I’m am so completely with you on this. I have many days now when I don’t read and I am much more ok with it. A winter of bookish excellence sounds like a great idea ❄️📚
Isn’t it strange how we have to unlearn this pressure we put on ourselves? So glad you are leaning into ‘not reading’ as well and wish you a winter of bookish excellence! ❄️ 🤍
I relate to this video so much, Jack - you could’ve been speaking directly to me. here’s to a winter of bookish excellence, I’m right there with you ❄️🤍 see you soon!
That thought has been at the forefront of my mind since I read it in Meditations for Mortals - it’s been revolutionary in changing how I spend my time these days. Glad it resonated with you Jen!
Aaah, a winter of bookish excellence. Sounds excellent! 🤩 A big hug 🫂 from me to you, Jack! I have been mood reading a lot this year (my season of sorrow) which has always been my reading nature. I love your plan, and I loved hearing your thoughts. I appreciate you sharing. 😊 Happy Reading for Fun! 📚 🎉
I have recently been thinking the same thing so I love that you are talking about this. I come up with these random TBR lists, often based on book tube and then find myself unable to focus on the books. I’ve only managed to finish one book in October and I’ve DNF’ed 5 or 6. I finally just decided to pick up one I really wanted to read and in sticking with it and really getting into it. You said so much in this video that really resonates with me and I think needed to be said.
Thank you so much - reading has been far better since I decided to just accept I need to step back from organised reading follow my nose! We can participate without overloading ourselves and I’m sure we can both find that balance. Happy reading to you!
I haven't read too many books that have blown me over this year and I have been figuring it's a me thing. I like your idea of bookish excellence. Looking forward to seeing what you end up reading. 😊💙
I can so relate to this... also was devastated to hear about Alice 💔 Sorry to hear you had harder year, but I am really happy you came up with the plan 🤗 sending hugs, happy to see you again Jack!
I’m sorry you’ve had a hard year😢 I’m glad to hear that you’re making time for your own needs as grief can’t be rushed. Hope your winter book reading brings healing and joy🤗
This video really resonated with me! In fact, I just finished watching the Read Your Shelves challenge posted by M-J and Fibreartsy. I am going to participate but am only going to read the books on my shelves that I have been wanting to read and that I know I will love. Good luck with your reading plans and I hope you have a better year ahead. 📚🌻
Thank you so much - glad this resonated with you. It sounds like you have similar reading plans to me and I wish you lots of bookish excellence for the rest of the year! 🤍
This is a me problem too, and I am so in for a winter of bookish excellence!! For me that will consist of series, big fat fantasy and historical tomes and recs from people whose taste is very similar to me you and Scott being at the top of that list!) Alice would have absolutely loved this matey. 🧡
Mood reading is such a wonderful thing, and I read that way as well. I read that way pre-booktube and will do so now as well. I think reading for pleasure is so important! I also have to read a lot of books for my job as well (I work in publishing), and so when I am reading anything else it needs to be mood reading for pleasure as I have more than enough required reads as well. I also am a dnfing fiend because it makes reading books you enjoy so much better. I also had a period of time where I narrowed down the number of buddy reads I did to like, one at a time. And also for me to have months where I had none! And that has worked so much better for me. I hope you have a wonderful winter of fantastic reads x
Thank you so much Olivia - so far it has been going really well! I think stepping back from buddy reading for a while has been the right decision, even though I miss it and get a little FOMO! I am sure in the new year, I will be ready to step back into the world of social reading, but for now, just reading purely for my own pleasure is wonderful. Going forward I am definitely going to build in months where I have no commitments!
