How Blogging Ruined Reading

Hello Bookworms!

Wow, well if you haven't noticed I've been on a long hiatus. Too long. I miss blogging. Things have just been so crazy. Not only have I stopped blogging, but I've virtually stopped reading. There's a lot of factors that mix into that. The biggest factor is honestly because blogging ruined reading for me. Not the actual act of blogging itself, but all the stuff that comes along with it. Frankly, most of that stuff that ruined reading for me are also the perks of being a book blogger i.e. free books.

I think I got obsessed with NetGalley. I requested too many books. In my defense, I didn't actually expect any publishers to approve me for those requests. Things got really overwhelming. I am a newer blogger and have virtually no following that can be accounted for. Friends and family tell me they read my blog and will even mention certain posts or reviews of mine that they enjoyed. However, I don't have the kind of following that publishers look for. For example, I don't have GFC followers (which doesn't even work on my blog) or many followers subscribed via email. These are supposed to be important things in the blogging world.

So, back to the NetGalley thing. I got approved for lots of books! That was awesome, thanks publishers! I wasn't working at the time and stayed home with my children so I had lots of free time to read. Oh wait, no I didn't. I just thought I did. If you're a mom who reads you'll know what I mean. You can't really read until the kids go to bed or take a nap. Pull out a book right now and see what happens. Oh yeah, that's right you forgot to take the clothes out of the dryer and now the baby is screaming. One thing leads to another and next thing you know, it's time to go to bed.

It also got to the point where every book felt like a homework assignment. Essentially, what a blogger is doing when they finish each book is writing a book report. I think the feeling of obligation to read, actually finish, and write a review for each book is what caused my reading downfall. It's honestly suffocating. It takes all the fun and pleasure out of reading- even good books. I longed to just choose a book off my own personal bookshelf and read it. Nothing I read was any longer for the sole pleasure of reading something I might enjoy. A hobby became work. So, I just stopped. I quit. I resigned. No more.

It's been about two months now and I'm ready to read again. Though, I think I'll be giving up ARCs (advanced reader copies) for a long time. From now on, the reviews I post and the books I read will be totally random picks straight from my shelf. Old books, new books, bestsellers, paperback romances, borrowed books, and whatever genre I'm in the mood for. My reviews won't be as frequent since I'm now a working mom, dating, starting school again, enjoying other hobbies, and so on. I also plan to re-vamp the blog a little. I don't want to just post reviews, but I'd like to incorporate other posts that are simply on the topic of reading.