This Week’s Topic:
MOOD READER
As a blogger who likes to requests many books for review, my reading tends to be dictated by the publishing calendar. Many of us have our handy-dandy spreadsheets, where we meticulously track our ARCs by release date and stay on top of those deadlines.
When I plan my TBR for the week, those dates play a HUGE role in which book I will make the list. However, if the time to read said book comes, and I am really not in the mood for it, I pass and pick something else.
I know, it seems a bit irresponsible and self-indulgent, but I think everyone involved benefits from me following my mood.
First and foremost, I read for pleasure. It's a hobby. Forcing myself to read a book I am not feeling at the moment would turn it from an enjoyable activity to a chore, a time-suck. It would start making blogging feel like a job, and look, I already have one of those and don't want two. Keeping this hobby fun is my number one goal. In my mind, there are worst things I could do then put a book off for a week or so.
I also believe a book will be more fairly rated, if I am in the mood to read it. I remember Carole saying in a Sunday Post, how she was doing more "mood reading" and noticed how the book ratings were better. I agreed wholeheartedly with her, and it made sense to me. Think about it, because it's kind of the same with most things in our lives. When you are doing something you are fully on board with, you tend to enjoy it more ,or at least be more receptive to doing it. You might even try harder to be fully present, when it's an activity you really want to participate in. When I have a great desire to read a certain type of book, I tend to open it with a smile on my face. I soak up the story and allow myself to revel in it. Thus, a win for me and the book, because I am more apt to like it, if it was something I was looking for in the first place.
Assembling my weekly TBR is about finding that balance between meeting my obligations and satisfying my needs. In an ideal world, these things would always be in perfect alignment, but for those times they are not, I do the right thing for me and the book, making sure that I am feeding the mood.
Now it's your turn!
Thoughts on mood reading?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
It really is quite a struggle sometimes to stay on top of the deadlines! I do find that I am requesting more and more contemporary books these days, as they are usually ones that I end up enjoying the most. Mood reading is definitely something I strive for. I am looking forward to the summer, as all of these May releases are piling up!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI stopped really requesting outside contemporary a while ago. I used to worry about the lack of genre variety on the blog, but I really do enjoy contemporaries the most.
DeleteAww, thanks for mentioning me :) I agree with everything you said in this post. I am really embracing my mood reader tendencies which does make me a much happier reader and blogger. I have a lot of May books to review but I found myself reading a June release last night. I sometimes feel guilty about the 80 or so books that I need to read for NetGalley but then I look at the 550+ books that I have read and most of that guilt fades away. I get most books read even if I do it a little late and sometimes a review a few weeks out might encourage someone to pick up a book more than a flood of reviews on the publication date. As long as I am reading something from the review pile, I am making progress!
ReplyDeleteI have had a note for this post ever since I saw you mention it. My inspiration! I don't go crazy and jump ahead with review books, but I like sticking some shelf/library books on the weekly TBR, when I should really be reading an ARC.
DeleteI've started requesting less ARCs specifically because I want to mood read. I try only request ones I would read anyways now. It has made reading so much more fun!
ReplyDeleteI would like to think I want to read all the books I request, but I have those moods where I want something low drama or light, you know, I just can't bring myself to read something heavy or dark.
DeleteLove this post! I do sometimes switch up books that are high on my TBR, just because I'm in the mood for the other book first. It does make sense that you'd read a book faster if you're in the mood for it.
ReplyDeleteIt's also why I read multiple books at the same time. So I can read the one I feel like at that moment :)
They do tend to go quicker. Another "pro" for mood reading. I am not great with book juggling, because I like to get to the end and see how it all turns out. I read straight through.
DeleteI'm not a mood reader at all, but I love that you have two reasons for not feeling guilty when you aren't reading an ARC, and one of them still has the book's best interest at heart.
ReplyDeleteYou are very disciplined, Roberta. I really do want to love every book I read. I can't hate-read. I know that's a thing, but I want my experiences to be positive.
