Good morning, good afternoon, good evening friends, happy Wednesday! How are you ? February’s here and I am still waiting for the sunshine, summer and hot weather to come, let’s be honest. In the meantime, I thought we’d all stay under the covers – or close-by to an air vent or something for those of you currently living through summer down there – and have a little chat.
I know what you’re thinking: what is UP with this blog post title, this is a bunch of nonsense?! Also, I will admit that yes, when you read it like this, it does seem kind of crazy to write that. As book bloggers, books are the heart and soul of our blogs – even if we like to wander sometimes in lifestyle, traveling or whatever you’re enjoying as well posts. As book bloggers, we are here to read books, share books, recommend books, scream about books we love, rant about books we didn’t love so much, and just EAT BOOKS all the time. Well, except when we are forced to socialize or do boring stuff such as school, work and so on. So why would I even ASK such a question ?
Book slumps happen. There are times when we don’t WANT to read anymore, when no books manage to meet our expectations and we are just tired/too busy/too many things going on, and so on, to read. Do we feel like we are good book bloggers when that happen? Certainly not. Can blogging, seeing people talking about ALL THE BOOKS, make us feel better, or just worse because we are NOT reading while everyone else is and we are surely missing out on everything?
Then there’s the ARC problem. I know what you could be thinking: when has getting free books before everyone else ever been a problem? And it’s not, it is such an amazing privilege, yet…if you’re in a reading or blogging slump, if you can’t read or write this review for this ARC, you feel like you’re failing. I know I do. Because ARCs are a commitment for sure.
There are many, many reasons why we SHOULD be reading as book bloggers, and many reasons when we CAN’T. As book bloggers, this struggle can get worse. Reading can feel like an obligation so many times, something you have to do because hell, it’s written in your blogging description, it’s sort of a requirement if you want to blog about books, otherwise you’re just fooling yourself. It’s something we need to do because well everyone’s talking about some book and I haven’t even READ IT YET what am I doing and what am I missing out and when will I feel part of the community if I am not flailing about the same book as everyone else is?
You know what? It’s okay NOT to read. I haven’t read at all during Christmas holidays because I was busy. I don’t read too much on weekends because I am blogging. I decided to read an old Tintin the other night because I didn’t feel like getting to the end of The Raven King, and whatever I am already late on this hype train, so what’s a couple more days? There are times, days, where I just don’t feel like reading. I feel like writing, I feel like watching this Dawson’s Creek episode I have seen a billion times already. And so on.
There are hyped books I do not feel like reading, because they are outside of my comfort zone and if, at times, I do like to venture in this area, other times I just know it’s not going to be for me. There are times where I just don’t want to read, and it’s okay because reading is something I love, and it shouldn’t become something I hate. I know I need to get to this ARC soon, but if I can’t, I will let the publisher know I am having trouble, because after all I am not a reading-robot, and I am not waiting for an income that won’t be there if I don’t review the book.
On days like these, I remember that I am here because I love to read, not because I’m doing another school work that will give me extra credits.
Oh YES TO THIS! I’ve been in more slumps than I can count lately and reading has become more of an obligation, which is no fun. So I binge series, I read comics or do something else that keeps me occupied until I am back in the groove. Because as you said, we are not reading robots. Books are supposed to be our escape, but sometimes the head just isn’t in the right place and that is okay too. 😀 great post as always, Marie! <3
Thank you so, so much Kat! <3 It feels sometimes, more often than not, an obligation to read. I feel so guilty at times when I am not reading, seeing every other book blogger talking about what they read or how much ahead of their GR challenge they are, and so on. I guess I shouldn't let myself get pressured haha 🙂
You definitely shouldn’t let yourself get pressured, but at the same time that is so much easier said than done haha
Ugh yeees, I tend to feel pressured for way too many things in my life anyway hahaha.
