01 - Read books without checking out trigger warnings — Actually, I still don't bother with checking triggers but usually book reviews tell me about some triggers but I usually end up knowing by the synopsis. I'm not a sensitive reader but I don't read horror so that lessen my chance of encountering unsettling things.
02 - Read books without even knowing what's it about/not read the synopsis — I used to browse libraries and book stores, pick out books, read the first few chapters and if I like it, I would read that book. Now if a cover catches my eye or if a book happens to pass my radar (from browsing the web or blogs), I would try reading the ebook sample and use that to determine if I want to read that book.
I can't say it's a good idea to decide to read books based on their synopses because they either give too much away, say too little or they become review-like and tell you why you should read it instead of what the book is about. But deciding to read a book based on the first chapters also might not be a good idea because the beginning of a book is usually better than the rest of the book. But every now and then, I simply like to read a book without knowing anything at all.
03 - Ignored international books — Back then, I only read books available in the US because they were easier to get. If I want to read anything that are not in US English, such as British English such as the Harry Potter series (where the US releases had changed all the British terms into American terms), I would have to buy the international version. I don't see a problem reading books in British English but that's my preference.
04 - Didn't read translated books — It hasn't occurred to me that some books are translated from another language into English because they don't always said so on the cover or inside the book or maybe sometimes the translator's name wasn't even mentioned at all. Now it's more standard (at least to me) to see the translator's name on the cover. And readers are highlighting more translated works.
As much as I like reading a book in the original language, I can't because I can only read English so I have to rely on translators. I don't read a lot of translated books but mostly I find them too Americanized. Sometimes I think they are purposely translated books to be more American.
05 - Not cared about book covers — I did care but not enough to avoid any books with bad covers because at the library, there is only one edition and you don't get to choose which covers. In fact, I was willing to read a book even if the cover is horrible.
I think it's hard to ignore a beautiful cover since they are designed mostly to catch reader's eye and not necessarily about the book and sometimes they misrepresent what they are. For instance, romance books with those cute couples illustrations are just wrong because the cover seems to imply this are cute, clean romances but then there are smut in it. Another instance was when a cover has a dragon but the dragon showed up for a minute in the book. Book covers create expectations that are rarely met because they are mostly to sell books. I prefer covers to say something about the book or at the very least, do not make readers expect something that isn't true.
06 - Only read one kind of book — Without the internet, I might have struck reading only fantasy books. Okay, maybe there was the library and bookstores where I could have browse other sections but I almost never go into other sections because I'm a creature of habit. But with book blogs, social media and the world wide web, I have more access to what other people are reading and thus, introduce me books I would otherwise would never know about.
07 - Read only paper/printed books — I still read paper books (the few copies I have) now and then but I mostly read ebooks borrowed from my public library so that I don't have to spend money on books. I still buy books but never one I didn't like so I never have to get rid of unwanted books.
08 - Finished every book I started — I still try to finish every book I start but now I quit books a little more and maybe a bit too easily. If a book wasn't working for me after some chapters, then it's a good reason to just stop reading. Of course I try to find books that I want to read or else there would be an endless list of unfinished books which I apparently have if I summed up all of my unfinished books.
There was a question about whether DNFing (DNF means 'did not finish') a book is an insult to authors and I'm going to have to say no because forcing myself to finish a book I don't particularly want to finish is a form of punishment and if I did finish it, I would end like not liking it and then I would write a negative review which authors probably would prefer people don't write. But if authors are offended by people DFNing their books, then they shouldn't publish their books so no readers will ever end up DNFing their books.
09 - Not read book reviews — I did read reviews but only the ones on the back of the book or inside the jacket flaps which mostly has positive reviews. Now I read reviews a bit too excessively, I think. Sometimes I think reading reviews, especially the positive ones, ruin the reading experience because they may say too much and may cause expectations that aren't met.
When I quit reading a book and I know I'll never get back to finishing it, I read the negative reviews especially those with spoilers as they are a lot of fun as some reviewers are so good at sharing their thoughts and they are what I enjoy when I can't enjoy a book.
I also used to think only professional writers and reviewers reviewed books but now I know it's not true. Also even professional reviewers can be so biased that they can't say a single bad thing about a book.
I do prefer the opinions of regular or casual readers (book bloggers or any blogger who talks about books). Sometimes there are books that I thought I would never read and then some blogger would post a review and boom, I want to read that book. My book taste is so erratic (as in moody) so it's hard to find books to read but thankfully, people have varying tastes or else we'll all be reading the same old books.
What (bookish or not) things you've done before the internet?
