Do you get on a roll when you read, so that one book leads to the next, which leads to the next, and so on and so on?I don’t so much mean something like reading a series from beginning to end, but, say, a string of books that all take place in Paris. Or that have anthropologists as the main character. Or were written in the same year. Something like that… Something that strings them together in your head, and yet, otherwise could be different genres, different authors . . .
Like many of you, it is rare that I am not in the middle of a book. Although it is possible that much of what I read is connected by invisible strings or threads, I am not always aware of them. My motivations for picking up a particular book to read at any given moment changes from book to book and are often random (although not always as you will see).
I sometimes go through reading phases where my cravings dictate my reading choices. I may be in the mood for nothing but suspense or crime fiction or perhaps decide that I have neglected the fantasy genre too long and need to devote an entire month to reading just fantasy. This past summer, I read several books set in Africa back to back. And then there are times when I read series books one after the other until I start to feel myself growing weary of them. In those instances, I have learned my limit well and am able to stop before the enjoyment wears off.
Most often, however, I am a mixer. I like to mix up the types of books I read, vary the genre or category to avoid getting burnt out on one or another. And occasionally, I just like to follow something more serious or thought provoking with something light and funny. In that way, the book I read before has an impact on what I might chose to read next.
This is the first year I have participated in group reading challenges, and those have dictated much of my reading in the past several months. I have not made a habit of rushing through one challenge before moving onto another,instead preferring to try and space my challenge book reading out, alternating between challenge and non-challenge books. My reading this year has been more planned and less spontaneous than it once was because of the challenges. I know that many people find that off putting, however, it has worked well for me overall--just not when I have too many books on my plate to read and not enough time on my hands to fit them all in.
I'm a mixer too. It's like you said, I don't want to get burned out by reading too much of one subject or genre.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Wendy! In fact it depends a lot on my moods. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnother Mixer here - I need to bounce around with different genres, authors, etc. I've found myself doing the same thing as you with challenges - I overchallenged myself earlier this year so now I'm more strategic and careful to try to use books that are already on my TBR list when I can and to use books for multiple challenges when possible. The important thing for me is to leave room for "whimpulse" reading.
ReplyDeleteMy patterns are similar to yours. If there's a connection between two subsequent books I read, it's usually not planned (unless I'm reading a series) - I prefer to mix it up too.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the challenges making your reading less spontaneous is one reason why I haven't done them. I even resisted joining a book club for years because of that (and the one I'm in now is pretty laid-back).
I mix a lot, too. But this summer with the Twilight series I just had to read the other two after I read the first one. It was addicting!
ReplyDeleteI mix it up alot more now than when I was young. I used to have a much more focused attention span. But this way I read alot more about everything.
ReplyDeleteI too mix. I can't stick to one type of books as I get bored.
ReplyDeletereading room
I'm probably a mixer, but I tend to go through trend cycles as well. I read alot of science fiction at the start of the year, have went through a couple of periods this year where I just wanted to read one Ian Flemming Bond book after the other. I usually cave in to whatever whims or cravings I have regarding reading. I find that to be the most fun thing for my own personal reading interests.
ReplyDeleteI am a mixer too although the reading challenges help keep me on a roll. Happy BTT.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way I read too, Wendy. Across genre. Mixing them up. More variety that way, to suit my mood. I'm fiercely moody. LOL.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
Trisha - Too much of one thing gets old fast. :-)
ReplyDeleteMelody - I have my moods too. :-)
SuziQ - I am going to try and be more strategic next year and sign up for less challenges, I think. I'm aiming to finish three more challenges this year and the fourth will have to be a good attempt.
Florinda - I actually found that the challenges have made it easier for me in deciding what to read next. All my challenge books are books I already have in my TBR collection, and therefore books I wanted to read. It was just a matter of finally getting around to choosing them.
Nikki - Sometimes I get on a roll with a series too and end up reading books back to back too. :-)
Jaimie - I'm always interested in so many different things at once. It's hard to settle on one thing at a time. Mixing up my reading helps curb my appetite, you could say. :-)
Gautami - I think there's a lot of us out there like this.
Carl - Yes, I find that with my reading too. As much as I like to mix my reading up, sometimes I find myself swept up in a particular trend.
Pussreboots - That's very true!
Alice - I can be too.
It looks like your reading habbits are very like mine. Lately they have been more planned and focused, but I still like to mix things up and not stay in one genre for too long.
ReplyDeleteRhinoa - Exactly! Even with the careful planning and focus, I still try and mix things up a bit.
ReplyDelete