FIRST DNF OF THE YEAR, STAR RATING RANT, & BIG BOOK HATER | BOOKS BEFORE BED
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Hey hi hello! Welcome back to another books before bed episode. I hope you guys have a great week!
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People put so much pressure on enjoying the experience of reading that they don't enjoy reading anymore. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of big books or never wanting to read them. There's nothing wrong with using a star rating system just because it's a shorthand in the community and you know other people understand generally what you are getting at. If you want to fly through books and only read books that are a 100 pages long so that you can meet big goals, do it.
For how much the book community talks about enjoying reading and how it's supposed to be fun, people policing each other way too much. There's no right or wrong way to read or review a book or quit a book or finish a book or do whatever the heck you're doing.
You're right. I didn't mean to come off as policing how people rate books more so just talking about how I prefer hearing what people have to say about the books over a star rating.
When I have a big book that I want to get through but isn't keeping my attention to read it for longer periods of time, I make it my bed time read. I'll read 50/75 pages at a time, and then just read other things during the day. I did this for a 1050 page book last year, took me 1.5 month to finish (I took a few breaks here and there as well), but it was a really good book and I understood it better by not going through it super fast. One of my top 5 reads ever, but just not the kind of book I could 'binge'.
ETA: I just realized after clicking send, that I also do this with crochet projects 😂 I'll have a big project going which I'll work on in small increments at a time, and then a bunch of smaller projects to keep me busy and give me that sense of accomplishment during the time I'm taking to finish the big project.
I've noticed that I'm less impatient to finish long books when I read short(er) books at the same time. I get the sense of accomplishment I need from finishing the short books, and then taking my time with the longer books is fine.
I second this. If I take my time with the long book and get the feeling of achievement with "I finished a book" with shorter ones, I don't get overwhelmed or frustrated.
Yay books before bed is back, i love playing this while folding laundry or organizing my room
About that phenomenon of wanting to reach the end of a book eventhough you‘re enjoying it: i have that super frequently and i especially noticed it when i was rereading the six of crows duology. Those are literally my favourite books and I was enjoying the time reading so much and yet I felt this underlying need to finish the books. Its something I‘ve noticed happening really since i started using goodreads/ tracking my reads so, at least for me, there‘s defintely a connection. Before, I would (most of the time) just enjoy the process of reading and now it‘s i big parts about that accomplishing feeling of finishing a book/ being able to add it to my read books. I still enjoy reading obviously but something changed for sure
The eagerness to finish a book (even when I love it) is so real. There are books I really want to read but they are CHUNKY. I tried to really reflect on why I'm adverse to big books, and I think sadly (for me) it's a negative side effect of being in the book community. I want to keep up with others and read a million books and not get fomo with the latest releases. So my goal for this year is to step back, not compare my reading life to others, and honestly try to NOT read as many books as I did last year. I'm hoping that way reading will be more relaxing and enjoyable and not something I try to rush.
look into the CAWPILE rating system! you rate character, atmosphere, writing, plot, intrigue, logic, and enjoyment on a scale of 1-10. after that, you average them out and it gives you a star rating! It takes a little bit of extra work, but it definitely helped how i give star ratings.
If goodreads would state which star rating is what it would be more clear for the community to follow. I prefer Storygraph because it lets you expand on ratings and you can give a 3.25 rating, and expand on the review and also trigger warnings as well. I wonder what other rating systems are out there. It would be cool to see someone compare multiple different book rating sites/apps.. kinda rate the book rating apps if you will lol.
There are some on booktube that have done this. My impressions of the three I have used are in this order: (1) Storygraph (significantly better UI but UX is limited due to fewer individuals on it), (2) Goodreads, and (3) Italic Type (I wanted to like this more, but it's UI is just not good enough.)
storygraph is so much better! But no one uses it 😢 I love the range in ratings and the stats
Goodreads does say which star is what though. 1 star "did not like it" 2 stars "it was okay" 3 stars "liked it" 4 stars "really liked it" and 5 stars "it was amazing".
