We all know that some books can be incredibly heavy, and it's not uncommon for some of the best books ever written to be very difficult reads that end up staying with us for a good long while.
We also know mental health is a huge issue these days, arguably more than ever before, and that reading can profoundly affect that — the first example that comes to mind is A Little Life, which affected many people *very* negatively. I won't get into the merits of the book here as I've done so before many times (anyone who is curious can go through my comment history for more on this), but suffice it to say that as a teacher I've seen my fair share of people struggle quite badly with it.
On top of all that, we now have booktok recommending books all over the place, very willy-nilly and often without any careful consideration, and as a result I see students – and occasionally even older friends – regretting certain reads that they went into blindly and then later found they weren't ready for or weren't equipped to deal with.
A few questions: which books do you regret reading, why, and *how did you deal with it afterwards*?
Do you feel you've gotten better at dealing with painful reads over time and with experience?
Are there any strategies or tools you've developed to take care of your mental health when it comes to reading?
Thanks! 🙂
by monikat79