The evolution of my reading habits. {1}

Posted August 16, 2014 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 7 Comments

Image: Asheley @ Into the Hall of Books
Wow! My blog has been silent lately. And it stinks! 

Some of you know that I have had a big move from one part of North Carolina to another and while it has been adventure, it came at a bit of a wonky time. I had just announced and begun my Contemporary Month Event and was SO EXCITED about it. I had read a ton of books and planned to give a ton away to clear my shelves for what I thought was an upcoming move… 

…except the move came a little quicker than I was expecting and MAN OH MAN, it was fast. Also: I’ve spent a lot longer adjusting (and helping my family adjust) than I had anticipated. No biggie. 

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I can’t help but notice a few changes in my reading habits since the flurry of finding a house, packing, moving, unpacking, and adjusting. Throughout the upheaval of my normal routine, there were very few constants – thankfully, one was reading. However! The way that I read changed up a bit and I am both excited and surprised about how things have turned out. 

Here are a couple of the ways my reading routine has changed lately:

1. Before: I pretty much never read series books back-to-back. 
I always read books in between.
Now: I am devouring series books back-to-back. 

I can’t believe this! There are a couple of series that I am currently flying through right now (this one and this one). I’m finding myself starting the next book in the series as soon as I can after finishing the book before it. I actually never thought this would happen because I was quite happy enjoying series over a long periods of time — but I’m okay with this change! 


2. Before: I had major Series Finale Fear. I would read up until the last book and then almost never read the final book for a myriad of reasons.
Now: I don’t feel afraid of series endings anymore.

 In the past, I postponed reading finales because: I didn’t want bookish relationships with characters to end, I didn’t want stories that I loved so dearly to end, I was scared of what would happen with characters that I was invested in, I was nervous about the outcomes of love triangles, etc etc etc. While I still feel these things, it is more an excited and anticipated fear than a bookishly-stressful fear. 
(Either is okay. EITHER IS OKAY.) 

 For those that are pretty familiar with my reading habits, HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE? How how how? If I am honest with myself, I am sure that I will see that emotional fear pop up again, but I am enjoying the freedom from it right now. 

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In reality, I believe that moving quickly through series like I am doing now and have done for the past two or three months has made changes to my reading routine inevitable. ALSO, to be fair, the major series that I have felt the fear over 
(like this one and this one and this one
are completed and I’ve read all of the finales! So I do not need to stress over those endings any longer. 

I’m not sure if these changes are here to stay. It’s okay if they are. But it is okay if they are not too. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I have a ton of series finales to catch up on. A TON. 

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Have your reading habits ever changed 
out of necessity? 

Also: Contemporary Month will be back! I still have to clear my shelves and want to share my thoughts on a ton of great contemporary. I need to get a little more settled in before I restart my event, but I will indeed pick it back up. Doggone it. 



Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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7 responses to “The evolution of my reading habits. {1}

  1. It is wonderful to see a blog post from you pop up in my reader, Asheley! I'm glad the move went well and I hope that the adjustment period is nearing its end for you and the family.

    As for your reading habits changing, I totally get that! I've actually been a bigger advocate of binge reading series this year (completed series, I mean) that I've ever been before. Personally, I think it's because I prefer not having to wait in between books.

    I think it's great that you've finally read the series enders that you were holding out on! (And I reaaaaally want to know what you thought of Ignite Me and Dreams of Gods and Monsters).

  2. WHOA! Asheley I just can't believe this of you. Reading series books back to back AND tackling finales!!! These are things that I love to do, but I'm wowed by how things have changed for you. YAY! It makes me happy. Maybe the biggest thing that has changed – slowly for me – is reading multiple books at once. I used to ONLY read one at a time, but now I intersperse ebooks and paper and sometimes audio. I don't usually do a lot at once, nowhere near your amount, and I'm perfectly happy to read them one at a time too, but sometimes it's fun to work through a couple. I still like to read big chunks at a time, however. I hope you're feeling more and more settled into your new home and that your reading continues to evolve. xo

  3. I posted a very meaningful comment, then my computer freaked and it disappeared. So, here's something much less poignant and well-written:

    Change is a part of life, even if it's just our reading habits. Like, lately I seem to "read" more audiobooks than print versions because of my approx. 1.5hr round-trip commute. I also find myself having a lot less tolerance when I do read something in print and will DNF much more quickly. My time is precious, and I don't want to waste it on drivel…at least at this point!

    Glad y'all got settled. Looking for more bookishness from you 🙂

  4. Oh, wow, sounds like you have had quite the busy summer so far! Moving's never easy, but at least now you're able to focus more on settling in.
    I do agree that I think reading habits will change out of necessity, or just because of changing circumstances. Like if your life has been crazy and up in the air recently, maybe it's been comforting to read a series straight through because you get to stay immersed in one world, with familiar characters and conflicts? I used to always read series straight through. I stopped because of blogging – I didn't want to get the separate books messed up when it came time to review them. But now I've embraced series reviews, so it's not as big as deal anymore.
    Anyway, I'm glad that the moving process is over for you. I hope you can relax now and enjoy the rest of your summer!

  5. I get scared about series finales too so I totally get that! I think for me, there have been a few in the last couple years (Divergent and Delirium come to mind) where for me, the final book was a huge letdown to a series that started off with 5 star potential. So it made me a little gun shy, but I'm starting to get over it.

    As for reading habits in general, mine are always changing! I'm a huge mood reader so I think that has a lot to do with it. Definitely keeps things interesting!

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