Like loati said, it does. If you are on desktop, you can hover over the stars and they show what they mean. 😊 I wish they would allow for half ratings though 😩
The problem is, many people do not care to look up or read what the stars do or don't mean. That's basically why Netflix phased its 5-star rating system out, too. I think.
For me, it is often a struggle to get through long books even if I'm loving them due to the fact that I crave variety. So usually, I will end up reading a part of the long book, read a shorter book, and then go back to the long book. I repeat this cycle as often as I need to, and it tends to help me read faster and avoid reading slumps. :)
Totally agree with this "wanting long books to be finished" thing.
Do have it every now and then too, actually currently with Babel 😅
I guess it's just the "need" to feel a succes in my case at least.
For me it helps to just read a few shorter books (or even better novellas) afterwards to "recharge"? And then I'm easily able to read another 1000 pages of one book 😂
I'm glad I'm not the only one who can love a book but want it to hurry up and finish. Thanks, Jesse! (And to let you know, Books Before Bed is my favorite series you do).
I feel like some of what can cause us to feel like a book is taking us too long to get through is the rise of short-form content. We can binge watch a whole series of reels or tiktoks that go together in a matter of minutes.We get the satisfaction of an ending and knowing all the things so much faster.
I totally get that feeling with the long books! Maybe we need to celebrate smaller goals as we read so we can get that accomplished feeling, but without having to finish so immediately?
Currently reading a lot of books as always. But focussing on To sleep in a sea of stars, The return of the king and Strong female character
I wish we rated books out of 10. There are so many numbers that would better describe feelings lol. 5 is just not enough 😅
I get that “can I just get to the end of this book” feeling whenever I read a series straight through without taking a break.
I never write reviews on StoryGraph/Goodreads but I usually read some reviews from each star rating category when deciding on a book. Or I just go in blind because someone said I would like the book.
I use the CAWPILE system for star rating, it helped me out a lot, since I was having a hard time rating books low as well. Now that I break it down into categories, I feel like I get a more precise rating too ✨💜
Sometimes when I’m reading a long book, I take a break with a shorter one too. Then I go back to the longer one.
I get a form of big book fatigue as well. I feel unaccomplished if it takes me weeks to read a book because it's a huge book. In my head I know that sounds ridiculous but there is something to be said about the dopamine boost from finishing a book. The way I have been dealing with this is by reading quick thrillers or mysteries in between the chunky books. I have been reading a big fantasy series but if I just binged the whole series of big books I would get burnt out. So I read one book in the big fantasy series and then a few quick reads so I can feel accomplished from reading more and then I go back to the big book series. Pacing out the big books seems to work for me, maybe it could help you.
I totally get the big book fatigue and I will say that I used to feel that a lot more often when I used to have goodreads goals. I would be so set on finishing x amount of books in a month that I would get frustrated when I was taking longer than usual. But I was only taking longer than usual because I was reading bigger books than usual. These days, I don’t really set yearly goals like that anymore because they just stressed me too much. However, I still get that frustration every once in a while, even with good books. I think it might be a combination of 1. Being over a book, even when I’m enjoying it (kind of in an “overstaying a welcome” kind of way) and 2. My brain thinking that new is always better so I wanna move on to the next book.
I often go to bookstores to find interesting new books, and then get them from the library. The library is awesome!
Just finished Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. I gave it a 3, it was fun but the romance was kinda creepy/weird and I found the ending to be unbelievable. I’ve just started Monstrilio, but I’m not far enough along yet to have thoughts.
I completely get the ready for a book to be over feeling! I think for me its my competitive edge when seeing my GoodReads goal, Im trying really hard this year to just focus back on my love and enjoyment of reading instead of my competitive edge.
Always love a good library haul! I’ve been a library girlie since I was a kid and I hope the community can give it more love this year ✨
I understand what you mean about the longer books. I think it's because I know there's so many books I want to read, I stress myself out thinking about how much time it's taking to read just that one long book. I'm not sure what the best way to deal with that is, but maybe to accept I'll never finish everything on my tbr so who cares if 1 book takes me twice as long as another?
