Top Ten Tuesday

TTT – How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time

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Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.

This week’s topic comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Lydia @ Lydia Schoch, and it is all about how my reading habits have changed over time. I really like this topic, and if you haven’t checked out Lydia’s site, you really should. She’s so great at bringing attention to indie authors and makes great recommendations. Here are some ways that my own reading habits have changed over the years:

  1. The genres have gone through some shifts. As a teen, I recall reading everything I could get my hands on by three authors: V.C. Andrews, Jean M. Auel, and Mary Higgins Clark. There really wasn’t anything known as YA at the time, we jumped right from Ramona Quimby to adult books, and the only one in between was Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. But my most preferred genre as an adult is fantasy, followed by thrillers, historical fiction, and romance. So some things have changed, and others have stayed the same.
  2. The format has changed. Obviously, when I first started reading books, we had hardcovers, paperbacks, and literal books on tape. Now, I find myself reading a lot more audiobooks than physical copies. They take up less space and are infinitely more portable. 
  3. I can read audiobooks now. For such a long time, I was unable to process books unless I read them visually. Now, I’ve learned the trick to make my mind actually absorb the information—all I have to do is perform some type of activity that doesn’t take too much thought, like cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, or even driving.
  4. All the cool kids are doing it now. When I was a kid, being a reader wasn’t exactly a ‘cool’ activity. I was a nerd, and this was an activity that didn’t earn me any friends, just a couple of bullies. Now, I’ve found an amazing group of really cool people, both in real life and online, and all of us love to read.
  5. I DNF books now. For a really long time, I had so much difficulty giving up on a book, even if I wasn’t enjoying it. I’d always keep reading, hoping that it would get better, and it rarely did. So now I’m quick to DNF a book if it isn’t interesting or enjoyable to me.
  6. Buddy reads. I didn’t know that buddy reads were a thing until only recently, and I was so lucky to have my first buddy read partner be someone who was a great fit for me: she liked the same kind of books, read at the same speed as me, and had some of the most creative theories (yes, it’s you, Becky!)
  7. I read nonfiction now. For a lot of my life, the only nonfiction I read was my textbooks and the rare memoir. In the last few years, I’ve really made reading some nonfiction a priority, aiming for at least one each month. It has allowed me to learn a new language, access information about backgrounds and life experiences different than my own, and develop a new understanding of the world around me.

So I’m short of the full 10, but I think these seven are some major changes that I wasn’t necessarily aware of on a conscious level. But now that I’ve laid it all out, it makes me feel good to see that my reading habits have grown, preventing my favorite activity from getting boring.

How have your reading habits changed over time? Do we have any of these in common?

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32 replies »

  1. I’m still teaching myself this, but am trying to learn it’s fine to DNF a book that simply isn’t for me. There’s far too many books out there that I will like and those are the ones I want to find. 🙂

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    • It helps me to know that there’s a book that is a better fit waiting next. I hope you allow yourself the freedom to DNF, even if you just tell yourself that you’re stopping it for now and might go back to it.

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    • Buddy reads are great if you have a partner that is a good fit – they read at a similar pace and want to discuss the information as deeply as you want. When you have that? It’s so much fun.

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  6. I also loved V.C. Andrews and Mary Higgins Clark as a teen! I like your tip for reading audiobooks. I did try one in the car yesterday but it was a reread on something I hadn’t reviewed yet so I think that also helped.

    I think I just learned about buddy reads yesterday. LOL

    I’m the opposite, nonfiction is not a priority for me anymore.

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    • I was never really into nonfiction, because so much of it was boring, especially when compared to VC Andrews and Mary Higgins Clark! I started with audiobooks by checking out books that I had read before and was trying to refresh myself on before starting the newest books. I hope you give a buddy read a try!

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  7. Great list! I am still trying to get into audiobooks – but I can if they’re memoirs. I am the same with non fiction – I would not read them at all until recently, must be an aging thing!
    And the point about reading being cool now – that’s so true! Feels like a newer thing, I do love it but it’s interesting

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  14. I DNF books now, and I never used to. I know what you mean about having a hard time with audiobooks at first. I think what helped me was when I listened to the old radio stories. But still, a dull narrator can do me in.

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