Last updated on March 5th, 2024 at 01:55 pm
Judging mine and your bookish red flags | Part 1
Welcome to my Bookish Red Flags—unveiling the not-so-great habits we all secretly indulge in as readers. From midnight reading binges to hoarding unread books, let’s laugh at our bad reading habits. Within this blog I’ll go through 11 red flags to see whether I can relate to them or not.
🚩22 Bookish Red flags 🚩
I didn’t think I had many bad reading habits until I made my latest YouTube video judging other people’s bookish red flags and seeing how many I related to… lets just say it was a lot more than I thought.
As there was quite a few questions, I’ve written the blog in two parts! Read Bookish Red Flags part 2 here!
Let me know if you relate to any of the statements we talk about today! If you didn’t see your bookish bad habits, let me know in the comments because I’ll probably relate to it like most of them lol!
This blog and YouTube video is just for fun, don’t take it too seriously and laugh along with me! I loved filming and writing this so I’m likely going to start a bookish series (red and green flags!!).
Bookish statements
- Buying a physical book but reading it on my Kindle or Audiobook.
- Finishing a book and immediately forgetting most of the details.
- Buying multiple copies of the same book.
- A mood reader who can’t follow a TBR.
- I sample a page or two of a book I’m thinking of buying because if I don’t like it I won’t get it.
- Buying more books even though I have no space for them.
- If the book cover doesn’t draw me in, I most likely won’t even think about reading it.
- Making a monthly TBR list but never sticking to it.
- Getting influenced by any Booktok review – even silent reviews.
- Buying an entire series before reading the first book.
- Skipping to a random page and reading it.
First 11 bookish red flags questions
1. Buying a physical book but reading it on my Kindle or Audiobook
I am very guilty of this, and I can’t help it. I don’t own a Kindle (though I am thinking about it), but I have Audible, which I use to listen to audiobooks all the time. I love being able to read while on the go, and as a dog walker, I have plenty of hours free to enjoy audiobooks.
But the issue is, not being able to see that I’ve read it! I love looking at my bookshelf and seeing how many books I’ve read, it’s affirmation!! If I can’t see the book, it feels like I haven’t read it. I know it’s terrible – can you relate though?!
To compensate, if I have the book on audio, I buy the physical copy secondhand so I don’t feel as bad. Additionally, with Audible, you buy a book using credits, so does it really count?
2. Finishing a book and immediately forgetting most of the details
I can’t relate to this one. While I may forget the odd detail, I tend to obsess over books and can remember even the most ridiculous details about books I read over a year ago.
I recently persuaded my best friend to read the Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent which I read at the beginning of 2023. She just finished them and I was able to debrief with her about the book, it felt like I’d just read it myself haha!
So definitely not one for me. Have you read the any of the Crowns of Nyaxia series; check out my blogs to see what I thoughts!
3. Buying multiple copies of the same book
Nooooooo. I don’t understand people who do this?! No judgment, but why? How much space do you have in your home? I hardly have enough for the books I already own. If I had to add multiple copies of the same book, I wouldn’t have any room for myself.
The only time I could imagine myself doing this is if I accidentally ordered a book and the cover didn’t match the others in the series. I’m someone who gets frustrated if a series is mismatched on a shelf, and I like all my books to have the same cover theme. Though the problem with reading a book years after it’s been released is that the books get republished with updated covers, especially if the books gone viral.
So this could is an easy mistake to make. But even then, I would return the incorrect cover and then get the new one.
4. A mood reader who can’t follow a TBR
Yes, yes, yes! The struggles of a mood reader are real. I try my best to stick to my physical TBR and the books I’m currently reading, but if I’m not in the mood for it, I will pick up another book without a second thought.
I tried to film a ‘December tbr 
| End of year reading plans (2023)’ YouTube video, listing the several books I wanted to read that month. Did I stick to it, NO! I only read one out of seven… so I’m not sure I’ll be making those again haha.
Any other mood readers out there relate?
5. I sample a page or two of a book I’m thinking of buying because if I don’t like it I won’t get it.
I hate that I’m guilty of this, but I really am, especially if I’m book shopping in a bookstore. I read the synopsis and then the first few pages, and if it doesn’t click, I put it down
Which is crazy because countless times I’ve read books that haven’t gripped me in the first half, but then the second half was wild, resulting in me binging the remainder of the book and then the entire series!
So I should give more books a chance, but when you’re on the spot and in front of hundreds of books in a shop, the only way for me to decide on a book is for the first few pages to grip me. That or a good dedication. I looooove an author’s dedication, especially if it hints about what’s to come in the book.
6. Buying more books even though I have no space for them
Who isn’t guilty of this? I mean come on every reader buys more books and then thinks about the consequences later right?
The problem with me is that my TBR list is so long! I currently have 108 books on my Goodreads ‘want to read’ list, and I know I’m never going to get through them. Thus, sometimes I feel if I don’t buy the book, I’m not fully committing to it. If I end up loving the book review, recommendation or cover I buy it to make sure I don’t forget I want to read it.
Q my extremely long physical TBR list at home haha! But at least they’re ready for me when I need them.
7. If the book cover doesn’t draw me in, I most likely won’t even think about reading it
Hmm, this depends.
If I get recommended a book, the cover doesn’t impact whether I’ll read it or not. I’ll buy it no matter what. However, if I haven’t been recommended it or read any reviews, then I’m probably going to judge the book cover. Some of them look so old and tacky… but then sometimes they’re the best books.
It’s tough. I’m going to amber flag this as I rarely do it, but I have!
8. Making a monthly TBR list but never sticking to it
Yes this is similar to number 4! So yes I thousand percent do this. If you can do this, hats off to you!
9. Getting influenced by any Booktok review - even silent reviews
I get influenced by Booktok all the time; I can’t help it. If I see someone hyping up a book, and I can feel their energy, I’m like, ‘Yes, I’m adding that book to the TBR or buying it there and then’.
I’m also guilty of succumbing to hype; I wish I wasn’t but I can’t help it because I get FOMO. I hate missing out, and if everyone is talking about it, I want to join in.
10. Buying an entire series before reading the first book
*Dies inside* Yes, I have done this… three times. It’s pretty crazy; the biggest book series I’ve done this for is eight books. I do it because of the deals; it ends up being insanely cheaper to buy them all together rather than one at a time. Honestly, the best save I’ve done is £30!
It is crazy though. Imagine buying 8 books, then you hate the first one and you have seven more to go. Then you feel like you have to be committed. The author then gets your money, and you might not even like their work. But yeah, I do do it lol.
11. Skipping to a random page and reading it
WHAT?! Excuse me?
Who on earth does this? No. If you do this, please tell me why? That’s some unhinged behaviour… no judgment though side eye.
Can you imagine that? What if there’s a massive spoiler on that page? Even thinking about doing this stresses me out.
I am guilty of sometimes reading, getting so excited and gripped by what’s going on, and then my eyes skip to the bottom of the next page because I’m so anxious, and you end up reading a spoiler.
I’ve done THAT multiple times, but then you can’t help doing that. I’ve never randomly opened a random page and read it.
Total bookish red flags
So the total is…
How many did you relate to? Let me know in the comments below. Look our for part 2!
Happy reading!
In the mean time, check out my Youtube channel, Instagram and Pinterest boards for funny memes more book recommendations and reviews!
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*DNF = Did not finish, TBR = To be read