Why NOT to Read

[@awebofstories]

"Be as good to yourself and you'd be to your best friend" is wonderful advice for a variety of situations!

[@kristinmarra7005]

Completely agree with all your points. Mature attitude. Since I hit my seventies (good lord), I have zero inclination or incentive to “jock” read. I truly think it’s time now to really savor what I read. I don’t have to prove my reading prowess to anyone. I just want to savor the writing, the story elements, the fact that I can still read intelligently, and my pure love of books. No more rushing through my books.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@kristinmarra7005 excellent points! 🥰

[@josmith5992]

Tiredness is definitely a factor, sometimes I just want to stream TV and not think 😴but people are my major reason for not reading. When I go to England, for example, and spend several weeks with family and friends I barely read because spending time with them is the most important thing. I never want to put books before spending time with people I love and care about. As for Goodreads, my goal for the past ten years has been small and never affects my reading, I’m just not a goal orientated reader. This year I didn’t even bother having a goal and next year I’m not even going to log what I’m reading on there. Next year is a year of no plans, no projects or goals and maybe less reading but that’s all ok. Thanks for the discussion Kim!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@josmith5992 that sounds great! The only reason I keep track on Goodreads is to look back and reminisce. I love my people but there are some occasions with people I’m not close to where I thought my book would be a better way to spend my time. 🤣

[@josmith5992]

Oh I hear you! 😂

[@SupposedlyFun]

I loved this video. I struggle with feeling like I need something to talk about in Friday Reads videos but try to remind myself it doesn't matter all the time. It's important to take care of yourself first!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@SupposedlyFun definitely!

[@isabellemenez5704]

I do agree. With all your points. I used to have goals on Goodreads, not any more. I used to try and force myself to read the books I'd chosen for the month, i quickly gave up on that too. I'm a mood reader, so it doesn't work for a whole month ! I have a long commute, I read when I'm not too tired, otherwise I listen to music. We read because we find pleasure in it, there's no point in trying to force ourselves because of outer pressure :)

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@isabellemenez5704 yes the TBR is useless for me. Mood reading all the way!

[@nadineaugustyn130]

Yes to all of your points. A few weeks ago I had a thought: "You had a reading life before the Internet." Way back then, I never had any of these goals. I read simply because I picked up a book, read the blurb and it interested me. Time for me to rethink how I'm doing my current reading life. Thanks for the video.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@nadineaugustyn130 me too! I didn’t even think of it that way. 🤓

[@RebeccaStultz-y9f]

Wise advice! My most often recurring reasons: * Tired eyes from a day spent reading print and spread sheets * Time with/for Real life family and friends is more important than time with a book. * The underwear drawer is empty, and a grocery trip is a necessity. * My body is craving movement. May we all be free to be ourselves in our reading.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@RebeccaStultz-y9f great reasons!

[@tealorturquoise]

Absolutely!

[@myreadinglife8816]

Don’t chase the FOMO! I have to keep reminding myself of that!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@myreadinglife8816 every dang day. 🤣

[@vickicoleman2474]

See, this is why I love your channel! Thank you for this chat. I love to read, but there are so many things to do in a day…picking and choosing all the time❤️. I grabbed my copy of Vanity Fair and then, I downloaded it on audio because, who was I kidding 😂

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@vickicoleman2474 LOL! I’m going between reading the book on paper and the ecopy on my phone at work. 🤣

[@LaurieInTexas]

You made some great points which I wholeheartedly agree with. I am sometimes nostalgic for the days before the Internet when reading challenges and events did not exist. I had less access to books, and I read a lot but less than I do now. I love participating in events, but I realize that I need and want to do less each year. I am much more aware lately of being too tired to read after work and knowing it's okay. Life does make reading hard at times and self-care matters more than getting in a few more books each month.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@LaurieInTexas you’re absolutely right! 🥰

[@theresepazell7875]

Good topic I agree..I read when i want to no pressure.. otherwise there is no joy in it which is why we read in the first place...im with you...THAXS..❤

[@BookChatWithPat8668]