I get what you mean about the star ratings, but that's also why I try not to take them too seriously. Everyone has a different system like you said so if I give a book 3/5, anyone who sees that should take it with a grain of salt or ask me for my thoughts lol!
So much to discuss here!
DNFs: High five for DNFing! I really let loose with DNFing last year, and it resulted in me having nothing less than a 2.5 rating (and only two of those). I have never regretted DNFing a book, but I have often regretted not DNFing. Absolutely DNF if you know a book isn’t for you!
Long books: I’m the opposite, if I’m truly loving a book, I want it to last as long as possible. I have gone as far as slowing down audiobook speed to make it last longer. If I realize I’m almost at the end of a book and it makes me sad, that’s probably a five-star book.
Star ratings: I have a pretty even rating system. I definitely give out one-stars, but infrequently; they’re saved for the books I DESPISE with a burning fire. Last year I eased up on my strict criteria for five-stars, because I decided it was silly to withhold five-stars when the only thing wrong with the book was that I didn’t love it passionately. But use a system that works for you! If you consider DNFs as one-stars but not books you’ve finished, that’s totally valid.
One of my goals this year, besides expanding my manga taste, is to actually read more art books that have a story. That is basically an excuse to finally read Simon Stålenhag's incredible works paired with amazing paintings.
I have the long book problem atm with To sleep in a sea of stars. What helps me is just reading other things alongside it as well. And not read it for a very long time each day, so maximum of an hour. That has been helping me a lot.
And I personally love long books, but some I do struggle with. This one for example I would have preferred for it being more books then one big book
I was just thinking about the star rating system at the end of last year. For me, I found that I use the star ratings to remember my vibe or enjoyment of the book which typically gives me the star rating I will give the book or two that I will decide between with other factors. I honestly didn't ever use half stars because I preferred to keep my ratings on the more simple side which worked well while using goodreads. Though because my ratings are based on vibe and slightly on criticism, I decided I wanted to focus more on writing my thoughts and reviews for all the books I read this year because that is what tells me and other people what I actually thought of the book and I am hoping it helps me remember more details from the books I read too. The star rating system seems weird because it seems like they are really important for authors, but at the same time so many people pride themselves on giving books low star ratings or reading a lot of books they don't like. It's just such a weird system.
Totally agree with you in the sense that star rating NEEDS to be complemented with further explanation, or at least breaking down your rating system so we know what the reviewer liked/disliked. This actually makes me rethink my own rating system (aka, completely panicking because all the books I’ve ever rated now need revision 😅)!
I think a River Enchanted had that detail of what was going on which made it feel like it was going on and on. While I did enjoy I too wanted it to end so badly lol
Haha you are so funny Jessy!! Love your videos , they are so pure
The big-book fatigue is real!! I find I can read bigger books on kindle or in audiobook form much easier than if it’s a physical book I have to pick up and lug around. Also I’m always aware that people are waiting for the library books I’m reading, so I put more of an emphasis to finish those first😅 it’s a race but no one is aware of it🏇🏇
First off, so excited for another books before bed ep; love these chatty videos! Second, with larger books there could be a few things. I think for me personally, as much as I love a story, it could be too much of a good thing. I think of it as "story fatigue" where it might be amazing, but because I crave so many different stories, staying in the same one for too long can make me feel bored. It could also be that as a society we view reading as "productive" so being stuck in a long book, as good as it might be, may make us feel less productive than burning through two books that are half the length. Some food for thought about long books, and a very long comment!! Good luck with your busy week, sending positive vibes only!
i use the star ratings solely for myself and for if my friends ask what i thought about it (but i do tell them more in depth why i gave it that rating). but i worked in a bookstore for 2 years and never talked about books with customers by the stars i rated them. you're 100% right that everyone uses the star system differently and different stars mean different things to them, and that's why i use it for personal uses only
I love this kind of video, just listening to your views and opinions on different things. Please do more of this!
