i’m recently getting back into reading for fun. i was an english major, and i read so much for class i stopped enjoying it in my free time, but i’m starting to get back into it. i set a book goal for the year on goodreads and i’m on track. however, i feel like i’m suddenly hyper critical of the books i read. i started with shady hollow by juneau black, which i found cute, but >!the pick me attitude of the mc and the questionable race references!< made me steer clear of the rest of the series. then fairy tale by stephen king, which i didn’t finish because the second half just felt pointless to me. i’ve read three other books since then and i’ve only wholly enjoyed one. i’m currently reading shadow of the wind, and the author seemingly dislikes women, which is making it difficult. has anyone else noticed themselves sort of fixating on book’s flaws? any tips on shaking this habit?
by caughtblue
2 Comments
LOL, I quit on Fairy Tale maybe halfway through because the only character I cared about was the dog. I knew if anything happened to her I’d toss the book then and there and decided to just cut my losses and read something I actually might enjoy instead.
There’s nothing wrong with being critical. Very few, if any books have true universal appeal and what you hate someone else might like and vice versa.
I have an English degree and am a professional writer and sometimes it’s super hard to turn off my internal critic. It helps me to read different books within context. Like, if it’s a commercial thriller, I don’t expect it to be anything and forgive it whatever flaws versus if I’m reading prize-winning lit fic. Or I’ll clock “that’s dumb and annoying” then just let it go haha. But if something’s really not working for me for whatever reason, I just put it down. Life’s short and there are plenty of other books to read.