Let’s Talk Bookish: Are You an Indecisive Reader?

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted with Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Book Nook Bits has hosted since April 2022.

Let’s Talk Bookish February 9th:
Are You an Indecisive Reader?

Prompts: Do you always know exactly what to read next? Or do you struggle to pick your next read? Are you constantly jumping between books and genres? How do you pick the books you read?

I don’t always know exactly what to read next. I might have some idea about what I fancy reading, but I’ve definitely previously been very stuck when deciding what to read. That’s where planning them out – first with Top Ten Tuesday’s TBR lists, then with Reading Challenges – has really helped me. I don’t end up spending ages lingering over what to read next or wondering what I feel in the mood for, as it’s already planned out, though sometimes I might skip a prompt or two if I don’t particularly fancy that book right at that moment, but I do go back to them.

I do jump between books and genres. At any point, I’m usually reading multiple books at once – always an ebook, a physical book, an audiobook and something related to writing, either a craft book or a ‘research’ book. I’m often reading a graphic novel, too. So I usually have something different to dip in and out of, and sometimes if I’ve read too much of a similar genre I’ll switch to something different.

Now, like I said above, I plan my reading out more, which helps in deciding what books to read. When I can, I’ll switch it up, alternating between a seasonal or nearly released arc, and a challenge book, in which case I pick based on what I’m drawn to most at that moment. I’m a mood reader, and I know if I pick up something I don’t really fancy reading right then, I’m not going to be able to enjoy it, so I’d rather go with the flow. When I am planning out the challenge books, I’ll sort of jump around when choosing them, switching between different formats and trying to make sure I have a bit of an even spread between different types of books, rather than overly focusing on one genre or another.

I don’t plan out my challenge books all at once – I tend to do them in batches, once I’ve cleared a few, as this ensures I can include more recent books, as well as matching with whatever ‘vibes’ I’m feeling at the time.

What about you? How do you plan out what you’re going to read next?