Over the years, my reading habits have changed quite a bit. But a lot of those changes started this year so I figured I’d share some with you.
What I’m Reading
Saying Bye to Fantasy
I used to be a really heavy fantasy reader. In fact, almost every book I read used to be fantasy or sci-fi. I’d read the occasional contemporary, but fantasy was always my love – it’s just provides a better escape from the real world than books set in well, the real world.
But I actually haven’t read fantasy in a while. I guess there’s only so much death, murder, and end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it a person can take. It just feels too… dark for me right now. This change is a big one for me – if this trend continues, I’ll end up reading more contemporary/romance books than fantasy/sci-fi ones for the first time since I was like 6 years old.
Saying Hi to Adult Romance
So if I’m not reading fantasy, what am I reading? Contemporary. I’m reading a whole lot of contempemoary.
To be honest, the switch to contemporary isn’t the biggest shocker but it’s the fact I currently prefer adult contemporary over YA, that’s new.
YA contemporary just isn’t fun for me to read anymore. Now that I’ve been in college for a few years, I’m experienceing this weird disconnect when I do read them. I guess I want to read something more mature. Something where the MC’s have bigger problems than just getting their crush to ask them out or applying to colleges. *Shrug*
More Self-Published Books
Reading less popular books isn’t exactly new for me – I’ve always been more of a fan of the backlist than whatever book is trending at the moment. I’ve been disappointed one too many times to trust the hype. But this year, I took it a step further and started reading more self-published books. So not only are they less popular, a good chuck of people I talk to about books have no idea they exist, let alone what they’re about.
How I’m Reading
Reading more eBooks
When I first started this blog, I used to make weekly trips to the library. Now I make weekly browsing sessions through my library’s ebook catalog. While I still love the feel of physically turning pages, ebooks are just more convenient.
For starters, ebooks can return themselves when they’re due so no more overdue fines for me. But also, they’re accessible everywhere. I can bring one along with me without having to lug around a 2 pound brick in my backpack all day. And let’s be honest, they’re a lot easier to read in class when you’re pretending to pay attention.
Not Afriad to DNF
I wouldn’t say I’m DNFing more books, per se, just that I’m feeling more confortable with not forcing myself to continue reading a book I’m not enjoying. I don’t have enough time to waste time reading a book that’s doing nothing for me.
That said, when I do DNF a book, it usually means I put it back on my tbr list. After all, I am a mood reader so just becuase I want to DNF a book now, doesn’t mean I won’t like it later. I learned that lesson the hard way with If I Stay. My tbr is on a 3 strikes and you’re out system though. I’m only willing to give each book a limited number of tries before it gets booted off the list for good. After 3 times, I think my mood can no longer be blamed for my lack of enjoyment, just saying.
How have your reading habits changed this year?
Were you surprised by any of those changes?
I love this! It’s always so interesting to see how people’s reading habits change.
I read a lot of ebooks, and I 100% love that ebooks return themselves to the library. I don’t want to have to worry about late fees either. In 2020, however, I’d really love to read more of the physical books I haven’t read yet. We’ll see how that goes.
I hope your finals are going well!