Friday, May 8, 2015

When Books Expire

I had to clear off my currently reading shelf the other day. It had three books on it, and I kept adding more rather than finish the old ones. More than that, I really had no desire to keep reading the old ones. I felt a reading slump coming on, so I thought it would be best to keep only one book (my audiobook of Snow Like Ashes, which I really do want to finish), and start a brand new, shiny book. (That book was Falling Into Place, if you're curious, and it's great so far!)

This isn't the first time I have had this problem, but it's the first time I gave it a name. What I realized as I was deleting ebooks from my device, removing them from my Goodreads shelf, etc. was that I can only read a book for so long before it becomes a chore. Even if I like the book, I need to either stop reading or risk a major reading slump, in which I force my way through that book and end up reading nothing else for a month afterwords. If I've been currently reading a book for too long, it seems to hit an "expire" and I don't have fun reading it anymore. Even if it's a great book!

I rarely read classics for this reason. Whenever I do begin them, I usually read lighter books alongside them, as they are typically slow-paced and sometimes are pretty long. But then, they take forever to read. And I don't want to read them as much as all the other books I could be reading.

I don't want to say that slow-paced books aren't for me, because there are some that I read and loved! But I have to be in the right mood for them. When I tried to continue The Night Circus, which I had been slowly making my way through since the middle of last month, I realized I just haven't been in the mood for it. Sure, I am interested in the story. It's a great book, and I want to know what happens. Right now, though, there are other books I will enjoy reading more. 

I'm really interested to see what you guys have to say about this. Have you ever had a book sit around so long, you just don't want to read it anymore? (This happens to books on my TBR shelf, as well as my currently read books!) Do books "expire" for you, or can you read them bit by bit without feeling bothered by it? How long can you take to read a book before you begin to think about everything else you could be reading?
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9 comments:

  1. JazmenMay 9, 2015 at 7:47 AM

    Oh this has happened to me. It's like why are you still here? I don't love you anymore. I'm with you!

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    1. UnknownMay 15, 2015 at 11:21 AM

      Yes! I stop and think, "Why am I reading this again?"

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  2. BethMay 10, 2015 at 7:27 AM

    See, I love really big books. I'm happy to trawl through them for several months if that's what it takes. BUT if a shorter book takes me more than five days to read; I lose interest, and THAT'S disappointing. I'm kind of fickle, I guess.
    Beth x
    www.thequietpeople.com

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    1. UnknownMay 15, 2015 at 11:22 AM

      That makes sense! I guess for me it's if I'm not reading consistently, I just start getting upset at the book for it, haha :)

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  3. AnonymousMay 10, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    This definitely happens to me. I'll get books because I'm super interested in them at the time, but then if I don't get to them in a few months, my interests might shift and I no longer feel any inclination to read them. I love big books and classics, though; while I tend to pick up shorter books more often, when I do sink my teeth into something huge and intricate, it tends to be a more satisfying reading experience that sticks with me for longer. But if any book takes me more than a month to get through, I'm probably dropping it, because clearly I don't feel any great inclination to keep reading it!

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    1. UnknownMay 15, 2015 at 11:24 AM

      I do the same - it's so hard for me to make a TBR, especially if I'm trying to plan more than a month or so ahead, because the kind of book I want to read changes all the time. And big books do feel like more of an accomplishment once they're finished! I just don't often have the patience for them.

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  4. AnonymousMay 10, 2015 at 2:06 PM

    If I realize that I've been stuck in a book for awhile, I try to finish the easier ones I'm reading and then I don't allow myself to pick up anything else until I finish the slow read. It's not like I'm forcing myself to read it or it's a chore--I typically am genuinely interested in this book, but just have been distracted by lighter reads (sometimes literally--I don't carry around 800-page volumes in hopes of finding a spare moment for them). Usually I'm glad I made the commitment the book!

    -Krysta

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    1. UnknownMay 15, 2015 at 11:25 AM

      I've done that from time to time. Sometimes it works, but sometimes I just really don't want to read the slower book anymore! Although you're right that, if I did stick with it, I'd probably be happy that I did in most cases!

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    2. UnknownMay 15, 2015 at 11:25 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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