Saturday 19 April 2014

Bookish Musings - Reading 'Too Many' Books

Bookish Musings is a feature here at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies that allows one of us to share our thoughts and opinions, talk and discuss things happening in the book and blogging community or share a personal book related issue we have. Today, Amanda is talking about whether there is such a thing as reading 'too many' books. Can you burn yourself out? Is is possible? Surely not..


At this point, I've probably rewritten this post about three times, but the entire essence of this post is to talk about at which point reading a lot of books becomes reading too many books. In the last three and half months, I've read over the amount of books I read through the entirety of last year; granted, I took a 3-4 month gap last year, but still, I'm 3.5 months into 2014 and I've read more than last year. Because of this statistic, it's made me want to look at the amount of books I've read, how that amount has affected my ratings and in turn, affected how I read and blog on Book Badger.
  • In January, I read 12 books.
  • In Febuary, I read 15 books, 3 novellas and 2 extra material pieces.
  • In March, I read 11 books, 2 graphic novels and 1 novella.
  • So far in April, I've read and finished 12 books and 3 graphic novels.
  • (I'm part way through another two and debating dnf'ing another)

Book Badger

As you can see, my reading habits have fluctuated throughout these last few months, yet it's always stayed above 10 books; on the one hand this is fantastic, it means I'm smashing challenges and reading records, I'm able to plan posts well in advance and it means that I'm seriously enjoying them, but on the other hand, it means that making my way through an average of at least 2.5 'books' a week, which is still good, but misrepresentativ of the actual books I'm reading. I know I vary on the amount of books I read each week, some weeks I'll read around 3, others 5 and others 1 if I'm very lucky, and it's these new statistics I'm creating by reading so much that is making me extremely nervous about not reading.

I took the time in March to read a little less and do other things I enjoy instead, such as gaming, watching television and I redesigned the blog and all those things took up time I could have spent reading; in fact, in the last week of March, I only read over 3 nights, when I usually I would have read double that, and this affected how many books I read that week, and in turn, that month. It made me so nervous to think I was reading less that panic settled in and made me feel even worse about myself, like I was letting myself, publishers, authors and you, the viewers, down, when in fact, I'd already read 10 books that month. It was ridiculous and I finally realised I was putting too much pressure on myself to read books.

Book Badger

It was also at this point that I realised I was getting really picky with my ratings. As of this moment, every month, I've had one or two 5 star ratings, which is great obviously, it's always good to have read perfect books, and on average, around four or five 4.5 and 4 star ratings, but this means that around 50% of the books I'm reading every month are 3.5 stars or less and that's a really big surprise for me. I can't help but sometimes wonder whether 50% of my month has been wasted on books that just didn't cut mustard or whether it was well used time. I've also looked back at my ratings on books I read last year and, because I've read so many more books and gained more experience, I'm giving lower ratings on books I probably would have rated higher in the past. Is this fair? Is this right? God knows.

Book Badger

Every month I keep telling myself I should chill out and take a break from reading as much, and every month I fall under the impression that I've done just that, yet when I look back I realise I haven't, and April has become another of those months, and I think that's down the amount of ARC's I keep requesting, so I've decided that in May, I'm going to read more of my physical copies, because the pressure I'm putting on myself, the anxiety and nervous state I'm putting myself in over publishers and authors and the constant need to increase my challenges is getting out of hand.

What's your relationship with reading been like so far this year? Have you been reading a steady amount, too little or too much? How many books have you read this year, and do you feel the same on any the points I've mentioned? Also, I'm having a kind of a trial for gifs lately, do you like the new editions or should I ditch them, what do you think?

21 comments:

  1. I love the David Tennant gif. If you promise to do one of him a week, I say keep 'em comin'!

    I recently rediscovered Goodreads and, although I don't do reviews, I did sign myself up for the 2014 challenge. I set mine at 125 books this year. I'm currently 11 books ahead of schedule and that's not even considering I have summer holidays coming up which will give me even more time to read. I tell myself I read YA fiction to be able to recommend books to my reluctant readers but, let's face it - I'm just a YA/fantasy junkie and I'll devour anything remotely within those parameters.

    I feel the same as you only insofar as that I want to make me 125 goal. The overachiever in me also likes seeing how many books ahead of schedule I can get. But yeah, I also feel like blogging and telly watching and - oh, yeah, being a mom and high school teacher - should take precedence some times. I say take it easy, remember that you do this primarily for yourself and that your blog readers are not gonna lambast you if you fall behind. You're already providing us with this amazing resource and I, for one, will take quality over quantity any day.

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    1. I'll definitely go searching for some Davids then!
      I also like seeing just how ahead of sceduale I am too, I think I'm around 35 books ahead at the moment from 90.
      Thank you so much for the kind words hun, it means a lot :)

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  2. I feel like I'm reading a bit more this year, but I think that's just because I had a big gap in my reading last Summer and Fall (buying & selling houses, packing , moving, unpacking, etc. - so glad that's over). I set my Goodreads goal at 52 books, and I'm right on schedule. Having an achievable goal and seasonal TBR lists really keeps me focused. I think the fact that I'm not exclusively a book blogger keeps me from feeling pressured to read more than I have time for.
    Please don't let yourself get too pressured and overwhelmed! I'd rather a little less content, than for you to burn out!
    Completely agree with Maricel about the Tennant gifs. :)

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    1. Looks like I'm definitely going to have to hunt for Tennant gifs now ;)
      I'm definitely going to let myself chill out more over the next few months because I've got a read-a-thon to sort out and college to keep me on my toes, so I'm planning on chilling out more. It's good to know that people would still come here though :)

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  3. I've also been reading a lot more this year (40 books at this point) and I'm kind of worried about why there is a big jump in the number of books I have been reading. I do other things, but I think it was just that the number of pages have been shorter in those books and that I need to read more challenging, longer books. And I still feel like I need to read more :p

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    1. I've been reading a lot more graphic novels and comics this year, so a lot of 'books' have been short for me too, but I think I've read some big chunks too, especially Skulduggery books. 40 books so far is fantastic though! That's a great amount! :D

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  4. I've been reading more books ever since I got a blog, and I totally understand that feeling of putting too much pressure on yourself. I think reading *too* many books is a common problem with book bloggers. Maybe instead of focusing on how many books we will read each week or month, we should focus on what books we find really interesting and want to read asap, even if it's only one or two.

