#TopTenTuesday How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted on by whatcathyreadnext

Top Ten TuesdayTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

book stack book pileThis week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time. 

Some of my reading habits definitely haven’t changed: historical fiction is still my favourite genre and makes up the majority of my reading. But, with the help of my blog and Goodreads, here are a few changes I’ve noticed.

  1. I read eight books I’d define as ‘classics’ (books written over 40 years before) in 2017, twelve in 2018 and thirteen in 2019 but I’ve read none this year.  
  2. I read 188 books in 2018. I’ve never read that many since. How did I find the time?
  3. I used to read a lot of review copies sent to me directly by authors, often self-published books. Too many, in fact. It put me under pressure and I felt bad if I didn’t enjoy them. I rarely accept review copies direct from authors now unless I’ve worked with them before.
  4. I take part in fewer blog tours these days. As a newbie blogger anxious to make her mark in the book community, I found myself taking a bit too much of a gamble with books just for the sake of being part of a tour. 
  5. I’ve joined a couple of book clubs so no longer only read books I’ve chosen myself. That’s a bit of a gamble too.
  6. Having less NetGalley requesting sprees. I’ve managed to get my ratio up to 97% by only requesting books I’m pretty sure I’m going to love – favourite authors, favourite genres – and that I know I’ll have time to read.
  7.  I’ve rediscovered a love of physical books, especially hardbacks, whereas I used to read mostly on my Kindle. It has meant more bookshelves…
  8. I’ve not borrowed a book from a library for many years now. Not sure this is a good thing…
  9. I think I’ve become tougher to please – or maybe just meaner! I gave 24 books five-star ratings last year but I’ve awarded less than half that number so far this year. 
  10. I read more books listed for literary prizes – the Booker Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction, for example  – which, on occasions, means being a bit more adventurous.

What hasn’t changed is that I have a massive TBR pile but cannot resist adding new books to it, I continue to rely on the lovely book blogging community for book recommendations, and I have a peculiar aversion to books being described as ‘unputdownable’. 

Have your reading habits changed much?

30 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time #TuesdayBookBlog”

  5. 188 books are so unbelievably impressive! I could never. I don’t have a library card yet, but I’m trying to get one soon. I’ve never joined a book club before, though it does sound equally fun and strange. I’ve never read a book I didn’t choose myself. It was great reading your TTT 🙂

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  6. I’m the same way with #3 and #4. The only blog tours I do now are spotlights where I don’t have to read the book. The rare ones I do are from authors or publishers I worked with before.

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  7. I relate to your “tougher to please” comment. I can be “picky” about things though I don’t always let it ruin a story for me. I like to think of it more as meaning I know what I like so when I read something I don’t, everything stands out. 😉 Thanks so much for visiting my list today!

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    1. I know some people have quite complicated mechanisms for determining a rating but I just go with gut feeling now. To get five stars it has to blow me away, either because of the story or the quality of the writing. I give lots of four stars though!

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    1. Glad I’m not alone. Possibly a sign of being too literal-minded but when someone says a book was ‘unputdownable’ I think, what you didn’t even put it down to visit the bathroom, get something to eat, answer the door? LOL

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  12. #6, how do you have that much self-control? That’s what I need when it comes to Netgalley requesting sprees is self-control (and to stop gambling on Netgalley every time we have a freebie topic for TTT like next week).

    I hope you have a great week, and thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.

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  13. Good stuff! Does your library belong to a lending network? That can help. Also, if you like e-books or e-audios there are often apps for those and it help with the waiting time. As for NetGalley–my % took a nose dive after a binger. I rarely request print now–only audio.

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  14. I totally relate to you on some of these (#3 and #4 especially) and not at all on others (#6 and #8 especially). These kinds of TTT prompts are always interesting because we get to compare and contrast our habits with others’. It’s fun to see how we’re all the same and different as well.

    Happy TTT!

    Susan

    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

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  15. One I did forget in my post is that I went from reading no review copies before blogging to reading SO MANY to getting a bit overwhelmed by them all and the deadlines and now I’m back to reading very few and mostly mood reading! It’s just more relaxing haha.

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  16. Good on you for being pickier about what you read! Definitely takes the pressure away from reading 🙂 And being part of book clubs is SUCH a great way to read outside your usual genres – I quite enjoy it!

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  18. Though my tastes in genres has not changed, I find myself being drawn more and more to literary fiction. Also, I have recently begun to enjoy audiobooks. For a long time I was very reluctant to go that route, but they have won me over. Because of them, my monthly reading has increased considerably.

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  19. I think we’ve gotten to know better what we appreciate as a reader and there’s a bit of an oversaturation of the market, so it’s hard to give many books 5 stars. I think we bookbloggers gained loads of reading experience and became more critical 🙂

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    1. That’s a good point. I think I’m harder to impress because I’ve read so much that’s really good. Plus, I think you start to recognise the same plot device or trope being used over and over again.

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  20. I can see how doing book reviews on books directly from authors would be tough. I would not enjoy that either.

    I haven’t used a library in years either. Also not sure that’s a good thing.

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  21. All changes that I can understand, Cathy. I basically use my library to get audiobooks now, where I used to go and come home with my arms laden. I am still in the clicking phase on Netgalley. I need to STOP. I also participate in too many blog tours. I think both of those will be goals for me in the New Year.

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