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WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Hello my lovely bookworms! Today I wanted to talk to you about the ups and downs of being a mood reader. Also, a big shout out and a huge thank you to Nicole from Feed Your Fiction Addiction for compiling the awesome list of discussion posts ideas where I got the idea for today's post from. Thank you Nicole!!
I've always been a mood reader. Ever since I started reading for fun, I've known to listen to that little voice inside my head asking for a certain type of book. The same can be said about me and music. However, unlike with music, where seasons influence my Spotify playlists and I know just what I'll be listening to in, say, August, my reading moods are completely random, and really unpredictable. I can stay here all day and plan what I'll be reading in April, but the truth is, I can't make a plan or a realistic TBR, because I might not want to read those books when the time comes. The good thing is that I'm not always in a mood to read a certain genre. It fluctuates, and sometimes that inner voice shuts up, satisfied for having been on a genre/author binge. As with every thing in like, being a mood reader has its good sides and its bad sides.
The Good
- The first thing I learned in all these years is that being a mood reader allows me to discover many new to me authors. I've probably discovered more new authors when I'm in one of my moods than when I read whatever it is that happens to be next on my TBR list.
Source: Popkey
- Another good thing that happens when I'm in a mood reading episode is that I'm able to enjoy and appreciate certain books or themes a little bit more than I would if I wasn't in a mood read. It happens a lot more than you think, and it's not that it makes my rating deceitful, but it does make me ignore some flaws or things I normally wouldn't enjoy reading about, that otherwise I wouldn't be able to ignore.
- Ultimately, being a mood reader definitely helps me read more in a shorter time. For me being in a mood reading episode is the complete opposite of being in a reading slump. Take January, for instance, when I was on a romance kick and I read 11 books. By comparison, February was a slump month and I only read 7 books. Now, while I don't have a set number of books I want to read in a month, being in a reading mood definitely helps me get closer towards my yearly reading goal.
The Bad
- One bad thing of being a mood reader is that, usually, I have a hard time enjoying other genres or authors, so much so that I usually DNF books that I normally wouldn't DNF. So I've learned to not try out other stuff if I'm not in the mood for them. For example, if I'm in the mood for dark erotica, I sure won't be trying out any romance books. Luckily, this doesn't apply to books I have to read. My brain allows me to read the books I receive for reviews when I'm in my mood reading episodes, so that's a relief.
- Another bad thing is that while I'm less critical of certain themes or words or even scenes, being compelled to read a certain type of books makes me more critical of other things. It's not uncommon for me to DNF a book in the genre I'm reading or by the author I'm bingeing if I don't feel it meets certain requirements. This might sound confusing and almost like I'm contradicting myself, but I've DNFed books by my favorite authors more frequently while bingeing that author's books than in any other instance in which I picked up their book at random.
- Last but not least, being a mood reader makes my TBR get way too big. Because while the mood to read something strikes me at random and it's hard to predict when it will strike me, it's also hard to predict when it will end. And I usually don't enjoy reading something that I've just binged on if I am no longer craving that type of book. It's like I'm fully sated and I need to distance myself from that genre or that author in order to continue to enjoy their work. My TBR also gets bigger because the more books I read by an author, or in a genre, the more books I discover that meet certain criteria and the more books I want to read. Basically everything makes my TBR pile get bigger and bigger.
Let's discuss. Are you a mood reader? What are your challenges as a mood reader? Or how lucky are you that you are not a mood reader?
I would say I fall in between being a mood reader and planning out my TBR :) Starting a book blog definitely makes me tend toward the latter, but I would rather fall a little behind on my schedule than force myself into a reading slump! I agree that my TBR gets much longer when I follow my moods: not just because I'm delaying ARCs, but if I enjoy one book then I may add half a dozen more like it when I'm done!
ReplyDeleteYeah, whenever I discover either a new author or a new subgenre, I tend to go nuts with adding stuff on my TBR. It definitely doesn't help my wallet either LOL
DeleteI am totally a mood reader! But unlike you, it doesn't allow me to read the books I received for review. It's so annoying when you request a book, get approved, then aren't in the mood to read it anymore! Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm stubborn and I tell my mood to hold up a second. It doesn't always work, but I manage to keep the little bastard contained for the most part. It does get my mood to last longer, which I have no idea if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Ii is definitely annoying. Especially when it's a book you're so excited to read!!
DeleteI SO wish that my mood reading allowed me to be in the same mood long enough to go on a binge!! My moods change from book to book and it makes it so hard to stick to a schedule for reviewing. If I try to ignore my moods, I know I won't like the book as much as I should and the review will not be as good-- which totally isn't the book's fault!! Every now and again I get in one of those moods where I am open to anything-- and those are the best reading times for me :)
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad that you can't go on binges. And somewhat better at the same time, because then you don't have that "I'm so bored of this series/author" feeling. Now that I think about it I'm kind of convinced it's better to not be able to go on binges.
DeleteI'm quite the mood reader as well! It has often happened that I pick up one book after another, read a few pages then set them aside because they don't appeal to my taste!
ReplyDeleteI used to be more of a planner, but lately I'm much more of a mood reader. Unfortunately, I'm finding that it's easier to be in a slump when I'm mood reading for some reason, though. I think because I don't have review books to just power through.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction