Feature: Are you a bookaholic? Lan from Write Obsession

Welcome to a feature I do here every once in awhile called Are you a bookaholic? Where I ask questions that other bookaholics can answer. Want to join the fun? Click-> Fun->Feature->Are you a bookaholic and sign up. better yet here -> Are you a bookaholic?

Today's feature is Lan from The Write Obsession

ARE YOU A BOOKAHOLIC?
Are you a bookaholic (remember admitting it is the first step)?
I most certainly am. And I'm proud of it.

When did you notice you had a problem?
I've always loved books but didn't notice until I finished reading The Hunger Games and couldn't get the story out of my head that I might have a problem. I wanted so desperately to discuss what I'd just read with some else. That's when I discovered book blogging and realised that I feel the same way after almost every great book I read. Totally and utterly obsessed.

THESE CAN BE STRICTLY YES OR NO OR YOU CAN GIVE A BRIEF ANSWER.
Do you lose time from work due to your reading?
I have been known to read PDF format books on the computer at work but please don't tell anyone.

Have you ever got into financial difficulties as a result of reading?
According to my credit card I do, but you can't really put a price on a great novel!

Do you crave a book at a definite time?
I always want to read while I'm eating. It seems like a winning combination to me. Except that I get stuff all over the pages.

Do you want to read the next morning?

Does reading cause you difficulty in sleeping?
I have difficulty sleeping because I read! Reading never puts me to sleep so if I've even opened a good book before I go to bed I will end up staying up to read.

Do you read to escape from worries or trouble?
This is one that I don't do. I seem to only feel the need to read when I'm happy. When I feel worried, TV is my answer.

Do you read alone?
Always. I get distracted very easily and I'm one of those people who feels the need to fill silences with endless chatter so I need to be alone when I read.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR ADDICTION (You can answer as little or as many as you want for this part)
What type of reader are you?
A slow one. It takes me forever to read a book because I'm a bit OCD and if there are bits that I don't get or there's some plot point that bugs me, I will go back through the whole book to find the answer. Hmm...I feel like I'm incriminating myself with this answer somehow...

What type of books do you typically read?
I'm a YA girl all the way. I used to say fantasy was my favorite genre but that's changed in the past few years. I'll read anything really as long as it strikes my fancy.

Do you prefer print books or e-books?
I'm slowly getting into e-books but I think my first love will always be print books. There's just no substitute for the touch and smell of a book. I guess I'm just a very tactile person. So if there were a choice between the two, I would always try and get the print book.


What are five of your pet peeves related to books or reading?
1. Never enough time to read.
2. You feel like a weirdo if you don't like a book that everyone else raves about.
3. Books that try to overtly push morality and other messages onto readers.
4. Having super high hopes about a new book and then being disappointed.
5. Having to wait for future books in a series that you love.(I agree with #2 THG is my weirdo book. :) and #5 waiting sucks!)

If you had to choose between really good characters and a bad plot or bad characters and a really good plot. Which would it be?
Really good characters and a bad plot any day. I can live through a bad plot if I care about what happens to the characters, but I can't do the opposite. Case in point: House of Night series. The plot could have been good, I don't know, I didn't finish it because I wanted to slit Zoey's throat. On the other hand, Vampire Academy 4: Blood Promise, plot bored me a little but I didn't care. I just wanted to know that Rose and Dimitri would be together again.

Do you always have a compulsive need to buy books or are you someone who likes books, but doesn't always have the desire to purchase them?
I'm a frugal book buyer. I can't think of anything worse than owning a book I dislike. I always check books out at the library first before I decide whether I will buy a series.

We all have those characters we love. Are you more addicted to the tall-dark-handsome-mysterious type or the sensitive-laidback-bestfriend type?
Can I be greedy and say both? If I have to choose, I'd go with tall-dark-handsome-mysterious guy as long as he's not also creepy-stalker-watching you while you sleep guy. Having said that, I really love the best friend angle and wish there were more books where the laid back best friend gets a shot.

I know we all want to read everything, but sometimes we can't. If you could only read 3 books for the rest of your life what would they be?
This question is too hard. The Hunger Games, The Obernewtyn Series and Harry Potter. Unless my e-reader counts as one book.....

Are you predictable when shopping for books? Do you have a shopping pattern?
I'm not an impulse buyer normally, unless I've had a bad day and need some retail therapy. Usually, I will think I want a book for a long time before I buy it.

What one book would you recommend over and over again?
I think you know the answer to this one ;) The Hunger Games for sure. I think I have recommended this book to so many people Suzanne Collins should start paying me commission.
(LOL, Yeah, I could have definitely answered that for you!)

How much does the book blogging community contribute to your book buying habit/addiction/pattern?
100%. You guys have no idea how much influence over me you have! I haven't picked up a book in the past 6 months that hasn't been recommended to me on someone's blog.

MY BLOG IS MY LIFELINE TO THIS CRAZY ADDICTION
What's your blog name?
The Write Obsession

In twitter detail (140 characters or less) describe your blog.
I'm an aspiring writer as well as a reader so my blog is a mix of these two loves. I do reviews, weekly writing discussions and sometimes I just vent about things that annoy me.

How long have you had your blog?
About 5 months now. My how time flies.

For everyone who wants to start a book blog (or any blog) what's the best advice you can give them.
Be prepared to put in the time and effort that it takes to maintain a blog. It's a lot more work than I thought. Be interactive and social because there is nothing worse than having thousands of followers for the pretty numbers and zero interaction. Don't be disheartened at first if it feels like no one is reading your blog because you never know when you'll meet a blogger that you just click with. I've made some great online friends from my blog. But most importantly, don't let it take over your life!!!

WANNA STALK ME- (You can choose which you want share if any.)
Twitter- I don't have twitter.
Goodreads- Lan (The Write Obsession) or search lc.novel@gmail.com
Shelfari- I'm assuming this is Amazon?
Library thing- N/A
Or any others sites you can join.

Thank you Lan for taking the time and answering my questions. It's always nice to learn a little more about our Australian Bloggers. You guys if you haven't checked out her site yet what are you waiting for go..go. She's super sweet and has some awesome discussions.