This is a great discussion, Kim. All of these reasons resonated with me. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts about how Oryx and Crake affected you. While I did finish it, I have made the decision not to continue with the trilogy. I don’t want to be in the world Atwood has created in that series. It’s just too dark a place for me. More about that another time. As wonderful as BookTube is, it can make you feel all kinds of pressures that no one needs. Great list. Great discussion. Be kind to yourself. I know you already know that. 🥰

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@BookChatWithPat8668 thanks Pat. You summed up why I dropped Oryx. 😳

[@BookwormAdventureGirl]

Exhaustion from life stuff has taught me to do what I need to do for me. I don't enjoy books if I'm reading exhausted. Patience and Grace are very important. 😊💙

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@BookwormAdventureGirl absolutely. Reading is not a race and I consider it self care. I can’t read to a goal and take care of myself at the same time. I get caught up with buddy reads and get myself in trouble. 😣💕

[@bookssongsandothermagic]

I love this - these are great reasons and it's an important message and balances the messages about reading in vast quantities. Chill out and don't give yourself those demands. Love it.

[@RaynorReadsStuff]

I put up a video yesterday about just the same thing. Your discussion is brilliant and I have been so guilty of doing many of these things and it is only now, 15 months after joining book tube, that I’ve decided to prioritise what I want to read. Really appreciate your discussion of this 😊

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@RaynorReadsStuff thanks Debs! 🤓

[@kdj3000]

Thank you! This month, I am participating in zero events and loving it.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@kdj3000 😄😄😄

[@marciajohansson769]

I am so glad you are doing this video. I have placed undue stress on myself to read a certain amount, participate in group reads or book related challenges just to be a part of a bookish group of people, and of course reading ALL THE BOOKS i have mindlessly picked up since watching booktube which is unrealistic. I have actually had fleeting thoughts about just getting rid of them all and just going to the library and only have one book at a time to read. I am juggling several books right now and the only reason I am continuing is because the books are really interesting but in the future I need to be more selective with how much I take on. So glad you talked about the pressures of reading and presented this issue in such a thoughtful way. My wish for you is that the year ahead will be less stressful and that you will rise above the struggles of the past year using your good humor and positive outlook to guide you. 🥰💙📚🍂☮

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@marciajohansson769 thanks so much Marcia! ❤️ One thing I concluded is that it’s ok to buy and collect books even if I can’t get to them quickly. If I buy a new release that’s the one I try to get to quickly. I enjoy having books in my home. And will NOT stop going to library sales. Look up what Umberto Eco said about unread books. 🥰

[@marciajohansson769]

@@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH so maybe you've talked about this before, but I would love to have some talking points on how to deal with the comments about my books. Have you read all those books? What do you need all those books for? You have a problem with book buying? It gets annoying sometimes and I don't want to defend myself for my book collection. Yesterday I got some books in the mail and my daughter promptly says mom. "We have to have a talk" and this comes from someone who has a hundred pictures of jimin of the K-pop band BTS on her walls lol

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@marciajohansson769 ooh…topic for next week’s video!!! 🤩🤩🤩

[@evajanczaruk8790]

Thank you for a terrific video ( and very timely for me) that I will need to save and replay as a reminder. A few months ago, even though I was fairly much reading the same "amount" , I realized I seldom experienced the same joy over the last few years when reading as I had experienced previously so I started a reading journal, detailing the reading experience moreso than a synopsis or review of a book and had the realization that I had fallen down the internet bookish content rabbit hole, ridiculous goals and FOMO. Now I am trying to read what I want, when I want.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@evajanczaruk8790 I know exactly how you feel.

[@genteelblackhole]

Great video, all of these reasons really resonate! I’ve also decided to stop doing Goodreads goals after this year. I do like knowing how many books I’ve read in a year just out of curiosity, but I don’t want to feel obligated to hit a certain number. The most important thing is that I get something out of every book I read, and DNF the books that I’m hating before they’ve wasted too much of my precious time.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@genteelblackhole it’s amazing how many people don’t DNF.

