SHORT DISCUSSION: NOT Reading Made Me A ‘Better’ Reader Than Before // Blogging & Reading, A Potential Nightmare?

So i don’t think it’s a secret that i took… a long break from blogging. like super long. and I feel like I needed that. But, also, while not blogging, i wasn’t reading much either… because I simply did not have the time (and I guess i haven’t really spoken about it really).

here’s me trying to turn that into a positive.

* in no way am i saying that if you don’t do any of this you’re a ‘bad’ reader. I’m only talking about myself, and my reading experience *

it’s been a while since i’ve done a discussion post *cracks knuckles* I’m SCARED! please don’t get offended, i really don’t mean to offend anyone at all. I’m just talking about my reading experience.

made me love reading again

the break from reading reignited my love for reading.

reading and having a book blog kind of makes reading feel like a chore sometimes, because you see everyone else reading all these books that you haven’t read and sometimes you feel pressure to read loads (+i’m a mood reader so i literally cannot force myself to read a book if i really don’t want to read it).

even now, yes i feel a little bit of pressure, but i try to ignore that and focus more on the fact that I’m a reader first, and a blogger second. That may not be how everyone sees it, I’m not saying that’s how you should, but that’s just how I like to look at it. If i don’t look at it like that, and separate the two, I get anxious over the number of books i’ve read. which is silly, but it’s true.

I look at loads of other bloggers and some are reading SO much more (hence why i don’t really communicate on GR because it’s INTIMIDATING) and so even when i read 9** books in a month, i still feel like i should be reading more to be like other bloggers.

but what’s important is the books I’m reading, not the books other people are reading. and taking a break from blogging, and reading, had helped me realise that and help me ignore the pressure from other bloggers (pressure that they don’t even mean to put on others)

**not the norm for me!! only during lockdown!!

picking books more closely.

really debating what to read –> higher chance of LIKING IT. ENJOYING READING.

What i mean is, i now debate a lot more whether or not I’m going to read a book. there’s nothing wrong with reading books on a whim, i think that’s actually great (a really old post about that here) but right now, i want to be picky with what i read. I don’t read a lot of books / buy a lot of books so i really want to make sure that what i read i will enjoy. (obviously, some books will sound really great and turn out to be hot trash but,,, not every book is going to be loved by every person that reads it)

i did a major tbr purge on my GR, actually evaluating which books i wanted to read or not realistically. some had been on there since i first got Goodreads and now would not touch with a ten ft barge pole. totally worth it. there are now just over 30!!

I know not to waste any time on books that i know I’m not going to like. I’m not going to pick up a book if I’m not too sure about it yet. I’ll wait, read some reviews, and reassess later. I know you never know if you like the book or not until you read it, but you can DEF!! filter the books on your TBR and see if it’s something that sounds good/interesting and look at other reviews of it before purchasing it!

paying attention.

I’m not saying that before i payed no attention to what i was reading. before though, i was very happy with the books i was reading. But, sometimes, because of that, i felt I wasn’t critical enough, like it was a problem that i was enjoying the books i was reading.

Not reading, and not doing any reviews kind of gave me a blank canvas to start on. obviously, there are books that i love love love and want to build shrines for. but i think having that break from reading (and maturing) has made me approach books in a different way.

I now pay wayyy more attention to what i’m reading. I have more critiques for books,– rather than completely flying through them and claiming “i love them!!” — even if i do love them. do you get what i mean?

I’m not saying you have to be critical to be a good reader at all. but, where i’m at now in this middle-ground between what i was doing and being critical makes me feel like my reading experience is better.

what do you think? have you ever taken a break from reading / blogging? have / do you feel similar pressures from blogging? Let me know!!