Book blogging would make sense. I love to read and I love to talk about reading, so what would be better than blogging about it?
And yet, I’ve never seriously considered book blogging. And I think I know why: I don’t want reading to become a chore.
Reading started to feel like a chore earlier this year. At the time, I was involved in three book clubs and had also accepted a number of book review requests on this blog. At one point, I was reading three books at a time to try and get them done before the book club meeting or blogging deadline.
It made me realize what a chore reading had become. I wasn’t reading the books I wanted to read, I was reading the books others told me to read.
I don’t want to disparage book bloggers. I follow a number of book bloggers and I enjoy reading their reviews and watching their Instagram Stories (book bloggers do the best Instagram Stories!) I think it’s great that we have people who are so passionate about reading that they start blogs designed entirely around their passion.
But it’s not for me.
I don’t want my reading to be limited to the next new release that I need to get my hands on. I rarely read new releases as it is – only 19% of the books I’ve read so far this year were published in 2017. I have over 800 books on my Goodreads TBR list that I want to read, and while a good number of those books are new releases, there are more backlist titles than not. If my reading becomes centered around new releases, or books other people are pushing into my hands to review, I’m never going to get around to those backlist titles that I want to read.
I’ve done a few reading challenges in the past few years, the most notable one being the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge that I completed in 2015. It was a fun experiment and I got to read a ton of books that have been on my TBR for a while, but I’ve just never gotten around to. But it also made reading feel like a chore. I felt like the books at the top of my personal TBR kept getting shoved further and further down the list (and forget about reading romance; 2015 was the year I read the least amount of romance in my entire life and that’s never a good thing!) It made me remember that reading doesn’t need to be a chore. It is a fun passion of mine and it’s okay if reading challenges don’t fulfill me like they do for others.
I just want reading to be a fun escape. I don’t want to put parameters on it. I don’t want to feel like I have to read a certain book because I have to write a review about it on my blog. (And, also, I want to have the freedom to abandon books that don’t fulfill me, which I can’t exactly do with books I’ve requested to review.) This is why I’ve stopped accepting review requests from authors and publishers who email me. I appreciate that they reach out to me and as an aspiring writer myself, I want to support them in this way, but it’s just not the right move for me. I’m still reviewing books for TLC Book Tours, but I’ve slowed way down on the number of books I ask for. I used to ask for one per month and now I’m only doing one per quarter, and it feels so much better this way.
There’s also the fact that I want my blog to be a place where I can write about anything. I haven’t limited myself to any niche, but have the freedom to talk about whatever I want. Whether that’s personal essays like this, features like “Currently In…” and “TGIF,” or vulnerable topics that have been on my mind, I love this blog being a place where I can talk about my life. I would probably be able to grow my blog’s following a lot quicker if I switched over to book blogging, but that’s not what I want from blogging.
So, while I’m happy for the book bloggers out there who are doing their thing and introducing us to new books, I’m happy to take a backseat to that and let my blog be my space and my reading life be mine and mine alone.
Stephany, I could have written this myself!!! I started as a book blogger in 2009 and quickly burned out. Like you said, reading became a chore and I wasn’t picking out what I wanted to read anymore. It was a lot of pressure with people emailing too about when I might get to their book. So I switched over to my random, lifestyle-ish blog in 2013 or so. I stopped reviewing altogether. I wanted the freedom to read what I wanted to read and write what I wanted to write. It was the BEST decision I ever made for my blog and I’ve been so much happier with it ever since. Earlier this year, I decided to dip my toes back into reviewing a bit. I’ve had a lot of fun and have read some AMAZING books I would not have read otherwise, but it’s becoming overwhelming again. I think I need to take a step back after November (which is when I have book tours booked out until) and maybe only review a few books a year, like you.
I highly recommend it, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your book reviewing. I love that book reviewing allows me to read books I wouldn’t have otherwise picked up, but I also have SO many books on my TBR that I want to get around to. It’s a difficult balance, but I enjoy letting reading be a fun hobby for me, and nothing more than that.