Same girl! Definitely same …
I so, totally, COMPLETELY get this. There have been several times in the last few months when I just wasn’t sure what to read, and I didn’t feel like re-reading, just so I could say I was reading something. There were nights when I was just so worn down, if Muffin had had a bad week, or there was just a lot of other stuff going on (the holidays is a perfect example), even the idea of picking up a book and trying to absorb the words felt too challenging. And you’re so right, this is something we do because we enjoy it. And if it’s not fun anymore, then we need to take a step back and look at why.
Thank you so, so much, I’m so glad you get the feeling. It’s always good to remind ourselves that we love it, and we are not forced to read all the time 🙂
Thank you for saying this,Marie.When I see other people reading too many books,I feel like I am not reading enough because I get busy with school.So I don’t get that much time to read and I have been logging behind on blogging too but I decided to just go with the flow and not to force it and I am having better results now.Great post <3
Oh you’re welcome, thank you so much for your sweet comment! I am so happy you liked this post. I understand your feeling so much – I felt for so long like I wasn’t reading, or blogging enough. In the end, you’re right, and we should just go with the flow and whatever rhythm, both for blogging and reading, suits us best 🙂
Yeah, this is so nice to hear! I don’t really get into slump-y moods, but there are some times where I have so many things to do that I can’t read that day, and I just have to learn that it’s okay. Or times where I keep trying to read books, but none of them are clicking with me, so I take a little break. Great discussion! ?
Thank you so much! It’s always good to take a break once in a while, whenever I do that, when I find myself reading again, I’m always even happier to read and more in love with it 🙂
I think the the point that you make in this post is so, so important. Sometimes reading can start to feel like a chore, something that I HAVE to do because of my blog or the fact that I consider myself a “reader” (whatever that actually means haha). But reading is something that should be done for pleasure and there shouldn’t be this looming pressure to be constantly reading all the time. Awesome post! <3
Thank you, Holly! I am so glad you liked and could relate to this post. I think since I started book blogging I feel more pressured to read more books, and more guilty when I don’t. But yes, we read because we love it and sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves to take a break 🙂
I’ve been in a reading slump for a week and a half now. Usually, I would freak out about it because I’d be afraid I won’t have anything to talk about on my blog. But this year I’d decided to keep my reading more relaxed, and I chose a reading goal that was much lower than those of the last years. And I don’t feel stressed anymore. I couldn’t agree more with your statement of it being okay not to read.
I’d rather ride out my slump, and then pick up a book. Especially with ARCs. If I force myself to read one during a slump, I might end up really disliking it. Maybe I wouldn’t have if I’d have waited until my slump was over and given it a fair chance.
Great post! I think we all could use a little reminder every now and then, that we can take a break from reading too.
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment, I am so happy you could relate to this. I think it’s so great that you decided to be more relaxed about reading this year – I couldn’t help but raise my GR goal a little bit, but I think I still kept it manageable – or so I hope, ahah. It’s so important to read when we want to and not force ourselves. I never want to read “too much” and end up not liking it anymore at all, ahah. Thank you!
GREAT post!!! Reading/blogging can be so overwhelming!
Thank you so much! It can be, but…well, we love it, right? 😀
Yes! Every bit of it. It’s not a bad reason to be overwhelmed. Lol
Haha you’re right about that 🙂
I totally agree with this, Marie. I do feel pressured to read sometimes, and it’s a problem. At the moment I’m a little stressed because I’ve decided not to read Houghton for Lent and have MANY books to read before then. Thanks for the lovely discussion.?
I’m glad you agree, Shanti, and thank you <3 I hope you will feel less stressed soon, and read what you want to read at your rhythm 🙂
I’m actually not reading much at the moment. I’ve started a few books but I don’t seem to have the motivation to finish any of them at the moment. I don’t feel like I have to read all the time just because I’m a book blogger but it’s frustrating when I actually want to read but can’t find anything that will hold my attention.
Saying that, I always seem to be able to power through ARCs even when I’m in a reading slump. I think it’s because I see them as a commitment and a privileged so I always want to read and review them as a sort of ‘thank you’ to the publisher/author.