With the long books issue, I think A River Enchanted gives that feeling because of its long chapters because I was the same way with it. When the book is long but chapters are shorter it can feel like you are reading faster when you see you’re on Chapter 15 vs Chapter 5 after like 100ish pages. Personally, if a long book has long chapters I try to give myself page count goals so that I can feel like Im completing it faster even if the chapter count isn’t as much.
i love books before bed!!! ❤ my favourite types of video that is on your channel!!❤
I love what you shared about the library inspiring you to want to read! I attest that it has done the same for me. About a year ago I shifted my career and started working in a library. Ever since I started working there, being around the books every day, interacting with patrons, working on cataloging and collection development, I've come home with so much more of a desire to read every night. I think the time I've spent reading has more than doubled! I agree with you that the star rating system isn't the best way to review books and share our opinions about what we've read. I've started a reading log this year where I write a one sentence review of every book I read in hopes of remembering each book and my thoughts on the books a little better by the end of the year.
i also get the ready for a book to be over feeling. but i don't have a reading goal or anything, so don't know why. i don't know if it's because even though you have read many pages it seems you haven't when the book is big, like 1000 pages
I think your personal star rating is about what information you want. I like using 4.75 vs 5 to distinguish between a book that's top-tier for its type/genre and one that's incredible transcending type/genre. they might be equal in concrete measurements (writing, execution, etc), but to me a 5* is more than just the best version of that kind of book.
I also have footnotes in books!! They’re so distracting to me and they feel like such an inconvenience 😂
As a person that tend to read long books. I would say that not stressing about it was the key. I fell in love with the Outlander series...the shortest book in the series is like 700 pages and the longest almost like 1500 pages...So yeah...at first it felt intimidating because I rarely read books longer then 400- 500 pages before that. However, the Outlander series made me realizes that it's okay if it takes time to read a book. I could read a book in the series for months, put it aside and read other books if I needed a break. Then come back and it was like being greated by old friend. It felt comforting. And thanks to that, I don't really look at the number of pages. If there is a book that's a huge I will think 'okay, I'll invest time in you when the moment is right and it's okay if it takes me almost a year to read....'
I don't know what I read makes sense. But that's how I feel about the lenght of books 😊
This is so cozy. Love this video theme / format
I have definitely gotten comfortable with a certain number of pages/length of a book. I've been burned quite a bit by longer books that felt
the story didn't warrant such a length. When confronted with longer books now, I am extra critical to see if the length is necessary.
Maybe have a short story collection or a short book going while you have a long book. On goodreads, I have 3 shelves for lengths- Featherweigh for 280 or less pages, Chunkster 400-599 and then Doorstop for 600+. Maybe you could do that, and pick a featherweight for every chunk you read.
I definitely get that feeling of wanting to finish a book for the feeling of accomplishment - I consider it a good sign when I'm reading a book and I *don't* feel like that, because it's good enough for me to forget about goals. But I would like to get out of that mindset, and just enjoy the act of reading, and if I'm not enjoying myself, reading something else. I want to be even better at DNFing this year!
I'm in the middle of 3 books. The book I'm reading right now is The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and with reading, I mean I read 4 pages and then put it down
Love the library. I go every week these days and just sit there and read
I’ve only recently started giving out 1 and 2 stars because I started noticing that some books I would rant about I would give 3 stars to. I’ve started being more critical and lowering some of those to 2 and 1 stars. The difference I’ve made between them are 2 stars are books I just did not like and then 1 stars are either DNFS, or books that I think are the absolute worst!
I love long books so much, I'll be like 200 pages in and see that I have 400 pages still to read and just be excited that I have so much more story to enjoy (of course this only works if I am enjoying the story). I will never force myself to read books that I am not enjoying, but I will tell myself to at least give things a chance. Unless I am absolutely 100% turned off by a book right away, I'll usually give it 15-20% before I decide to DNF or not because sometimes it just takes me a minute to vibe with the story.