I’m so glad you will be doing this. You have had a hell of a year and loosing Alice affected us in different ways. Jack you are one of the loveliest people I’ve ever known. Reading should be so much fun and you need to do whatever you can to help your reading mojo xxx 💜💜
Great video as always 👍 Big hugs 🫂 and sorry to hear you have had such a tough go lately. Glad you are taking care of yourself and making yourself a priority. You are right it is okay to not read every day and enjoy doing other things 🤓 A number of people seem to be struggling at the moment with reading and concentration , myself included. We all have different strategies that work and nice to hear other people’s ideas and give them a try. Thank you Jack 🥰
Thank you, Elaine. I am so glad I have been doing this because so far, it has been great. I’ve enjoyed some really good books lately and it’s making me much more motivated to read - I hope you are finding books that delight you! 🤍
Great video and wonderful idea. When my dad died unexpectedly in 2021, he was midway through 2 books he was enduring and wasn’t enjoying very much. I kept wondering afterwards whether he would have kept going with them if he knew they were the last books he would spend time with. It’s definitely affected how often I DNF, knowing I’m guaranteed now and not an imagined future. I hope your reading is what you want it to be for the rest of this year and beyond.
Thank you. Sorry you lost your dad unexpectedly - what a terrible shock that must have been for you. Sudden losses this year have hit me in the same way and that thought that we only have now is such a powerful motivator to make sure we are enjoying our present! I have definitely been much more mindful of it - it has helped me find so much small joy in my everyday life and sounds like it has for you as well. I wish you lots of happy reading!
I'm with you on this. I read 6-8 books a month usually, and some are disappointing I admit. I have cancer and have been in hospital this summer, when I came out my concentration was gone. It's back now, but I've changed my view on reading completely, I need to read books I really want read, not ones I pick on a whim or because they're a bargain. I loved Alice, miss her very much, I seemed to always associate her with Saturday mornings, don't know if that was when she uploaded, or just when I made a point of watching her.
Alice is has been such a loss to our little community. Someone else recently mentioned how much illness impacts our ability to focus on books. I hope you continue to heal and read books that capture you and delight you! 🤍
I am slowly coming out of a really long slump and am enjoying finally being able to sit and read something, however i am still taking it slow. But my audiobooks are still going strong. Mood reader here, always will be and shall never again to be forced into reading something i don’t fancy! Enjoy your winter plans 🎉
10:33 - 😂😂😂 I get you Jack I do enjoy reading projects and goals and challenging myself and exploring why something doesn't work or hit. It expands my reading life and helps me really know my reading tadtes and styles better as I definitely dabble amid the ages and genres. 💜📚
Jack, I love this idea. I’m a mood reader but I still have those books I “should” read on my TBR. Like The Only Plane in the Sky. I have a little bit of PTSD around the events of 9-11. (Won’t go into them). Alice’s death hit me, as a subscriber and commenter hard. So I know it was so impactful and horrible for you, Gemma and Charlie. And others who knew and loved her. So your idea is splendid and I’m only going to read books I’m especially drawn to. Thank you for discussing this in your video.
17:16 - i lo e chatty videos whete people explain their current connection to bokks readibg, what is isn't working..learning about other human experiences that are different but an relate to on some level, or learn from, or just acknowledge we are not the same is what draws me to read in the first place. I want to walk in other peoples shoes 💜📚
Very sorry to hear you've had such a tough year - taking that time to recalibrate and reassess what's important in your life and how you use the time you have is such a sound approach. Really appreciate your thoughts on that side of things. So much of what you talk about re. reading difficulties resonates for me. My reading has taken a hit recently too, for a variety of reasons - a bout of seasonal depression, time pressures, and the fact I'm now reading so much more for work (I'm retraining as an editor) - all this has really affected my focus and drive to read for pleasure. I'm completely with you on the search for 'bookish excellence' - that's my current policy, and will be for the remainder of the year, and possibly just into the beginning of 2025 when I know the seasonal blues will hit hardest (completely agree about this approach not being sustainable though - I too have had some incredible experiences with books that really took some work to get into, but knocked my socks off by the end). I love BookTube but it has affected how and what I read, and I needed to just step back for a bit and reassess. And acknowledge that it's okay to NOT want to read! So far it's working great - I've had a joyous re-read of my favourite book, and then I randomly picked up another Adrian Tchaikovsky (who I know I can trust for a good time!) and I loved that one too. It's strange (and probably completely predictable), but as soon as I gave myself permission to just read what I want, whenever I want (or not), and to DNF(Y) if I wanted to, my urge to read started to come back! For me, audiobooks have been the way to go - I don't have to focus as much with them, and there's something inherently comforting about having someone tell you a story. So you've started (and are enjoying) PHM - fantastic! I hope it keeps you hooked throughout like it did me 😀 Great video, Jack - am totally here for the existential 'waffle' too, by the way 😉 Here's to a fabulous winter of enthralling reads!