It’s a shame that people feel so much pressure to read certain books in a certain time frame though.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this, Amy! It’s too bad that you’re in a reading slump, I hope you’ll find the book that will get you out of it soon <3 I agree, pressure isn't too good, and I wouldn't want it to make me hate reading after a while. That's why it's important to take breaks from it maybe at times 🙂
Yes I do often feel like I “have” to read. When I’m in a slump I am way more finicky about books and DNF things left and right. I’m sort of in one right now – thank goodness for audiobooks, otherwise I’d get no reading done!
Ohh I never tried audiobooks, I’m glad they manage to catch your attention longer and get you to read even when you’re feeling in a slump! Thank you so much Ali! 🙂
In 2015 I had a major problem with feeling like reading was a chore. I had library books coming in left, right and centre and I got a little request happy with ARCs. From that, I learned to create guidelines based on my limits. Like no more than 2 ARCs a month, close off my request form, limit how many library books I request, etc. And it really, really worked well for me. Sometimes I don’t stick hard to the guidelines but it helps me to keep track of everything and I’ve had fewer slumps since.
Reading used to be my escape for school and now that I’m finishing school, I’m excited to dedicate my time to something besides reading. I’ve a lot of Netflix shows I want to watch and I’m just starting to get over my guilt for not reading when I sit in front of the couch 😛
OH wow, well I think this guideline idea is such a good thing, I should do that as well, to feel less pressured about it all and overwhelmed, at times 🙂
Hahaha, well…no need to feel guilty if you’re watching great tv shows :p Thank you so much! <3
I hear you. Last spring/early summer, I went through a period like this. My depression and anxiety were kicking my butt and all I wanted to do was play Mahjongg and Candy Crush on my tablet. It’s so hard to be okay with that! I had just joined NetGalley and gotten my first batch of books to read and I felt so guilty because I wasn’t reading them! I’d also just started my blog a month before and felt guilty that I wasn’t posting more.
I actually did a post on my blog about living with depression and anxiety. The comments were so uplifting and they were all from people I didn’t know personally too. It was that confirmation that yes, it’s okay not to read and blog at that moment.
I’m still getting caught up on all those books I rec’d from NetGalley, but I know I’ll get there eventually. It’s always good to revisit the topic though and remind myself that yes, it’s okay if I don’t read for a while.
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts about this, Valerie! It’s work to get caught up and to remind ourselves that it’s okay not to take time to read when we are tired, not feeling it, anxious, stressed and when life gets in the way. As long as we keep on enjoying what we read when we do read 🙂
Agree. Reading should be fun. If you do not enjoy it you are doing damage to the review as well.
Oh yes. So much of how we read and experience a book is from our mind set at the time of reading. Would be a shame to force ourselves to read not enjoy a book, just because at the moment we aren’t in the right mood for it.
Great post! I really hate the pressure of ARC’s and of course the deadlines. That’s why I never request more than three books. I only pick books that intrigues me not because of the hype. I never had a reading slump before but If I do I would definitely take a break and spend the time watching dramas, tv shows or movies. 😀
Thank you so much! <3 I always try to do that too, though sometimes it's tempting to request all the books aha. I think it's one of the only times when I am grateful that almost all of the NetGalley books aren't for me as I live in Europe haha. Thank you so much! 🙂
I definitely feel like I needed to read this, not that I am currently in a reading slump (the book I am reading is excellent), but I definitely needed this to flick the switch in my brain that would have made me feel so much GUILT the next time I don’t feel like reading. So thank you for this post. 🙂 <3
OHh you’re welcome, thank you for such a sweet comment <3 it's always good to remind ourselves that it's okay not to read after all 🙂
My first thought was: WHAT HOW DARE YOU MARIE IT IS NEVER OKAY NOT TO READ!!!
My second thought was: WHAT HOW DARE YOU MARIE IT IS NEVER OKAY TO NOT READ THE RAVEN KING IMMEDIATELY!!!