I also struggle with big books, especially since they take me longer and I have a short attention span that even though I may be enjoying it, I get frustrated with how long it’s taking me that I just want to finish it so I can move on I guess but also I wish I wasn’t like that especially when I love the book!
oh my gosh, I am glad you addressed the big book fatigue. when i am reading a big book I start out feeling good but then if I'm still reading it after a while and i still have a bit more to go I start feeling really anxious because I want this book to be over but at the same time i really want to accomplish this goal in finishing it.
it's weird but yeah I experienced this a lot last year cause I was doing a few read-alongs like The Wheel of Time and i would get super anxious it felt like i was slowly being crushed and i couldn't stop it and my mind continued to race.
I got big book fatigue when reading the priory of the orange tree! I loved it but it took so long for me to get through it that I felt like I was making no progress the whole time
When it comes to the start rating, I didn't like it either but I recently found CAWPILE from G from The Book Roast, and it breaks it down into a few different categories for why you rate the book, and then averages it out to 5 Stars. And I've really enjoyed using her rating system since I found it. Character, Atmosphere, Writing, Plot, Intrigue, Logic, Enjoyment.
I used goodreads for ages and never looked up other peoples reviews before reading something. I dont like other peoples thoughts in my head before I have a chance to decide for myself. If Im on the fence about how I feel, I'll look up reviews to see what other people say. I rarely wrote reviews- Im not great with putting thoughts in writting. I would star rate things for myself to look back on at the end of the year. I moved over to storygraph last year and was using it for a few months and then found it was more detailed then I personally cared about (totally understand why people like that though) so I stopped keeping track of read books and rating. No regrets. I may go back to it at some point but for now im enjoying not putting the added pressure on myself read a certain amount or write the perfect review/star rating.
When I see a content creator say “oh it’s probably not good because of its low ratings (3-3.5)” I go to read the synopsis because chances are I’ll like that book. Maybe I set my bar too low but I’m finding those are what I gravitate towards.
I only recently starting actually rating books, and I am in the boat where I don't really give 1 star ratings since I kinda keep that for books I don't finish. That being said, I don't log my DNFs on goodreads either, so it's more a mental thing. I also sometimes feel like just because I DNF a book doesn't mean it's awful, so giving it a 1 star feels awful (especially if I liked aspects of it or could have seen myself loving the book if I read it at a different stage in life). But also, if I couldn't or didn't want to finish a book, it makes sense that it would be 1 star for me since I couldn't even bring myself to read it.
I also weirdly have an aversion to big books, even though the majority of the big books that I do commit to, I end up loving! I think it would help to also be reading shorter books at the same time so that you can feel as though you're progressing through multiple things at the same time. Personally, I have a hard time focusing on more than one book at a time, so I'm just going to try and more diligently read longer books this year, since I know that I enjoy them so often. The reinforcement of finishing and loving a longer book probably helps a lot, too!
Yay lovin' on libraries!
Big Book Fatigue: I definitely think it's a real thing - I get it A LOT, even before I start reading big books. 😂😅 I think a large part of the "wanting to be done with this book" definitely comes from the yearly reading challenges (whether they're on Goodreads or Storygraph) and also seeing other readers on bookish social media read so much. I still do the yearly reading challenge on Storygraph because I love seeing my statistics there, but I honestly prefer doing the other reading challenges Storygraph offers (and there are SO many). But I think with longer/big books, there is a sense of "did this book really need to be this long, or is it just long to be long?"
Even if it isn't "long" in the normal sense,, it could be a sense of whether the length is unnecessary. As for getting into long books, I'd recommend setting a page limit (and not a chapter or time limit) of what to read per day. I.e. reading 10 pages per day.
I felt that competitive “I want to reach the end” thing with a shorter book, This is How You Lose The Time War, so I don’t even think it’s long books. I loved the story but I was also wanting to get to the end especially because so many people had read and loved it, I was getting impatient to get that achievement under my belt if that makes sense???
Omg I love footnotes
Sold!