Thank you so much, Alex! Reading for work can completely interrupt reading for pleasure. Booktube has also completely changed how I read, but I’m recognising that I need to balance out all the amazing reading opportunities it has brought me with my desire to mood read and recent reading has been far better. I finished PHM and it was great - especially the audio. Couldn’t agree more that there is something so inherently comforting about audiobooks and they’ve become increasingly important to me over the years. When I can’t physically read, I can always turn to an audiobook and you are so right - it’s that feeling of being told a story and perhaps that takes us back to a feeling of childhood and safety. I am definitely going to to check out some Adrian Tchaikovsky as I think we may have similar reading tastes after watching your best books video. I wish you lots of happy reading! 🤍
@@spreadbookjoy Totally missed your reply until now, somehow! Very happy you enjoyed PHM! Ray Porter's narration is brilliant 👍Will look forward to seeing what you make of some Tchaikovsky - I've had all of his that I've read as audio too, and they've been really well done, so can highly recommend them in that format. Yes, from watching your videos I think we may have some similar tastes, you've added to my wish list recently too! Hope you're enjoying your mood reading and are finding plenty of bookish excellence 😉
So much of this resonated with me Jack! I set myself some bookish goals at the start of the year, which have in turn become "assigned reading" and they've completely sapped the joy out of reading for me this year. I've had 12 books I truly loved out of 50 and that such a waste of time!! Thank you for this wonderful video and I wish you all the best bookish excellence this winter ♥️
I’m with you when it comes to DNFing books… Some of my favorite books got much better as stuck with them. That’s why I’m thankful for YY. People that share the same reading taste extend their reviews and fav books, and I find my next read through them. Funny thing is I have Lonesome Dove on my shelf due to a friend’s recommendation but never cracked it open. Thanks to your video, now I’m inspired to pick it up ❤
This video really resonated with me. One of the things I did was set my good reads goal to 1 book. I chose to put 1 book because in previous years I’ve set goals that were too high & then felt like an idiot for not being to do it. I’m a mum of 2 boys & wife, as much as I’d like to be able to read hundreds of books a year, it’s not possible for me so I’m giving myself permission to be okay with that. Also my son just started secondary school & I was trying to explain the difference between reading books & consuming them (aka slow down occasionally, it’s not a race). I’ve read 5 books so far this year & i’m okay with that. Id recommend Hog Father by Terry Pratchett for a silly Christmas-y vibe. I’m about to start my yearly re read
@@juliacharles4790 I have been doing exactly the same thing on Goodreads for a couple of years now! Much better for the sense of achievement! Hogfather is a favourite re-read of mine as we head towards Christmas as well - great recommendation! That’s great you are being easy on yourself regarding numbers of books read - it is much healthier and more enjoyable when we don’t focus on the numbers but on the enjoyment. Happy reading! 🤍
So sorry for all your losses, it sounds like a rough year. Completely understandable, the need to change your reading to better fit what you need, it sounds like a very self aware and self care approach to get back to loving reading ❤
@@jillybeanh67 Thank you so much. It’s been a tough one indeed and I’m hoping that I can get back to the joy and comfort that reading has given me in the past. Starting to already, which is wonderful!🤍
Emotional health and caring for your soul is important, & I’m so happy that you are taking the time to heal more, find joy again, & breathe freely. I’m excited to see where your nose leads you 😉🥰
I can't concentrate on reading at all either when I'm grieving, even though it's usually my escape I can't seem to utilise that when I'm in such deep sorrow. I'm so sorry that you've had so much of that this year 💔
That’s exactly it, Abi. That deep sorrow - which is so different from anything else - greatly impacted my ability to read or find solace in books which is strange when I usually read for comfort or escapism. I’ve realised you can’t escape grief - you have to let it happen and sit with it until you learn to live with it. Thank you for your kind words and sorry for your loss as well 💔
I think a lot of us put pressure on ourselves to read something, which is a bit mad really. I'd do what you want. Occasionally it's worth going out of your comfort zone. There are books which I've studied which I wouldn't have read otherwise and have enjoyed.
