Every time a year ends, I look at my Goodreads challenge, the only reading challenge I’m actually participating in every year actively, and check out the number of books I’ve read this year.
As I’m writing this, I read 72 books so far in 2019. Part of me is hoping to reach 75 at least, wanting more, more and more until that December 31st ends. Another part of me is really really happy and, for once, kind of proud that I managed to read so much already.
The thing is, I’ve always loved reading and always read a lot, but book blogging made me want to read more. Book blogging made me want to rush through all the books to read them all, too.
Sometimes, reading feels like rushing to catch a train, making sure you manage to hop on it before it disappears.
How did reading become a race?
Honestly, I’ve been asking myself that question on and off for the past years, looking at my towering TBR, at my most anticipated lists growing, growing, growing, at the books I’ve been meaning to read for ages, at my goodreads challenge moving up, up, at other bloggers’ reading challenges growing as they swallow words more quickly than I’ll ever understand.
How did reading become so stressful?
Yes, I said it. Sometimes, I’m stressed out because I feel like I HAVE to read. I know. No one is forcing me to get through all the books. No one is telling me I need to read a book a day, a hundred books a year to be valid as a book blogger.
Yet, some days, my anxious mind is like this:
It comes from the environnment. It comes from being around incredible book bloggers and readers, getting through 200+ books a year.
It comes from the new releases, rushing towards you and ready to hit you with their awesomeness, making you feel like you’re missing out if you don’t take them right away and devour them.
It comes from loving books so much and getting excited about them so much your chest hurts when you feel like you want to read them all, yet can’t because you’re not a robot.
Sometimes, we’re not reading books anymore. We’re rushing through them, turning the pages before really imprinting the words on our minds. Because we have to reach that goal, strike that reading challenge, be like these people reading so much it’s so incredible and we want that, too.
Sometimes, when we’re rushing, we forget to read. We forget to enjoy it. This is how reading slumps come and take you away and oh, no, we don’t want that.
How to better pace yourself to love reading again – and keep on loving it
Every now and then, this overwhelming feeling gets to me. That I need to hurry or I’m going to be very late, even though books aren’t moving creatures and they will be waiting for me.
? Know where you stand with reading challenges
Reading challenges are all the rage in the bookish community. They’re on book blogs and on goodreads, on bookstagram and on twitter. There are bingos and fun prompts to do, there are incredible challenges and motivating ones. They feel like fun, they feel like being part of the community, too.
Some people can handle participating in reading challenges. Lots of them. Some people love them, they’re motivating them, making them want to read, making them love reading even more.
Some people can’t handle it because it makes them feel stressed out, anxious, rushed and feel like they have to do too much when they can’t. I fall into that category and I know it. So I stay clear of reading challenges, except for the goodreads one and, this year, the Year of the Asian one since it’s an easy one.
Know where you stand. Try out challenges if you don’t know where you stand, just yet, and see how you can handle it before signing up for everything, feeling overwhelmed and losing your motivation for it all.
? Know your own reading rhythm and what you can really do
We’re all different. Even if we’re all here, screaming about books because we love them, we’re all different. We have different lives. Some people are in school, in college, have homework and assignments and midterms and extracurriculars. Some people are staying at home, working full time, part time, 10, 20, 40+ hours a week. Some people have a filled-up social calendar, some people are writers, handling multiple jobs, unemployed, have kids and so on.
We don’t have the same lives, yet we keep on expecting to be at the same rhythm. Seeing people reading 100+ books a year and wondering why we can’t do the same.
Some people read faster than others, too. It’s only natural that they are able to read more books than I do. Yet, sometimes, I forget about that. I know I can read on my commute, on my lunch break, at home.
Know when you can find the time to read, realistically, without missing out work and assignments and real life which, unfortunately, can’t be forgotten when all you want is to read. It’s all a matter of getting organized, with your own time.