As far as book rating, I would recommend watching Daniel Green’s rating system. He’s super analytical about it and it was helpful for me just as a way to think about books more critically
I feel the same way way about my current read 'In the lives of puppets' like you felt about 'The river enchanted' and my book is shorter haha! I adore the story, the writing style, the concept and yet I still struggle. Why? To be honest, I'm not sure.Lately I've just been feeling like I want to finish a book I'm reading quicker simply because I own so many books I want to get to and experience the many worlds they offer while fully knowing that that'll never happen, because the amount of books offered to me is too great for me to actually get to them all. And that makes me nervous, there's just so much pressure I'm currently putting on myself to actually consume and consume and consume everything offered to me. To be fair, I've just looked over my books, chose my tbr priorities and books I want to unhaul. So that made me feel a bit better, since the amount of books I have on my shelves has also decreased and therefore the amount I felt like I had to consume also lessened. I've also decided to buy less books so I could actually finally get to the books I've been wanting to read. I'm also not scared of dnf-ing books this year. Using social media less also helps, because one time I just sat down and read 100 pages. They passed so quickly.
I adore the star rating system as I usually look back and it helps me remember how I felt about it then, and if I reread the book, how I feel now compared to the past me.
I usually have a hard time with a big book the first time I read one. I’m always thinking what the heck could happen for it to be so many pages. But if I reread a long book I usually enjoy it so much. But I get it.
Great Video Jesse and I Might Check Out A River Enchanted it sounds great and right up my alley & I’m still currently reading Spinning Silver & then after that I’m going to start A History of Wild Places I’m excited 📖😊 Have a Great Day & A Fantastic Week Happy Reading 📖🙂
I know exactly what you mean about reading a book and it could be a new fav but you want it to be over, you want to be done. I think it just has to do with the rate at which we consume things nowadays. It feels like it's taking you too long to finish. And I feel like we are IN something for a shorter period of time now OR are not FULLY in it along with other things for a longer period of time, if you get what I mean. So, similar to attention weaning and needing something new for the moment. For me it's also that I know my interest can change on a whim, so I want to make sure I finish a book before my attention turns to something else specifically. I know this is part of the reason why I'll put off longer books. Ideally I want to make sure I'm being consistent with reading the book because it's likely going to take me longer, or I want to make sure I focus on it solely and finish it before interest sparks somewhere else. (I guess this is part of what I mean with that one previous sentence.) I hate being in the middle of books for a really long time and with longer books I'm more aware of it because I would hate to feel like I have to start it over or realize I actually have to because I barely remember things. But I also wouldn't want that forceful feeling to be there because the enjoyment starts to feel like work. BUT ALSO, I think we are just complicating and overthinking reading! We're so concerned with the way we are reading and reading certain titles, things like that, that we aren't in the moment of reading as much and truly enjoying it, unabashedly and with no strings attached, so to speak. Maybe not for every single book, but that mindset is definitely present at times!
Love the 2 volumes of Spy Family in the background. One day, I would like to see your updated manga collection, just curious about it 📚 good content
YES! I love reading but the long ass books are grating on me. 300-400 pages is the sweet spot for me. But the consistent 800-1000 page books are killing me. Especially since a lot of them feel like they have 200 pages at least of just filler the book didn't need. This is the very reason I never started Crescent City.
I'm currently reading a book that I long wanted to check out from the library AND i FINALLY DIDI - Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter. It's really character driven and that's what I'm in a mood for right now after reading some YA and middle grade
I have the same “long book fatigue” but it’s in a certain page range. I think it’s around 500-750 pages that I get this. I think it’s because it doesn’t FEEL like it’s a long book but takes longer than normal. However starting a BIG book, I tend to relax because I KNOW it’s a big book and going to take me a while.
For instance I just finished Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson which is just over 1000 pages. Since I knew it was so long, I was more relaxed with reading it and just enjoyed it for what it was. Ended up finishing it in 8 days which was faster than I expected.
I also have a really hard time with star ratings. Like I look at my 5 stars and the range of how good those books are is very big because sometimes something gets a 5 because I loved it with all my heart even though it's flawed. But I can't explain that if i just give a star rating.