I made a plan of the books I intended to read at the start of the year. I've finished some of those and only dnf one, because I'm terrible for not dnf books. Once I've started something I'm that personwho has to finish it, even if I'm not loving it. Some of the books I've ended up reading this year have been ones that people were giving away and were threatened with the recycle bin, so I'm glad to have saved those as well as fallen down the Anna Jacobs rabbit-hole. Hahah! I've also joined another book group in my local area, so one or two books have been ones I've read for that. I've so far read 24 books this year, although 2 were ones I started last year. My reading goal was 28 books and that's going a fair amount off my list, but I'm ok with that because the list was a guideline of sorts. Do you go to many author events? I got to meet my favorite crime fiction author, Peter May in September 2024. I was so happy with that.
How wonderful that you got to meet a favourite author! I have only been to one bookish event this year (though perhaps it was last year!), but I keep an eye out for anything interesting as they are so fun. Sounds like you are well on the way to your goal! Plenty of my friends love to have lists and tbrs and I actually do enjoy making a good list, but find I have to treat it like window shopping - piles of possibilities rather than firm plans. I wish you plenty of happy reading for the rest of the year!
@spreadbookjoy I've now finished 27 books, so nearly there as far as the umbers go. I've been reading anything I find though since my last comment, so totally going off my list for the greater part. Still having a great time with it. I finally finished "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari which I'm very happy about, because it has to be my least favorite book of the year so far.
I've gone and the complete opposite direction. I just crossed 150 books, 50,000 pages, 3 dnf I almost never dnf, I even finished them when I'm mood reading and the choice I made was very very bad. My main stressor being in the United States is political, which at least the main part will be over soon.
I’m am so completely with you on this. I have many days now when I don’t read and I am much more ok with it.
A winter of bookish excellence sounds like a great idea ❄️📚
Isn’t it strange how we have to unlearn this pressure we put on ourselves? So glad you are leaning into ‘not reading’ as well and wish you a winter of bookish excellence! ❄️ 🤍
I love “bookish excellence”. You hit it. And I love your plans. I’m following your lead! 😊❤
Yes! Thank you, Kim. It’s going well so far - I wish you lots of happy reading!
I relate to this video so much, Jack - you could’ve been speaking directly to me. here’s to a winter of bookish excellence, I’m right there with you ❄️🤍 see you soon!
Yes, Amelia! Bookish excellence for us all! Was so good to see you on Saturday - I wish you many happy reading adventures!
Brilliant video, Jack. What you said about being kind to your present self really resonated with me so thank you☺️
That thought has been at the forefront of my mind since I read it in Meditations for Mortals - it’s been revolutionary in changing how I spend my time these days. Glad it resonated with you Jen!
Aaah, a winter of bookish excellence. Sounds excellent! 🤩 A big hug 🫂 from me to you, Jack! I have been mood reading a lot this year (my season of sorrow) which has always been my reading nature. I love your plan, and I loved hearing your thoughts. I appreciate you sharing. 😊 Happy Reading for Fun! 📚 🎉
I’m so glad you enjoyed this and it resonated with you Kat - you have had a tough time too so I hope your mood reading has been a comfort to you.
I have recently been thinking the same thing so I love that you are talking about this. I come up with these random TBR lists, often based on book tube and then find myself unable to focus on the books. I’ve only managed to finish one book in October and I’ve DNF’ed 5 or 6. I finally just decided to pick up one I really wanted to read and in sticking with it and really getting into it. You said so much in this video that really resonates with me and I think needed to be said.
