Cait @ Paper Fury, Kayla @ The Thousand Lives, and Nobody @ The Story Goes… all tagged me to do the Reader Problems Tag. We readers have problems. The struggle is always real.
And let’s face it: A book is more than one problem. A book is probably at least 73 problems. Or maybe the lack of a book? You decide.
1. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?
Um, this sounds like my actual TBR, so I guess I just continue about my business? I always just stand around looking at my shelves, and then some random book will catch my interest and I read it. It is shockingly easy for someone as indecisive as myself.
2. You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or commit?
99% of the time, commit. Especially if I am halfway through, because the investment has kind of been made. It has to really offend me at that point for me to stop. I don’t think I have ever stopped a book more than probably 30% in.
3. 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?
Well, what do you mean by “close but so far away”? Is it 3 books? How long do I have to go? If I have a week and it is three books, sure, I am going to read non-stop. If it’s two days and 26 books, let’ just call it a day. Or cheat and lower my challenge goal?
4. The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?
I buy multiple copies. Done and done.
5. Everyone and their mother love a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?
Someone agrees with me somewhere, right? I mean, there is no way 100% of people other than me like a book. There’s always going to be “that guy” who hates every book, so I will just find him or her! We’ll snark on it for days (or, I will read their snarky review, nod my head, and move on).
6. You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?
This is why I don’t read in public. I can shed a few tears over pretty much any book, so it’s best not to disturb citizens with my nonsense. I don’t need strangers running up to me thinking that my hamster just died because I needed to do a TFiOS re-read at the mall. I’ll sob in my own room, thanks.
7. 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 never skip a sequel, that is blasphemy! I also probably don’t have time for a full re-read. I’ll probably cry in frustration, but then I will also scour blogs and Goodreads for reviews chock full o’ spoilers for the previous book. And then hope the author has taken pity on me and written a bit about the prior book’s events.
8. You do not want anyone. ANYONE. Borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?
Say “sure, next time I see you”, and then say I forgot it. If they keep bugging me, I’ll buy them their own copy. I am considering letting my mom borrow Undivided because she really wants to finish the series, but this is because I know she’d buy me a new one if something happened to it. Otherwise, nope.
9. Reading ADD. You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?
Uh, this is not a thing that I do. Ever. I usually just power through, unless I am really getting irritated by a book, and think that maybe my frame of mind is the problem. Which is rare.
10. There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?
Well crap, I buy them all! Do we understand how bad my problem is? I own 158 books (physical books) that I haven’t read yet. Obviously I have absolutely no ability to control myself. In reality? Probably 5-6 a month. Or that is my goal, anyway.
11. After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long they sit on your shelf before you get to them?
Some I get to very quickly. Let’s call these “the books that were appropriate buys”. Others, years. We’ll call those “stupid purchases I never should have made”.
There you have it! My bookish problems, in a nutshell. Don’t worry, there are always more! I shall tag:
- Holly @ The Fox’s Hideaway
- Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books
- Anatea @ Anatea’s Bookshelf
- Kirsty @ Studio Reads
I enjoyed this immensely. Thank you. It was the perfect study break, to have someone finally understand my book habits 🙂
Aww thank you! Good luck with the studying 🙂
Haha, I suffer from a lot of these 🙂 The crying thing is a big one for me because I will SOB at sad parts, even if they’re not really that sad, so I have to be careful about what I’m reading in public. I stupidly keep lending people books and then they come back in slightly worse wear. I’m stopping that and only lending them to people that I know will take care of them. But then I’m super guilty of buying books and not reading them for years. Even if they’re books I’m dying to read, sometimes I have sequel phobia and just let them sit there… which is why my TBR piles are so massive :/
ME TOO! I am the worst crier- I cry at kind of sad parts (or not sad for normal humans) parts all the time! And I am the same way about buying and not reading. So it would make sense to lend them, but I trust no one 😉 Don’t worry, my TBR piles are insane too!
Great post! I loved reading your answers. I agree that I would not quit a book 50% of the way through. I have invested way too much time on the book at that point. I usually give a book 50 pages or 3 chapters, whichever is longer. If I keep reading beyond that, I just suck it up.
Aw thanks! And yes, if I am going to DNF (which sadly, I rarely do, and should do more often) I do it early on. Around 25%. After that, might as well just finish it!
Crying in frustration is like my NUMBER ONE WAY to approach a problem. gosh, I cannot even when it comes to deciding about sequels or what book to read next. They are seriously the hardest part of my existence. Let me just cry alone in my quiet corner.
Sometimes I have a really hard time, but mostly I just randomly pick one. ARCs are kind of great, because I like having a few books to pick from instead of the literal hundreds I could otherwise pick from. Some bloggers find it frustrating, but I feel like publishers and release dates are just making my choices easier.
Number 7 is a big one for me! I have such horrible book amnesia, especially when it’s a freaking year between series books. I’ve thought about waiting until a series was complete before starting it, but sometimes I can’t help myself.
Exactly! And even worse when it is MORE than a year (looking at you, Penryn and the End of Days). The only way I am usually able to wait for a whole series is if the third book will be out kind of soon, and people warn me about the cliffhanger. Otherwise, I am in it.
You are hilarious and the hamster dying situation at the mall is the best thing I have read all week. That is all.