DeleteI know when I'm a moody reader I can tend to take a long time to finish a book because I don't want to read it if I'm not enjoying it at the moment. And I can be so funny about enjoying something one moment and not the next. Sometimes I'm not sure if my mood is affecting my opinion of the books I'm reading, so in those cases I try to point out that I've been a moody reader lately and that it might be affecting my opinion. I love when a book can grab me when I'm in the midst of that, though. I quit accepting many ARCs years ago because I found myself being more moody when I had those deadlines. That definitely helped me. I know some thrive off of the structure, though.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I have started putting books aside. Sometimes it is the book, but sometimes it's me. I am getting better at recognizing that. I do like structure, but I enjoy some wiggle room too. I would say I have become more discriminating with my ARC requests, but I still tend to want all the books 😂
DeleteHaHa! Yes, I think we all want ALL the books.
DeleteI feel this in my soul! So often, I request a book months before it releases, then as release time approaches, I don't feel in the mood for it anymore. I'm so fickle.
ReplyDeleteI have experienced that phenomenon too. Current events tend to affect me quite a bit these days, and there are certain things I could tolerate at one point, which I cannot even stand a bit of these days. So, I don't want it in my entertainment. That has happened a bit with requests, more last year than this year, because now I am more aware of it.
DeleteI struggle at times to meet deadlines for review tours and find myself overwhelmed as a result. I made a conscious decision to cut down on the review tours and only choose those that genuinely interests me.
ReplyDeleteI started only doing tours for ARCs I already had, and it's helped me in multiple ways. I have definitely been where you are though, stressing over those hard deadlines with tours.
DeleteI totally agree! I am a mood reader and that's why I request very few ARCs. That way I have ample room for my "mood reads" and can rate the ARCs fairly. If I force myself I do a disservice to the book!
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel. I never force books for that reason.
DeleteI become a mood reader when I’m stressed out. I’ve found myself gravitating toward funnier books lately. That’s probably because my day job involves solving tons of problems and dealing with angry customers. When I get home, I don’t want to think about the problems of fictional people. I know I’ll go back to reading “serious” books when summer is over and work calms down.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
AJ I have been all about the funny books. I like the escape, and customer service jobs are hard. I only read about the interactions in my position, and they stress me out.
DeleteI never really thought I was a mood reader until last year, when all I wanted to read was romance. It made me happy and I found some really great authors.
ReplyDeleteRomance is my goto when I need a pick me up. Having read some many, I know exactly who will most likely do the trick too. Do you have KU? I read and discovered so many great romance authors via that subscription.
Delete"I also believe a book will be more fairly rated, if I am in the mood to read it." I completely agree here. Sometimes even if I request a book, I occasionally find myself not in the mood to read it when its publication date comes up. It can be a challenge to keep the review fair when I feel like I'm having to force myself to read something. I've noticed this with myself a lot during the pandemic as so many publication dates got shuffled around and my preferences have shifted toward more romantic reads.
ReplyDeleteAt least you are aware of this and are taking steps to be as fair as possible. I think that's important.
DeleteI feel this! So, especially in the "busier" release months, I read primarily ARCs, but I give myself some leeway within the ARC list. Like- I give myself the month before to read all the upcoming month's books, so I don't have to worry if I am not feeling a particular genre at the moment, as long as I come back around to it. I think it helps me actually, because when left to my own devices I am wayyy too indecisive!
ReplyDeleteLately, I've been struggling to read anything, so the only things I'm managing to read at all are books I've got on my calendar. I don't know why I'm in such a slump!
ReplyDeleteSo, even though I'm a bit of a mood reader, sometimes the structure is good for me.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I need a mix. I usually can commit to a weekly TBR, and a I mostly keep to it. I love structure, but I also like to feel ok with bumping a book if the mood strikes me to read something different. Sorry to hear you're slumping though. Hope you get your mojo back soon.
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