My third thought was: HEY I’M USING THAT GIF IN ONE OF MY POSTS EXCEPT AS “FANGIRLING”
My fourth thought was: Huh. I guess you’re right. Mostly. Partly. A little bit. Okay, maybe just the tiiiiiiiiiiniest bit.
XD But really, I do agree and disagree! Sometimes we bookworms are a liiiiiiiittle to crazy about our books (WHAT DID I JUST SAY) and we need to relax. BUT THEN WE STILL HAVE FIVE MILLION BOOKS ON OUR TBR LIST AND WE’RE THINKING, WHAT IS LIFE???
Haha I know I have to agree with you about The Raven King, it was NOT okay not to read it. I will never be over this book, this series, these characters. I love them too much <3
I agree with you ahah, well we have so many books on our TBR, there's only one way to be able to read them all, and it's to read, read and read. But sometimes reading can come with loads of pressure, and it's no good at all ahah 🙂
THE RAVEN KING WAS ???
Yup, sometimes we need a break from reading. 😛
It was just SO good I will never get over it ahah.
That book made me obsess over the rest of the series. I thought the Raven Cycle was okay, but when I finished the Raven King, everything was just like AGH SO AMAZING
The development in this story is just incredible, and the characters’ growth is one of the best I have ever read. I LOVE THEM <3
I KNOW RIGHT? But Noah didn’t get as much growth as the others…
That made me so sad. I really loved Noah so, so much, I wanted him to be there a bit more and, well, it broke my heart a bit. <3
I know!!! I was hoping there’d be SOMETHING for him, but the wonderful Stiefvater was more focused on Gansey and Adam and Ronan and Blue. 🙁
Yeah I guess if I had something “bad” to say about the ending of that series, it’d be that 🙁 Poor Noah 🙁
Yeah. Poor Noah. 🙁 I wonder if it would’ve been more powerful if *that person* had died. You know. That guy.
Yeah, I wonder it just as well. I mean, I liked the endin how it was, really, and I liked the happy ending anyway, but….yes maybe it would have been a bit more powerful if things ended differently.
Great post Marie, 🙂 and I definitely agree with the points you made as well. There are times when I think I need a break from reading every now and again. Actually one time I remember thinking ‘Oh, I’ve been reading all day to get this book finished in time to write a review, I deserve a break now’ and the next second I wondered why I thought that because reading isn’t supposed to be a chore or anything. I think it helps to take a step back every now and again, no one can read all the time without falling into a slump I think, and after my longest reading slump in 2015 before I started blogging I don’t really want that to happen to me you know?
I read because I enjoy it and if I don’t feel like reading one day or I don’t finish a book in time to review it well it’s not the end of the world is it? 🙂 <3
Thank you so much Beth! Oh, I surprise myself having the same kind of thoughts, at times, like, “taking a break” from reading is something I ought to do in order not to go crazy. We take breaks from work, not from what we love – or at least I didn’t see it that way. I do not want to get into a slump either ahah, that’s why I am taking it slow and one book at a time 😀
That’s all right, and I think taking breaks from reading can sometimes be needed. It’s nice to have a bit of variety in your life if not it’s all work, reading, blogging, sleep, and repeat and I guess that can get boring after a while.
Sounds like a good plan! 😀
Yeah you’re right ?
Ah yes I really needed this post right now! YES!! We all go through it- sometimes we just don’t feel like reading- and that’s okay- or at least it should be ok- it can be hard being constantly surrounded by books (both online and in real life) and then just not feel like it. To be honest, it can be strangely overwhelming and then I feel really guilty about it… but this post is so necessary cos we all need to know that it’s ok not to read all the time!!
Aww thank you so, so much! <3 Ugh yes, I have that guilty feeling as well sometimes, like "what are you doing, read, so you can beat your GR challenge and discover so much books" – but then I guess…We should relax and read when we feel like it and not feel guilty if we don't all the time 🙂
You’re welcome!! <3 yes exactly!!!