[@Book_Hugger]

This was a wonderful video! I am new to Booktube (have been watching and following along for almost a year now) and when I see some Booktube TBR plans for the month, it causes me anxiety! Also, when I started seeing the reading challenges each month, I also soon realized, I am not going to participate in many of them, because I enjoy reading what I am in the mood to read, as well as things that are already on my shelf. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 📕

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@Book_Hugger thanks for watching. I hope I helped! ☺️

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Really excellent video! I enjoyed this enormously

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@CriminOllyBlog thanks Olly!

[@amyschmelzer6445]

It all makes sense to me. I am participating in Victober this year but I am reading slower than my usual pace. That’s okay. I had worked out which books I needed to read each week in order to complete all the prompts. I have completed 1 of the 5 Victorian works that I set out to this month and we are already halfway through. Now I am working on Demon Copperhead for a bookclub instead. Jane Eyre, she’s no longer in the cards for this month. One of my library holds came in yesterday. Looks like I will wrap up the month with whatever book I am most excited for on my Victober pile of possibilities. 2 or 3 out of 5 ain’t bad.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@amyschmelzer6445 none of it is bad as long as you’re enjoying reading. 🥰

[@M-J]

Kim, I love this! My GoodReads goal for this year was 1. ZERO PRESSURE, everything after 1 is icing on the cake. I’m going to do a video response in celebration. 👏🏻👏🏻 I’ve already made my list. 😂 excellent chatty topic! - MJ

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@M-J thanks MJ! 🤩

[@tealorturquoise]

I did the same thing last year. My thought was if I just read one book for the year I'd be happy and like you said anything after that is icing on the cake. I only read 6 books but felt satisfied.

[@M-J]

@@tealorturquoise Yaaaaaas! It’s a great feeling, right? - MJ

[@readandre-read]

It's all so valid. Great reminders! I also get jittery and grumpy if life prevents me from reading on certain days but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. The events. So many events! I love them but it's easy to get overwhelmed and overcommitted. They sneak up and multiply!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@readandre-read absolutely!!! I got into a lot of trouble early in my Booktube career. 😖

[@barbaraboethling596]

Thank you Kim!! I can't fault anything you said. My new approach is very basic, it is to let anything anti book joy to fall away.. No goals, no guilt, NO pressure. I can smile again !💕

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@barbaraboethling596 that’s a great attitude! 🥰

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

In the past year or so I have drawn into this horrible rabbit hole of political doomscrolling. It’s not really a good reason not to be reading, but it is the main deterrent.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@anotherbibliophilereads completely understand! Did you see Ollie’s video on how to read more? Turn off the phone. Or put it another room. The best advice.

[@HannahsBooks]

Thank you. I have read much less than usual recently and it has made me question my place on booktube a bit. I am hoping that this fall will be a reset-but I really appreciate your accepting and supportive style!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@HannahsBooks ❤️❤️❤️

[@tealorturquoise]

I love your content even if you're reading less. It is all bookish content and honestly, it's been refreshing seeing content that isn't the normal booktube stuff even if I like normal booktube stuff too.

[@HannahsBooks]

@@tealorturquoise 💜

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@tealorturquoise thanks so much!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@tealorturquoise oh. You meant Hannah. 🤣🤣🤣

[@krzysamm7095]

I couldn’t agree with your list more. The 15 th marked the second year of my Dads passing and the 17th my sister is having to have carotid surgery. So my concentration for reading is way off to even attempt to enjoy it. And I am okay with it.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@krzysamm7095 it’s so hard to concentrate when things are happening to the ones you love.

[@spreadbookjoy]

Great video Kim. I have thoughts on this as well and this is resonating with me very much at the moment. I have been also telling myself it is ok to not read recently because it’s been a hard year and I have been reflecting on my reading so much recently - thoughts to come.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@spreadbookjoy you’ve said some similar things on your channel in the past and I’ve loved them. There’s no point in putting pressure on ourselves for something that’s supposed to bring us joy. 💕

[@spreadbookjoy]

@@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH absolutely! 💯

[@Ali-AvidReader]

Great video Kim. I’m with you about setting reading goals on Goodreads, I found I was rushing through books just to hit my target, madness!!