? Related blog post: How to organize your reading life as a book blogger
? Pace yourself with new releases and ARCs
I’ve talked about this before. It’s easy to lose yourself, oh so easy to fall into the new releases trap and never ever get out of it. With ARCs being a thing and sometimes getting a chance to read incredible books early, with new books and hyped books we have to read right this very second to be in the loop…. it’s just so easy NOT to pace yourself. To request all the books, to pre order, request at your local library, add to your wishlist and so on.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with everything you have to read to be “in”.
Take your time before requesting a book. Take your time before requesting, preordering, joining into the hype. It’s not because everyone somehow rushed and got their books and read it and are screaming about it that you’re missing out.
OKAY. Maybe you are. But you’ll get there. If you have other books you’d rather be reading, can’t get to the book right now, just want to take your time, you can. It’s okay. Better to wait than to rush to a book and be disappointed, devour words that end up meaning nothing just to join in on a hype you might not get.
? Related blog post:Do I really want to read this book, or does the hype make me want to?
? Pay attention to the backlist and your TBR already waiting for you
This might be a personal thing, but having an overwhelming amount of books to read makes me feel stressed. It makes me feel like I SHOULD rush to get to all the books. Right now, my physical TBR has maybe 10 books and, if for some people that’s nothing, for me, that’s a lot already.
Thing is: I have these books because I was excited to read them. I still am. Most of them are backlist titles no one’s talking about and, sometimes, it makes me feel like I should rush to read them to focus on the other books that everyone is talking about.
It’s a silly feeling, I know, but it’s there. Yet, I wanted to read all these books.
I still do.
So, I’m going to pick up a backlist title I’m very excited for and I’m going to READ. Not rush, not think about the amount of books waiting for me, the ones I should be reading, the hyped ones, the ones that would be quicker for me to get a higher number at my goodreads challenge at the end of the year.
Some days, reading feels like rushing. But there will be another train to catch later on and I’m learning to enjoy the now. To enjoy the words, at my own rhythm and the worlds writers can create.
I’m thrilled that I read so much this year and, even if part of me will always reach for more and want to read more, I’m also learning to be happy with the quality of the books I got through and the favorites I’ll keep in my heart always.
Do you sometimes feel like you have to read more, to rush through all the books?
Do reading challenges stress you out, too? What do you do when you feel like you should read more… read less? I’d love to know your advice in comments!
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Freaking brilliant and a much needed reminder!
Ahh thank you, so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Great article! I set my Goodreads goal at something manageable, but sometimes it’s better just to take time with a book. Which means different things to different people.
Thank you so much! I agree, sometimes we just need a little more time to get through some reads and it’s okay, too 🙂
Reading Challenges, I have to agree with you, that they’re everywhere. I only do the one on Goodreads, just because I like to know how many books I have read during the year. I’ve heard of people reading children’s books ( not their normal genre to read) just to make their quota for the year and I guess, if that makes them feel good, that’s their choice. I did one reading challenge a few years ago and it was fun but very stressful and I had a lot of anxiety while doing it. I’m glad I did it as it was something different and I’ve always wanted to do one. But, now I know my limitations and now, I watch from the sidelines and enjoy everyone else. I used to rush through books as I kept thinking about all the books “I needed to read” but lately, I’m trying (still getting there) to slow down and enjoy the ride.
Great post, I enjoyed reading your thoughts and comments on this topics.
I think it’s good to know your limits and what you can do, without giving yourself too much stress and anxiety! It’s complicated to find your rhythm and pace at first, but once you do it’s the best 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!!
Interesting! I feel guilty about owning 40+ unread books, but I’ve never felt like I needed to rush. I paid for these books. I’m going to enjoy them at my own pace. A bigger problem is that my interests change faster than I can read. I’m excited for a book, but I can’t read it for months, and I lose some of my excitement.
Ahhh well that’s so good if you don’t feel rushed! I would feel so stressed out, with so many unread books on my shelves haha 🙂
You said this perfectly! This should be required reading for all book bloggers, old and new!
You’re too sweet, thank you so much!!! <3
I think I might be with you–reading challenges stress me out. Maybe it’s time to step away from them for me.
