I always read from start to finish. When I was reading books I would sometimes dog ear a page I thought I might want to reread, or I underlined words. Kindle reading isn't quite as easy to book mark. Almost 100% of the reasons for marking anything in any way is because I have found an irritaating mistake in grammar, spelling or usage. I could write pages about the things that make me furious at the author, editor, or possibly, the printer.

When I was a pre-teen I read a passage in a book that actually changed my life. I recall it as a line of dialog in an adult work of fiction. I have never been able to find the source of that single line. Here it is: Education is the peg on which the poor man hangs his pride.

Recently, I copied a line from Jodi Picoult's novel House Rules: When you have to work that hard to be normal, then you know your aren't.

Nancy

How I read depends on the type of book. Fiction I tend to read beginning to end without an alternate book, unless it's a big old classic, which I tend to read in bursts. I do burst reading with non-fiction as well. I seem to absorb it better if I read a few chapters and let it soak in than if I read it from beginning to end.

Books like Jodi Picoult's, which I do enjoy but are definitely easy reading, I will often read as if it were a race rather than a marathon. There's something enjoyable about taking a day or so of reading with meals, reading in the middle of the afternoon when there is laundry to do, and staying awake until 3 a.m. to finish a book.

If its a classical or must read book. I take notes in a notebook. I'm getting a lot from the library. So I don't write in them.

I know that if it's a serious book, I will want to write in it, so I buy it. If I know it's for relaxing and for the sake of having words on a page (not at all meaning to be negative!) then I'm happy with borrowing from a friend or the library. But I keep a journal handy, because I have found amazing ideas in the seemingly junkiest books.

I get most of my books from the library and a lot are audiobooks, so no writing in them. I have a small notebook to either write parts down, or make a note of page number for later. I use that mainly for parts that have some kind of oh-wow connection to my life. A lot of times I have stop an audiobook and back up so I can quote a certain part. And I usually e-mail funny/thought provoking parts to a friend to either discuss or torment :)

Start to finish unless I'm bored, then I skim or even skip. The parts I'm most likely to skip over are battle scenes. So dreary!

I would imagine most people would also want to skip being in real life battle scenes as well, though not perhaps for reasons of boredom.

Rosefolly

If I find that I am skipping I do not continue with the book.
If a book does not grab me early in out it goes!!

If phrases grab me in a novel I sometimes jot them down, or I corner my husband and read them to him!! This is a way of sharing!!

It depends on the book. If it's fiction and it's grabbing my attention I will read it start to finish in one session unless I really have to do something like get ready for company or get ready for work. Once I've finished it, if it's really good, I generally will re-read it slowly to pick up any nuances I may have missed in the initial speed reading session. If the book is okay but nothing special, I will read it as the mood strikes me. Non fiction I have to read in bits and pieces so I can absorb what I have read before I continue.

Everything I read is from the library, and I always read recorded books. I usually go through them from start to finish.

I keep a blog commenting on books I've read, and I often jot down a few notes on a book as I read it. Sometimes the notes are included in the blog entry, sometimes not.

If the book is a nonfiction work, I listen to the table of contents and sometimes read only those parts of the book that interest me.

I read straight through and one book at a time.

I don't write in my books, but I have a long-running list of sentences, paragraphs, quotes, and poems that have been meaningful to me over the years. I'm not a big poetry reader, but I came across one poem a long time ago that could have been written just for me. It is so personal that it practically stopped my heart.

I have recently started reading two books at the same time. (Well, not literally at the same time, :-), but back and forth). I have been trying to keep one fiction and one non-fiction, but with ILLs, it can be hard to do that with the varying non-renewable deadlines.

As for how I read, I *rarely* have huge blocks of uninterrupted time, so I am happy if I can get an hour or two in the evening after work and supper and dog-walking and hubby-minding etc... :-)

I am not entirely convinced that I have a better reading experience doing the two-books-at-one-time thing. No verdict just yet, but being reviewed.

I also don't write in the books, but I do try to keep an exercise book and pen close by to write down words or phrases to look up later.

Jwttrans - I have been going to your blog quite regularly.. I like your opinions of the various books and it has got me curious enough to try different books... Thanks!