Yes! This! Thank you so much for writing this post! Between being swamped with schoolwork and having to deal with poor mental health, I rarely have time to read anything that’s not for school. And that can be hard to deal with sometimes because my friends keep recommending the most amazing-sounding books to me and I just. Don’t. Have. Time! Or energy! It’s not that I don’t have the enthusiasm to read, but it turns out you need more than enthusiasm to get things done. :/
As I said before, lovely post!
Ohh you’re welcome, thank you for your sweet comment <3 Sometimes it's so hard to get some reading done, and so many things in life are leaving us tired and not in the mood to read at times. I guess it's okay and it's important to remind ourselves that we are not reading machines after all 🙂
Yes to everything you said here Marie! I agree that getting ARC is both a blessing and a curse. I love reading them but sometimes it’s difficult when I don’t even feel like reading at all. But it’s not just that! Even without ARC or review copy, the pressure to read is always there. It’s either the size of my TBR, reading goals or challenge, or just the fact that we are readers & book bloggers that made me feel like I *have* to read… everyday. More often than not my escape is to re-read my favorite contemporary or some new adult romance hahaha they almost always get me back in my reading mood. Wonderful post Marie! <3
OH YES, I agree with you. Even if I don’t have ARCs to read, I still feel a bit pressured to read all the time because…well I need to live up to my blogger’s reputation somehow? Even if I don’t have a reputation of reading 1000+ books per year haha, still I have this weird feeling. I guess it’s bound to happen when we are book bloggers then :p
Exactly! And even when I’m not behind on my reading challenge, I always *feel* behind. Like now I’m 9 books ahead of schedule but feel weird if I don’t read a day hahaha ??
?? I get it ahah, I feel the same way and I am not that much ahead of schedule, just like one or two books ??
Love this post so much, Marie! I hate to say it but I’m a bit of a reading slump right now – I’m going through some stuff in real life and it’s making it hard to stay focused on reading/blogging, even though that could be an escape. I’ve also recently read a review book that was quite displeasing so that’s a contributor, haha. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reminding us that it’s OK to not be reading at all times. <3
OH no, I’m sorry to hear that, Reg. I’m always here if you need / want to talk about it or rant or anything, don’t forget about it <3 <3 It's totally okay not to read at times, and there's no need to feel guilty, even if that feeling comes around so easily. We all have the right not to read until the right book comes along again 🙂 <3
Thank you! I might take up your offer on it one day, once things calm down a little bit. <3
Of course, whenever <3 <3
Yes to this post! The thing is, I think sometimes book blogging can make us feel like there’s something wrong with not always wanting to read. And that’s not true at all! It’s okay to want to exercise or socialise or do (school)work or bake of do something else. Sometime I feel terrible because I don’t read (or blog about what I read) as much as other book bloggers. And that’s silly. Because there are other things we’re allowed to enjoy. And that’s okay.
Marie, thank you so much for this post. It reminded me that I shouldn’t ever read because I have to (unless it’s for school, haha) but because I love to. You’re the best <3 <3 <3
Aww thank you so, so much Shar! <3 <3 I agree with you so, so much, and we all need a reminder of that sometimes. I felt a bit wrong when I didn't want to be reading all the time, when, well, it's okay to watch tv shows because that's something I love too 🙂 Thank you!
This is how I’ve been feeling lately, I haven’t felt like reading anything and when I do it’s comics or rereading something. I’ve felt bad for not being able to post any reviews and because I wanted to get a head start on my reading challenge. Your right though it’s totally okay to not feel like read before I started blogging I would always go days in between books I need to stop feeling so pressured and enjoy reading more.
I understand your feeling. Whenever I stop reading for a couple days, I used to feel a bit weird and wrong about it, because…I’m a book blogger, ahah. It really is just a feeling and there’s nothing to feel bad about, after all we should read because we enjoy it, and always remember that 🙂 Don’t worry too much about it and you will get out of your slump soon, I am sure 🙂
I feel that I’m ‘wasting” my time if I don’t read when I can. So my brain is in revolt and all I want to do is play solitaire on my phone. It happens each winter, but I still freak out and beat myself up for not reading. Yet, I don’t want to play the stupid game EXCEPT in winter. I’ve learned not to see too many giveaways or ARCs–they feel like a school assignment so I dread reading them. I blog about books AND I’m a librarian so the pressure is great to always read.
