How my Reading has Changed since Becoming a Blogger

Being a book blogger, unsurprisingly, has changed my reading habits. In this post I’m going to give it a proper examination and go through ten things that have definitely changed towards my attitude to reading since becoming a blogger.

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I only Read Books I’ve Heard of

1 I used to go into the library and snatch up anything that interests me from the shelf, read the odd blurb flick to a random page, return it afterwards and start the whole process again. Now I choose famous books. Books that are popular, all over book Twitter, the ones everyone is talking about. It’s a big change and I never find those hidden gems anymore but I feel more involved with the community when I know the books they’re all talking about.

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I Track my Reading

2 Before I had no idea how many books I read. Roughly one a week, sometimes a little more often a little less. I’d stand in the library and try and recall which book in the series I was up to, randomly selecting my next read and rarely thinking about reaching monthly targets or yearly objectives.

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I Reread

3 My stance would always be that rereading was dull. You’d already been to that magical realm, met those characters, seen their adventure. There are so many books out their to read, why waste time rereading old ones? Now I find myself edging to reread old favourites. So I can write a review, or review a sequel or because I heard someone mention a book and want to remember what I thought of it. Either way, I’ve definitely taken to the reread lately.

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Book Hangover

4 When I was younger I would wait before starting my next read. I’d mull over the events, be shocked, think of alternate endings. I would be trapped in that realm for a few days before moving on. Now I give it a passing thought before snatching up my next read. It might come from tracking my reading, or maybe because I know I’ll return to the book in my review, either way I don’t get book hangovers in the same way as a blogger.

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I’m more Critical

5 This one was sort of obvious but before blogger me was more oblivious of bad writing style, poorly fleshed out plot points and dull language. I’d know a terrible book from a fantastic one but wouldn’t divulge all the star ratings in between.

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I’m more Likely to DNF

6 Before blogging me would rarely DNF. I didn’t like to and felt that if an author put their heart and soul into a novel I should at least try and finish it. Not anymore. Now I’m harsh, I’ve got only a few precious reads every month and I no longer waste time on books I don’t enjoy

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I pay Attention to the Author

7 Interacting with authors on Twitter, following their Instagrams, knowing which events they’re going to and seeing their personality splashed across the internet makes me genuinely consider if I want to support this author by featuring their book on my blog. They have to be a decent person now, on top of being a good writer.

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I’m More Aware of Negative Tropes

8 As a pre blogger I would read about unhealthy relationships, toxic friendship, belittled women and lack of representation and rarely pick up on it. I’m more aware of this negativety now and the damage it can do, I understand the impact novels can have and think more about how these tropes can effect other readers.

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I Read More Diversely

9 Besides the fact that I go out of my way to read authors of colour and about disabled protagonists, something I never did before, I now also read beyond YA. Perhaps this shift was inevitable as I enter my early twenties but with the internet offering up so many suggestions I find it easy to step out and find good adult books, poetry and short stories I’d have never considered before I started blogging.

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I Spend More Time Around Books

X Reading was always a big part of my life. I have fond childhood memories of wondering round the local library little fingers dragging along the plastic coated covers, giddy lunchtimes spent fangirling about books at school, lying under the hot summer sun on warmed brown grass with a novel or discovering Goodreads and Fanfiction, spending hours trawling the internet, skimming other peoples thoughts and opinions on those characters I knew so well, realising how big the world actually is. Before I spent a good deal of time with books. Now I spend a lot. I leave the library with a stack, I browse the Bookstagram hashtag before bed, I scroll through book Twitter while waiting for my boyfriend to finally get out the shower, every free minute a chance to squeeze in a few pages or tap out a quick blog post. In refreshing and potentially slightly crazy.

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Let’s Compare Notes

Are you a blogger? Have your attitudes to reading changed over the years? Do you have a top ten Tuesday? Leave a comment and let me know!