❤️Britt
Aww thank you!
4) Yup. Multiple copies is obviously the right answer, duh.
5) This is why I love the internet.
6) I don’t either, but because I just can’t concentrate properly.
8) Haha! I don’t (unless it’s someone who knows just how precious books are) and I am never borrowing any to my mum ever again. I (luckily) won a copy of The 5th Wave when it came out (I found out after I already bought it) so let her borrow it, and ohmygod, the cover is peeling off.
11) Yes, let’s call them that. I’ve only just got to a few that I’ve had for over a year, though I know there’s a few I’ve had for like three years and just thought,should I read you next? Oh look, that one over there, I’ll read you.
My biggest reader problem I think, is I don’t read when I want to read (like when I want to in the day and don’t) I give myself a set time 10-12 at night, and sometimes by then, I don’t want to read, I guess it depends on the book as well.
I cannot concentrate in public either! I am a mess- just looking around, people watching, basically doing anything BUT reading. And your mom is on the no-lend list for SURE. (Like the no-fly list, but with books!) Seriously, who does that!? What on earth was she doing to the poor innocent book!?
I am actually good with reading late at night. I have tried during the day, but I can’t get into it. Maybe that is because my body clock is all screwed up and I equate day time downtime with sleep.
I will give a medal to anyone who can reread TFIOS in the mall and not sob O_O
And I will still hold you accountable to the book buying if you want! We can do this Shannon 😀 Power through that TBR!
I may have also made some of those “what the hell was I thinking” purchases – it happens 😉 Also love the House gif; I happen to be watching an episode of that show right now!
Thank you! I have been pretty good so far. I think I only bought 4 books this month? That is not bad! Now, the next couple months, I have quite a few pre orders though, so I can only buy maybe 1 or 2 additional books. This will be hard indeed.
I think my TBR is split- half “I NEED YOU NOW” books and half “meh, did I really need you?” books. I haven’t watched House in SO long, I used to love iT!
FANTASTIC post! I loved every minute of it. Just to throw this out there… I am a HUGE re-reader and I will generally make time to reread book 1, or 1 and 2, when the final book comes out so that I can get the full experience. However, recently I found the most amazing site ever, and that is saying something! It is called the Recaptains. They give a full rundown of books (they have a ton of them already, and add more all the time, sometimes the author does it too!), from beginning to end, so that you get a really good reminder of what happened in the previous book. It has been a lifesaver for me when I just don’t have time for a reread. Here is their link, if you are interested!
http://recaptains.blogspot.com/
Seriously, very awesome site. Thank you so much for this wonderful post, I genuinely loved it!
Ohhh thanks SO much! I am definitely going to be bookmarking this, because I NEED it! I wish I could reread (I do love it!) but alas, time. Thank you, I know this is going to come in handy 🙂
It has been amazing since I found it! I seriously hope it helps you as much as it helps me!
HILARIOUS, loved your gifs!
Aww thank you!!
This was such a fun read. I’m so stubborn about borrowing books and worry about them so much while they are gone. I usually always power through books I don’t like to. I’m an optimist and always think the book will get better. It often doesn’t. It is so awkward when I don’t like a book everybody loved. I didn’t liked Splintered. I found like three negative reviews out of the million positive reviews. It just wasn’t for me.
Thanks so much! HA I love that you think the book will get better. I think I know that it won’t, but just feel too bad for the book to stop. I know what you mean about not loving certain books- you feel like you must be missing something, because everyone and their mom is raving, and you haven’t a clue why 😉
I love this post! And I just used the same Joey gif – guess it’s just a universal no regrets thing haha
OMG I hate it SO MUCH when covers don’t match, but I also refuse to buy another copy of the same book, so it just bothers me forever. 😀 I don’t even mind owning unread books – it’s like my own little library of books to choose from! However, I’d give some of the books I really didn’t like away so they don’t take up space and annoy me, but I can’t always find someone who wants them. However, my BIGGEST reader problem, is probably just when I’m halfway through a book and I don’t like it. Especially when there are more books in the series. For example, I started Let’s Get Lost and The Cuckoo’s Calling and lost interest, so I quit them, but it just feels like an open end. I didn’t like Throne of Glass much, but there are more books in the series (plus it’s being mentioned every two seconds), so I feel like I should read those. ARGH I’m just so bad at ditching books, but I’m trying not to continue on with books I didn’t even like. The struggle really is VERY real. 😀
Hahha it IS! Plus, it’s Joey! There is a good chance I have used it before too 🙂
UGH I am the same way about the being halfway through thing- especially a series! I like, HAVE to finish them, which is ridiculous. You are correct, the struggle IS real!
Eeeek! Thanks for the tag hun, I’m literally bouncing with joy that I can do this now. Bwhaha! #2 is a drop-it-like-it’s-hot quit from me 😉 #4 for me is a mix between HC and PB. I NEED THEM ALL TO BE THE SAME TYPE. Or I flip. I would never skip a sequel either, total blasphemy. :0 Nice answers <33
Yay, I am glad 🙂 You are quite welcome! I was so mad for so long because I’d bought The Hunger Games in paperback, but Catching Fire was only out in hardcover. I realized my mistake too late. Now I have 3.5 copies of the entire series, and one set actually matches 😉