I’ve talked about being a mood reader before, so today’s topic is along those lines but it’s more about reading certain types of genres during certain times of the year.
I think for a lot of people their reading is affected by their mood. I know that when I make a TBR for a month I don’t stick to it because when that month rolls around I’m no longer in the mood to read that book and therefore it would most likely affect my reading experience.
But do you ever feel like you read a certain type of genre/author/book during a certain time of the year?
For a lot of people, I know that they like to read contemporaries during the summer because they’re light hearted and they feel like they match the tone for the season (carefree, relaxed, romantic, etc), and that some people read horror books during October, fantasy during the winter months, etc.
But why do we do this? Are we drawn to certain types of books during the year because that’s the trend or do we feel within ourselves that it matches the kind of tone we want to feel for that time of year?
I’ve recently been in a contemporary kick where all I want to read is contemporary because I’m struggling to read fantasy books. They’re fast, they’re fun, and they don’t require a ton of thinking to build up the world in my mind or think of the plot and possible twists and turns and such.
And then it got me thinking: am I wanting to read contemporaries because of the season? Is it because I want light hearted reads for the summer months, or do I just want to read a lot of cute romantic types of books?
I mean, most definitely I always want to read cute romantic things, but I think it actually does have something to do with the summer.
My days of summer vacation have long since been gone, but I still remember that feeling of freedom and being able to hang out with friends, have fun, and just relax for a while. I think I’m trying to relive that feeling through lighter reads. That isn’t to say that I won’t be reading fantasy books or books in different genres that might be heavier, but I struggled with reading over the summer last year because of the types of books I was reading, and I don’t want that to happen again.
Overall, yes, I do think that the season affects how and what we read. We feel more sluggish and tired in the winter, so we’re easily ready to curl up with a good, large book and just take our time with things. In the spring and fall I feel like it’s a transitional period, because now that summer’s practically on our doorstep I really just want to read fast books.
Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦
Do you find yourself reading certain genres or books during certain times of the year? Are you more drawn to contemporaries during the summer months or do you follow a strict TBR? Does it even matter to you what you read, when you read it?
Reader Rayna 
This is interesting topic to me and one I wanted to write on myself but never got around to it. I don’t find myself reading certain types of books at certain times of the year and I think it’s because in my country we don’t have seasons like fall, winter, spring and summer. We just have the dry and wet seasons. So I definitely think that for people who live in places with the full cycle of seasons, there is some influence on your mood and how and what you read.
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Huh, I never thought about that! Definitely for my region I think it can affect how someone reads and acts. Thanks for your input!
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Hmm, I didn’t realise this, but that might be the case! I read so many contemporary books over winter break last year – I went back to Asia, so it felt like summer. I’ve never put the pieces together, but yes, I definitely read “easier” and lighter books during vacation time! I mean, I still read other things, but mostly those sort.
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Right? Our brain needs to relax during those times!
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Personally I have always thought it weird and silly that people read horror/scary books in October. Actually, I think it’s more that many booktubers really want to read a scary book but also want to save it until october because its scary or whatever and then don’t ever end up reading the book. I might have almost gotten into a comment argument about this too (I declined to answer once it looked to be going in that direction). However I do need to acknowledge 3 things: 1) I’m not really a season reader. I don’t read things more or less often depending on the season. 2) Halloween is not really my thing, and neither are scary books (for unrelated reasons). And 3) I’m not one to read a lot of contemporary books.
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I think I’ve noticed that. The excitement of a new read can disappear over time, so I think leaving off a book until the last minute depending on the month or season can ruin it.
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When I was in my early 20’s I was very much a seasonal reader. In Summer I read contemporary (because summer is a very carefree chilled out season), Autumn was always thrillers (because it seemed to match the weather and the mood of Autumn), and winter and Spring was a mix of Fantasy & classics because for me winter is great to capture the mood of fantasy & classics and Spring is usually great for both of these genres because I find them both quite inspirational to start fresh.
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That’s really neat to see how eclectic your tastes were over the course of the year!
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My reading tastes don’t really change with the season, I read fantasy mostly all year round! I do read other genres as well of course, but fantasy has always been my favourite and the seasons don’t change that.
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Fantasy is the best, I agree! But sometimes I need a break.
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Fair enough! I feel the same way sometimes 🙂
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For me summer is like my chill reading season. 😊 I mostly read fantasy books most of the year so taking a break from that and reading a light and fluffy book is very much needed. So it’s kinda set in my mind that summer is the season to read contemporary books. And I think it really matches the feel of summer. 😄
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I agree! They’re so fun and relaxing (most of the time).
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I’m not sure if the reading phases I go through are seasonal, but I’ve never thought to link the two before so who knows! I do try to read Christmassy books around Christmas, but that’s as far as I consciously go.
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I think there’s something about reading books around those times of year that really compel us to want to read more of those kinds of stories, like it gets us in the mood for that holiday/time.
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