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I’ve always been a big reader. I mean, obviously. That’s one of the many reasons why I started my blog. However, I haven’t always been such a picky reader. These days it seems like a lot of books just aren’t grabbing my attention like they would have in the past.
Back before I started my blog, I owned one bookshelf with only two full shelves of books. That was it. I’d go to the library every week and check out a pile of books and just read those. I lived in a small town so our library had a pretty limited selection so I’d read whatever I could find, from murder mysteries and romance novels to YA. My love for YA actually started because of some of the books I found hidden in those library shelves.
These days I clearly still love YA, probably even more than I did back then. However, I’ve never been as picky with what I read as I am now. Sure, my Goodreads shelf has over 3,000 to-read books but that doesn’t mean I’m actually going to read them all. If something catches my eye, I’ll add it, just so I don’t forget. Usually though I’ll go through my shelves and start clearing off books that really don’t appeal to me after a closer look. It used to be that even if it didn’t really immediately appeal to me, I’d read a book just for the heck of it. Now though I have to seriously consider if I think I’m going to like a book or if I think I’m going to be wasting time I could use to read another book.
I also have trouble reading without analyzing every little detail now. Even when reading a book that I have no intention to review, I look at things like I am going to review it. I can’t escape that. I can’t just sit down and read a book with no thoughts toward the writing, the characters, the setting, etc. Sometimes, I really wish I could still do that.
Another side effect of looking at things as a reviewer and not just a reader is that I’ve started to dislike a lot of books. I’ve read so many fan-freaking-tastic books that the mediocre and crappy ones really stand out. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a much higher average rating than a lot of bloggers but I’m slowly starting to dislike more books and DNF more books. Before I started blogging it never even crossed my mind to DNF a book but nowadays I just can’t make myself read something I know I’m not going to like. I figure it’s at least better to try to read a book and give-up on it than to never pick it up.
What about you guys? Has blogging changed your reading habits? Has it made you a more critical reader?
Ohh I just did a post a couple months ago about how blogging has changed my reading habits! And yeah mine’s very similar to yours – I read SO much more now, and my mind is in review-mode while reading any book. But I love that I’ve found so many fantastic books I would never have heard of if I didn’t start blogging 🙂
I totally know what you mean. I’ve read so many amazing books that I probably never would have picked up if it wasn’t for blogging.
My reading habits have changed so much since I started blogging. I don’t read as much as I did when I wasn’t blogging and I’m very picky about the ones I read now too. When I go through my to read shelf on Goodreads, I take off quite a bit because they don’t seem interesting to me anymore.
It’s surprising to hear that you read less now. I actually read a lot more now. I totally get what you mean about Goodreads though. I have to go through every few months and clear off my shelves. My interests change so often!
Oh wow. I just started blogging and I wonder if this will happen to me? But I completely understand how it could happen! I am a student and I am very picky about what I read during the semester. In nursing school you just don’t have a whole lot of time, so I make sure what I read is going to be something I really will enjoy!
It seems to be something that happens to a lot of bloggers but I guess you’ll just have to wait and see. I completely understand what you mean about school though. I can’t even imagine balancing nursing school and blogging. Go, you!
I agree! It’s been the same with me. Especially with disliking books. . . I start judging them as soon as I start, and certain character, plot, or writing elements that I notice start sending me red flags. I used to enjoy almost everything, but I’m more critical now. I still love book blogging, but it definitely does change things. Great, thoughtful post!
I can’t help judging books either! I’m just like you. I start critiquing books as soon as I start reading. I guess it’s something book bloggers just do. =)
I’ve noticed a change for myself. I probably have a higher reading rating too because well, I tend to like what I read. BUT I am getting more picky on what works for me and what doesn’t. It’s been a slow process to get that way but I think a part of it is having so many books I want to read and a lot of them sitting on my shelf already that when I find something that doesn’t really grab me as much as I would like, it seems pointless to continue or to give it as much attention as I used to with my reads. If that makes any sense. lol Great post!
I used to get so much crap for having a higher average rating so I’m glad to hear I’m not the only blogger who likes what they read. I’m just not willing to read something if I’m pretty sure I won’t like it. Just like you, I have a ton of books I want to read and I’m not going to devote time to something that’s not very good.
I agree. I was starting to get a little worried because I feel like before there were a lot more books that I loved and now not so much. I do enjoy a lot of books but very few wow me. I really want to give books that “It’s amazing” fifth star on Goodreads but in most cases I can’t.
I recently deleted over 200 books from my TBR shelf because I know I’m never going to read them. Some of them I don’t know why I added them in the first place :/
Great post! It’s good to read I’m not alone 😉
I do the same thing with my Goodreads. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea why I add books to my Goodreads when it’s clearly not something I’d ever like. Sometimes it’s good to just go through and clean off the shelves!
I definitely agree with you! Ever since I started blogging I’ve been way more selective too, which is a good thing and a bad thing because that’s kind of how I got myself to try reading YA and I fell in love with it. Also just like you said, I’ve become way more critical, I even went back and edited some of the books i rated just 2 years ago because I realized how much they sucked compared to other books. I’m not exactly sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, I guess I’ll spend more time on the books I’d probably enjoy more but it’s not fair to all the other books out there.
Anyways, I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way!
Have a good week 🙂
I sometimes go back and re-read books that I loved and I just don’t love them like I used to. I sometimes wonder what I was even thinking when I first read some books. It’s crazy how tastes change over time.
