Apparently throwing up your hands and screaming at a book is weird. Oh, and tossing books at the wall is also odd….
Estimated Reading Time: 7min
I’ve seen people talk about “weird reading habits” and didn’t realise some of mine fall into that category. So this is me sharing them anyway, partly for fun and partly to find out if I’m actually alone in this or not. If you recognise any of these, or have your own version, I’d genuinely like to know.
Facial expressions while reading
Apparently this is not standard behaviour, but I make facial expressions constantly when I read. If a character does something confusing, stupid, or completely unhinged, I react. It’s automatic. I’ll sit there reacting to the page like the characters can actually see me judging them. It usually goes something like: confusion, disbelief, and then mild outrage.
Random hand gestures and physical reactions
This one surprised me the most when people pointed it out. I don’t just sit still reading. I react physically. Hand movements, sudden pauses, dramatic reactions mid-sentence. It’s not intentional, it just happens when I’m fully absorbed in a story. If I’m not enjoying a book, this disappears completely. If I am enjoying it, it gets worse.
Talking to books (and yelling at characters)
This one I already knew was questionable. If a character does something ridiculous, I will say so. Out loud. To the book. To the character. To nobody in particular. I also do this with films and TV, so books are not spared. It’s not confusion about fiction versus reality. It’s more like a temporary suspension of patience when characters make bad decisions.
Needing background noise to read
I cannot read in silence. Music works best. Silence feels distracting in itself, even though that sounds contradictory. Background noise helps me focus on the story. TV is too much, but silence doesn’t work either. It has to be “controlled noise,” otherwise I lose concentration.
Book formatting obsession
This is the one I fully accept is strange. Book series need to match. Same cover style. Same size. Same format. Paperback or hardcover, but consistent. Mixed formats or mismatched covers are distracting enough that I would rather replace the book than tolerate the inconsistency. If a final book in a series doesn’t match, it feels unfinished even if the story is complete.
Rewriting scenes in my head
This is probably the strangest one. Sometimes I pause reading because I’m too busy reworking a scene in my head. I’ll mentally change dialogue, alter decisions, or run an alternative version of events. It can take a few minutes before I continue reading because I need to “resolve” what I think should have happened. If I don’t do it, I end up rereading the same line repeatedly anyway.
These habits probably look odd from the outside, but they’re just part of how I interact with stories. Books aren’t passive for me; they’re something I actively respond to while reading.
If any of these are familiar, or if yours are even stranger, I’d be interested to know.
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
You must be logged in to post a comment.