On (Not) Reading

 

In the world of booktubers, for whom books are "content", it would be said that I'm in a "reading slump." Or I'm "burned out" on reading. I don't think those terms are an accurate description on my reading, or lack of, though they do describe my current state of reading, i.e. not much. 

I'm simply not in the mood to read these days. I'm not burned out from reading too much. And since I don't really have any reading goals or a TBR lists to complete, not reading isn't really a slump in the sporting sense. As I said, I find that I'm simply not in the mood to read. What books I have been reading these last several months, have been just rereads of books from my book shelves. Perhaps I've grown tired of looking for new books to read.

I've been trying many new books, authors, and genres on the recommendations of booktubers, and bloggers over the last several years. But, with the notable exception of Emma M Lion, I find that I do not really click with newly released books. There is something in the style books are written today that doesn't click with me. I certainly don't like stories set in contemporary times, I want to be taken somewhere else. However, even the historical stories they write today seem to have a modern sheen, making them seem unauthentic.  

Earlier this year, as in the past several, I was reading new to me old time authors. The problem is that they are often not available in the library, so to find more of their books I would have to buy them as ebooks, if available, or used paper books. Spending money on books is something I do only for special books. I've never said "I want to read this or that book" and without further thought, followed it by thinking "I have to go out and buy this or that book." There is no connection in my mind between reading a book and buying a book. I've always turned to libraries for my books... Though, I will admit, my wall of books sort of puts a lie to that statement. I was sort of into collecting books in my youth, but then again, most of those books were purchased more than 25 years ago. Many are second hand, purchased cheap at charity stores, or go way back to my youth and the days of  $.50 paperbacks. And even then, many were purchased used at half price. We've gotten a little off topic, but what I am driving at is that going out and just buying books that maybe sound like I might like them, is not something I do. Not at full price, anyway. Borrowing a library book is my book reading choice these days.

So, faced with no compelling reads - the next Emma M Lion book comes out in Feb. 2027 - what reading I have been doing has been going back to reread my old favorites. Even so, I've found some surprises, good and not so good. I won't say more than that, since I still have nine installments of my Saturday Morning Post book reports in the can that will cover those books. That also means that there will not be any crisis on Saturday mornings until at least December. I will say this, however, I'm not going to read books just to create "content" for my Saturday Morning Post. We'll have to see how things go on that front.

Even with the current lack of reading, I have read a fair amount of books this year.

I started 46 books and finished 38 of them. Not exactly a serious dry spell in reading. It is just that I'm reading significantly less books than in years past. I recorded starting 106 books on my 2025 list, 89 for 2024 and 102 for 2023. I may have been already feeling the lack of compelling books back in January, since my goal for 2026 was 50 books. With two and half months left, I may even make it. 

I guess, all said, it is more than numbers of books I'm talking about. It is my attitude. I don't miss reading a book or two every week. Honestly, right now, I don't miss reading at all. These days, I'm simply content to pick up an old favorite and read a chapter or two in the evening, and call it a day. And really, this lack of drive to read is not a new phenomena. There were many years in this century when I read very few books. Instead, I was writing my own stories, and only had room in my head for those stories. It is rather surprising that I found room for both my stories and books these past few years. 

I am still writing my own stories... and the current one needs all the attention I can give it these days.