AH I’m glad I’m not the only one ahha 🙂 I prefer to keep it simple and stress free 🙂
My physical TBR is currently 49 books. It never gets smaller, this is the smallest it’s been in a long time. I am always getting new books and it just makes me feel like I need to get by even faster. Presently I’m struggling because my whole TBR doesn’t fit in my bookcart and with Christmas coming that a big issue. I sort of like feeling a bit of pressure, it makes me read more…but I do wish I’d stop buying more books when I haven’t finished what’s already there.
Oh wow! I get that, when I have a lot of books on my TBR pile, I feel like I have to read quicker and quicker, but I just… can’t do it haha. Maybe a little book buying ban until you lower your to-read-list a bit could help you? best of luck wit it all <3 <3
I was just talking about this!!
I feel like I’m pressured to read more and more books, faster and faster…it gets very stressful
I get that, it can easily become stressful! Don’t forget that you love reading and don’t make it a competition. it’s okay to take it slower, too! <3 <3
Yep! I am always telling myself…reading is how I relax
Exactly! that’s what we should keep on telling ourselves 🙂
Great post! I agree with not wanting many books in my TBR pile – I currently have about 20 books waiting to be read and I hate it!
Ah I’m so happy I’m not the only one, I’m stressed out by big physical TBRs hahahaha. 🙂
Thank you!!
Great conversation! You’ve identified all the angst and joy of the reading life! FOMO is real and I always feel I’m cheating on my current read to see what’s ahead!
Oh thank you so much, Carol! YES, I can relate to that, I often look at what’s ahead and forget to enjoy my current read!
This is such a brilliant post! I use to get so stressed about the fact that I would read a fraction of what everyone else did. Nowadays, I read when I can and when I want to and I don’t agonise over the numbers as much. That’s mainly down to the fact that I’ve not set a Goodreads challenge for the past couple of years. I know I’m a slow reader and a mood reader, I don’t need to check the stats to remember that, so now I just read what I want, when I want.
Ah so happy you enjoyed it, thank you, Lois! <3 I'm so happy you're more relaxed about it all, I'm looking forward to that, too ahah 🙂
I loved this! Wow, so validating! I sometimes question the pace at which I read. Sometimes I feel bad about how fast I read a book because I’m like, did I give the book the attention it deserved or did I just rush through it to get another book added to my Goodreads challenge? I’ve tried to slow down, but there are days where I know I haven’t read as much that I want to “catch up” the following day.
This is why I have a hard time with reading challenges because then I feel even more stressed out about what I “need” to read.
Anywho’s! All that to say, I loved your post! ❤️☺️
Ohh thank you, so happy you enjoyed it <3
I get that feeling, sometimes I feel like I'm "taking too much time" to read a book, then I realize… well, it's a stupid feeling, really haha, we all have our own pace 🙂
Love this post! I recently wrote a post about how speed in the reading community has become such a thing and this is so similar to that. Doesn’t matter how fast we get through books as long as we enjoy them. Great post <3 <3
Ahhhh really you did, that’s amazing, I can’t wait to read it 😀 Agree, as long as we enjoy what we read, we’re good 🙂
Thank you so much!! <3
I feel this on 1,000 levels, ohmygosh. Thank you for writing this post (especially as someone who hasn’t read in like a month). <3
Oh thank you, Nicole. I’m glad you could relate to this and always here if you need to rant! <3
I may need to take you up on a rant one day. <3
Oh please feel free to, Nicole, any time, any day, I’m always here <3
You’re the best. xx <3 <3 <3
Always always here <3 <3
I’m amazed by the people who manage to read 200+ books a year!! I wish I had the time for that 😮 Other than the Goodreads goal I set for myself, I don’t do any challenges, and I’m totally okay with that. Sometimes it’s all I can do to stay on schedule with my own goal! Reading is something I always want to enjoy & prioritise, so I’ll keep it lowkey :’)
Ahhh same, I don’t know how they do that, I’m always so amazed, too.
