Do you ever feel that reading becomes a chore sometimes? It’s weird that I haven’t felt that way before, but now that I’ve joined some challenges, I feel that I actually need to read something instead of just reading any book I want. The challenges are something I enjoy. They’re fun, and the satisfaction of crossing out a book from a list feels great, but I am starting to feel a little ‘limited’. Maybe I’ve always been a moody reader and dive into a book I feel like reading instead of consulting a TBR list. Perhaps next year I’ll join fewer challenges because I sort of feel overwhelmed with all the books I need to read. I’m taking a cue from Sophie (Paper Breathers) to scrap my reading schedule because I do read for pleasure, and if I find that I am forcing myself to read a book, I need to look at myself, ask why, and probably stop. Also, I used to not abandon a book once it starts to drag. I try to finish the book even if it’s boring me to tears. Now though, I feel that I have the right to stop reading when it’s not working out. For me, reading is for the absolute pleasure of diving into a different world. And yes, when the reading experience is pleasurable and I feel that I have a great book in my hands, I learn. Boy, do I learn.
The Five-Eyed Bookworm 
April 7, 2014 at 7:45 am
Love this quote! I’ve learned more from my reading than anything else.
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April 18, 2014 at 6:04 pm
Me too! It’s great, isn’t it? Learning things from books… I mean, all those things in one little package. It’s amazing!
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April 7, 2014 at 10:21 am
This is such an issue for me! I have to constantly remind myself that I read for pleasure, not commitments. It’s hard when the ARCs pile up and I start feeling like I HAVE to read something, rather than just picking what I’m in the mood for. This is why I’ve stopped participating in challenges altogether — I don’t need one more set of obligations when it comes to something that I do because I love it! Lovely quote. :)
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April 18, 2014 at 6:06 pm
I’m thinking of not joining any challenges next year, although I feel obligated to finish those I signed up for in 2014. I do hope I get to finish all of them. I love reading new books, and while I’ve controlled the number of ARCs I requested, I haven’t been able to read them all yet before the release date and I feel guilty! I better work on my organization skills!
I’m so sorry for the late reply. I’ve been extremely busy.
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April 7, 2014 at 1:38 pm
I must admit that’s why I don’t do challenges. I often look at them and think they sound like fun, but I know I’d hate the restrictions they’d bring. I even struggle when I’ve accepted too many books for review and feel I can’t just read what I want at a speed that I want. Reading should never be a chore…
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April 18, 2014 at 6:08 pm
I totally agree with you! Reading should never be a chore! I don’t think I’ll be doing any challenges next year and just “go with the flow”. I only have 20+ books as ARCs but I’m currently struggling to read (and reviewing) them before they’re released. I’m working on it though. I do hope time will be more available for me in the coming weeks :)
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April 7, 2014 at 9:35 pm
I love the Margaret Atwood quote that you shared (and it reminded me that I still need to read her books, haha)! I’m glad my post inspired your insightful post in some way – “limited” is definitely an appropriate word for how I felt for the past few weeks. The only part I’m having trouble with now is DNFing… I’m getting good at being more carefree in what I choose to read and eliminating books from my to-read list that I feel like I won’t like anymore, but once I start a book, I still feel like I need to follow it through to the bitter end. But oh well, it’s a work in progress. :P
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April 18, 2014 at 6:11 pm
Sophie, I am terribly sorry for the late reply. I’ve been so busy (boo!) – I’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale (for a challenge) and while I liked it to some degree, I wouldn’t say I loved it (yikes!). Hey, what’s DNFing? Sorry, dumbo here. Hahaha. I’m new to this read books + read ARCs + review thing so yes, I agree with you, it’s a work in progress :)
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April 18, 2014 at 6:14 pm
No problem! I’m pretty slow in responding sometimes too, haha. Oops, sorry for the jargon – DNF means did-not-finish, so DNFing means not being able to finish a book.
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April 18, 2014 at 6:35 pm
Oh! Now I know! Thanks, Sophie! :)
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