{Discussion in GIFs} The Reading Cycle ~ DNFs & Re-Reads

Today, I will be discussing two completely opposite sides of the reading spectrum/journey - the beginning and the end. I have problems with both, I kind of think that I should be thrown into the reading asylum (forgive me, I just read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and am into asylums/ hallucinations) because of how BIG of an issue both re-reading and DNF-ing is for myself. 

Re-Reading: A lot of my thoughts from "I Hate Big Books and I Cannot Lie" apply to this as well. 

I. Don't. Have. Time. 

Let me walk you through it, I have a multitude of books I want to read. Reading ALL of the things is literally my life goal (scientifically, this is impossible, as my TBR will increase in size in death). If I were to die tomorrow I want the words "Here lies the bookworm.... whose TBR keeps growing, even in death." on my gravestone.

  

There are dozens of well-loved books and series that I would LOVE to re-read.

When I have sooo many series that I want to read.... let ALONE finish, I don't know how I can take the time out of my reading schedule to re-read something. 

With my book reviews, I have a section titled, "Re-Readability," and I am seriously considering taking this out because it feels SOOO monotonous, repeating the SAME thing EVERY time about how I don't re-read books. I plan to continue blogging for the foreseeable future, and I know that as I increase blogging, I will gain more opportunities (such as review books/author events) which will only INCREASE my TBR and the books I want to read. This is the one con because I put pressure on myself to read other books and don't give myself the space and/or time to re-read a book, guilt-free. 

Now, when I'm writing this discussion post, and actually pondering my negative feelings towards re-reading. I have to admit to myself and to you, as my blog readers, that my so-called "reasoning" for not re-reading books is lame and goes against my morals as a person, letting the pressure of review books and even my own books on my personal TBR prevent me from diving back into worlds and journeys that I know and love.

So, I'm going to get back to the re-reading topic in a blog post, probably in early 2015, and in that post, I would like to re-visit this blog post - a kind of part two persay- and have something different to say.

The Cons:

But.... But.... What about all of those other shiny new books awaiting my attention?

What if I don't like the book as much the second time around?

What if I catch something that I hadn't previously and that makes me dislike the book?

The Pros:

Ahhhh.... I'm back in this world with the characters and storyline that I know and love so well

*counters self* What if I like the book a thousand times more?

DNFing: We can now move past the deeper stuff and discuss something I have a HECK OF A LOT of things to say about. 

I will open this up by saying - I am allergic to DNFing, AFTER the 50th page.

When I say I am "allergic" to DNFing, I mean that I am too darned stubborn to DNF. Even when I HATE a book, I will usually push on because of the thinking, "I've already invested so much time in this, I should continue." I am well aware this is toxic for my reading enjoyment and like re-reading.

The first step to resolving a problem is acknowledging it.

Yet, out of every 10 books I read, there are TWENTY books that I have DNFed before the fiftieth page. There are so many books from the library, for review, and even on my bookshelf that I plan to get back to.... some day (you know, maybe in 15 years). *Sidenote: My aversion to re-reading is even worse when I DNFed a book once*

What factors make DNFing even more likely?

eBooks

My issues with eReaders/eBooks are an entirely different bookish subject met with a lot of controversy, but what I will say is that the pros for eReaders don't outweigh the cons. It feels like reading eBooks takes me 5x more time to read an eBook versus physical.... of the SAME book, I might add.

Even if I'm LOVING and have EAGERLY ANTICIPATED

a book, if I'm reading an eCopy, I have issues reading it. There is also the fact that I am in school when I get a good third of my reading for the day done, so it is yet another factor that plays into me taking forever to read eBooks. Because I read multiple books at one time (another bookish topic that deserves its own post), an eBook is yet another, less accessible book for me to avoid reading.

The Cons: 

What happens if I the book I just DNFed would have been the best book I have read this year, or even the best book I have ever read?  

What happens if everyone is raving about this book, do I gather up the courage to try again?

How may times is enough? How many chances do I give this twisted relationship with this book?

The Pros:

No more stress! No more pressure! Read the things I actually want to read. Good riddance to that piece of junk!

You've heard the Pros and the Cons of both sides of the reading circle. Now I would like to know; What's your verdict? 

Do you give a tremendous sigh of relief once you dive back into a book's well-loved pages and feel like you have finally returned home after a long journey in other inferior books?

Do you scoff at re-reading in general and think of it as a total waste of time?

Do you wish you re-read books more, but have the pressure of life that restricts your reading habits?

Are you indifferent to re-reading, you choose your books at a leisurely pace, never knowing what you're going to read next, and if you want to re-read a book.... you just do?

Do you have commitment issues when it comes to reading books and have absolutely no problem dropping one like a hot potato?

Do you hold on by a thin thin thread for as long as humanly possible before you can't take it any longer like a toxic relationship?

