Reading Update: DNFing Books and The Beginnings of a Reading Slump

I have written a couple of posts lately about emptying my TBR and my current reading plans. After a highly successful reading rush readathon, my reading has not been as successful. I was really busy but I did start reading A Darker Shade of Magic which I was enjoying, I ended putting it down for some reason but I do plan to pick it up again soon.

I tried the audiobook for Furies of Calderon, a popular fantasy that I had had on my list of fantasy books to read. It started off very interesting but as the book went on my enjoyment waned. I loved the magic system and many of the characters were interesting. There were parts that I hadn't liked from early on in the book but not enough to make me want to DNF the book. It was much like Game of Thrones but as I read on, it just felt more like a less amazing version. I read a bunch of reviews and quite a few people seemed to feel the same. I could have kept listening to the audiobook but I didn't want to spend time reading a book that I didn't love so it was added to the DNF pile.

I had a few ARCs that I also ended up not finishing. The main reasons for my DNFing books is that I either find something problematic, there is something that I really do not like or I can't get on with the writing style. I think I only really started DNFing books this year and it has been useful.

I have picked up a few books recently but I have been in a bit of a slump. I have started my re-read of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with the illustrated edition. I have also started listening to the audiobook for The Bear and The Nightingale, another book that I had heard good things about.

I feel that I have been learning some great lessons in relation to reading lately. There are so many books that I have in the past picked up, or added to my list of books to try that were recommended by other bookish people but quite a few times, when I have tried these books, I just haven't enjoyed them. Just because a book is hyped, does not mean that it will be amazing to you and it does not mean that you are wrong for not liking it. Similarly, books that you have never heard anything about, or have been mentioned very little can also be awesome reads.

I have been getting some TBR anxiety recently. I had made a list of all of the books on my TBR and lately it has just been making me not want to read. I try to decide on a book but then I think about all the other books I feel that I 'need' to read. I did some research for posts on this topic and I found an old post that was a great eye-opener for me. I will never read all of the books on my TBR. And that is ok. Another helpful thing that I found from this post was the idea of taking a few books from your TBR under certain categories and then once you have read them, choose a few different ones. This has helped me by thinking, maybe I picked my four most anticipated reads to focus on? Therefore eliminating the rest of the list!

What have you been reading lately? How do you deal with a reading slump/ TBR anxiety?