Is it possible?! Can you really read TOO much?! No, no that can't be true...or can it?
OK. I know other people have written about this very subject but I notice they pointed things out that I could care less about. Sorry it's true. They pointed out that it can be bad for your eyesight and draw you away from studying (kids and teens) or make you shirk responsibilities. See? Those are pathetic reasons. ;) I tease, I tease. I just hadn't thought of those as being reasons not to read.
Anywho, the whole reason I'm writing this post is because, as you are well aware, I have been completely out of the blogging world for most of this year. Not only has my blog reading and writing been nearly obsolete but I haven't been reading that much either. In fact, I've only read 8 books since March...that used to be my average per month! Eeesh! And I've come to realize something. The less I read the more I enjoy what I read. Now that's not completely true. I enjoy reading no matter how many books I put away per month but it seems like I become completely nit picky, anal and judgmental of books when I'm constantly reading.
Now when I read a book, some where in the back of my mind I know it might not be the best book in the world but I get to read so little these days that almost any book is a good book...a great book! You know what I mean? Is this just me? I don't think so. At book club every month we all take turns reporting what we read since the last meeting. Some of us read so many books that when we report, there are those who just stare at us with mouths gaping, admitting the only book they managed to read was the book for book club...and they consider that a good reading number.
So, yeah, I often wondered if reading too many books was making me picky. Now, after taking a "forced" break I realize that for me... it was and there just might be such a thing as reading too much. Not that, that is going to stop me. Don't worry. ;)
Maybe what it really comes down to is this: Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
I'm the complete opposite! I've had such little time to read that every time I do get the chance, I am constantly second guessing whether I am wasting my precious reading time on a mediocre book.
ReplyDeleteI can see how that would happen. When I read as much as I have this year I find myself falling out of love with my favorite genres and getting frustrated with the clichés in them (especially the love triangles, insta-love, etc.).
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why they think 1 book in a month is great is because so few people bother to read anymore. A couple people I work with made the comment, "Who has time to read?" Of all the people I'm around, only maybe a couple of them read a LITTLE bit. It's kinda strange to me, since reading is such a big thing for me. As far as not reading much, I've had a couple of those moments this year, like a week or week and a half without reading. It made me a little irritated because I missed it so much, then when I got to reading again, it was the best feeling. :) So, I understand. :D
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I don't know if I kept reading and reading and reading if I'd hate the books I read. I honestly think for me that it's all about the feeling of the book. I'm going to hate it or like it no matter how many books I've read just because. Does that make sense? I will say that if I read too much in one month, I'll stop reading and do something else. I get burned out. I've noticed, that when I do which isn't very often, I can't seem to read more than 5 books a month.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm kind of like that. When i first started blogging I felt like it was easier for me to find books I liked. Then when I read more I was a little harder to please. :)
ReplyDeleteEither way, it's great you've found some enjoyable books lately. It's nice to have you back. :)
Interesting points. I don't think that I've reached the point of reading too much, but I've noticed that the more I read, the more I keep comparing books. A book that might have been great years ago might not be more than just ok now because I've read others that are better.
ReplyDeleteI love all these blog posts coming! And I hope you can get back to some sort of reading schedule, even if it's not as much as before. It'll be fun to see if you continue to enjoy everything you're reading when that happens!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it's not so much reading too much as just feeling pressure to get a certain amount of reviews/posts written that gets to me. You have to do what works for you, regardless of what that is. Glad to see you're back to posting!!!
ReplyDelete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a teenager, I devoured books--and it seemed okay because I still remembered details and appreciated the stories. Now that I have a lot more on my mind, I find that I need to give a really good book time to be "digested" before I move on to the next one. That's one reason why I've done more readalongs than reviews this year.
But I think that while book bloggers tend to stress over "reading slumps," we don't see that other things in our lives are speeding up in comparison--or that during the times when we could read quickly and well, other things were slowing down. There's a balance, I believe. =)