I agree, sometimes being in the community it’s hard to keep that “relaxed” focus, but doing my best to 🙂
Lovely post! I definitely often feel like I’m racing to read as many books as possible, but especially now that I don’t have as much time as I used to and know that I just can’t read as many as I used to be able to, I’m trying to not feel like it’s a race and just focus on reading the books I want to and enjoying them instead of stressing about the millions of unread ones
Thank you so much!! Ah I get that, especially when you have less time, it feels like we need to catch up with it all, it’s stressful ahah. We all need a little reminder to take our time 🙂
I don’t think I have ever related to a post more tbh. I feel SO anxious all the time. Here’s an example: I have read 149 books this year. The most I have EVER read in a year was 153. That year, I was a stay at home mom and my kids were in school at least part time. So I had TIME. This year, I have worked full time all year and raised my kids 100% solo, including a LOT of issues. I moved during this time, basically life was pure upheaval. YET. I still think I HAVE TO beat this absurd goal from a time in my life when I HAD TIME! Why is that? I don’t know! And I told myself all year it was FINE. I let random . org pick my goal (it was 9. NINE books) on Goodreads and I was great! Until I saw that I *could* beat this “record”, then I lost my crap. And here we are. And the ARCs are a whole other issue hahah. Honestly I need to read and reread this and remind myself to like, Idk, calm down and give myself a break! Awesome and thoughtful post as always, Marie!
Okay so I am AMAZED. Like, you’re really a superhero for having read that much while working full time and raising kids and everything, wow???? You should be proud <3
I so get that, though – I had the same issue, like, I read a whole damn lot, but seeing I somehow managed to read a tiny bit more another year, my mind gets set on beating that goal, even though it makes no sense. It's frustrating haha.
You should give yourself a break, you're doing AMAZING, Shannon, I'm so amazed and proud <3
I’ve been feeling the same recently! I decided to cut down my Goodreads goal next year and get around to the longer books that interested me but was too stressed to read.
I’m glad you’re doing this! I always do my best to set a lower goodreads goal, so I am almost certain I can reach it and it doesn’t stress me out that much 🙂
Such an INCREDIBLE post, I really love this because it’s something that has been on my mind a lot too. I also tend to stress with Reading Challenges, so I only try to participate a few per year, but I’ve learned that I must take the challenges as opportunities to read a little more than I usually read and not as a competition, you know? something more like a competition with myself, maybe reading even 10 pages more than normal would already be amazing. And in this way, I feel much more relaxed about it, it’s like a change of perspective that worked for me ?❤️✨
Oh thank you Sofi, so happy you enjoyed it <3
I get that! Reading challenges can be fun and motivating, too, I think it's important to view them in the right way and try not to put unreachable goals on ourselves 🙂
I so agree with you. I definitely feel stressed when I see how many times I said yes to authors, blog tours, netgalley widgets and then I cannot read them by said timeline. I try to rush to reach the goal but it never works with me. I can’t speed read and write a proper review. So I read at my comfortable pace. Better to review book a bit later than publication date or promised timeline or not to finish challenge rather than feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Wonderful post! ♥️
Agree! It’s better to take a little more time rather than feeling stressed out and burning out completely 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your comment! <3
I actually end up sorting my ARCs by page numbers and if i feel like i want to wrap something up fast just to get my mood back, I’ll pick from the shorter books ?
OH this is a great tip ahah thank you, I might have to do that 😀
I loved this post and reading it!! I think it is very important and relevant.
I was looking at how being a book blogger has changed by reading and it has certainly made me read more. In fact over a 1/3 of the books in my read shelf from goodreads is from this year which seems crazy. I never thought I would read 60 books in a year. I remember in school I heard someone read 52 books a year and my mind was blown so entering into the book community has changed my perspective as people read 200 books a year. It is crazy.
It definitely can feel like I don’t read enough, in fact I used to think I couldn’t be a book blogger because I didn’t read enough (safe to say that ship has sailed). It is weird how much pressure we put on numbers because the thing with numbers in that there are infinite so it never really feels good enough. But I definitely don’t want to push myself to read more as it can take away the enjoyment and I will begin to focus on quantity over quality.
I think I have become pretty comfortable with the the fact that I don’t read as much as a everyone else because I like to read at my pace. I don’t have an amount of books I should be reading. I just take my time and read when I want. It is much more enjoyable.
I think I do struggle with new releases and a huge backlist of books which does stress me out but I’m trying to take it one book at a time.
I love this post and it was so important. Great post Marie!! <3
I’m so happy to hear that! I feel the same way – before, it seems astonishing that people could read 50 books a year, then I somehow BECAME that person and discovered some are able to read over 200 books and… I’m amazed.
I think that’s so great! It’s so easy to get stressed out with numbers and the fact that you need to read x numbers of books and to read faster and faster, we’re quick to forget to take our time enjoying the stories, too 🙂
Thank you so much, Sophie! You’re so right, one book at a time <3
I feel this on such a spiritual level. Required reading for college really took the stuffing out of me, and I abandoned books entirely to just read fanfiction for several years. When I finally got back to published books, I felt like there was SO MUCH I had to catch up on, and it took me a longggggg time to realize that literally no one cares what you’re reading, so why not just have fun doing it?
YES! That’s exactly it, no one really cares or/and puts pressure on you to read everything all at once, so we should just focus on having fun and reading what we want, at our rhythm 🙂
thank you!! <3
Being a part of book communities truly is an exercise in accepting mortality, since there’s no way I can ever finish all the books I want to before I die ? There’s always new books coming out and older ones that I discover for the first time. And that’s okay! It’s so easy to get caught up in feeling like you’re not reading enough, like you said, but it’s so important not to let yourself feel bad about that!
I definitely agree with learning how YOU read best and not expecting another person’s reading habits to automatically work with your life. And balancing backlist with new books is a constant struggle for me, which I try not to let myself get too stressed about. Thanks for this lovely post and wonderful reminder not to beat myself up about all the books I can’t read! <3
Oh my god yes, it really is ? ? Agree, it’s important to remind ourselves not to feel bad and to focus on what we want to read, at our own rhythm, even if sometimes it’s easier said than done ?
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Margaret!!
I definitely feel stressed out by reading challenges. Especially near the end of the year I feel rushed to make sure I hit the goal. Luckily I already hit my goal for this year, cause I have been in a reading slump.
My TBR-pile (physical and e-books) consists of only 4 books, but I’m already stressed out about it. I don’t know how people live with a bigger pile haha!
Great post! very, very relatable 🙂
Ahh I’m glad you hit your goal already, congratulations!! I always try not to set too high goals, because I don’t want to give myself unnecessary anxiety… even if it’s always there, haha ?
RIGHT? I have no idea, honestly. My pile is bigger than ever with, like, 10 books, I would be so stressed out with more ? ?
Thank you so much!! <3
Yeeeessssss. All of this. I’m so, so easily swept up in rushing to finish an imaginary ‘deadline’, in feeling pressure from my huge TBR pile, in feeling like I need to read a certain number by a certain date! And I was so sick of it. So this year (actually from this summer onward) I made the conscious decision to just.. read less. And to really savor the books I did read! And to be more mindful of the book I did decide to read, so I’d only read the books I really liked and not because they were popular or because I happened to own them. I’ve become a lot more ruthless in DNF’ing books and thinning out my physical TBR pile. It feels a bit odd sometimes to not be ‘up-to-date’ or have a review out every week but I’m also enjoying just reading so much more!
YES YES! It’s always imaginary deadlines and numbers we feel like we HAVE to reach and… it’s frustrating.
AH this is so lovely. I’m so happy you’re enjoying your reading more by slowing down, too! It’s really something I should try and do a little more, too. I often feel like I should rush, but there’s beauty in slowing down and really appreciating it all 🙂
Thank you for your comment! <3
This is such a mood, Marie! I’ve been thinking about this lately with the new year coming up. I feel like I always start out so well in January but as the year progresses, I get caught up in the hype and the pressure to read ALL the books. I’m hoping I can relax more in 2020 and just read what I genuinely want to read! <3
Yes! At the start of the year, we’re good with all the resolutions and, when all the new and shiny books pop up everywhere, it’s hard to resist, too, haha. I hope we can both relax a little more in 2020 <3
Thank you, Alex! <3
Oooh this is a great post. You captured all my experiences and feelings perfectly! I already read fast but I don’t understand how other bloggers do it faster :)) Recently, I’ve been more savage with DNFing books if they don’t grip me. You can’t force yourself to read!