    I only read two books a month, and I think that's totally fine, considering the fact that last year I barely even read one book a month. XD

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    1. I usually use that method when it comes to my physical books, but requesting too many on NetGalley leads a backlog and then I feel I should make my way through those because I've been chosen. I'm learning to cut back though :)
      I couldn't imagine only reading two books a month, but we should all read what we're comfortable with.
      Thank you hun! :D

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  5. I think it's great that you are taking time to do other things. I've recently gotten back into gaming too and I feel a little guilty for not reading as much as I should be, but...it's my life. Plus, I have co-bloggers and that does help. I don't read as many books as I used to, and that makes me sad. That's not because of the gaming though, it's because I just...can't. My attention span is just not devoted to reading right now so I am doing the best I can. So basically, I think you are doing fine.

    Also, I wouldn't stress about your ratings being lower because you are reading more. Almost every blogger goes through with that. I don't think you are being unfair. The more you read, the pickier you get. Your tastes are just changing, and that's okay!

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    1. I think having co-bloggers can be really handy for times like that, but I don't think I'm ready to share the reins yet..
      It makes me feel better to know I'm not alone on the ratings, although that sounds a little nuts in it's self, and I'm sorry that reading is seeming more forced for you lately Kara, it's a shame when a hobby loses that spark. I'm sure it'll get better :)

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  6. I think I'm around my 35-ish book this time.... my reading record have been going pretty steady since January, I read about 8-10 books each month. And I'm pretty hapoy about it. As long as you enjoy it, why not? There's no such thing as 'reading too much book' in my opinion, just make sure it doesn't affect your other activities. It's always good to take a break, go out and do other ordinary relaxing things sometimes.
    And you're doing pretty good with the gifs, Amanda! I'd say, go on with it ;)

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    1. *happy*
      Pfffft typo hahaha

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    2. 8-10 is what I aim for each month so you're doing brilliantly Tirta! I completely agree, there's definitely more to do than just read all hours of the day, and having the blog makes sure I can't do that anyway! :) Thank you, shall do!

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  7. Honestly? I'm kind of jealous. According to GR, I'm 10 books behind on my reading challenge, eeep. I would love to be ahead of schedule (which is how I used to be in 2013) but school has been getting in the way a lot lately. Then again, after reading your post, I guess it's better to read as many books as you are comfortable reading, and you just have to find that comfort zone. :))

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    1. I'd much rather read less books and feel less stressed and like there's less pressure, so you're doing well Summer.
      Plus, with being in school, the summer-time is a great time to have that break and read, so it'll be okay :)

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  8. I really, really wish I could read more. I am not reading anywhere near as much as I used to and I kind of miss it. I've had some bad luck with books recently, not really enjoying them and struggling through them anyway. I only read one book at a time, so this means I read less. I do think my ratings are better because I read a lot, I try not to give something a ridiculously high rating if it doesn't deserve it. But, then I get confused and don't know what to rate things. I am as lost as you are lol. I love gifs! ;)

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    1. I think not enjoying books and having some iffy ones can knock you a little, I've experienced that myself, my three current reads are quite mundane at the moment, so I'm dragging my heels which is a shame.. I sometimes worry over ratings that I'm rating some with my head and others with my heart, so that's confusing too. I'm glad the gifs are going down well, they're staying! ;)

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  9. So far, this year has been horrible for my reading rate. Between a tough teaching job, searching for a new job, working at home, and interviewing, I've been majority slacking. Right now, I am panicking because I do not have a book to review next week, AND I have not finished off the FF read.

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    1. I haven't had that kind of panic for a while now, I had that panic in the New Year, had nothing for two weeks, it was scary. Have you considered maybe doing a small review on a book you read a while ago, or a graphic novel? It might help the panic a little? But I can understand the problems with being very busy and there being no time to read..

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  10. I think you're worrying too much about the quanity of books you read. Maybe, you would enjoy it more, if you read fewer books, but focused on reading the ones you like best.
    Personally, I read alot as well. And, I'm aiming for 300 in my GR challenge this year. Since I made it to nearly 500 books (495!) last year, I felt like 300 seemed low (for this year).....but, I feel like I will definitely reach it. Right now, GR says: "You have read 172 of 300 books....57%. 83 books ahead of schedule."
    I am usually quite a bit ahead, so it doesn't bother me to take a breather from reading for a few days to do something else instead. Usually, I set up in the flea market on weekends, and don't get to read much those 2 days. You should never feel the need that you absolutely have to read.....or, it will become like a chore, and no longer be a fun hobby. Maybe, you can do what I do, and read some mangas and graphic novels, instead of big book after big book after big book.

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    1. I really starting to focus on reading the books I really want to read now, only requesting those I really want and those that will interest me. It's important I start doing that and it's starting to help a little. I do read a few graphic novels and comics in between books, but I'm pretty picky over the style I like. I'm reading quite average sized books at the moment, around 300 pages each, and they're good, so I'm thinking I'll just lower the amount, not the length. 300 books is a lot of books, I couldn't do that many, so good luck Holly! :D

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