Same here. I used to do book reviews for TLC but I stopped a couple of years ago because, like you said, it made something I enjoyed a chore. I also had a hard time writing reviews when I didn’t like the book. And more often than not, I felt like I had to force myself to finish the book. Life is too short to read books that I don’t enjoy. And I realized I didn’t need free books because I already have access to more books that I could ever read through the library.
I do like reading book reviews but I prefer reading reviews in people’s monthly recaps. Because they are always honest about their thoughts and I like to see what others chose to read instead of what they had to read!
Yes, it’s really hard to review a book that wasn’t enjoyable, especially when I received it FROM the author and I know they are going to read my review. At least with TLC, the author typically doesn’t comment on my posts! Ha. I try to be honest in my reviews, but I know I’m a little more PC than I am in my regular monthly book reviews. And, yeah, I’m the type that doesn’t have a problem abandoning a book I’m not enjoying, which I can’t do with books I’m reviewing and makes reading feel much more like a chore than a hobby.
I actually don’t read reviews, so I never want to write them either. I like knowing how people felt about a particular book (like the star rating, etc) but not exactly what a book is about. My reviews, when I do write them, are things like “this book was delightful” or “I wanted to climb into this book when I was done,” or “why aren’t there more than 5 stars for books like this?”
Speaking of which, if no one has recommended The Bookshop on the Corner, let me. It’s delightful. 🙂
I love short reviews like that! I think they are more impactful than really long book reviews because, let’s face it, nobody is reading those. We live in the digital age! My usual go-to for my favorite books is, “I wish I could give this more than five stars.” 😉
I think I have The Bookshop on the Corner on my TBR list, and now I’ll move it up my list, thanks to your rec. I love a delightful read!
Man, I could have written this! This is the exact reason I stopped book blogging and switched my blog direction 5 years ago. Reading became NOT FUN and such a chore. I felt so much pressure to keep up with all the latest books, and ignored hundreds of books on my shelf.
Also, like you, I wanted to blog about so much more! I LOVE your blog, and the blend you bring, including your book reviews. Keep up the amazing work!
xox
Thanks so much, Jessica! That means a lot. <3
This makes a lot of sense. I like the way you write about books now – pulling out the best ones for special highlights, & doing the rest of Instagram. I’m more included to read a blog WITH some book blogging than a blog ABOUT books, to be honest.
Thanks! I really love writing my monthly book review posts, and it can be a struggle for me to write an entire post about one book. I only read a handful of book blogs and I agree with you, I kinda prefer the blogs that write about books from time to time, but do their own thing the rest of the time. It feels more genuine!
I do book reviews but I don’t think I could ever make a blog out of it. I can barely scrape together enough creativity to write a decent review, nevermind a full blog post. And I agree, reading for a specific purpose would make it seem more like a chore.
It’s much easier to write a book review on books I loved than books I either didn’t love or felt apathetic about. But it’s very rare for me to be given a review book that I love and rave about and want everyone to read. I think that’s just the way it is in the book reviewing world, especially when you just do it from time to time and aren’t a big-name book blogger who gets TONS of ARCs sent to them. And I could get to that point, but eh, I just don’t want to. I don’t need ARCs; my library gives me all the free books I need. 🙂
Totally relate to this (well that and I don’t read nearly as much as I used to) & I feel like if I made reading into a chore I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. But I will say, I do love your book recommendations still.
I’m so glad you love my book recs! As a book nerd, that makes my heart so happy. 🙂
Totally get it. Whenever I set a reading goal for the year on Goodreads it stresses me the hell out and makes me feel like I HAVE TO READ, and then I just…don’t. It’s like I’m avoiding it because it’s become a mandatory event.
I always enjoy your book reviews and recommendations, but yeah, I totally get why you wouldn’t be a book blogger. If pressure is put on something, it becomes a chore and that rarely is fun after a while.