So I took a week off from bookish communities lately, to just read and relax without having to think about posting on the blog or Instagram. And you know, it was pretty peaceful! And even though the only thing that I missed in my break was talking to other people about books, actually coming back and looking at all the blogposts in my reader was a bit of a stressful moment!
Which is how I came up with this discussion post: how important is the bookish community to you?
I think one great thing about reading is that it can be as solitary or as communal as you want it to be. You can read and never talk about the books, you can read and just post reviews but don’t look for other blogs and communities to take part in, or you can join a bookclub or readalong and talk about the books as you read or just after you finish it.
I’ve done pretty much all of the above, and I find that I like having a variety of solo and communal bookish experiences! I like doing readalongs now and then, but I would probably be too stressed with a reading deadline to do that for all my books. I like reading new blog posts and Instagram posts on what everyone is eyeing, but sometimes I also want a break to focus on my TBR and not feel the pressure of posting on a schedule or reading as much as others.
Which is why the question of “how important is the bookish community to me” is so hard to answer! It’s definitely important, but sometimes, all I want is to enjoy reading by myself.
What about you? Is the bookish community, be it on blogs, booktube, bookstagram, or booktok integral to your reading life and experience? Is the interaction a joy or an obligation for you? I would like to know!
I think I’m pretty similar. I like reading blog posts and seeing what other people think about books, but I’m not really great at committing to read-alongs or buddy reads or anything like that. And sometimes it’s nice to not be online at all, especially on Twitter, where people just seem to be mad about things all the time. It’s really freeing to realize that 99% of people in the world do not know what the book community is absolutely irate over and do not care at all.
I’ve never regretted not being on book twitter!
Some days I think I’d be better off quitting. :p
I feel the same. Being part of community is great and important and all but it comes with its own pressure. I started taking most of weekends off and make them family and reading time. It’s really freeing. I just wish I can master the balance of being part of community and still enjoy my own reading time without stressing over posts and stats and interaction.
I think it’s good that you’ve started taking the weekends off! It’s definitely hard to find a balance between being an active part of the community and having your own time to just enjoy the reading and reviewing process!
It’s exactly as you said: “It’s definitely important, but sometimes, all I want is to enjoy reading by myself.”
On one hand I do occasionally like to talk about books, compare opinions on shared books and discover new books through other people’s recommendations and reviews. And it’s always great to feel like you’re part of a community and connect with people.
But on the other hand, I don’t want to feel obligated to do anything book-related as books are my happy place, occasionally even an emotional vacation if you will. Sometimes it’s nice to just read, relax and enjoy the book itself for what it is.
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one! Being able to take time to just read without pressure is such a wonderful thing!
I think my view is very much line line with yours on the subject. I really enjoy being part of the community but I also like doing my own thing from time to time. Admittedly, it’s often whatever is going on in my life at the time that dictates which side I lean more on at any given time.
Good point! Reading is just one part of my life, so how much I read/how communal my reading is really depends on what else is going on.
It depends upon the season of life and what else I have going on.
Very very true!
I like a variety too. I mostly prefer to read on my own, but I don’t mind doing some buddy-reads and readalongs every now and then. There have been times in the past when I did too many of those at once which threw me into a reading slump, so I try to plan them out better now.
For me, the reading community helps me keep up on discovering new things. I think if I was just a reader, engaging with the bookish community wouldn’t be as stressful as it is as a blogger. Like you, I also feel stressed when I take a break and then have to catch up on posts.
Yes, I find so many new books through the reading community! That’s why I like being part of the community, tbh
I used to do reading challenges but that became too stressful so I stopped :p Now I just occasionally sign up for buddy reads if I know I’m free and interested haha
I totally get wanting some time away from the rush of the bookish community, but at the same time this is the only place that I have to talk about books! No one in my “real life” is as into books as I am and no one wants to hear me chatting about them!!
I know the feeling!