Tag Archives: mood

When You’re Just Not in the Mood to Read

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I’ve hit a slump, guys. Well, maybe it’s not a slump, it’s more just like I don’t feel like reading right now.

As a book blogger, it kind of sucks because I love posting reviews and discussing books with others and doing all the things book related, but I think I’m just feeling burnt out and I need a break.

It’s natural, though, to go through waves of interest. Sometimes you’re more into one thing than you are another, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s just when you let that thing you started with become such a huge part of your life that you feel lost without it.

I’ve been trying to read some books I’m interested in – like, very interested in – and I’m just not connecting with it at all. I felt the same way this time last year, too, so it might be a seasonal thing. I just don’t have the desire to read.

And that’s okay.

I’ve been more in the mood to watch anime and Netflix than anything, lately. I want to do more than just center a lot of my life around books and I think that’s mainly where this not wanting to read feeling is stemming from.

It could also be environmental: if you’re stressed out from work or family or whatever you’ve got going on in your life, that could easily affect your reading, too. I know it’s affected mine because I’ve just been stressed out lately, too.

So if you’re just not in the mood to read and you’re usually an avid reader, then don’t fret because it’s probably just something going on in your life that’s causing it, you’re not reading the right thing at the right time, or you just need a break. Heck, it could even be a combination of all three, but don’t let it get you down.

Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦

Is anyone else going through something similar? What do you do in the meantime?

Reading Certain Types of Books During Certain Times of the Year

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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?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books To Read If You’re In the Mood For…

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Hey peeps and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely people of The Broke & the Bookish. Today’s topic is ten books to read if you’re in the mood for X. For this one I think that I’m going to pick if you’re in the mood for a strong female protagonist. I love reading books with strong female protagonist for a few reasons:

  • I am a female therefore reading about awesome female characters fills me with joy.
  • Girls aren’t always the damsels in distress.
  • I just love it.

So, with that, here are the books I think you should read if you’re in the mood for a strong female protagonist:

  1. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. This trilogy is one of my favorite of all time, and part of that reason is because of Lia, the main protagonist. She is all kinds of kick butt from her strong personality to her intellect to her beauty. I really love her and think she’s a great female character.
  2. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Now I know this comes as no surprise to some of you because, honestly, I love Celaena/Aelin. I think that she’s a kickass character who, yes, is flawed, but she’s also strong in many ways: physically, personality, magically. I love her to pieces.
  3. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I love, love, LOVE the female relationship in this book, and the fact that this book has TWO strong female protagonists makes it so much better. Safiya and Iseult bounce off of each other and compliment in each other in many ways, and neither is really weak (I mean, they are only human and do have emotions and whatnot), but they bring out the strength in the other beautifully. Love them.
  4. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. Okay, hear me out. I know Juliette is really a very weak character in the beginning, but her character arc is one of the best ones I’ve seen and it’s always refreshing to read about such a strong character by the end of it all. She becomes strong not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well, and you get to see that progression as time goes on.
  5. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. Vin is an unconventionally strong young woman because at the beginning she was very skittish, even if she did have a hot temper. As time progressed, though, she may have still had a hot temper, but she showed her intelligence, agility, and skills as an Allomancer. She’s a great female protagonist, in my opinion.
  6. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. Karou is one of my favorite characters of all time because not only does she go through a LOT of crap, she does so with as much pride and strength as she can muster. She’s creative, cunning, smart, skilled, and brave. I just think that she’s one that you should really get into.
  7. The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. I love Kate because she doesn’t put up with any shit at any given time. She doesn’t need anyone to take care of her – and she doesn’t want to – because that’s when problems really start to arise. But she does have a heart and doesn’t always act before thinking. I find that she’s one of the strongest (physically and mentally) female characters that I’ve read about.
  8. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Laia is one of those characters who appears weak on the outside, but on the inside she’s made of fire. She’s willing to sacrifice and do so much to save her brother and be treated like dirt along the way. She does take a lot of risks, and I think because of that she’s strong.
  9. The Starbound trilogy by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner. This whole trilogy consists of strong female protagonists: Lilac not only has her beauty, but she’s also highly intelligent and handy in certain situations. Jubilee is physically strong as she’s a captain of the army on Avon, plus she’s quick on her feet. And Sofia is intelligent and uses her cunning to get through a lot of situations. Each of these young women stand out in my book.
  10. Saga by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples. This comic book series is intense, and the main female protagonist, Alana, is definitely a strong one. Not only does she have a foul mouth (strong language, haha), but she’s also willing to sacrifice herself for her loved ones, and I think that’s kind of major. She does have her ups and downs, and she makes plenty of mistakes, but she does her best with what she has and knows, and I think that’s important.

