I saw this on Mary’s blog, Mary and the Words, and she saw it at Nine Tale Vixen, and neither of us knows where it originally came from, but tags are fun. Let’s do a tag.

How many books do you usually read at once?

As many as five, but usually three or four. Sometimes two. Rarely one at a time. I have too many books I want to read to confine myself to just one. Fortunately, I don’t mix up plots or characters, since I generally read books that are fairly different from one another.

How do you decide when to switch between multiple reads?

Time and place can dictate which book I read. I always have an audiobook in the car, and since I drive an old car with a CD player (and no other CD player that I own), that particular audiobook is only listened to in the car. I usually have a book that I read before bed, which is different from the book I read when I have regular lunch hours at work. That book lives in the camera bag that goes to work with me, so I don’t mix it up with the bedtime book. So unless I have a particular book that Must Be Finished, each one has its time and place.

Do you ever switch bookmarks partway through a book?

I usually don’t use fancy bookmarks, just the basic paper ones I get whenever I buy something from the used bookstore downtown. Which is often, since that’s my primary source of purchased books. I rarely use the tasseled bookmarks I own, because the cats enjoy both playing with the tassels and chewing on bookmarks.

Where do you keep the book(s) you’re currently reading?

My primary audiobook lives in the car. My lunchtime book lives in the camera bag. My bedtime book lives on an upper shelf on the bookcase in the bedroom. If it stayed on the nightstand, (which would be waaaay more convenient) the cats would chew on the corners. Darned cats.

What time of day do you read the most?

Anytime of day is best for reading, though I try to set aside an hour for reading the end of the day. Sometimes I get the whole hour (or more) and sometimes I fall asleep. Or the cats get into things and distract me.

How long do you typically read in one session?

It depends on the day and time, but I like to sit down for at least half an hour to an hour, though I have settled in to read a few chapters, and ended up reading for five hours straight. If I have an ebook on my phone, I’ll pull it out whenever I have at least ten minutes to kill.

Do you read hardcovers with the dust jacket off?

I usually leave the dust jackets on my books, unless I’m loaning it out to someone, in which case I’ll take the jacket off and store it somewhere safe, just in case.

What position do you mainly use to read?

If I lay down to read, chances are high that I’ll fall asleep. So I usually sit up- usually on my couch. Or in bed, if I can get the pillows arranged just right. Or in the chair in my bedroom if one of the cats isn’t napping in it.

Do you take your current read with you everywhere you go?

I’ll take one of my current reads wherever I go. I always have a book in my camera bag (I bought that particular one partly for the compartment on the side that is just perfect for a large tablet or an average paperback), or else I’ll have several titles available on my phone or Nook. I don’t usually take a physical book when I’m traveling, but I did take Burial Rites by Hannah Kent with me to Iceland when I was there last September.

How often do you update your Goodreads reading progress?

I update my reading progress whenever I’ve read a sizeable chunk of a book, or whenever I’ve closed the book after lunch or before bed. If I’m interrupted after reading a few pages, I won’t update just to mark a few pages’ worth of progress.

I don’t really keep track of the books I own on Goodreads. I’ve had so many problems with it recording the wrong edition of a book, or scanning the ISBN and bringing up the wrong book altogether. I use Library Thing to keep track of my collection, and it’s been far more accurate, especially when it comes to books I own multiple copies of.