His post about the pressures of blogging, reviewing and reading was a breath of fresh air to me and I found myself relating to much of what he said. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to stop by. There's some great conversations happening there right now.
So taking inspiration from Bryan and his advice to write my own post, here are some of my thoughts on the subject that he so eloquently spoke about:
On Blogging: I have stopped pressuring myself to keep up with other bloggers and readers like I did when I first began blogging. You can drive yourself crazy doing that. I also believed I had to read all of the newest releases and post my thoughts as quickly as possible to stay relevant. But all that did was deter me from why I started reading and blogging in the first place: My love of books and sharing them with other book lovers. I have eclectic taste in books but there are certain genres I don't care for at all, so I stay away from them - even if that means I'm not in the 'cool' crowd. I've never been one to read the most mainstream books just because they're on the Hot List somewhere. For instance, I've never read a Harry Potter book! (I know...gasp!) Nor have I read any of the Twilight Saga or even Fifty Shades of Grey, but that's a whole other topic!
You know how as you get older you care less and less what people think? Well, not to sound like a snob or anything, but that's kind of how I feel about my blogging, reviewing and reading. There's no way I could possibly keep up with all of the people I see on social media, so why should I drive myself nuts trying to? I read and blog because I enjoy it. Its not my job, I don't HAVE to do it - its purely for my pleasure. I know many of you feel the same way.
On Reading: Another thing about me is that I'm not a fast reader. Never have been. I enjoy taking my time with a book, especially a well written book and enjoying the writers' craft. For instance, when I read The Book Thief, I would re-read whole sections because the writing took my breath away! I wonder: If you're reading fast do you miss certain things? I once read a book with a friend.(It was one of Stieg Larrson's books) and I read so much slower than my friend that I struggled to keep up with her and it was constantly on my mind while I read, that I gave up and just read at my own pace. Afterward, I felt there were some moments in the book she didn't recall the way I did.
My slow reading pace is also one reason I don't do challenges. The other is I like to pick my next book pertaining to the mood I'm in, which can change on a dime. I'm all over the map with what books I want to read so keeping to a particular genre or theme wouldn't work for me. Plus, its the whole pressure to keep up thing again.
On Reviewing: Many of the books I read have been out for years and I used to feel no one would be interested in those reviews but I've realized that's just not true. I do enjoy writing reviews and I write one for every book I read. I don't always follow a format and sometimes I just start them off like a conversation but one thing I NEVER do in a review is reveal any spoilers! I am adamant about that. I talk about the book and its characters in a way that if you haven't yet read it, I'm not going to ruin anything for you. That is a pet-peeve of mine. I take great care in avoiding spoilers and I know my readers appreciate that.
As for today, the reason I didn't think I had anything to share is because I've been having a hard time getting started with a book lately. I've chosen a few books I have a genuine interest in but I'm having trouble getting started. I know this is a terrible way to start the year, so I'm hoping it will soon pass. One reason may be that the lenses in my glasses need to be updated. Luckily I have an appointment with the eye doctor Wednesday and will be ordering new ones! I'm hoping my reading will pick up once I get my new glasses. I'm also suffering from some double-vision which makes reading a bit difficult to say the least!
So for today, I'll be flapped out in my comfy chair watching the NFL playoffs and hopefully getting started with DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn. A friend of mine read this awhile back and said it was really good. Supposedly its being made into either a movie or a TV series later this year.
Thanks for stopping by today! Do you feel any pressures regarding reading, blogging or reviewing? Don't forget to visit Still Unfinished and join that conversation!
Love your post!
ReplyDeleteOddly, I never feel pressure to review and read. I don't do real challenges either. I'm just interested in finding the best books and reading them and sharing them. And that's it.
readerbuzz.blogspot.com
Thanks Deb! I don't know why I started feeling the pressure, but I'm glad I don't let it get to me anymore!
DeleteFirst, thanks for the link. Second, this nails it: "I also believed I had to read all of the newest releases and post my thoughts as quickly as possible to stay relevant. But all that did was deter me from why I started reading and blogging in the first place: My love of books and sharing them with other book lovers." Nope. You're more relevant than many of those bloggers who post about the latest hyped book (which by the way, I'm reading today ;) but I don't know if I'll write about it on my blog or not...at least, not a review). You prove that in this post. Great post here and take off from all the other posts too.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Bryan. Sometimes we just need a reminder of what's important in the things we do. As long as my reading, reviewing and blogging makes me happy, I'll continue to do it on my own terms.
DeleteI used to put a lot more pressure on myself blogging wise as well. I felt I had to post every single day and would worry if I didn't have a book finished by publication date. Thankfully, I've let most of that go.
ReplyDeleteYou do an outstanding job on your blog and your loyalty to me and mine does not go unnoticed. I wish I'd have let go of the pressure a long time ago.
DeleteGreat post. I can relate to this a lot. I try to stay current but that's because it's something I enjoy, but I don't beat myself up if I'm late to the game with an "it" book anymore. And it's wonderful when I post a review on an older book and get great comments- I think that since those books have had longer to "cook" with readers, you get a better conversation going anyway!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true Marie! I'd never thought of it that way, but some of the best discussions I've had have been about older books. Thanks for the reminder!
Delete"You know how as you get older you care less and less what people think? Well, not to sound like a snob or anything, but that's kind of how I feel about my blogging, reviewing and reading."
ReplyDeleteExactly!! I started my blog as an online reading journal and keeping that as the focus is why I'm still at it.
By the way,Dark Places is very good!
I had no idea I'd still be blogging 7 years later! Today's topic has been a great reminder of why I started. Oh good! I'm glad you liked Dark Places too!
DeleteI definitely read a lot more new, "popular" books when I was first starting out blogging, and am a lot more varied in what I choose these days. I care less about what other people think of what I'm reading, and so I let myself fall into genres or series or whatever I feel like at any given moment. It's a nice kind of freedom. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've slacked off on the blog due to work and other pressures, and used to beat myself up over it, but don't anymore! My backlog will probably always be there, and I let a ton of books go unreviewed. It's only the ones that I've committed to read that I feel bad about, but I always get to them eventually!
ReplyDelete