Reading challenges, everywhere!
It’s not a new thing, in any way. I see soooo many bloggers and group posting about the reading challenges they are taking part in. Readathons, themed reads, category challenges…magazines, Goodreads groups, libraries….everyone seems to have some challenge they’re carrying on about!
Seriously.
The examples.
Are pretty much.
Endless.
But they just don’t work for me. And, with a dose of painful honesty, I think it all comes down to my commitment issues.
I can’t have just one
To be clear, those are commitment issues with books only! My beau and I are fine. But when it comes to anything that will even slightly try to shape what I end up reading, I am so quickly running in the other direction!
It doesn’t really make sense, because I typically read multiple books at the same time. I also typically read 7-10 books a month —
sorry, writing that just felt quite surreal for a moment —
So it’s not like I don’t have the time or space for a few extra books. So what gives?? Why can’t I find the joy of a book club, or a clever list challenge from a trendy online site, or even a fun themed group option in my Goodreads groups?
Books = heart
It’s actually simple: what I read is almost 100% dictated by my current mood. They’re totally dictated by where my heart and head are at in a moment. The idea of feeling obligated to read something ruins reading for me. Most likely, I would end up struggling through any book that I was required to read for a club or group if it wasn’t one I was feeling at the moment, which then ruins the whole experience!
As I’ve been beginning to write more about my reading through this blog, and adventure into “required reading” spaces like author requests and NetGalley reviews, I’ve been very careful only to accept books I knew I was interested in reading at the moment. Otherwise, they would either go unread for too long (which is unfair to those who offered the book), or I would read it with resentment and probably rate it more poorly than I otherwise would since I had a negative attitude about it (also not fair). Reading is important enough to me to ensure that I keep it as something I enjoy, rather than a chore.
Usually the ultimate goals of reading challenges is to get people to read genres they might otherwise not pick up. But I read a fairly wide range, though I clearly trend more towards YA and fantasy. But there’s still nonfiction, and mystery, and chick lit, and romance, and historical fiction, and so on… so I think I do okay without forcing myself to read something else.
So really… it’s just better of for everyone if I don’t try to cram my reading time into a box of any kind. 𤣠I will remain flexible and random in what I read, and do it happily!
Oh… except for that whole thing where I’m starting a book club. But at least I have some sway over the books included, so hopefully that will work out? đ
Convince me otherwise!
What challenges have you done or are planning to do? I’d be interested to see if any can sway me enough to give them a shot! How do you stick to your challenge goals when you don’t feel like reading the book needed for that challenge?
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