Thank you so much - reading has been far better since I decided to just accept I need to step back from organised reading follow my nose! We can participate without overloading ourselves and I’m sure we can both find that balance. Happy reading to you!
I haven't read too many books that have blown me over this year and I have been figuring it's a me thing. I like your idea of bookish excellence. Looking forward to seeing what you end up reading. 😊💙
Thanks Jolene - I’m already enjoying what I’m picking up far more. I wish you plenty of bookish excellence as well! 🤍
Thank you for the kind words and interesting waffle 😂. There are few things that interest me more than learning how and why others read.
That was such a great video - one of my favourite topics too!
I can so relate to this... also was devastated to hear about Alice 💔 Sorry to hear you had harder year, but I am really happy you came up with the plan 🤗 sending hugs, happy to see you again Jack!
Good you came up with this plan. The most important thing is to do what works for you.
Thank you - it’s working well so far!
I’m sorry you’ve had a hard year😢 I’m glad to hear that you’re making time for your own needs as grief can’t be rushed. Hope your winter book reading brings healing and joy🤗
Thank you so much - I already feel the difference in my reading, so excited for what is to come! 🤍
I loved everyone moment of this!
Thank you Shelly! Here’s to bookish excellence for us all! 🙌🤍
Good luck with the pleasure project,I hope you find some really great new favourites as well as revisiting tried and trusted old friends.😻
Thank you, Jane! It’s already made a huge improvement these past few weeks!
This video really resonated with me! In fact, I just finished watching the Read Your Shelves challenge posted by M-J and Fibreartsy. I am going to participate but am only going to read the books on my shelves that I have been wanting to read and that I know I will love. Good luck with your reading plans and I hope you have a better year ahead. 📚🌻
Thank you so much - glad this resonated with you. It sounds like you have similar reading plans to me and I wish you lots of bookish excellence for the rest of the year! 🤍
This is a me problem too, and I am so in for a winter of bookish excellence!! For me that will consist of series, big fat fantasy and historical tomes and recs from people whose taste is very similar to me you and Scott being at the top of that list!)
Alice would have absolutely loved this matey. 🧡
Yeeeeeessss to big fat fantasy and historical fiction books - I am in for this as well. Here is to some bookish excellence ahead! 🙌
Mood reading is such a wonderful thing, and I read that way as well. I read that way pre-booktube and will do so now as well. I think reading for pleasure is so important! I also have to read a lot of books for my job as well (I work in publishing), and so when I am reading anything else it needs to be mood reading for pleasure as I have more than enough required reads as well. I also am a dnfing fiend because it makes reading books you enjoy so much better. I also had a period of time where I narrowed down the number of buddy reads I did to like, one at a time. And also for me to have months where I had none! And that has worked so much better for me. I hope you have a wonderful winter of fantastic reads x
Thank you so much Olivia - so far it has been going really well! I think stepping back from buddy reading for a while has been the right decision, even though I miss it and get a little FOMO! I am sure in the new year, I will be ready to step back into the world of social reading, but for now, just reading purely for my own pleasure is wonderful. Going forward I am definitely going to build in months where I have no commitments!
I’m so glad you will be doing this. You have had a hell of a year and loosing Alice affected us in different ways. Jack you are one of the loveliest people I’ve ever known. Reading should be so much fun and you need to do whatever you can to help your reading mojo xxx 💜💜
Thank you Em - here’s to a fantastic end to the year as I think we deserve it!
12:37 🎉🎉🎉 yes Keedie!!!!! 💜💜💜💜📚🫂
So good!
