I wonder about this a lot, because I go through stages. There's the times where I devour books and luuurve everything I read. Then there's the times where I read slower, where I'm just not that into reading, or into a particular book, and where I notice flaws and things tend to annoy me.
Am I just in a bad reading mood? Is this totally unfair to the books I read when in said mood? I could easily say yes. But at the same time, something usually pulls me out of that mood. Something, as in, a great book.
A really great book would pull me out of a reading funk. I really believe that. If the book is AWESOME, I'll WANT to read it and I'll be EXCITED about it and ta-da! No more bad reading mood. So I think there's something to be wondered about the books that don't get me all revved up, bad mood or not.
But mood definitely plays a part. If I was in one of those la-la-all-books-are-wonderful moods, I end up loving a book which maybe doesn't deserve quite so much praise. And while I'm in the reading dolldrums, good books get picked apart a little more thoroughly than normal.
So my mood affects my reading. What about you? Does mood affect your reading? Or is it only about good books vs. mediocre ones?
I'm exactly the same way on this. I think the amount of time I have to read also affects how critical I am. If I'm super busy, I hate wasting my time on a book that just isn't that good or is failing to hook me in, but if I've got time to spare (ha!) I'm a little more forgiving.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm writing affects how I view what I'm reading too. When I'm working my butt off trying to write a good story, I get pretty frustrated over books that could've been a whole lot better--probably because of my inner editor.
So yeah, I'm definitely a moody reader. :)
I find my reading is affected by my mood which tends to be at the mercy of the season. For example, during the winter months I gravitate to spy/thriller novels. In the spring I want something light, happy and fun. Around August I start reading literary fiction (something character driven and heavy) and in the fall I fancy something educational, like a biography, self-help or historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteI'm a moody little one ;)
That's a good question. I'm not sure if it's my mood that affects things, or whether it's just that some books grab me while some don't. But I do seem to go in cycles as well. For a while, I'll love everything I read, and then nothing sticks, but is it because of my mood, or just coincidence? I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I can't seem to get back into the reading groove at all. I think when my internal editor keeps butting in though, it's more about the book being not quite as strong as it could be more than anything else. It just makes sense that good books should put us in the right mood, right? :)