Do you wish you DNFed more/less because of how many opportunities you may have missed?

{Discussion in GIFs} I Hate Big Books and I Cannot Lie

Every time I sit down to compose a new discussion post, I feel like I write them on same or relevant topics and today's topic makes me want to rename this "Confessions in GIFs" because if you missed my last two discussion posts, I talk about confessing to the world that I'm a mood reader and my opinion on quality versus quantity. Anyway, today's topic is about something I have been thinking about for the past two months and is something that actually relates to my last two discussions.

This aint me!

Let's rewind a little bit to the BACKSTORY behind this.... (you should probably grab a cup of coffee or other beverage of choice, because Sofia backstories are always long) At the beginning of August, when I moved in with my friend's family [the long backstory can be found here] I made a promise to my now "little sister" [you really need to read the backstory on this] that I would read this book. 

You might have heard of it

Now it's almost the end of September, and I still haven't read it. Albeit, I didn't want to read it in the first place, but I really need to because I made a promise, and there's that whole, "sticking to your word" thing that humans on planet Earth value so much. Now this promise would have been a heck of a lot easier to fulfill if The Glass Sentence was a measly 250 page book. 

Instead, I pick up this "pleasant, Middle Grade adventure" novel, and....

It is 515 pages! Five Hundred and Fifteen I tell you!!!

Let's back this up to BEFORE I started blogging aka. "the dark ages" It would not have been a problem. I probably would have taken the book from my little sister Ally, spent 2-5 days reading it (no biggie), enjoyed it, and went on my merry reading way. Before I started blogging, I hadn't had TBRs. I never had to structure my TBR for the month based on all the kinds of books and sources I got them. I also read only one book at a time, and I felt fresh as a daisy if I had to DNF a book because I wasn't feeling it. 

Now there are SOOO many books I want to read and SOOO little time to read them!

These are the reasons why I don't read big books anymore....

1. The feeling of accomplishing.... nothing ~ When I was in 2nd grade, I thought reading a "big" book was the best thing in the world, and I was a pro at reading them. (I was in 2nd grade, a big book was 350 pages long) But I'm not in 2nd grade anymore. I am in the middle of what was predicted to be one of the most arduous school years I have ever had on personal and academic levels. I don't have the time I used to have to read. I spend every spare moment when I'm not doing homework, eating, sleeping, or blogging reading. 

How I am at night, when I actually have time to read

Here's the fact of the matter.... I'm lucky to read three average-size books in a school week (300-ish pages). Even though the page count is the same, I would rather read 3 average-sized books than one HUGE 900 page book. It's some psychological issue I have, but I feel so much more proud of myself to have read more individual books.

2. There are the books I NEED to read, The books I WANT to read, and Those "Other" books.... In no way is book reviewing my job (we went over this), but I signed up to read and review those books in a timely manner - whether they're Netgalley or physical ARCs, and I feel sooo bad when I can't stick to those deadlines especially the self-imposed ones. So after I read those blog tour/review books, I want to settle down with a guilt-free book, something that I don't have to review or take notes on. (Believe it or not, those are actually the books I am most excited/willing to review).

There's no way on heaven or earth that I want to read those "other" books that I don't need to or don't want to read
*coughs* Glass Sentence *coughs*

3. There is usually a reason why those books are so long.... I mean, it might just be because the author needed that many pages to tell such a complex story. Yet, when I'm in one of those moods where I want instant satisfaction and thrilling, fast-paced reads, I'm not going to sit through 500 pages of world-building and character development. There are those times when I want nothing but long-winded, intricate descriptions, and to get lost in a good, thick book, where I can get invested in the characters. But that isn't the mood I'm now which is why I don't want to read The Glass Sentence. It took me way longer than it should have to read Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and that was a book I had desperately wanted and anticipated.

Now this isn't to say that I don't want to read chunksters or think they're horrible. I am not about to go around shaming big book lovers (you're looking at one of the biggest "everyone can read YA" advocates and won't hypocritically say that reading chunksters is bad), but the fact of the matter is that I'm not in right place in my reading habits/taste at the moment to fully endure, I mean, respect everything that big books have to offer. It's kind of like when a little kid wants to do something the "big kids" do, but they're too little (and are fully aware of that fact), yet attempt to anyway. I don't want to always be like this - I know I will have ulcers by the time I'm 25 if I continue putting this much pressure on myself - but for now.... I will stick with my word. 

I don't like big books and I cannot lie.

So what's your verdict?

Do you love nothing more than curling up with a chunkster and plowing through that sucker faster than  a hunger games tribute?

Are you indifferent to chunksters and don't put pressure on your reading habits/dictate what you're going to read by your blog schedule?

Do you wish you read more chunksters, but have suffered through the same plights as I have?