Great video as always 👍 Big hugs 🫂 and sorry to hear you have had such a tough go lately. Glad you are taking care of yourself and making yourself a priority. You are right it is okay to not read every day and enjoy doing other things 🤓 A number of people seem to be struggling at the moment with reading and concentration , myself included. We all have different strategies that work and nice to hear other people’s ideas and give them a try. Thank you Jack 🥰
Thank you, Elaine. I am so glad I have been doing this because so far, it has been great. I’ve enjoyed some really good books lately and it’s making me much more motivated to read - I hope you are finding books that delight you! 🤍
Great video and wonderful idea. When my dad died unexpectedly in 2021, he was midway through 2 books he was enduring and wasn’t enjoying very much. I kept wondering afterwards whether he would have kept going with them if he knew they were the last books he would spend time with. It’s definitely affected how often I DNF, knowing I’m guaranteed now and not an imagined future. I hope your reading is what you want it to be for the rest of this year and beyond.
Thank you. Sorry you lost your dad unexpectedly - what a terrible shock that must have been for you. Sudden losses this year have hit me in the same way and that thought that we only have now is such a powerful motivator to make sure we are enjoying our present! I have definitely been much more mindful of it - it has helped me find so much small joy in my everyday life and sounds like it has for you as well. I wish you lots of happy reading!
I'm with you on this. I read 6-8 books a month usually, and some are disappointing I admit. I have cancer and have been in hospital this summer, when I came out my concentration was gone.
It's back now, but I've changed my view on reading completely, I need to read books I really want read, not ones I pick on a whim or because they're a bargain.
I loved Alice, miss her very much, I seemed to always associate her with Saturday mornings, don't know if that was when she uploaded, or just when I made a point of watching her.
Alice is has been such a loss to our little community. Someone else recently mentioned how much illness impacts our ability to focus on books. I hope you continue to heal and read books that capture you and delight you! 🤍
I am slowly coming out of a really long slump and am enjoying finally being able to sit and read something, however i am still taking it slow. But my audiobooks are still going strong.
Mood reader here, always will be and shall never again to be forced into reading something i don’t fancy!
Enjoy your winter plans 🎉
Thank goodness for audiobooks, Julie! Glad you are coming out of the slump and I wish you lots of happy reading!
@@spreadbookjoy Yes indeed thank goodness for them 😎 Thank you so much 😊
I love your videos! Especially your picture book videos. ❤️
@@mothergooselibrarian.3257 thank you so much! That’s wonderful to hear! ☺️🤍
10:33 - 😂😂😂 I get you Jack
I do enjoy reading projects and goals and challenging myself and exploring why something doesn't work or hit. It expands my reading life and helps me really know my reading tadtes and styles better as I definitely dabble amid the ages and genres. 💜📚
Projects and readathons have really expanded my reading as well - they are so great for that!
Jack, I love this idea. I’m a mood reader but I still have those books I “should” read on my TBR. Like The Only Plane in the Sky. I have a little bit of PTSD around the events of 9-11. (Won’t go into them). Alice’s death hit me, as a subscriber and commenter hard. So I know it was so impactful and horrible for you, Gemma and Charlie. And others who knew and loved her. So your idea is splendid and I’m only going to read books I’m especially drawn to. Thank you for discussing this in your video.
Thanks, Glenda. I’m glad it struck a chord with you as well - I’m determined to enjoy my reading for the rest of the year and hope you do as well!
17:16 - i lo e chatty videos whete people explain their current connection to bokks readibg, what is isn't working..learning about other human experiences that are different but an relate to on some level, or learn from, or just acknowledge we are not the same is what draws me to read in the first place. I want to walk in other peoples shoes 💜📚
Absolutely! Great point!
@@spreadbookjoy glad you were able to understand me through all the typos! Hope you have got your teeth into some great books 💜📚
18:04 🎉 hooray for the returning spark ✨️ 💜📚
✨🤍🤍🤍
Very sorry to hear you've had such a tough year - taking that time to recalibrate and reassess what's important in your life and how you use the time you have is such a sound approach. Really appreciate your thoughts on that side of things.
