Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Check out all the past topics if you want to join in the bookish discussion fun.
Since October does not yet have topics, I’m going back to an LTB topic from August:
Do you consider yourself a mood reader?
Prompts: Do you consider yourself a mood reader? Are you constantly switching books and genres depending on your mood? Or do you always stick to a very specific TBR? If you’re a mood reader, do you ever wish you could better stick to TBRs?
Defining being a ‘mood reader’
If you’ve followed my blog for a minute or if you’ve even stopped by occasionally for a weekly meme or two, you’ll know by now that the answer to whether I consider myself a mood reader is a resounding YES. If the name itself isn’t already obvious, Bookriot has simply defined the term:
A mood reader is a person who reads according to their mood. This means that their feelings and emotions often dictate what they’ll read. If they’re feeling happy and want to bask in that happiness, they choose a book or genre that will tie in with that feeling. […] Either way, a mood reader selects and reads books based on how they are feeling at any given moment.
Book Riot
As accurate as that↑ description may be, it’s not always as simple to gauge my moods and often, what I think I’m in the mood to read may not always be what I end up being in the mood to read. That probably sounds nonsensical to many, especially those who aren’t mood readers, but that’s often how it works for me, as silly as it may be! This is probably why the number of books on my TBR far surpasses those I’ve read, as my mood is truly a fickle beast! 😂
Are you constantly switching books and genres depending on your mood?
Yes and no. I think it really depends on how fickle my mood is at any given moment but I do mostly stick to my favourite genres: romance and fantasy. Unless I’m lucky and hit my mood right, it often takes me “testing” 2-4 books before I find one that keeps my attention. I do tread outside of those favourite genres sometimes and turn to lit fic or even thrillers, but I mostly mix up the subgenres I pick up! I also switch formats cos sometimes a physical book is all that works for me when I find an ebook just isn’t doing it anymore.
The thing about TBRs…
As a mood reader, I have never been able to stick to them. Despite my love of making TBR lists, I can’t recall one time when I’ve successfully completed any. That said, even when I started making “possibility piles”, as the term fits better with what could potentially suit my mood at any given moment, I’ve still never been any good at sticking to those possibilities! I think there was only one time that I can recall when I almost completed a possibility pile but that was several years ago and I’ve been terrible ever since! 😂
Do you ever wish you could better stick to TBRs?
Honestly? Yeah, sometimes! Being able to stick to TBRs would make my reading life so much more organized. It would undoubtedly also make completing reading challenges—something that I’m notoriously bad at doing—much easier, too. I’m always incredibly impressed by all readers who set out a TBR at the start of a month or challenge and can cross off every prompt or book, especially when done without any substitutions/changes! 😍 Sadly, though it is what it is, that will never be me because I’m a mood reader through and through. I could probably do a month’s challenge of trying to stick to a fixed TBR but I don’t think that’d be enjoyable although perhaps I would feel mightily accomplished if I succeeded!
And what about you, dear reader? Are you a mood reader like me who can never even stick to possibility piles or do you thrive on setting and sticking to fixed TBRs?
dinipandareads 
I’m a little bit of both. I do make a monthly TBR that I am pretty good at finishing, but I always leave room for those books that I just see and want to read because I’m in the mood for them. I have to have goals or I feel like I never get anything done!
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Fair enough! I think being a mood reader reflects my personality a lot—I love to plan but have very little follow through but I somehow still manage to do things (sometimes it really feels like a miracle, lol). I do admire people who complete TBRs all the time—I wish that were more me! 😂
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I plan a TBR, but I think it’s better for both me and the book when I set aside/pick up a book based on my mood. If I try to power through something I am just not in the mood for, it affects my rating which seems unfair to the book. AND I waste my time reading something I am not in the right frame of mind to read. I think it’s good you let your mood decide at times
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I totally agree with that, Sam! I’ve tried reading a book because I needed to and was just not in the right head space or mood for it and it definitely affected my overall thoughts/feelings!
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I have always believed myself to be a mood reader, but the same way fantasy has subgenres, I believe mood reading also has sublevels if that makes sense. I read the same genres as you and I also believe it is important to switch subgenres and read different formats, to keep it fun.
Buddy reads and deadlines have helped me a lot with sticking with TBRs, but I am not as strict with them and rather see them as that month’s hopeful reads.
This is such a broad topic, I’ve always wanted to talk about it on my blog but I do not think my opinions are that interesting, so it was fun and great seeing your post! I do agree with most of what you’ve said and I think this meme is a nice way to talk about these bookish debates and topics. Curious about next week’s.
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I totally get where you’re coming from by saying you don’t think your opinions are interesting and I feel that way a lot too when I write these posts. I still feel that way a lot—I don’t think my opinions are more interesting than others, but at the end of the day I keep coming back to do these because I enjoy writing them. I have fun thinking about the topics and answering the prompts for each week. I say if you want to join in the fun and write a discussion post, then you should absolutely do it! 😄
I also relate when you say mood reading also has sublevels! Never thought about it that way but the minute you said that I was like Oh yeah, good way of looking at it! 😂 And you’re right, buddy reads are great for helping me stick to a read for a certain month. I think I’m getting better with ARCs too in this sense but that does also tend to depend a bit more on my mood (especially if the ARC isn’t for a blog tour or the publisher didn’t reach out specifically).
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You express yourself very nicely in your posts so I do think that opinions apart, your posts are great because they’re clear, not only interesting, and that is important. I tend to overexplain all the time.
Everything has sublevels! The only ARCs I get are from Netgalley so it is a bit different. It is also funny because sometimes I get approved a week before release and others months in advance, so sometimes you cannot really plan these quite well and if you have a bad, busy or mood-reading week, you are already late for the review.
Despite not reaching all my reviews on time, I think I did well this year compared to in the past.
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[…] Let’s Talk Bookish: Am I a Mood Reader? […]
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I adore making TBRs, but rarely complete them. I can say that I have completed some in the past. I find myself not joining reading challenges or readathons these days when they require that I have to stick to my TBR. I enjoy my reading a lot more when I can be flexible!
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I’m definitely a mood reader and although I love making monthly tbrs I don’t often stick to them!😂 Sometimes I think sticking to one genre can tire me out, so now I’m embracing reaching out to other kinds of stories when I jump between so many books.
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I’m definitely a mood reader too! While I do make very, very general seasonal TBR’s, I never force myself to stick with them. I just read what I’m in the mood for at any given time. And YES, knowing what you’re in the mood for is the most difficult thing, I swear it can take me hours before deciding what new book I want to start next…
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[…] Dini @ dinipandareads […]
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