***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: reading slumps

Reading books with absolutely no obligation to review them! There's just something so freeing, knowing you can enjoy a book to the utmost, without having to spend an hour or more reviewing it after you've finished reading it.

I've been going through a ton of audio lately, sometimes listening to more than one audiobook in a single day. (I slowly graduated from single speed to triple speed, and I'll never go back, even if my husband says it sounds like The Chipmunks to him.) And for the most part, I'm not reviewing any of it.

I've been tempted to, especially once I finished my series listen of the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. Those audiobooks -- that series, period! -- are phenomenal. And I wanted to shout it from the rooftops as soon as I finished the last book, but I didn't really feel like reviewing the books. So I posted a few words on my Goodreads reviews for each book and moved on.

So often since I started this blog -- nearly five years ago! -- I've felt obligated to review every book I read or listen to. I mean, that's why I started blogging in the first place: to share my love of books. But I'm learning that this doesn't mean I have to review every single one. Or even most of them. Hell, I hardly even read reviews anymore. I consider myself a more seasoned reader these days, and I don't rely on others' opinions to determine which books I pick up and which I don't. I read the synopsis, add it to my TBR, and hope I'm still interested by the time the book lands in my hands. Reviews on Goodreads do help me discover new reads I might not have ran across otherwise, but I don't seek out reviews much anymore. Not on Goodreads or on book blogs.

And I don't think I'm alone in this. I find that the posts that get the most views are those like this, that reveal something about me as a reader or just discuss reading in general. There are those reviews where I'm a gushing mess, and those do tend to see more attention, which is fine by me since those are the reviews that matter to me more because I felt something so strongly for the book -- and it shows in my review. I'm so over reviewing the technical aspects of a story. I just want to be wowed and feel driven to tell everyone about this marvelous book I just read.

I think I've come full circle in how I tackle this blogging thing. To a degree, anyway. In the beginning, this was basically just a reading journal for me. No promotions. No competition. Just reading for pure enjoyment. It's hard not to want to help promote authors I've become friends with, and I'll continue to do that. And I'll spend exorbitant amounts of time hunting for the perfect GIFs for my fanatic reviews of the books that just won't quit me. But I want to stop forcing myself to review because it feels more like a chore sometimes than a hobby.

There are those times when as soon as I've finished a book, I want to write up my review immediately or at least draft some of my feelings into a post. And that's when I know I've read a great book because I can't help but share my thoughts. But then there are other times when it'll take me weeks to review a book, even if I liked it, just because I'm not in the mood and I don't want to do the book or the author a disservice.

Reading and reviewing books out of a sense of obligation is just such a bummer. It also tends to send me into a reading slump because I'm forcing myself to read things and I have become such a mood reader these days. So, I'm going back to my roots: reading what I want, when I want, and reviewing it if/when I feel like it.

I don't know how this will affect the blog or how many reviews I put out going forward. I'm not trying to put that kind of pressure on myself anymore. I'll likely have a review up later today because I want to, but you'll also notice that it'll be the first review posted this week. (April seems to share my sentiments and is only reviewing when she feels like it, too.) I love that we've unburdened ourselves of that responsibility. Sure, I'll still post reviews and promo for tours and other commitments I've already made, but it's still on my terms. ;0) And I'd much rather take a step back than go on a full hiatus.

Back to reading just for the fun of it! YAAAAAASSSSSS!!!

Can you relate? Do you think there's any correlation between your sense of obligation and how much you're enjoying blogging? Does blogging sometimes feel like more of a(n unpaid) job/chore to you than a hobby?

Labels: discussion, reading for fun, reading slumps

The Sunday Symposium is a weekly feature in which I'll be discussing various bookish topics and asking for your commentary, as well. This week, let's talk about those ugly reading slumps we all fall prey to and how to remedy them.

I am chagrined to admit that I've let my review schedule dictate most of the books I've read lately. And when I get behind on said schedule, I tend to grab the audiobook version. Yes, that means I'm purchasing the audiobook of a book I already own a galley of. I feel such a keen obligation to review a book that I've requested that apparently I'll go to any length to accomplish it.

But this post isn't to complain about my compulsive behavior -- or idiocy, whatever you want to call it. No, it's to call out those books that have really disappointed me lately. Okay, so that's not really the point of this post, either, but surely I will feel better once the blame has been laid. Right?

Anyway, I wouldn't say that I'm in a full-blown reading slump right now because I have read and listened to some amazing books in the last couple of months. But I have been trying to ward one off for the last couple of months. And it all started with Taken. I've been trying to scour reviews since to ensure that that mess doesn't happen to me again. No such luck with Chantress, although I did DNF at 28%, but I did miss out on the crazyship that was September Girls. Even so, that stupid, beautiful cover still has me contemplating it. What if everyone else was wrong?!? *sigh*

At any rate, I've kind of just been picking and choosing what I want to read from my review books the last couple of weeks, even reading some months ahead of schedule. *gasp* I'm such a mood reader these days, and I feel like half the books I've read lately have been in vain because I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I picked them up. I'm still hoping that's the case with Chantress because I'd been looking forward to that particular book for months, so it was really disappointing when the dialogue of all things was what made me give up rather early on in the story.

The worst of it is that even audiobooks aren't immune to the slump. I don't love every audiobook I listen to, but I do enjoy the majority of them. However, in the last week alone, I listened to two that were rather unsatisfactory, one because of the story and the other because of the story and the narrator. So disappointing were these books that I don't even want to do full reviews, not even to gripe. I think I'm going to join the trend and do mini-reviews for these so I can finally put them out of my mind. The sad thing is, both of those stories (not the audiobooks) had been highly recommended to me.

With so many awesome books releasing each week, it's really discouraging when I pick up several less-than-stellar books/audiobooks in a relatively short span of time. Is it me? Is it the book? Should I take a break from all of this? These books all seemed promising, and other reviewers loved them. Maybe I'm just too snarktastic for my own good.

But then, then I read The Bitter Kingdom. Slump be damned! And the words to convey how much I loved this book evade me now, but I'll get a review up closer to release date. I'll probably have re-read the book by then, too, because it was freaking genius. Genius, I tells ya! It's even renewed my interest in this whole endeavor. Because this book proved to me that it's not just me. I do still love to read and I do still love to share awesome books with people. I was obviously just reading the wrong ones. I will just have to be a lot choosier with future reads. I hate DNFing a book and I hate reading something I'm not enjoying.

So, I shall maintain a reading/reviewing schedule, but I will no longer allow it to be my prescribed reading list. And I will continue to monitor reviews for books on it, and if something seems like it's not going to be a good fit, out the window it goes. No more forcing myself to read things just because I requested them. No more purchasing audio when I have a perfectly good review copy in my hands. If it has to wait, it has to wait.

Do you experience reading slumps often or at all? What books have pulled you out of a reading slump?

Any and all commentary, chastising, and public flogging is welcome, as per usual. And thanks for stopping by! Also, be sure to check out Let's Discuss to find more bookish discussions all over the interwebz!