten past the first couple of chapters of Wuthering Heights, despite having a REALLY NICE copy of it. I read a hot take a few weeks ago about how if you read WH as about the cycle of abuse instead of as a love story, it makes way more sense and is more readable, which makes me curious.

    I also dog-ear pages. And sometimes read books before I give them as gifts /shrug.

    My TT is here!

    Reply
  23. Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library

    I do #9 too! Especially if there is a dog, cat, or small child who seems vulnerable. I need to make sure they survive. I’ve never gotten the Mr. Darcy thing either. He’s kind of jerk who has to decides he loves her against his better instincts. Not exactly a relationship I’d want to be a part of! Love these!

    Reply
  24. Andi

    We’ve talked about dog earing pages. Lol I also read a book as though I’m reading dialogue between the characters.
    These are great!

    Reply
  25. Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Books

    I definitely dog-ear. I don’t read endings, but I do skim ahead sometimes so that I can stop reading for the night. Like if the character is in peril, I will skim ahead to make sure things are okay and then I can go back and stop and sleep. My mom reads endings for the same reason you do. I love that your first word was book and that you go to sleep to the HP audio every night. That’s awesome!

    Reply
  26. Rachael K

    I have a related Bronte confession–I’ve never read Jane Eyre. Pretty sure I never will.

    Reply
  27. Winnie Thomas

    I just cannot believe that my BFFFC would dogear pages in books!!!! GASP!! Isn’t that a crime or something?? That’s why we have all those bookmarks from CFRR! Okay, I’ll admit I used to do that when I’d buy the smaller books from thrift stores, but I just can’t bring myself to dogear my beautiful new novels! I absolutely love it when I have a bookmark that matches the book, too!

    Okay, we all need to send Carrie some bookmarks so she’ll stop destroying works of art!

    Carrie, can we still be BFFFCs (well we can’t do much about the C, can we?) if I confess I’ve only read the first Harry Potter book? I’ve never read Wuthering Heights before either. I think it’s because I don’t really like the word “wuthering.” 😀 I have, however, on rare occasions peeked at the last page before to make sure I won’t be disappointed in the ending.

    Reply
  28. MJSH

    1) I have never read a Jane Austen book or a Charles Dickens book. I’ll remedy that some day.
    2) I yell at my son for dogearing and yet I do it sometimes when I’m too lazy to get up for my sticky flags or bookmarks.
    3) I’ve never read Harry Potter though we own the entire series. I did see snippets of all the movies (shattering the household rule to read the book first before watching the movie….but my children read the books before watching the movies so maybe that counts?)

    Reply
  29. MJSH

    Another confession:
    My mother is a book lover and changed her name to Jane when we immigrated to this country because she loves the Bronte sisters and Jane Eyre in particular. I’ve never read any of their books though I did try many years ago

    Reply
  30. Jessica at Booked J

    Haha, oh gosh, I love this topic! So fun! But, woo! I don’t get the attachment/fascination about Mr. Darcy either. No shade to anyone who loves him or to him as a character, it’s just not there for me!!! I also read the last page occasionally with some books. I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF OTHERS DO THIS TOO BUT DON’T WANT TO ADMIT IT???? Maybe I’m just being hopeful, haha! My bookish confessions… I feel like I may have many to confess to but I’m honestly blank spacing it up right now? REALLY BADLY, TOO. I may as well have just been asked to solve a really bad equation because DANG my brain is just not working.

    Reply
  31. Sandra Ardoin

    I agree that Wuthering Heights isn’t worth the time, though I have read it. So depressing. I prefer Jane Eyre. Rebecca was the first book I ever bought, and I still have my copy. MUST! READ! And I plead the Fifth on dog-eared pages. **hangs head in shame**

    Reply
  32. Trixi

    Okay here’s a few lines from “A Sparkle of Silver” by Liz Johnson that I found and immediately thought of you Carrie….funny that Millie (the heroine) said this shortly after I read your blog post, it made me literally laugh out loud!

    Millie to Ben: ““I read the last line. First.” His eyebrows went up, but other than that he remained still. “It’s just a thing I do.” Those deep brown arches rose nearly to the matching wave sweeping across his forehead, and her neck immediately burned under his scrutiny. Pressing a hand to her throat, she dropped her gaze to the diary. “I always read the last line of a book first.” He opened his mouth to ask the same question that everyone else did, but she beat him with the response. “Of course, not mysteries. I’m not trying to ruin the book, but if I know where I’m going, I know if the journey is going to be worth it.”

    I must confess I do (rarely) read parts of the last page or epilogue just to make sure it turns out the way I hope it does. Not for every book, however, and not often.

    Reply

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