#ReaderProblems

I discovered this tag on Mel's blog, The Daily Prophecy, where she stated that she will be tagging whoever wants to join in. It sounded like a fun way to share how I felt about certain "bookworm problems," so I decided to give it a go! This tag was originally created by Tiffany on her About To Read YouTube channel.

1) You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?

#StoryOfMyLife. I honestly just read whatever I feel like reading at that particular moment. It doesn't matter if I have been dying to read a given book for years, if I don't feel like I'm "in the mood" for it, I'll wait until I am. Life is short, so there's no point in reading a book if I'm just "not feelin' it." This is why I hardly ever accept books for review - I don't want to feel obligated to read something within a certain time-frame, because my reading moods are constantly changing.

2) You're halfway through a book and you're just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?

As I mentioned in the previous question, life is short. Most of the time, I don't even make it halfway through a book that I don't love - I'm pretty good at finding out within the first few chapters. I have no problem chucking something that I've started reading and end up disliking, but there have been a few instances when I've made myself push through - usually either when it's a review book, or when it's something that I have to read for school. But for the most part, there are just too many good books out there to waste my time on something that I don't enjoy.

3) The end of the year is coming and you're so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?

Usually, yes. It bugs the crap out of me when I don't meet my goals. If I find myself falling behind on my yearly Goodreads challenge, then I find books that I know will be quick reads. This doesn't mean that I start reaching for short books - it means that I look for books that I know will interest me so much that I can probably read them in one sitting (such as m/m romances, thrillers, horror, etc).

4) The covers of a series you love do not match. How do you cope?

Not gonna lie, it really bugs me. Now, I don't really care if some of the books are paperbacks and some are hardcovers (as long as it's like: the first three are paperback and the rest are all hardcovers, instead of: books one, three and five are paperbacks while books two and four are paperbacks, 'cuz looking at that would piss me off), but if cover styles are completely changed midway through a series, I get really frustrated. Especially if the new covers are uglier (like the covers for Beth Revis' Across the Universe series). 

Right now, I am in the middle of coping with the change in covers for The Morganville Vampires series. I purchased the first eight books in their regular mass market paperback form only to discover that not only did they stop making them in that format, but also the covers look completely different. Double whammy. I may have to just re-purchase them at some point.

5) Everyone and their mothers love a book you really don't like. Who do you bond with over their shared feelings?

Honestly, I'm a bit of a hermit, so my method of "bonding" with someone over my mutual dislike of a book would be watching a YouTube rant or reading a blogger rant about it. If I'm feeling daring, I may even leave a comment.

6) You're reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?

I am totally okay with crying over a book in public. I don't think I've ever done it before, but I know that if I were to see someone else crying over a book in public, I would get excited about seeing someone else who's as in to books as I am. I'd also probably try to sneak a peak at their book's cover so that I could add it to my TBR.

7) A sequel of a book you love just came out, but you've forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?

I am not afraid to admit that I have done all of the above. For the most part, I will end up re-reading a series, but there have been instances in which I either just try to wing it, or search for a revealing review. I guess it just depends on the series. I've been putting off a lot of sequels lately just because I'm not quite ready to devote the time to re-reading all of the previous novels in the series (such as The Morganville Vampires, which goes on forever).

8) You do not want anyone. ANYONE. borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?

For the most part, I don't really mind lending out my books. If I really love something, then I don't mind sharing it with friends/family/coworkers/etc. in the hopes that they will love it, too. There have even been moments when someone has borrowed something for too long that I just buy another copy for myself and let them keep it. If the book is cheap enough, it's no big. If it's a book that was rather costly, however, and I'm hesitant to lend it out because I wouldn't want it to be in anything other than pristine condition, then I may say yes, but then continuously "forget" to bring it until they forget about it or give up.

9) Reading ADD. You've picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?

I hate reading slumps! When I'm in one, I usually end up just adding books to my Goodreads TBR without actually ever reading anything. I think the best cure for one is reading something that I know I'll love, which is usually something that has insanely good reviews, and has a really good synopsis. Once I find something I can fan-girl over, I'm usually pretty good about sticking with my reading,

10) There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?

None, usually. I tend to add books I'm dying to read to my TBR all the time, but then when they're released I just never get around to them. I don't really have any extra cash thanks to student loans, so when I want to read a book I usually just wait until I can check it out from the library. The only exceptions are when they're books that are part of a series I already own the prior books for, or when it's a book that is something that I have to own to get the full experience from (i.e. a cookbook or graphic novel collection, or maybe something offbeat like S.), otherwise, I tend to buy my books used, which means they've already been out for a while.

11. After you've bought the new books you can't wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?

Sometimes I read them right away, sometimes it takes a few months or even a year. I was dying to read The Ruby Circle when it came out - so much so that I pre-ordered it, which is something I rarely do - but I still have yet to read it. I started it, but then I got upset with Adrian's mother and put it down. Now I just think that I'm hesitant for the series to end, which is why I haven't picked it back up. As long as I don't read it, the story remains "to be continued," and will still have new content for me to read. I know, I'm a dork.

Like Mel, I, too, tag anyone who wants to participate! Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments if you join in so that I can check out your answers.