Long Books & Blogging Ruts

Long Books & Blogging Ruts

• May 20, 2013

What Katie Does - Etsy Shop

I've always loved the quote above by C.S. Lewis. What reader doesn't share his sentiments? I love settling in on the couch with my blanket and a cup of tea - ready to dive in to the adventure on the pages before me. As for the second part of his statement, I used to agree. Sadly, I think this is one side effect of blogging that isn't what I'd qualify as a positive change.

Jamie at Perpetual Page-Turner has a fantastic new Before & After Blogging feature where she talks about bookish habits that have changed since she's started blogging. I think most readers who now blog can identify with many of the things she'd listed. I've been thinking about a post about this for a bit, and recently saw that she already wrote about this topic for that feature! While I don't necessarily expect to spark a new conversation on this topic, I still wanted to share some of my own thoughts and feelings.

I used to have no second thoughts about picking up a chunky book. None at all! And I since I barely read young adult before blogging, we're talking adult fiction, classics, non-fiction... chunksters that often took even more time to read than a chunky YA book! If I liked the sound of a book and was in the mood for it, I just started reading. It could take me a few days or a few weeks - I really wasn't concerned. But that changed when I started blogging. Setting a Goodreads goal, tracking my reading and having new reviews all became more important than slowing down and picking up a thicker book.

Y'all, this makes me sad! I know that I've let so many books just sit on my shelves that I would probably love if I just gave them a chance to win my heart. I'm a really fast reader, and I can often finish a book in an afternoon. If a long book really grabs my attention, there's still a chance I'll fly through it's pages. But if it's a long book that's also potentially going to be a slower read (like a biography), I'm way less likely to start reading it. And if I do, I'm likely reading a chapter here and there because I'm juggling another shorter/easier/faster book that I'm giving most of my attention.

There can be such a pressure associated with blogging, even though it's usually just the pressure you put on yourself. From trying to read review books in a timely manner to having enough content for blog posts, it's easy to fall into this weird GO GO GO blogging mindset.

I've lately been on a major L.M. Montgomery kick, and I bought what is considered to be the definitive biography of her life. It arrived at my door, and I excitedly tore open the package to discover that the book was almost 700 pages. Cue a wide-eyed stare and the book being shuffled to my shelves. Then, a week ago, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to read the book. Y'all, that was the only thing that I was interested in!

Instead of just picking it up, I tried to talk myself out of it. I couldn't stop thinking about how long it was going to take to read, how many other books I could read in the meantime, how I might need to pick something fun to read at the same time... You name an excuse, I probably thought it.

I started the book a little over a week ago, and I just finished it this weekend. So, despite its length, it still only took me a week to read. A WEEK!  That's really not that long for a 700-page book, and I loved every minute I spent reading it.

As Jamie has pointed out, blogging really does bring so many changes. Some are good, but others I could do without. And some of those changes are my own fault! Who says I can't read a long book? Who says I can't re-read my favorites? NO ONE! There are no blogging rules, no guidelines to follow, and no reason I can't read what I want.

If you compare blogging to exercising, sometimes I feel like I'm just running on a treadmill. I'm doing the same things, the same way, and often at the same pace. Sure, I might be achieving my goals, but I'm not necessarily loving every minute of it. The only time I've ever enjoyed going to the gym was when I mixed things - maybe lifting some weights, spending some time on the stationary bike, maybe getting on the elliptical if I felt really motivated. So, my goal for blogging is to get off the treadmill. I want to infuse a little more variety in my reading life - whether that means I'm reading longer books or just reading from more genres.

Spending a week reading a book - and a biography at that - has helped me realize just how much blogging has changed my reading habits. Regardless of whether you're a blogger or not, I think everyone can relate to that feeling of being in a little bit of a rut. This is my way of acknowledging it, working through it and hopefully starting to make some behind-the-scenes changes. You might not notice any difference on the blog, but I'm excited about what the future might hold!