Thursday, March 19, 2015

Reading Brain Check-in

Reading Brain Check-in

I've been doing a lot of reading and review writing recently (though I'm still behind on both!), but not as much discussing books or bookish ideas. I thought I'd share a little bit about what's going on in my reading brain these days, because I tend to get myself trapped up there. 

I have a lot of books to read this seasons, which is a great thing! But it's also overwhelming for me to figure out how to prioritize reading them. Every time I receive a new book in the mail, I get excited and want to start reading it RIGHT NOW, but then I remember that I'm already in the middle of three other books that I need to finish first (which is crazy, b/c I used to only ever read one at a time). I'm such an impulsive mood reader, and I'm really having to manage that feeling. I've also been trying to stay on track with what I have to read this month before looking too far ahead. It's been going fairly well, though sometimes I begin to panic that I'll never finish my March titles!* 

*I know, I know. These are #bookbloggerproblems, and I feel silly complaining like, POOR ME. I HAVE TOO MANY BOOKS. SO SAD FOR ME. I want to reiterate that I am hugely lucky for everything I received, and really I love it. 

Some recent internal thoughts based on my current reads:  

1) Facing a slow moving book. 

I'm currently about 100 pages into an end of March book that I like a lot, but the way the story is written makes it a very slow read. Sadly, that's causing me to be very antsy, and I've considered putting it down for a while. With so many other books to read, I've been feeling like I can't focus on a slower book. 

Do you ever feel the same internal pressure: like you just can't devote more time to a slow moving story, even if you like it?

2) To DNF or not. 

I have an April galley that I accepted from a publisher, even though I was nervous about the description due to my usual reasons. When I started the book, I immediately decided it wasn't a great fit for me. I decided to set it aside for several days and come back to it, but after picking it up again, I'm still struggling. Yet for some reason I'm having a hard time DNFing this one. I think it's because the story features a great concept, and I can see its potential. I also feel bad because I accepted the book from the publisher and I want to give it the best chance I can. Maybe I'd get through it easier if I had less on my plate. But because of all these other books I want/need to read, it's hard for me to devote my time to a story that I know isn't going to be one that I love. 


Are you a DNFer? Do you feel bad about DNFing a book you accepted for review? 
Do you ever see the potential in a book even if you know you won't enjoy it?

Or the root of all my problems could be the snow!

What's going on in your reading brain these days?


P.S. I'm nearly finished reading this book and loving it so much! 


Top image source, middle image source, bottom image is my own. 

10 comments:

  1. I completely understand your post and I have a lot of the same feelings. Sometimes I find myself almost skimming the book, not because I don't like it, but just because I want to get done with it and get to the next book. And I find myself not even enjoying the reading experience because I want to be done with it because of all the books on my shelves and on my Kindle, waiting to be read. And this happens more with the slow books, but that doesn't mean the book isn't excellent, it's just a slower-paced book.

    And yes, when it comes to ARCs, I'm not sure what to do when it comes to books I'm not liking because I don't write reviews for books I DNF. So then there's that guilt that I'm not reviewing a book I promised to review. There are a few ARCs I have right now that are starting to be pretty old and I'm not sure whether I should review them or not. I'm a big mood reader too and for some reason I haven't been in the mood to read any of them. For months. In some cases, more than 6 months. So do I force myself to read them, knowing the review will, in all likelihood, be negative? Would the publisher rather me do that than not review it at all?

    And yes, seems silly to complain about the too many books problem, but there it is. Great post! ~Pam

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  2. I haven't started Black Dove, White Raven but several people told me it's a slow read. I am glad you are enjoying Under a Painted Sky. I love that book!

    Thanks for today's post!

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  3. I completely understand your hesitation to DNF a review book, especially a physical copy. Even when I'm not loving an eARC, unless the writing is absolutely unbearable, I generally suffer through so I can write a fully informed review. But if a book really isn't working for you, I say ignore the guilt, go ahead and DNF it, write a quick paragraph about why, and move on. Life's too short and there are too many books out there to waste time on one you absolutely don't like. But I know, it's hard to ignore the guilt. Good luck! :)

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  4. I do DNF and I also set things aside. I tried to stick to a priority list for book order to read and it caused me to slump. I'm that much of a mood reader. I threw that idea out the door and read what I want. If nothing is calling to me I do try to pick something releasing soon. So far, it's working! And I bet all that snow has been exhausting.

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  5. Gooorgeous post Lauren. <3 You are amazing. But aw, I'm so sorry you are having trouble with some books :\ I've been so slow at reading this year :( but hoping it will improve, as I have so much to read too. Ack. Yet when I look at my books, I just feel bored, and don't feel like reading any of them. Ugh. But I will. Sometime :D I wish I could DNF more books. Have read so many 1 and 2 star reads these past few months :( but if it is a review copy, I feel too bad about not reading it, so I always end up finishing the book, if it is a print ARC :p But often I don't read more than one chapter, and I decide not to try it again for a long time :p Anyway. Amazing post sweetie :)

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  6. I can understand where you're coming from - I had the same trouble with a review copy as well from the publisher. I shelved it as DNF'ed and I emailed the publisher regarding the books, and if they still wanted me to publish the review or not. I realized life is too short to read bad books so better to move onto the next one :D Lovely post <3
    Benish | Feminist Reflections

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  7. I still struggle with whether or not to DNF a book - a lot of times I'll just start skimming, but then I'm not sure if I'm still required to properly review it? I don't want to get on a publisher's bad side, but then again you can't connect with EVERY book. I think it's been dangerous for me to have so many ARCs on my plate, because it's making me skeptical of the ones I'm not all that excited about... which means I'm going into them with a bad attitude from the start, which isn't very fair to the author/book. I need to try to slow down on my requests, and also the amount of books I pick up at BEA this year I need to be careful with.

    Lovely post, girl!

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  8. If it's a library book, I have problem DNFing. With publishers, it really depends. Most of the time, I don't even have that problem. But I'll really try to keep going if it's an ARC, because there is a certain responsibility, I guess. I have DNF'd ARCs/e-galleys though and when I look back, I don't regret it. I regret not liking it, but not that I DNF'd it. Same thing for a slow-moving book. It's actually a main reason why I DNF usually. Especially now that I feel like I have barely anytime to read in college, I take my reading VERY seriously. I better FEEL something. If it's slow-moving, usually I have no feelings on it. If I hate it, fine. If I love it, great. I just need something to go on and I'll keep going. Otherwise, I'll move on.

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  9. yESSSS! #bookbloggerprobs indeed. I've gotten better at DNFing but there are still so many books on my shelf. The initial excitement of a package really makes me happy but it fades once I put it on my shelf (even though I still want to read it really badly!!). *sigh* I particularly dislike when I don't like a book that I've requested or accepted via a pitch from a publisher... *double sigh* I want all the books and I want to love them all. And I want time to read them all!!

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  10. I agree on slow moving books! I just finished a pretty long and slow book. I loved it but I felt like I was taking way too long to read it while I was in the middle. I have so much stuff to read that I don't like to take too much time on one book. I don't like to DNF a book though so I try to stick it out. I also want to reread the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon but I know they'll take me forever since they're so long.

    Vicarious Caytastrophe

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