Oh I get the feeling, I feel so bad when I don’t want to be reading. But I guess what if we want to play solitaire? It’s okay, too, and we are not reading machines. I find that I enjoy the books I read even more when I take little breaks at times, it helps me feel less pressured to read 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this!
You said exactly everything I feel. Love this post Marie.
I get reading slumps so often, they suck. I just tend to wait them out now because I have to force myself to read for uni so there is no chance i’m forcing myself to read for pleasure too. Getting into slumps is ok and not blogging for a while is ok too.
The failure aspect is very scary in relation to arcs. I stopped requesting books on Netgalley now because I feel so much pressure to read them that I end up not enjoying them as much because I’m like TIME LIMITS AH!!
Oh thank you so much, Hannah, I’m glad you could relate to this. I really hated assigned books at uni at well.
I get it, I feel really pressured about reading ARCs at times and not enjoying them. I rarely request anything now, and I feel happier this way: the only books I request are ones I really want to read. Thank you so much Hannah! <3
I’m not a book blogger, but I understand what you mean. It’s not the same, but sometimes I just don’t have the motivation to read. I want to read more as there is so may great books out there, and I went through a phase where I didn’t do any reading outside of school work. I’ve got back into it recently, but sometimes I just don’t want to read, even if I’m enjoying the book. So I understand where you’re coming from.
Oh thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I’m glad you have the same feeling at times. I guess we are far from being robots and forcing ourselves to read would only make us hate it, in the end 🙂 Thank you! <3
I agree, if you force yourself to read when you don’t feel like it you can’t fully enjoy and appreciate the book. 🙂
Definitely agree 🙂
I decided I wanted to get in a review a week and since I’ve been scheduling them out it hasn’t been too difficult. I got a couple of week head start from the end of last year. However, as it is catching up with me, I just keep thinking: “I knew it. I’m too slow a reader for this. I’m too busy for this. My job is too demanding. MAYBE IF A RICH RELATIVE LEAVES ME ALL THEIR MONEY I CAN DO THIS FULL TIME!?”
But mostly, I try not to sweat it. 🙂 I don’t have near enough people following me to disappoint. < – This is me thinking of the positive.
Hahahaha, I keep thinking that I should find some rich relative to give me all of their money for me to blog full time, that would be the dream, wouldn’t it? 😀 You’re right, and no reason to sweat it too much, after all we are doing this because we love it, and it’s not a job so no reason to get all worked up over it I guess 🙂
Ahhhh I totally agree with everything you said here, Marie!! This is so so so true. Reading can be fun, sure, but it can totally feel like an obligation which totally takes the fun out of it. It gets so busy, and sometimes even when it’s not busy we don’t feel like reading, which is totally fine. In fact, forcing ourselves to read a book when we don’t want to would probably affect how much we enjoy said book and would just negatively impact our reading experience overall. Such a wonderful post Marie! ❤️
OH thank you so much Analee, I’m glad you liked it <3 I agree with you, I think that forcing ourselves to write just makes us mad at ourselves, and at the boook, and overall at everything haha. 🙂
First of all… That Commitment gif mouhahahahahahahahahahahahah
Then, YES, to everything you said. Our first commitment, that baby blog and its needs, takes so much time, then you’ve got ARCs, another time-consuming commitment that will drive you mad and pressure you until you break. Add life, add your feelings, add school or work, your social life, Dawson’s Creek :p or Suits, and no, there are days when you just can’t/won’t read. And it’s okay. You’re already doing the job. You’re here, you’re talking about abooks, maybe you’re just reading posts, maybe you do nothing at all. You are not a machine, you are what books are made of, human beings. So yes, it’s okay not to read. and ” that I am here because I love to read” THIS!
