Lately. I have not been in the mood for my most favorite of activities:
READING!
I wouldn't really call it a reading slump because I have enjoyed the books that I have read (some more than others). I think I just lost my reading mojo or something. Last week, it took me four days to finish a book. It was a good book, but I just wasn't in the mood to read it. Maybe it's because I have been beta reading for other people. I have mentioned that I am getting paid to read people's unpublished manuscripts and provide feedback. Reading for payment requires way more mental energy than the reviews I write for my blog. Normally, I would be panicking at the thought that I have SO MANY unread books just begging for my attention. But right now, I just don't care that much. I'll get my reading mojo back eventually.
I usually spend
a lot of my free time with a book on my hand. So what have I been doing instead?
1. Planning the itinerary for my parents' visit
My parents are coming this Friday to visit me and my husband in Italy! I am so excited. They have never been to Italy before and even though there is NO WAY I can show them everything in the week they will be here, I am looking forward to showing them around this beautiful country. (And yes, my husband will tell you that I am
always that detailed when my husband and I go on a trip. I am crazy organized.)
2. Catching up on my TV
3. Cleaning
Okay, this is kind of a necessity and usually I am ECSTATIC to read instead of clean. But with my parents coming soon, I feel the need to make sure our house is as clean as possible. FYI: My husband is actually the messy one, but since my parents love him so much more than me, I just know they will put the blame on me. Ha.
4. Catching up on blog stuff
Yes, I have scheduled some advance discussion posts, I have been catching up on responding to blog comments and I have actually had time to read some of the other blogs that I love! Yay!
5. Mondly language app
I just discovered a new app for learning Italian and I LOVE it. They have daily lessons that are slightly more advanced than your typical app. I am not fluent in Italian by any means, but it's nice to be able to read a menu or converse with someone. Last week, I managed to make a restaurant reservation over the phone in Italian. Most of the time, when I try to converse in Italian, the person responds back in English, which makes it tough to practice. But this woman spoke to me in Italian and I knew enough to answer her questions. I was so proud!
6. Surfing the Internet
I can't possibly be around the computer without checking Facebook every five minutes. Seriously, what do I expect to change??
Have you ever lost your reading mojo? What do you do when you aren't in the mood to read?
Oh I totally have lost my reading mojo! Mostly I focus on TV then or just being out and about. It usually always comes back after a break! Sounds like you are getting some good stuff in while you aren't reading so that is good :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Grace! I have been incredibly productive and that does make me happy. I think I just found a book that may have inspired me to get my mojo back though so yay!
DeleteOoh, I do get this! Actually I've had a super tough reading month for exactly no reason. I mean, I've read some good books??? I've got an awesome TBR to look forward to?? I'm not busy out of my brain so I have time??? GAH, WHY DOES LIFE NEEED TO BE DIFFICULT LIKE THIS TO US.😂 I just end up keeping on reading even if I don't feel like it, though, haha. Because I'm stubborn.😂 I hope you do get your reading mojo back soon! And learning Italian sounds AWESOME. Plus cleaning is handy, right? ;) On the odd occasion it's probably nice to have a clean house...hehe
ReplyDeleteCait, I know what you mean. I have so many amazing books on my Kindle, but when I swipe through them, I don't have the urge to read any of them. And some of the books that I have read have been great. And now that my blog is relatively up to date and my house is spotless, I feel like I MAY be getting my reading mojo back. Can't get too hopeful or I will jinx myself. :)
DeleteI'm in a similar boat, except mine is losing my reviewing mojo. Hope you get it back soon. But watching OITNB is a great way to spend your time instead. :D Hope you have a great time with your parents.
ReplyDeleteChristy, I have been there too! I usually have a few books on my "to be reviewed" shelf on Goodreads for when I finish a book but don't review it right away. Once, I had TEN books on that list! It was crazy and then I just had to forget about reviewing some of them. I hate that. And the current season of OITNB is pretty great so I have been enjoying that. :)
DeleteI've been kinda slacking on the reading too. You have a good excuse though with the upcoming visit and your beta reading! And TV or Netflix will totally derail my reading sometimes. :)
ReplyDeleteGreg, Netflix is a total time suck, right? It's so easy to get involved with that instead of reading. :)
DeleteSometimes I DO get the reading mojo thing- especially when the books I have been reading are... uninspired hah. But um cleaning has never, ever happened before reading for me sooo... ;) And beta reading sounds HARD so I can imagine that being a big time commitment! And YAY for your parents coming, that is wonderful, I hope you guys have so much fun! Your mojo will come back in due time, I am sure!
ReplyDeleteShannon, I know, I know. I have never felt the need to clean instead of read. Maybe it's just because my parents are coming into town. But now that my house is spotless, I feel like I can concentrate on other things again. :)
DeleteAhahh I have been slacking on the reading because I am not enjoying my current read, BUT I AM ALSO DONE. So I want it to count for my GR challenge (I know, I should DNF, but but butttt).
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not reading, you can find me playing video games :) Though I did start grad school last week and my free time has diminished tremendously.
Valerie, I know. I just DNF'd a book yesterday. I really, really hated to do that but I was 50 pages in and it was boring me to tears. It was certainly NOT helping me with my urge to read, so I had to let it go. And good luck with grad school! I remember being in grad school. My pleasure reading was minuscule at that time.
DeleteTo be honest, I think I lost my reading mojo like two months ago and I haven't found it yet. It's strange honestly, I dont' even know what's going on, I wouldn't call it a "slump" because like you the books I've read I've realy loved I just... I'm not reading. It's kind of driving me insane to be honest. Mostly though I think I just kind of need to carve out time for reading and make myself get back into the swing of things. I kind of let myself get stressed out with reviewing and blogging and then I over compensated by just stopping entirely so I think that what I really need now is to find a good balance..I guess we'll see! Anyway, LOVELY post! I hope you and your parents both enjoy their visit!
ReplyDeleteOh Shay that sucks! I can see why the internal pressures of blogging and reviewing can get to you. Sometimes that happens to me, especially if I have too many ARCs and I don't feel like I am reading anything I actually want to read. I hate that. I hope you get yours back soon!
DeleteYou and me both. I listen to a lot of audiobooks but it's so hard for me to find the time to just relax and read and not do anything else. I am gonna try to dedicate weekends for reading, lets see how that works.
ReplyDeleteNereyda│ Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist
Nereyda, I know I am behind in comments so you made this one a couple of weeks ago. But I hope you were able to get yours back! I think I have finally found a couple of books that have captured my attention, so it looks like I have my mojo back. :)
DeleteThere have definitely been times when I'm just not feeling inspired to read. Just recently this has been happening to me. I think I've been feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of September releases that I need to read and then I can't bring myself to read at all!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Oh Nicole, I know what you mean. I have SO MANY new releases on my Kindle and I just have no idea where to start. The choices are overwhelming!
DeleteThis has definitely happened to me before and I used to feel so guilty! But honestly, it felt good to recharge and rest, or watch tv, or clean. It felt good not forcing it when I didn't feel like reading; I also didn't want my enjoyment of a book t o suffer because I wasn't in the mood! So when I cut myself some slack, the urge to read would come back after a few days or weeks. It was nice.
ReplyDeleteVery true Morgan. Usually, I freak out at all the books that are just begging to be read, but are actually just sitting there. But I have been enjoying my time doing other things. especially binge watching some Netflix shows. :) I have found a books that I enjoy lately so it looks like my mojo is coming back. After a slow reading month, that makes me happy. :)
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