Public reading pet peeves

Part of being a writer is being an avid reader. I developed a love for reading at a young age, but a few years ago I stopped reading as much. I started reading again when I picked up the book YOU by Caroline Kepnes, but I still am not reading as much as I used to. When I took a job as a receptionist I ended up finishing a book every three days (I could read at work). After leaving that job I stopped reading as much. I noticed that I usually only read in break rooms or waiting rooms. This means that I read in public a lot, and as a result I’ve developed a few pet peeves.

1.       It irks me when someone ‘needs’ my attention when I am reading. Now I want to make something clear, I am not talking about people that I know. I am talking about complete strangers who think it’s okay to interrupt my reading to tell me something or ask me a question. I am almost always in a room full of people when this happens and there is almost always an attendant or official person who can answer the question better than me. I wish reading in public was seen in the same light as headphones in public.

2.       I hate when random people judge me for what I read. Okay, so I don’t mind talking about books, but I don’t like it when someone asks me what I’m reading just to judge me for it. The last time this happened to me I was reading Midnight Texas by Charline Harris. The guy asked me what I was reading and what it was about and when I told him he said that I was wasting my time and needed to start reading non-fiction.

3.       This brings me to my next point, unwelcome suggestions. I don’t mind when someone suggests a book to me that they think I might actually like, but when someone suggests a book to me because they think it’s better than what I am currently reading….well, that’s when I do what I like to call an inner eye-roll. I love meeting a fellow reader, especially one who’s passionate about what they read, but I’m not interested in certain types of books. I don’t mind people telling me about the type of book that they like, in fact, I’ve picked up books due to hearing about how much other people loved them. I just don’t like when people seem to be judging me based on what I read. *Note, tell me your favorite book in the comments down below.

Okay, so that’s my list for my reading pet peeves. Be sure to leave yours in the comments down below.