The Time I Discussed My Reader Problems

This is a tag that I saw floating around Booktube recently, and it looked pretty cool. The original Reader Problems Tag video will be linked down below, if you are interested.

You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?

I rely on my mood to tell me what I want to read. Typically, I have a lot of books that I’ve borrowed from the library, or waiting to be reviewed from Netgalley or Edelweiss. And in those situations, I will have a list of when books (or reviews) are due, and I try to follow some sort of a schedule in the hopes that I can read everything in time. I do tend to be a little overambitious though, so I don’t always make it through that list but I do my best. And sometimes, I throw that list out the window. As can be evidenced by my reading sprint through The Emperor’s Edge series by Lindsay Buroker last week. Needless to say, I’m very behind on my original schedule. Absolutely no regrets though!

You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

I quit. Sometimes, I will put a book on my ‘on-hold’ shelf. Typically that just means that I’m not in the mood for it right now, but I do want to try it again at some other point. And I also have an ‘abandoned’ shelf for books that I could not finish and have no interest in finishing. I used to feel guilty about it, but my time is precious. And I don’t ever want to feel like reading is a chore.

The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?

This has only happened to me once (in 2012). And at the time, I was so far behind that it seemed silly to try and make myself catch up. All I can do is use that information to make realistic reading goals for next year. Right now, I’m way past my original reading goal so I don’t have to worry. If I were trying to make myself catch up, I would probably read a lot of graphic novels. I only started reading graphic novels this year and they are quick and really great reads.

The covers of a series you love DO NOT MATCH. How do you cope?

THIS IS PAINFUL. It kills me. I try and ignore it, but it just eats at my soul. An example is Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series. His new release, Clariel, is absolutely gorgeous but does not match the original American covers at all. They have come out with new-ish paperback covers (that kind of match) for Sabriel and Lirael, but NOT for Abhorsen. Which is just ridiculous. My other pet peeve is when the book size/height does not match with the rest of the series. Their covers match… but one book is TALLER than all the others. And there is no freakin’ reason why it should be that way! The series I’m ranting about is the Cecelia and Kate series by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. The first two books are a standard paperback size, but the third is taller and larger. The font and amount of words per line are the same, but the pages in the third book are bigger. And it’s wasted space, because it’s part of the margin. So there really is absolutely no excuse.

Every one and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?

There will always be someone who dislikes the same book I do. And it’s really easy to find them on Leafmarks or Goodreads. THANK GOD! After watching so many BookTube videos, I realized that Throne of Glass is a really big deal and a lot of people love that series. I don’t. I DNFed the first book a while ago, because I detested the MC and just could not make myself finish it. Luckily, there are people out there who agree with me. I do plan on trying again though, because I have heard that the series does get better. So it might be worth another shot.

You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?

Ideally, I would be able to get to my home or my car, just to find some private space for me to put myself back together. If I can’t, I would just try to hold it in until I could get back home. This has never happened to me before, so I’m not overly concerned about it.

A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!?!?!?

I would definitely re-read the previous books. If for some reason I didn’t want to, there is a blog that does recaps (Recaptains) so I would go on there and check it out. Nothing beats a good re-read though.

You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?

Maybe this is weird… but I actually don’t mind letting people borrow my books. Obviously, I only loan it to good friends or family (basically people who understand how valuable my books are to me). I just think its pointless to not share books and just have them sitting on my shelf when someone could be reading them. There have been occasions when people didn’t return my books, but I can always repurchase. I just don’t think it’s a big deal. The only books I will not loan out (the only exception was for my sister) are my first 4 Harry Potter books. The reason why those are off-limits is because at this point, those copies are pretty frail. Those 4 books are also the most valuable books in my collection because it absolutely cannot be replaced and hold the most sentimental value. I loaned those books to my grandfather years ago, and he actually wrote in them in our native language. He passed away a few years after that. But I love that I have books that he has annotated, so whenever I miss him, I can pull out those books and feel connected to him.

Reading ADD. You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

Usually I would just wait it out. I’d most likely start binge-watching a television show (currently on The 100) until the urge to read comes back.

There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

I must be a terrible book blogger :P. I probably wouldn’t purchase any! I usually wait to get them at the library. If I’m really that desperate, I’d probably get the ebook version to read. I just don’t like buying books before I’ve read them. I’m a little picky on what I like to keep on my shelves, and I don’t want to waste money on a book that I know that I will probably never re-read or recommend to my friends to read.

After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?

Because most of the books I buy are books that I’ve already read, I don’t get around to reading them that quickly. Once in a while, I DO purchase books on a whim and they typically sit on my shelves for quite some time because I always have a long list of library books to get through.

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And that’s it! Hope you guys enjoyed it.

Here is the original YouTube tag linked down below :).