The way that I finish long books is by also having a shorter book that I read at the same time. I also try to make progress in it daily, even if it is just one chapter. As for star ratings, I only rated one book 1 star last year but I also feel like some of my two stars are 1 star books but with one quality that keeps it from being terrible. I am also going to try to be DNFing more books this year so I probably won't have as many lower rated books. Also, my rating purely reflects my enjoyment of a book. Particularly if a book is not the best written and is a bit cheesy. I'll still give it four stars if I really enjoyed it, yet a well-written emotional read will also get 4 starts. As for the books I'm currenly reading, there's Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson.
currently reading bram stoker’s dracula and I totally understand your struggle with long books.
i honestly think reading is a fatiguing skill that requires so much time and focus. the struggle is real and you’re not alone.
i split long books into quarters and use sticky tabs at the corners to section them. once i finish a quarter, that gives me satisfaction knowing I finished a good chunk of the book.
Dracula is not a long book, it's just boring
i feel like when it comes to reading longer books, switching up the format helps me. might not be super practical since it could involve purchasing the same book multiple times, but you could luck out with the library, or if you have an active audiobook subscription.
My five books for this month are:
-Dandadan
-The 100 girlfriends who really really really really really love me
-Beasts and Beauty
-Bocchi the Rock!
and A Business Proposal
Mostly manga, but I'm good with that ^w^
I also struggle with long book fatigue. My ADHD just doesn't normally allow me to focus on physically reading a book for that long. Normally I will borrow long books in audiobook format from the library. They're a lot quicker to finish this way, and it feels less intimidating than looking at a giant tome waiting for me to finish it.
I have read Three Days Of Happiness a couple of times, it's a heavy and thought provoking so I am looking forward to your thoughts on it!
Totally feel you about hating big books! I just finished a fantasy romance book that I really loved, but it felt like I took so long to get through it and just wanted to finish it already. There's hundreds of books I want to read and it stresses me out that I can't read them all immediately lol
That library effect is so real. When I go to library, I get that sudden urge to read so much that I feel like I can read every book in the world. (Which is impossible. I know😅)
I think it is the pressure of the reader community and goals because when I was younger and read for fun and didn’t even know there was a bookish community on the internet I would read chunky books and not give it a second thought, especially if I was enjoying myself. I don’t think I correlated pacing with book length but I also think authors have pressure to publish more books faster so longer books feel like they drag more often and needed scene cuts/ editing etc. 🤔 but is that even true idk
Aaaahh I just DNF’d a book too… been in a slump and I found Mindy Kaling’s ‘Why Not Me’ in a little free library thinking it would be a fun easy way to get back in but I couldn’t!! gave it 52 pages and I’m just going to gift it back to a LFL.
Started reading The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See and it’s got me totally hooked, so happy about that!
I’m new to your channel, thanks!! love it all xoxox
i also thought about how i rate books when i looked at the ratings i gave on storygraph last year. i also tend to not give 1 star rating (slash 1.23/1.5/1.75 on storygraph) and asked myself whether that was necessary to have a balanced rating system .. and then i noticed that the two books i rated 1.75 stars that i pushed through bc of external facotrs like how short it was. these reads aren't common for me - i know what kind of story i'll like so the books i'd rate 1 star will probably rarely show up on my bookshelf bc i know to avoid them. and the ones i do read and am disappointed in are often interesting enough in concept to not deserve a 1 star rating, even if i disliked them. so i made my peace with my ratings for now, but i can't think too hard about that with a quarter star rating system, a 2.5 stars rating technically should be half as good as a 5 star one, or else the pease will be shattered :D
The problem is that giving details on why you rated something x stars can be intimidating.
"I gave it four stars." tells someone you liked it. "I gave it four stars, because of x and y." tells them why you liked it, but it also means they can now judge you for liking x and y.
And, honestly, sometimes my star ratings don't really have a concrete explanation. It just felt like a four star book.
I also have the 1 star for DNF books. I just feel like if a book is so bad it deserves 1 star for me, then I won't waste precious time reading it, it just makes no sense :)
My thoughts on long books: I generally do audio or ebook mainly so I don’t have to hassle with the physical copy. If you are able to consider a long book one of your favorites then it’s not ruining your experience to want to get to the end.
