Bookish Life Lessons

Happy Tuesday, reader friends! It’s time again to link up with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesdays! The topic this week is: “Changes In My Reading Life!” From genres or topics to reading speed, frequency, or length preferences… life has a tendency to keep us on our toes when we’d rather be reading! If you’re interested, read my recent reader life update. Here are my bookish life lessons, ten things I’ve learned to do differently in my reading!

bookish life lessons

select books I love

After reading hundreds of books, I’m pretty doggone good at knowing a good book when I see it. More specifically, I’m giving myself permission to seek out stories for MY enjoyment because I prefer to invest my time in books that I’m genuinely excited about!

 

limit or avoid genres I don’t love

First of all, books I read and feature in these genres are especially great reads! I am not saying anything is wrong with these genres, I’m simply not their target audience. For example, Amish fiction and I broke up a long time ago, women’s fiction generally leaves me feeling lukewarm, Christmas stories have limited visitation rights, and I rarely dabble in fantasy. 

 

apply a little bookish bravery

I have embraced the thrilling world of romantic suspense and I’m loving every heart-pounding, action-filled moment (as long as the plot doesn’t scare me too much, I’m still a chicken at heart)!

 

back to the mass market

I’m overcoming my aversion of crowded pages and tiny spines for these sweet little stories that pack a plotful punch. Love Inspired authors have raised the bar over the last several years and I’m impressed with the depth I’ve found here.

 

have my cake and eat it two (or three) times

Okay, I’m pretty stinkin’ proud of that subheading right there, y’all. That is clever stuff! Of course, I’m referring to split-time novels, stories that feature two intertwined timelines or three (or more, is that a thing?!)!

 

reading time issues dam my book flow

My tbr is crashing against the Hoover Dam sized tbr, drowning my days in bookless sorrow. We’ve talked about how to shake the shelf shame but honestly, the shelves have overflowed to multiple stacks on benches and end tables. 

 

don’t settle

There was a time when I resolutely read each and every page of each and every book I picked up. Those days are long gone. While I do not condone throwing books around a room, I’m no longer ashamed to set a book aside when I’m not enjoying it. When I’m done, I’m done. DNF (did not finish) is okay with me.

 

one is the loneliest number

Not only am I reading fewer books overall, but I’m also reading fewer books at any given time. My tandem reading has taken a big hit. Lately, my poor books are consistently lined up in a painfully slow single file march. Sadness.

 

swoof snowballing

This is a thing. It can be a dangerous thing if the swoof snowball happens to sit on top of the tbr book dam. The likelihood of me being smooshed in the aftermath increases as the snowball and dam grow. Also, I have never been skiing.

 

variety is the spice of reader life

As I’m scrambling to escape the perils of swoofalanches and book dams, I don’t have as much time to scout out debut or indie authors, diverse character casts, or dabble in new-to-me settings, genres, or formats. I miss the rush of discovering and sharing something (or someone) fresh and unique.

 

Can you relate to any of these lessons, reader friends?
What are some bookish life lessons you’ve learned?