Hello everyone, I'm joining in on this fun Hive Book Club contest where we talk about our experiences as readers. Reading has always being a part of me and is one of the few things I genuinely enjoy doing. I don't mince words when I say reading is my hobby even when some people would rather disagree and not acknowledge it as a real hobby.
I'll dive right into the questions for the contest.
Pexels, edit by me
What is your favorite time or place to read?
My favorite time to read is at night because of the peace and quiet. I'm able to properly visualize what I read without interjections. There's no distracting sound and I have nothing else to do at that time except sleep of which I can put on hold for my books. My bed is my favourite place to read because it's most comfortable and I can drift off to sleep while reading.
What makes you enjoy a book?
Books that put me in a lot of suspense excite me the most. I love twists and turns, and having to keep guessing motives and outcomes will have me flipping pages so fast. I also enjoy books that are very easy to read, written in very simple English. I have never finished a Wole Soyinka book because having to check up big words in the dictionary for every three lines stresses me.
I noticed I prefer narrative books and I love books written in a first-person narrative. This shows in how I write my short stories too because that's the only way I know how to do it. I find it easier to connect to the characters and follow the story keenly this way.
A book should make me either laugh, cry, leave me quizzing about a lot of things or all of the above. I've learnt a lot about people, places, concepts, and gained random knowledge from reading books, these are the gems that make my reading experience an enjoyable one.
Do you like to read outdoors, before bed or on the bus on your way to work?
I literally can read everywhere. It's not the best but I don't mind reading in public spaces. I was that kid you'd find walking in the streets while reading a book. You'd also find me with a small novel inside my bible while in church. I was such a bookworm and my parents were kind of proud of this bad reading habits because they never scolded me for these.
Before bedtime, I manage to squeeze out a few chapters from any book I'm reading and most times I end up spending a major part of my night time reading.
Do you focus on character development, thoughtful messages, or the level of intrigue a plot generates in you?
Everything matters to me. What is the point of reading about characters that remain the same? Such books easily become a bore and I would rather move on to something else.
I love fiction so much and I read them solely for entertainment and not with the intention of gaining thoughtful messages, I know where to find those. But the thing is, you still will come across life lessons in fiction, knowledge knows no bounds.
Crime thrillers are usually my first pick when selecting books because I'm fascinated by the minds of both protagonist and antagonist. I like understanding what drives people to do the things they do and it opens me to a wealth of information I wouldn't ordinarily have come across.
I love a good story that lingers on my mind long after I drop a book. It's hard to come across books with entirely new plots away from the regular, but, I love it when an author is able to make magic from a regular story.
So that's what my reading experience is like. What's yours? 