So much of what you talk about re. reading difficulties resonates for me. My reading has taken a hit recently too, for a variety of reasons - a bout of seasonal depression, time pressures, and the fact I'm now reading so much more for work (I'm retraining as an editor) - all this has really affected my focus and drive to read for pleasure. I'm completely with you on the search for 'bookish excellence' - that's my current policy, and will be for the remainder of the year, and possibly just into the beginning of 2025 when I know the seasonal blues will hit hardest (completely agree about this approach not being sustainable though - I too have had some incredible experiences with books that really took some work to get into, but knocked my socks off by the end). I love BookTube but it has affected how and what I read, and I needed to just step back for a bit and reassess. And acknowledge that it's okay to NOT want to read! So far it's working great - I've had a joyous re-read of my favourite book, and then I randomly picked up another Adrian Tchaikovsky (who I know I can trust for a good time!) and I loved that one too. It's strange (and probably completely predictable), but as soon as I gave myself permission to just read what I want, whenever I want (or not), and to DNF(Y) if I wanted to, my urge to read started to come back! For me, audiobooks have been the way to go - I don't have to focus as much with them, and there's something inherently comforting about having someone tell you a story. So you've started (and are enjoying) PHM - fantastic! I hope it keeps you hooked throughout like it did me 😀
Great video, Jack - am totally here for the existential 'waffle' too, by the way 😉 Here's to a fabulous winter of enthralling reads!
Thank you so much, Alex! Reading for work can completely interrupt reading for pleasure. Booktube has also completely changed how I read, but I’m recognising that I need to balance out all the amazing reading opportunities it has brought me with my desire to mood read and recent reading has been far better. I finished PHM and it was great - especially the audio. Couldn’t agree more that there is something so inherently comforting about audiobooks and they’ve become increasingly important to me over the years. When I can’t physically read, I can always turn to an audiobook and you are so right - it’s that feeling of being told a story and perhaps that takes us back to a feeling of childhood and safety. I am definitely going to to check out some Adrian Tchaikovsky as I think we may have similar reading tastes after watching your best books video. I wish you lots of happy reading! 🤍
@@spreadbookjoy Totally missed your reply until now, somehow! Very happy you enjoyed PHM! Ray Porter's narration is brilliant 👍Will look forward to seeing what you make of some Tchaikovsky - I've had all of his that I've read as audio too, and they've been really well done, so can highly recommend them in that format. Yes, from watching your videos I think we may have some similar tastes, you've added to my wish list recently too! Hope you're enjoying your mood reading and are finding plenty of bookish excellence 😉
So much of this resonated with me Jack! I set myself some bookish goals at the start of the year, which have in turn become "assigned reading" and they've completely sapped the joy out of reading for me this year. I've had 12 books I truly loved out of 50 and that such a waste of time!! Thank you for this wonderful video and I wish you all the best bookish excellence this winter ♥️
I’m so pleased to hear this resonated with you! I wish you plenty of excellent reads for the rest of the year!
I’m with you when it comes to DNFing books… Some of my favorite books got much better as stuck with them. That’s why I’m thankful for YY. People that share the same reading taste extend their reviews and fav books, and I find my next read through them. Funny thing is I have Lonesome Dove on my shelf due to a friend’s recommendation but never cracked it open. Thanks to your video, now I’m inspired to pick it up ❤
I really hope you enjoy Lonesome Dove - it’s a slow start but the characters and the sense of time and place were just fantastic!