On star ratings: since ratings are so different I go with a very subjective rating system. 5 ⭐️ is a favorite, 4 ⭐️ is an objective 5 ⭐️ but not my personal favorite. 3 ⭐️ is a good book but it didn’t make me feel big things (most of my nonfiction lives here). A 2⭐️ is just not a 1 but not a 3. A 1⭐️ is a “that’s time I’m never getting back”.
I use Storygragh because the 5 star system is for the convenience of the algorithm, and I'd rather see the vibes. I love the library! I just picked up a comic called Killer Queens, for the hench otter.
🙋🏻♀️I’m having that problem with The Wheel of Time. I enjoy reading it when I have the books open, but the rest of the time, I am struggling with serious long book fatigue.
If you don't like footnotes but still want to read Babel then I would highly recommend the audiobook
I don't mind long books personally but the issue hereafter is pacing. Were certain scenes and subplots either pivotal or relevant to make the pacing more tight? Just scenes of describing items or pages and pages of action description just to meet the word quota drives me mad. I just want to keep flying through the pages.
As for star ratings..I don't really take them that seriously. If I love or enjoy a book, I'd give it high rating, but I also give some explanation on why I feel that despite my brain not computing right with I want to say.
finally my current read is The New One by Evie Green. I'm only 45 pages in so far, but in summary (so far) its about a couple that have a difficult daughter and a hard life, but when their daughter gets involved in a accident that puts her comatose, the couple are approached by a agent that gives them an oppurtunity to get their daughter back and a better life..through gene reanimation grown from their comatose daughter.
Oh also- Got Godkiller from the libary and my dog ateee ittttt
Completely agree with star ratings !!
Personally, I don't do star ratings.
When I found out everyone was rating books from 1 to 5 it actually blew my mind. Like, how can you possibly rate an entire NOVEL - pages upon pages of someone else's soul laid bare, plus your own emotions, feelings about it, the whole intimate, magical experience, using one of 5 numbers? And how do you begin to compare different genres, responses authors were trying to get out of you, vibes the books were gooing for with each other in this weird system?
That seems nuts!
And when those .25/.50/.75 numbers became a thing it only made the whole system look even more asurd in the first place.
So... I just never tie books to numbers, cuz I believe emotional responses and numbers don't exist in the same universe. When a reading-tracking app demands a star rating, I either give it a 5 (if I absolutely love the book), or a 0 (instead of all the other ratings).
All that being said, if this system works for you, whoever you are, that's really great! You do you❤
I just started "Bullies and Saints" by Australian author John Dickson; it's nonfiction historical research on the best and worst of Christianity throughout history. 😅
Oh my God I have the feeling with the long books too. Like right now I am listening to an audio book that has 500 pages. And beside that I read another with 500 pages. And I like both especially the audio book. But I still have this feeling of like, "get to the end, get to the end" it's stupid. I thought I am the only one feeling this😅
I've always had that feeling with long books that I can't wait for them to be over, I think it's just that the feeling of finishing a book is so nice, and a great part of the reading experience, that we seek it. So I've learned to just read multiple books at a time when I read a long book, so like usually a short one in tandem to give me that sense of completion or just to separate a big book into parts, and read some other books between those parts :)
Also we kind of get tired of books, even if they're nice, it's normal, it's like people in happy relaionships who want to cheat, it happens after some time but here you can cheat without hurting anyone lol
Reading a long book in one go is like doing a marathon, it's hard and you get tired so better to take breaks!
I definitely get antsy if it takes me longer than I think it should to finish books. My goal for this year is take the time it takes and not stress about it. I don’t know why I feel that way or how to make it better. But I’m going to try to make it better this year.
2024 shall be the year we realize our time is too precious to waste on books that aren't for us!
I too DNFed a book last night for maybe the 2nd time in my life. I almost talked myself into continuing it on the off chance "it gets better" like I always do, but after talking a few minutes to write out a well-thought out critical analysis (ie full on rant to a friend), I realized that if I continued, it would just be hate reading, and that's not fair to myself nor the author.
I need to start learning to dnf 😬
I was afraid of giving 1star to nooks, but once i started, it felt amazing. I give one Starbucks to books Thatcher make me mad, or feel like i wasted my time.