Not Reading, Not Feeling Guilty

As you’ll see in a few days when my September book update comes out…I haven’t been reading very much this past month. Like, ‘I only managed to finish 4 books’ this month not reading. Half of the usual amount. And they were all at the beginning of the month.

But…turns out I’m ok with that. And I hope other book bloggers can relate.

When you dedicate so much time to a book blog, you want to make sure you live up to the hype. There’s the idea that if someone writes a blog that they should be an expert in that topic. Or, be so interested and devoted that they can’t live without doing the thing they write about. What would a running blog be if the writer didn’t run? What would a poetry blog be if the writer didn’t post poetry?

You get the idea.

Well, I guess I’ve been having some mixed feelings about this in the past few weeks.

September has been a very busy month for me in my personal and professional life. I’ve been working full-time at a relatively new job, going back to school for a Master’s degree, training for a triathlon, making new friends, and exploring other hobbies like playing piano and cooking. Plus watching the endless new episodes of Halloween and pumpkin-themed shows on the Food Network.

I’ve been diligent with my blogging schedule, posting on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I’ve made sure to read a few other bookish blog posts. I’ve taken some cool pictures that I want to use. But, the content has changed a bit. Fewer book reviews, more opinions and recommendations.

I want to share my thoughts on this so other new bloggers, regardless of what your blogging niche is, feel like they can change it up too. The point of this blog for me is to be creative, practice writing, and have a way to share the books I love.

Don’t be discouraged if you ‘slack off.’ Don’t feel guilty. It’s harder than it looks.

My blog is actually tied to other goals I have set for myself this year, so I’m experiencing some setbacks in multiple ways: like reading 100 books in 2022 or posting twice a week for a whole year. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little stressed about the lack of progress. But I’m learning to lean into it.

This month was not a reading month. I didn’t find books that sparked my interest. I found better things to do that made me happier at the moment.

All this being said, I do want to jump back on the horse in October. I want to reach my goals. I want to rekindle the reading spark that has made me so happy.

So I’ll treat the past few weeks as a nice rest from books and constant reading. You know what they say… absence makes the heart grow fonder. I never really like that quote but it does seem to fit here. I want to spend the fall weather reading on the porch. I want to read an entire 400-page book on a Sunday while my husband watches football all day. I want to enjoy a few good books and fall asleep wanting to read more as soon as I wake.

I love reading. I’m not giving up. I’m not feeling guilty. I’m just going to let everything have its place in my life. I’ll gently coax my reading self back into the forefront where it can take the lead.

Reading isn’t everything, but it sure does make my life better.