Ahh thank you, Frankie, so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I think that’s so great! It’s something I need to learn and get better at, too, I too often feel guilty about DNFing ahah 🙂
This is an amazing post, Marie 🙂 I do fall in new-releases trap and I feel that I think more of “reading more” than actually reading. And these days, as I am getting less and less time to read, I feel guilty? I look at all the unread books on my shelf and I feel so so guilty. Each year I tell myself to do better and end up comparing myself with others. But you are right, everyone’s life, reading speed.. is different. We our doing the best we can with the time we have 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful post!
Oh thank you, Sim! I get that guilty feeling as well, but it’s so important to remember our lives are so different, too. I try to hang onto that when I feel too guilty haha 🙂
I completely agree with you, Marie!! Most times I find myself also rushing to read more, more, more, and a tiny part of me wonders if I’m even enjoying what I’m reading.
However, I think I’m doing better on the comparing department. I used to compare how much I read to everyone else, and that’s awful, because I can’t get 200+ read per year. I still compare myself, not to others, but to myself from previous years, which is still a biiiiit bad, because I started doing the Goodreads challenges when I was in high school and I had so much time! I think I’ve been reading a LOT this month and it’s great but I’m also a tiny bit anxious because I wanna “get rid” of some books on my TBR before the new year arrives. That’s probably a sign I’m rushing!!
Anyway, next year I definitely wanna do better, focus on quality over quantity. I have so many things planned for my personal life that it’ll be impossible to read (but at the same time I wanna challenge myself to read 100 books, am I crazy or am I dreaming? xD)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! <3
I think it’s such a great way of thinking, of focusing on quality instead of quantity. Sometimes I feel like it’s SO hard to do and like I just need to read and read and read, but… when I manage to read books that I enjoy, I just want this to matter way more than the quantity of books I’ve read.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Marta!! <3
Ahhh this is such a lovely post, Marie! I feel like everyone needs to be reminded to slow down and enjoy the reading process. I sat down today and realised I wasn’t going to finish the Reading Woman challenge by the end of this year. Part of me wanted to go for it because I only have 4 prompts left but then I just didn’t feel like it and I decided not to exert myself. I immediately felt lighter 🙂
Thanks for this post!
Aww thank you, Charvi, I’m so happy you enjoyed it <3
I'm so happy you made the right decision, sometimes we pressure ourselves to finish our challenges and just… lose that excitment of reading with it, too.
Thank you!! <3
Oh, I can totally relate to this! Since when do we HAVE TO read??? When I catch myself thinking that, I do the opposite! xxx
YES exactly and you’re so right; We all need little or long breaks sometimes <3
This was SUCH an incredible post, Marie <3 I'm right there with you on the "reading is sometimes stressful" train. The community is just filled with people who read twenty books a month, new releases, etc. It's a lot. It also doesn't help that my brain turns everything into a competition, haha. I hate that sometimes I'm reading just so that I can mark a book as read in my GR challenge, instead of because I ENJOY it.
I always feel bad that I usually only read a couple books a month, even though I go to school five times a week, and I'm there from 7am-3pm, not to mention when I have extracurriculars. And you're right that there are external factors that I can't control, and I shouldn't blame myself for not reading as much as I'd like because of them, <3
I think that the tips you divulged in this work really well! I've tried to take part in challenges, readathons, etc., but I have since learned that too much is not for me. Like you, the only reading challenges I'm really participating in are YARC (though I'm currently cramming to reach my goal of 31 books, haha), and the GR reading challenge. Also, I completely stopped requesting arcs, haha. I've since learned that they're really not for me. I hate that I feel stressed about reading them before the release date, and I'm actually content to just wait until they release, because in the mean time, I can just catch up on my backlist!
