The Lost Reader
There is a fantastic bookstore across the street from the hotel where I stay when I visit my daughter at college. I go every time I’m here. I stroll the aisles, read book jackets, let time be something I ignore along with my phone and the rest of life. I did that today. It was wonderful. And yet I found myself stopping in the center of the classics session to embrace a sad feeling and fight back tears as I came face to face with a realization…
I'm afraid I've lost my love of reading.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still a reader, but I fear I have lost my love of it. It's like a job. I read now like a writer. I’m critical. I’m quick to judge a sentence and how it is structured instead of soaking in what it’s saying, what the words are portraying. And I have read so long in the genre I write, I fear I don’t even know HOW to read anything else. And I used to read EVERYTHING. It’s good for a writer to read in their genre. I truly believe that. But I also believe it’s good for a writer to read everything.
I fear I've also let a competitive spirit override my love of reading. Yes, Goodreads and places where I can track what I'm reading are great. No issue with them. But for me personally, I get caught up in some sort of reading rat race that only brings me angst instead of joy.There is an app/community I love and it's called Litsy.
It's as if Instagram and Goodreads had a love child. You get the cool, fun photos of Instagram along with great reviews and book suggestions from readers. And these people are REAL readers, folks. Die hard fans of books. And everyone is nice. No mean spirited reviews, just honest feedback on books. It's awesome. Anyway, I get a lot of book recommendations from Litsy and I love it. Because these people read everything. Not just one genre. And they LOVE to read.
After my moment in the bookstore, I got to thinking of why I feel I don't love reading anymore. And I was relieved to realize that maybe it's not that I don't love to read. I do. But I've boxed myself in. Told myself I have to always look at books like a writer instead of a reader. Got wrapped up in the reading race when really, there isn't one.
And if I'm honest with myself, I have allowed my fear of feeling outside the box to keep me from reading outside the box.
Let me explain: I write romance novels. So yes, I like to read romance novels. But with continuous happy endings, I haven't been letting in ALL the feels when it comes to stories. And I miss that. I want to feel sad or mad or frustrated as I read. I believe that if I do, that's a well written book.
I want out of the box.
I want to read YA books and feel like a young adult again, the angst and the insecurities along with the victories and belief that anything can happen if I put my mind to it. I want to read classics and get swept back in time, see history via a well-written story. I want to read mysteries and try to figure out whodunit before I actually read it in the end. I want to read memoirs and see the world through someone else's experience.
I want to love reading again...
What about you? Have you ever lost your love of reading or found yourself reading in a different way that before?
I'm afraid I've lost my love of reading.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still a reader, but I fear I have lost my love of it. It's like a job. I read now like a writer. I’m critical. I’m quick to judge a sentence and how it is structured instead of soaking in what it’s saying, what the words are portraying. And I have read so long in the genre I write, I fear I don’t even know HOW to read anything else. And I used to read EVERYTHING. It’s good for a writer to read in their genre. I truly believe that. But I also believe it’s good for a writer to read everything.
I fear I've also let a competitive spirit override my love of reading. Yes, Goodreads and places where I can track what I'm reading are great. No issue with them. But for me personally, I get caught up in some sort of reading rat race that only brings me angst instead of joy.There is an app/community I love and it's called Litsy.
It's as if Instagram and Goodreads had a love child. You get the cool, fun photos of Instagram along with great reviews and book suggestions from readers. And these people are REAL readers, folks. Die hard fans of books. And everyone is nice. No mean spirited reviews, just honest feedback on books. It's awesome. Anyway, I get a lot of book recommendations from Litsy and I love it. Because these people read everything. Not just one genre. And they LOVE to read.
After my moment in the bookstore, I got to thinking of why I feel I don't love reading anymore. And I was relieved to realize that maybe it's not that I don't love to read. I do. But I've boxed myself in. Told myself I have to always look at books like a writer instead of a reader. Got wrapped up in the reading race when really, there isn't one.
And if I'm honest with myself, I have allowed my fear of feeling outside the box to keep me from reading outside the box.
Let me explain: I write romance novels. So yes, I like to read romance novels. But with continuous happy endings, I haven't been letting in ALL the feels when it comes to stories. And I miss that. I want to feel sad or mad or frustrated as I read. I believe that if I do, that's a well written book.
I want out of the box.
I want to read YA books and feel like a young adult again, the angst and the insecurities along with the victories and belief that anything can happen if I put my mind to it. I want to read classics and get swept back in time, see history via a well-written story. I want to read mysteries and try to figure out whodunit before I actually read it in the end. I want to read memoirs and see the world through someone else's experience.
I want to love reading again...
What about you? Have you ever lost your love of reading or found yourself reading in a different way that before?
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