This video really resonated with me. One of the things I did was set my good reads goal to 1 book. I chose to put 1 book because in previous years I’ve set goals that were too high & then felt like an idiot for not being to do it. I’m a mum of 2 boys & wife, as much as I’d like to be able to read hundreds of books a year, it’s not possible for me so I’m giving myself permission to be okay with that. Also my son just started secondary school & I was trying to explain the difference between reading books & consuming them (aka slow down occasionally, it’s not a race). I’ve read 5 books so far this year & i’m okay with that. Id recommend Hog Father by Terry Pratchett for a silly Christmas-y vibe. I’m about to start my yearly re read
@@juliacharles4790 I have been doing exactly the same thing on Goodreads for a couple of years now! Much better for the sense of achievement! Hogfather is a favourite re-read of mine as we head towards Christmas as well - great recommendation! That’s great you are being easy on yourself regarding numbers of books read - it is much healthier and more enjoyable when we don’t focus on the numbers but on the enjoyment. Happy reading! 🤍
So sorry for all your losses, it sounds like a rough year. Completely understandable, the need to change your reading to better fit what you need, it sounds like a very self aware and self care approach to get back to loving reading ❤
@@jillybeanh67 Thank you so much. It’s been a tough one indeed and I’m hoping that I can get back to the joy and comfort that reading has given me in the past. Starting to already, which is wonderful!🤍
Emotional health and caring for your soul is important, & I’m so happy that you are taking the time to heal more, find joy again, & breathe freely. I’m excited to see where your nose leads you 😉🥰
@@novelideea thank you Deea. Tbh I’m also enjoying trying to rediscover the ability to mood read again as it seemed to have disappeared somehow!
I can't concentrate on reading at all either when I'm grieving, even though it's usually my escape I can't seem to utilise that when I'm in such deep sorrow. I'm so sorry that you've had so much of that this year 💔
That’s exactly it, Abi. That deep sorrow - which is so different from anything else - greatly impacted my ability to read or find solace in books which is strange when I usually read for comfort or escapism. I’ve realised you can’t escape grief - you have to let it happen and sit with it until you learn to live with it. Thank you for your kind words and sorry for your loss as well 💔
It is ok to put aside a book if you are not enjoying it and come back when you are in the right mood.
I think a lot of us put pressure on ourselves to read something, which is a bit mad really. I'd do what you want. Occasionally it's worth going out of your comfort zone. There are books which I've studied which I wouldn't have read otherwise and have enjoyed.
That is a good bit of advice about going out of my comfort zone - I will try that as well! Thank you ❤
I made a plan of the books I intended to read at the start of the year. I've finished some of those and only dnf one, because I'm terrible for not dnf books. Once I've started something I'm that personwho has to finish it, even if I'm not loving it. Some of the books I've ended up reading this year have been ones that people were giving away and were threatened with the recycle bin, so I'm glad to have saved those as well as fallen down the Anna Jacobs rabbit-hole. Hahah! I've also joined another book group in my local area, so one or two books have been ones I've read for that. I've so far read 24 books this year, although 2 were ones I started last year. My reading goal was 28 books and that's going a fair amount off my list, but I'm ok with that because the list was a guideline of sorts. Do you go to many author events? I got to meet my favorite crime fiction author, Peter May in September 2024. I was so happy with that.
How wonderful that you got to meet a favourite author! I have only been to one bookish event this year (though perhaps it was last year!), but I keep an eye out for anything interesting as they are so fun. Sounds like you are well on the way to your goal! Plenty of my friends love to have lists and tbrs and I actually do enjoy making a good list, but find I have to treat it like window shopping - piles of possibilities rather than firm plans. I wish you plenty of happy reading for the rest of the year!
@spreadbookjoy I've now finished 27 books, so nearly there as far as the umbers go. I've been reading anything I find though since my last comment, so totally going off my list for the greater part. Still having a great time with it. I finally finished "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari which I'm very happy about, because it has to be my least favorite book of the year so far.
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I would like to social read more, joining group reads got me reading again
Social reading is such fun. I just need to be careful not to overcommit, which has been my main problem!
Hope you enjoy your reading the rest of the year. If not for pleasure, then what is the point? Take care and wish you all the best!
Thank you so much - it has been far more enjoyable the past couple of weeks!
Aww that’s great, Jack. May it continue.
I've gone and the complete opposite direction. I just crossed 150 books, 50,000 pages, 3 dnf I almost never dnf, I even finished them when I'm mood reading and the choice I made was very very bad.
My main stressor being in the United States is political, which at least the main part will be over soon.
It is indeed a politically stressful time in the US - I can see the need to get lost in a good book!
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