If you are someone who will pick up an exciting new read, just for it to make it into the accidental DNF pile a week later, you might just be a “mood reader”. What does it mean to “mood read”? It means you can only read what you are in the mood for at that time.
How do I know I am a Mood Reader?
How can you “Identify” yourself as one? It took me a while to fully identify myself as one, however once my accidental DNF pile started growing I started becoming suspicious. I had a lot of books I would remember liking, but the bookmark has stood in its pages for upwards of months before I came back around to finish them (I actually have one right now that has a bookmark in it for 2 years now). The pile was endlessly growing and I didn’t know why I stopped reading them.
However, another quirk I noticed was I was very critical of books I wasn’t in the mood to read. If I pushed myself through a book I wasn’t up to read at that time, I would actively search for plotholes, nitpick characters, and complain more about the story. My reading experience would become ruined.
I think I became more critical of books when I was in a poor reading mood. I would hate books or authors more based on my attitude during that day. Because of this, long books and series are a problem for me. This is why I pick on the Stormlight Archive so much, but I do enjoy the series. If you are getting frustrated while reading, maybe take a step back and see if it’s the book or your attitude. You might just need a different book for the moment.
Unintentional Book Slumps
I don’t think book slumps are unique to mood readers, but mood readers fall into bigger or more book slumps. I think this is because you fall into the “I don’t feel like reading my book today” feeling because you don’t want to read that book right now. However, you might feel more inclined to read what you want to that day.
It has happened so many times to me, where I just don’t feel like reading, but in reality, I didn’t want to finish the book I was currently reading. But once I did, I was back into a reading kick and I was reading four to six books a month.
The sway was common and it was at least yearly. I am in a partial one right now while I push through my current read. My page count went from almost a thousand a week to less than 200. It’s normal, but frustrating. It is important to slow down and analyze your reading slumps, especially if you suspect it’s your current read that’s doing it.
The swing of the reading slumps are real.
Multiple Books Open at a Time is Beneficial for You
This is something I encourage if you feel like you read based on your mood. Having multiple books open on your current reading shelf can prevent the slumps but also give you options to read what you want.
Sometimes I do this and I don’t even need the other two or three books I have open, but sometimes jumping between three books of different genres can keep me entertained on a daily basis. In this, I heavily recommend multiple genres and authors. I don’t think this is effective with three of the same kind of book or author. Variety is the goal for a mood reader.
Try having multiple books open at a time to see if that helps with your reading experience.
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