You’re reminding me that I stopped watching Suits a while ago and I am curious about what happens to these characters hahaha. THANK YOU my sweechie!! <3 <3
YOU NEED TO GO AND WATCH SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT HOW AWESOME I AM.. I mean, the show is :p <3 it has lost some of its beauty because the writers want to please the audience, but it's still good enough, even just for Donna time xD
Hahaha, yes Donna is awesome. YOU ARE AWESOME, I think she’s your hidden twin or something? 😛
Really appreciate this post! I can totally understand with the frustration with trying to blog and read.
I had such a short blogging “career” before taking my loooooong hiatus. One of the reasons for my hiatus was because as a book blogger, I did feel the pressure that I HAD to read; and while I wasn’t getting much ARC, there were a few obligations, as well as at the time everything I read felt off to me. It’s like when you’re seriously not in the mood to eat so even the most delicious food would taste like sawdust in your mouth. That was at least what was happening to me. It came to the point where I wondered if I could even call myself a book blogger…
In some ways I avoided even reading blogs because it made me wonder why I couldn’t seem to produce the same amount of dedication and content to my blog, was my love for books and reading less? So I decided to take myself off the circuit…but now I’m slowly gonna come back.
This was a wonderful post, enjoyed reading it 😀
Oh thank you so, so much, it’s so good to see you commenting again, and I am eager to read some of your blog posts again (but no pressure! At your rhythm!). I get the feeling so much, and some days it’s hard to watch other bloggers post and be marvellous while you’re wondering just how you can write another blog post again. It really depends on a lot of things, both reading and blogging – life, our mood and so. I can’t wait to see you back here <3 Hope you're doing great, and thank you so much <3
I’m blogging again ✌?️ but coming up with inspiration for content have been difficult…not particularly looking for something super original, but at least something insightful. Marie you gotta teach me your amazing tricks to all these wonderful posts ?
OH yaaay, so glad you’re back! OH inspiration will come back, I’m sure of it – it comes from everywhere, books, blogging, other bloggers, twitter conversations, you’ll find amazing ideas 😀
Feeling like I had to read was actually the downfall of my first blog so I can relate to that so much! I’ve made it a point to not pressure myself with reading this time around. It really is okay to not read sometimes and when I try to force it I always end up feeling bad. I hit some major reading slumps last year and during those times Netflix was my best friend and I didn’t force myself to read. Although, I definitely felt like I wasn’t posting enough which ended up putting me in sort of blogging funk that I’m still trying to work my way out of. Now I’m reading but not having the motivation/inspiration for posts. ?
Slumps really do seem inevitable in book bloggers lives lol. Great discussion, Marie! ?
Thank you so much Melissa! I guess with so many books around, we are meant to feel pressured and fall into awful slumps as well ahah, the hard life of book bloggers. I hope you’ll get out of your blogging slump soon <3
Definitely! Slumps just seem to go hand and hand with book blogging. You’re welcome and thank you, I hope so too!! ?
I often feel like I have to read, especially because most of my posts are my book reviews. I’m a college student so my time is severely limited by the amount of school work I have to do, so often reading gets pushed on the back burner. But THEN, I get all of these emails from other bloggers on the books they’re reading and I’m like “I’m failing as a book blogger, why aren’t you reading, Paige!?” I’ve hit a slump two or three times before and it really stinks. I hit a slump right after I had requested a bunch of books from NetGalley and I felt TERRIBLE because I had all of these books (and my completed feedback rating was SUPER low) and I didn’t want to read any of them. I know that my entire hobby is based on books, but sometimes there so much pressure to constantly be reading and it isn’t easy. Great post, I can really relate!
Thank you so, so much Paige! I am so happy to hear you can relate to this, and I get the struggle so, so much. Between working full time and, well, other life-things, it’s hard to fit in reading in the schedule at times – and seeing so many bloggers being able to read SO MUCH is crazy haha. I guess we’re all okay if we take a break at times, after all, we read because we love it 😀
Way too true. I’ll just have to keep finding time!
