Hey all! I thought it’d be fun to take a little walk down memory lane, all the way to 2015. It was called the Reader Problems Tag, and it was one of my earliest posts I wrote for Short & Snappy. If you really want to, you can check it out here to see what young teenage Madeline wrote (cringe 😅). As I was looking back on it, I noticed how much my reading habits and preferences have changed in seven years. (Man, seven years…) So I’m going to attempt to answer the questions again! Let’s do it. 😊
You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?
First of all, my TBR has got to be at least 30,000 books by now, if not more. 😅 The way I usually go about deciding what to read next really varies and depends on my mood. Sometimes I’ll pick one up at random, or if there’s a particular genre I’m really craving. Other times I’ll make a list that I hope to get through. It’s hard because the type of book I’m craving can change while I’m in the middle of reading another book, so I’ll end up reading like three books at a time. 🥲
You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?
This is a hard one! I have gotten way better about setting books aside that just aren’t clicking with me (I used to be so bad about just powering through even when I was miserable 😆). I’ve also gotten better about telling when I’ll really love a book based on genre, story, characters, etc. pretty early on, so if I’m not digging it right away, I’ll probably quit. As a practical step, if I’m not sure I like it, I try to give a book 50-100 pages to decide if I should keep going. But honestly, there are just too many books to muscle through the ones I don’t like!
The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?
I have gotten so bad about just reading on a regular basis, honestly. 😅 I’m lucky if I can get through twenty books in a year. I don’t really use the Goodreads reading challenge anymore, because I feel like it puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself, but if I am challenging myself, I try to be flexible with my goal. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, and if I’m just reading to beat a goal, then that kinda takes the relaxation out of it, in my opinion.
The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?
This used to bother me so. much. when I was younger. Nowadays, though it still irks me, it doesn’t exasperate me as much. I think mostly because I can understand why covers change for marketing and reprint reasons. Cover changes mid-series, however…
Every one and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?
I usually just keep it to myself, ha. I’m not about to get into an argument over something that’s a matter of very subjective opinion. It’s not worth it. But if there is someone who agrees with me, then it’s nice to have that camaraderie. 😌
You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?
I don’t cry when I read books. And especially if I was in public, I likely wouldn’t show very much emotion at all. But I guess if the book was super emotional and I was feeling the urge to cry, I would stop reading and get myself together, maybe take a break from the book altogether.
A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!
Okay, this is such an annoying problem. I already have the memory of a goldfish, so it is next to impossible for me to remember literally anything about the first book. If it’s a book I really love, oftentimes I’ll re-read it. I’m definitely not skipping the sequel, that’s for sure. I should try that synopsis trick…might come in handy!
You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?
I used to be really against sharing books with people. Mostly my siblings, because I knew what they would do to them. 😂 But now that they’re older, I don’t really have a problem sharing books with them. Plus, then I get to talk with them about the book! But if I really, really don’t want to share a book with someone…I think I would still just let them borrow it. It’s just a book…I tell myself as I imagine all the crinkled, folded, pages and cracked spine. 🥲
You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?
This happens to me SO frequently lately. It’s like I have reader ADHD. The second I start a book, I want to read another book. Thus goes the cycle and thus comes the slump. I’m like a little child who gets what they want, but then they see their sibling with something and they change their mind. 😅 It’s always great when a really awesome book pulls me out of a slump though. It’s the best feeling.
There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?
Necessity has put a slight halt to book-buying for me, but I still usually buy a book if I’m super excited about it, especially if it’s from a fellow indie author. 🥰 If I could buy all the books I want, I would need to get more shelves…mine are already nearly reaching their limit…
After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?
I am so ashamed to admit this, but there are books on my shelf that I bought when I was 16 that I still have not read. I’m almost 22. 😅 It’s bad, I know. I’m just such a slow reader! I didn’t used to be, but with different priorities now…it’s made reading an occasional thing. Which is honestly really sad. I miss being able to read for hours and hours, just totally forgetting everything else and being immersed in the stories.
all these lovely gifs are thanks to Tatiana on GIPHY
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