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@Ali-AvidReader exactly! I couldn’t even remember the content of the books I read.

[@bookofdust]

I did not set a goal for number of books read on StoryGraph this year, and it’s been wonderful! A relief! I finally got into DNFs a few years ago, and it was a revelation. But I will say the longer you go without doing it, the harder it seems to be. I just DNF a book last week after not having any this year and it brought back all the anxiety of should I or shouldn’t I. But once it was done it was a relief! One unexpected reason not to read for me was the pandemic. Having spent most of my life reading about 52 books a year on March 2020 I stopped reading books. For one year. A whole year, until April 2021. I was completely unable to read. I did return with a vengeance though, and now I’m one of those 200-300 books a year readers. So, you never know. It is pretty much all I do, but like not reading for a year, it’s what I feel like doing at present so I’m going with it.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@bookofdust absolutely go with it! And I’ve DNFd books at 80% in the past! 🤣😝

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I love reading and do it all the time, but it's interesting to see someone discuss why not to read. I love watching television and movies, and sometimes I want to just watch something or just be on youtube. I like participating in readathons, but sometimes I want to read other books that have nothing to do with the theme of the readathon. I love Victober, but I also want to read spooky books.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@jackiesliterarycorner yep. I can relate.

[@angiejones5918]

Hi Kim, I commented in your last video that I read Oryx and Crake last year but I didn't tell you what I thought of it...I can't wait to hear why you DNF'd it. 😁 I set an unwritten goal early this year to read a third less than last year. I choose carefully, I choose slightly more challenging reads or longer books, and it's been a great reading year so far. This intentional reading is absolutely amazing. I can still read something fluffy when I want, because that's what I want and it's still intentional. I already knew I couldn't read 'all the books' but I may be embracing the concept fully now.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@angiejones5918 I did the same thing for 2024. Reading intentionally is so underrated!

[@JamesRuchala]

Lately my little dog has decided that 4:45 am is the best time to get up and start the day. It gives me a nice window to read with a cup of coffee before work. Nice! Of course, if i try reading Proust or Eliot after 7pm, it's lights-out.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@JamesRuchala I can’t read in bed because I’ll inevitably fall asleep. 🤣

[@GwenOgle-ky8nr]

Omg you are wonderful! Thank you so much for telling me I don’t have to read and I don’t have to finish a book I don’t like. I have another reason not to read, your eyes are just too tired and need a couple of days rest. Now I have a question, I am 90 years old so I kinda have to pick and chose. I have two books, both long, one is “Middlemarch” by George Elliott and the other is “Vanity Fair” by Thackeray, which should I read first, just in case…. Thank you so much. You make more sense than anyone. ❤❤❤❤❤ G.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@GwenOgle-ky8nr you’re welcome! Those are very ambitious but amazing choices. Here’s my advice: read Vanity Fair first. It’s hilarious! Satirical and biting. And far too timely. I’m currently reading it and having a great time. Middlemarch is glorious and Eliot was a genius. Also funny but such rich language and characters. It’s a very tight competition! 💕

[@elaineshultz9544]

I listened to a book that I hated. Eat, Pray, Love. I was going through a divorce and it annoyed me so bad how she was able to work through her divorce. I passionately hated that book and it humored my son so much that he would mention it just to see me get annoyed. Lol

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@elaineshultz9544 I absolutely detested that book. So much that I won’t ever read anything else she wrote!

[@tealorturquoise]

All good reasons, but yes not reading because you're exhausted or just don't feel like it are absolutely valid reasons. Also, not liking or hating a book, real good reasons to dnf.

[@eiketske]

If I am interested in a book and everyone is reading it, I’ll probably NOT read it 😊

[@binglamb2176]

Realistic notes from life. This should be required viewing before you are allowed to join booktube!😂 Amen.

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@binglamb2176 🤓🤓🤓