I agree so much! I love reading, but sometimes I’m just not feeling it AT ALL. And then it’s okay to take a reading break and just watch some movies or binge tv shows or do anything else for a while. I mean, reading is something I love, and I never want to force myself and grow to hate reading. I’m also a big moodreader so I have learned to just go with it. If I want to read only fluffy romances for a month, or if I only want to re-read an old favorite, than that’s what I’ll do 🙂
It’s so great once you’ve learnt to get rid of that stupid not-reading guilt and just find your reading rhythm! 🙂 I think I’m going there, even if at times I am blaming myself ahah. You’re so right, it’s important that reading remains a hobby and something we LOVE before anything else ::D
Ah, I adore this post, Marie! I SO, SO agree with everything you said. I’ll always be a lifelong reader and enjoy reading but I wholehearted believe it’s definitely okay for a labelled bookworm or book blogger not to read, too. I didn’t read anything outside of school related text in high school, that was four years of not reading (well at least not reading anything considered to be for pleasure). I started my blog my second semester of college and that’s when I got around to reading again. I do have to admit a lot of my blogging is inspired by the books I read (of course 😉 ) but I’ve also tried to not burden myself with having to read books unless I wanted to. Anyway, thanks for sharing this post!
I hope that you’ve been well, Marie. Also, can I just say… I love your new layout and design?? Congratulations on going self hosted again, lovely. <3
– Summer
Aww thank you so, so much Summer, and I love YOU! <3 Your comments always make my day. Life has been a bit tiring lately but okay for the most part. I guess it's the winter season doing that to my mood ahah. I hope you are well too! <3 <3
You're so right, and it's so important not to burden ourselves with books to read and pressure ourselves a lot. It can do no good!
Slumps definitely happen and depending on my mood, blogs wither make me feel like I am not reading enough or they inspire me with awesome recommendations.
I agree with you that it’s definitely a mood thing! I am grateful for all the bookish recommendations because they always inspire me, make me eager to read, and remind me that I love reading so much 🙂
I agree !!
I’ve been so stressed out lately and in such a blogging and reading slump and through this experience I have seen that IT’S OKAY. Thanks for sharing. It’s a nice reminder that it is okay to take a break sometimes and it’s okay to collect yourself.
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been a bit stressed out! I hope it’ll get better soon, and it’s okay to take a break, and you’ll find your blogging rhythm again soon 🙂 <3
Aww thanks Marie!
You’re welcome! <3
Great post Marie! I personally feel like people put too much pressure on themselves to read review copies when they’re not in the mood for them. Unless a pub has told me a specific time I just read arcs and galleys when I’m in the mood for them, because I know if I force myself to read stuff because it’s coming out soon rather than reading because I want to I’ll not enjoy it. And I don’t get denied much on netgalley even though my % is 35%. I also warn people when they ask me to review their book that I might not get round to it any time soon but I will some time because I’m a mood reader and most are ok with that.
Thank you so much! 🙂 I agree with you – I guess the pressure comes from feeling like, since you’ve been lucky enough to get a review copy, you should read it as soon as you can and honour it. But nothing good comes from forcing ourselves to read when you’re not in the mood, you are so right about that, it’s definitely okay to take our time with some books 🙂 Thank you!
YES! Sometimes I feel like I have to read otherwise I’m an inadequate bookworm! I feel pressured to read a lot of hyped books and ten books per month and sometimes my TBR overwhelms me. I used to be the kind of person who starts a series and binges it but now I’m so behind on all my series. And then I get into more reading slumps. It can just be a lot of pressure but I still love being part of this community and I don’t know where my life would be without it.
I get it, the pressure really is hard at times – it’s so important to re-focus on why we want to read and try to shut other things out, especially how much others are able to read. We all have different schedules and reading rhythm and, as long as we read the books we want and when it makes us happy, that’s the most important 🙂