Oh, definitely. I read a lot more than I used to now that I’m a blogger and I’m more aware of the things in the books that I’m reading. I’m also reading things I probably never would have touched before I started blogging. I like to see it as I’m growing as a reader. =) Great post.
I totally think I’ve grown as a reader since I’ve started blogging. That’s not just you. Blogging really seems to open people up to new things.
I think the only thing that changed is that I try more genres I’d normally wouldn’t read so soon 🙂 and that is actually a good thing, because when I try new stuff, I discover things I also like 😀
I totally get that! I’ve been trying new genres too and I’ve found some books I really love that I never would have read before.
Blogging has definitely changed the way I read. Like you, I now find it hard to read a book without analyzing it, and with so little time to read so many books and review them, almost every book I read now is one I plan to review. I kind of miss just reading without thinking too much.
However, I think blogging has exposed me to a larger variety of books, and I now read more diversely than I used to. But sometimes I get overwhelmed by how many books I want to read and how many books I know I’ll likely never get to because there are always so many more out there.
I miss reading without thinking too much too but I definitely agree that there are perks to blogging too. I read a much wider variety of books now and I have blogging to thank for that. Although, yes, it can get overwhelming.
I went through the same thing you’re going through like a year ago. Whenever I read a book I was always picking it apart and looking for all the bad things. I finally realized what I was doing and just started to pretend I wasn’t going to review the book so I could stop looking for all the little things. That really helped me enjoy more books and also, I think, helped my reviews. But I don’t think I can ever go back to reading books without reviewing them lol. It feels wrong now. Great post!
I should probably try and do that. I haven’t been enjoying books as much lately and I think it’s just because I’ve become so critical.
What a great discussion topic Katie! Blogging has completely changed the way I read. Even when I tell myself I’m just reading for pleasure. I end up highlighting and dissecting things. I have become pickier,and have only been signing up for netgalley’s and tours from authors I love, or books that have good reviews by bloggers that have the same taste as I do! I haven’t DNF’d a book yet, but I have a growing pile of Netgalley’s that I put aside for “later” because I don’t like them. However, who knows if I’ll ever read those.
Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
I always look at reviews from bloggers with similar tastes as me. It seems to really help me find things that I will actually enjoy reading. I also sometimes set aside books to try again later. Sometimes it’s all about the mood you’re in at the time!
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My new years resolution is to take blogging more serious. I’m interested to see how my reading habits change over time! Great post!
Kristin @promisestoread.blogspot.com
Great post! I feel the same way about books I’ve agreed to read. Sometimes, it’s hard to get through them, and I just want to get back to the books that I REALLY want to read. But, I’ve agreed to the review, and feel compelled to finish the book and review it. And I too can’t read a book without analyzing it, but I think that comes from my writing more than my reading so many books.
I really had to think about this – about whether or not blogging has affected my reading. I do agree, that when I read now, I’m always thinking of what I’ll say in my review. Even when I’m reading a book I’m not planning on reviewing.
And I get being more picky. For me it’s that I want to post 3 reviews a week, which means I cannot waste time reading something I’m not feeling. Because when I’m struggling with a book that I want to finish, that throws off my whole schedule. Because when I’m not feeling a book, I don’t want to read. It’s different from being in a reading slump. I try to be a bit ahead, and have back up reviews for when I’m in a reading slump. So I can’t waste time struggling with a book.
But at the same time, I read more now because of blogging and I love that. And I read outside my comfort zone much more than I ever did before I started blogging. And seriously that is awesome! For the most part, blogging and improved the way I read, and what I read.
And I do think that how I feel about each book I read is the same as before I started blogging. This was such a great, though-provoking post. I really had to think about how blogging has affected me.
Blogging has always altered my reading. It helped in some ways – blogging made me want to edit – but editing itself alters your reading style just as much. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve learned to turn off specific things in my brain if I’m reading a book for fun, versus blogging, versus editing. There are times when I’m picky about things regardless, and it can be hard when I just wish I could blindly enjoy something.
I’ve found that growing up has just made me more aware of things I’ve grown to find problematic in books, too. I’ve been learning a lot about privilege and oppression over the past semester in particular, and it’s made me very aware of books containing subconscious prejudices or problematic elements. Slut-shaming is a particularly sketchy one for me because I notice it and am critical of it in a lot of books; I think that’s because I read a lot of books with female characters. If I read a book about someone who is a PoC, from a different culture, LGBTQ, or something similar, it’s usually written by someone from that group, so I don’t find as many super-problematic elements, but even then I can find myself tearing it apart.
I don’t think I hate the way that I read, but I think everyone wants a bit of ignorance sometimes. We know it would make us blindly enjoy things. That sounds nice after you spend so much time reading critically. >.>
Blogging has definitely changed the way I read!
I think the most frustrating thing for me, is that I read so much less adult fiction now. I think it’s a combination of the fact I feel like I see a lot more hype for YA/the fact so many of my review copies are YA, and the fact that sometimes (and this is something I hate) I don’t want to slow my reading pace down with a longer, slower adult novel.
I’ve set myself a goal this year to read slightly LESS books than last year, but slightly more pages overall.
I definitely know what you mean about being more picky too – because I’m reading some really fantastic books, so now I can see that some of the books that I might have rated as very good before, are really only good in comparison, and so on.
This is a really interesting discussion, because for me blogging opened up a whole world I didn’t know about. I wouldn’t know about all the hidden gems and quirky stories if it weren’t for bloggers who championed lesser-hyped books, and it’s those little gems that are my favorites.