So there you have it, my recommendations for those who are looking to read something with a strong female protagonist.

What would you recommend for a book that has a strong female protagonist and why? Let me know!

The Reading Experience

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I saw this discussion topic on Katytastic’s channel on YouTube and thought I might put in my own two cents about what exactly “the reading experience” is and how it can affect your enjoyment in books.

When you read a book you pick it up expecting to enjoy it, right? Whether it be because of the characters or plot or the writing, you go in expecting to have that happy feeling sit in your belly as you read (or your heart or head or wherever).

But when the experience and memories surrounding a book are less than ideal, things can get a little complicated.

Say you’re reading a book you were highly anticipating and you have to go on a long car ride with your whole family: two parents, three loud siblings, your dog, and possibly even your cat. You’re enjoying the book because the characters are funny and the plot is dynamic, but your younger sister keeps throwing her snacks at you and the other two won’t stop arguing about who will do what when they get to your destination, and all the while your parents are in their own world.

The experience behind the book is less than pleasant so it may affect how you actually like the book in the end. If you give it another go in a much quieter setting, like in your room after everything is done for the night where you can control the noise, lighting, etc, then it makes for a much more enjoyable experience and it can actually cause you to enjoy the book much more.

I feel like I’ve had these experiences as well. I’m very much a mood reader, and so it can be a challenge to the right book to suit my mood at the time, but when I do I can usually fly through it if I’m enjoying it enough.

But lately I’ve been stressed due to transitioning from a part-time job to a full-time job in similar, but completely different positions. So I haven’t read as much because of the high stress and exhaustion I’ve been under. One book I’ve tried picking up that I was initially excited for is dragging and so I put it down because the experience behind it is negative (and I’m also not enjoying the voice of the main character, but that’s not the point).

Try reading during your peak times when you know you’ll enjoy that book you pick up. Don’t get me wrong, though: not every book you pick up will be enjoyable for its content, but the experience behind it can be a positive one.

Have you had difficult or troubling reading experiences? How did you get through them? Let me know!

Mood Reading: The Struggle

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I’m a total mood reader. I can’t help but pick up a specific book when I want. Even if I have a TBR planned for that month, I sometimes don’t feel like reading all of the books I planned to read during that specific month.

It makes it a challenge for reading, I can tell you that.

Lately I’ve really been in the mood to read fantasy books. I even gave a list of books that I think fit different types of fantasy because of how much I enjoy them. They often bring me to a whole new world and are engaging and dynamic and deep. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy reading other types of books, it’s just what I’m in the mood for at that specific time.

And then there’s the matter of whether or not I want to read a series from start to finish if all of the books are out or try to read books in between. I can tell you right now that I really wanted to finish reading “The Selection” trilogy by Kiera Cass after I finished the first book, but I didn’t have the funds to go and pick them up, so I just continued through my TBR pile.

The thing about that is it can make it extremely difficult to get into the world of the next book. Like seriously hard. I don’t know how I was able to push through the next book because my mind was still on the other, but I managed. It can be tough sometimes, though, believe me.

Mood reading is good, though, because instead of forcing myself to read books I’m really not in the mood for and hoping to get something out of the story (which really doesn’t produce much, actually), I can then enjoy the stories I want to read more because I’m actually in the mood to read them.

I feel like my words got jumbled there, but you know what I’m getting at, right? I love to read what I read when I read it. But it’s a struggle.

Are you a mood reader? Or are you able to stick to a schedule/plan for what you read?