Great post <3 <3
That’s exactly it! It’s so easy to get competitive and compare ourselves with what others can do and read per week, per month, per DAY, sometimes. But we all have different schedules and, with classes or work or everything else, we can’t read as much as others and it’s so important to remember that <3
Ahhh thank you!! I'm so happy you like my tips <3 I feel like it's important to know what will or will not stress us out and, if necessary, to quit arcs, challenges and things like that. The most important thing is to enjoy our reads <3
THANK YOU for your sweet comment, I'm so happy you liked this post <3
Marie I came to this post because I have been experiencing the same thing and making the same decisions as you. Wonderful guide. I have been swamped with review books, ones coming from the library and ones I buy. For 2020 I’ve decided to endeavour to slow my reading down. And… I am a bit of a follower – “Oh she is big in the reading world – I should read what she is reading” or to contribute in this club I am going to have to be quiet about my real thoughts and likes. So 2020 is my year to relax and read what is truly me.
Oh I’m so happy you enjoyed this post, thank you so much, Kathryn! <3
I hope that 2020 will be an amazing reading year for you and that you'll be able to relax more, that's what I'm hoping for me too. Fingers crossed we can do this!
Well Marie since blogging my reading has slowed down as blogging takes much time! But I agree with you on limiting the ARCs as they put much pressure if we overdo and diminish the pleasure. That’s something I have decided to do in 2020: request even less ARCs than in 2019. Only from my few unicorn authors or blurbs that really seem excellent! Great discussion post!
I think that’s such a great resolution and I hope you can keep it!! <3 thank you so much!! <3
This is some very good advice! I often feel overwhelmed by the books I want to read when compared to the time I have to read them and book blogging makes that worse. We could all use the reminder to just slow down and remember what sparked this hobby in the first place – a joy of reading! 🙂
Yees exactly! We all need this little reminder that this is something we enjoy and don’t need to rush for! 🙂
Thank you for your comment! <3
I think for me the drive to read more comes from the sheer number of books that I know are “out there” that I want to read! Like, I know it’s impossible. I couldn’t possibly read ALL the books. But there’s always this little thought at the back of my mind that I need to get to the next one so I can be one book closer …
And then there are review books—yeah, I really need to accept fewer of those, but it’s SO hard!!
Yes I so get that, there are just so many books to be read, it’s so hard to know you won’t be able to read them all and somehow, we want to read as much as possible haha, I get that! 🙂
This post resonates with me so much!! I love your point about staying away from reading challenges if you know that they’ll stress you out. I usually just tend to stick with the yearly Goodreads challenge and then read whatever I want. Definitely takes the pressure off!
Wishing you the best in 2020! <3
Same here, I just set the reading challenge on goodreads with an attainable goal, not to pressure myself too much 🙂
Thank you,Holly! Wishing you all the best as well! <3 <3
Okay, this is definitely the post I needed to read right now. What with all of the 2020 most anticipated videos/posts coming out right now, it’s so hard to stay excited about my backlist – which is ridiculous, because I focused a lot on my backlist in 2019 and really enjoyed it. So it’s not really an issue, it’s just a mindset that I need to work on changing. Wonderful post, thanks!
Yes I agree! I’m so, so pumped about so many 2020 releases, but there are just so many books I haven’t read yet that I’m excited about too. It’s so important to try and take a breath and remember that the books won’t disappear 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Amy! <3
Honestly, thank goodness for books though. Without them I would go insane. I just have to remember that they make me happy, not stressed. XD Absolutely!
YES exactly ahah. Books make me happy yet sometimes I feel stressed about them too and… we don’t want that ahah 🙂
This is a really thoughtful discussion and you make lots of great points <3 It can definitely feel overwhelming to read and I know I definitely "rush" sometimes but yeah always good to stop comparing yourself with others and focusing on you!
OH thank you so much Cas, I’m so happy you enjoyed this post <3 <3 I always need that little reminder every now and then to pace myself, too 🙂