I Gave Up On My Read-along
Embracing Personal Reading Style And Priorities
Hello my lovely reader!!!
Welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books.
I don’t know if you remember or if you even were here then, but back in January, I talked about participating in my first ever read-along and how excited I was for it and how much I was enjoying it. All that was indeed true back then, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long and I gave up on the read-along. And that’s what I’ll be talking about in today's letter.
Now, there were three main reasons behind it.
Firstly, it became like a routine, something I needed to do rather than I wanted to do. I’m a mood reader. I’ll read ten chapters in one day if I feel like it and then not read a single chapter for ten days if I don’t feel like it. So, having that one chapter a day schedule really wasn’t working for me. Reading was feeling like a chore, which was the last thing I wanted. And I had another book, A Tale Of Two Cities, that I was genuinely enjoying, and when I had time for reading, that was the book I wanted to read. So, in the end, I decided to do just that.
Another thing was, it was too soon. It had only been three months since I had finished War and Peace. That’s barely a long enough recovery time from a book, especially one of War and Peace’s length. I remembered everything, so there was no excitement. Also, re-reads are fun because every time I re-read a book, I see it from a new, fresh point of view. Because of the changes that have taken place in me in the time that has lapsed. In this case, that couldn’t happen, so my second read wasn’t registering in my brain as a new read, it was just overlapping with my first. That left me feeling a bit meh about the whole thing.
Then lastly, I got a job. I was unemployed when I started the read-along. Now, I did keep a routine and kept myself busy, but I had a different life where I had a lot of free time. But after getting the job, my whole lifestyle altered drastically and I had a lot less time for reading. And in that little time I did have, I wanted to read something I actually wanted to read. So, with all that, I gave up on my read-along.
After this experience, I low-key think I’m not made for read-alongs. I’m in general quite fickle-minded, I do things randomly when I feel like it, which has landed me in fresh trouble quite a few times in my life. It’s not always a great idea, like, if I’m not enjoying my job and therefore just quit one day without thinking for a minute? Probably a bad idea. But stopping reading a book because I’m not enjoying it? It’s hardly as serious. So, I’ll just do that. Our time is limited, we can only do so many things within that allotted time. So, I’d rather accept that I’m not made for read-alongs and read the books I actually want to read, at a pace I feel comfortable with.
What about you? What are your thoughts on read-alongs? Don’t forget to let me know.
For more of my bookish ramblings, you can also find me on Instagram
Also, if you’d like me to write for you, you can contact me at joyiewrites@gmail.com
That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.
Until then,
Joyie 🌻