Does anyone else ever feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of books out there? I'm starting to really feel the pressure about all the new YA releases, and the classics I've yet to read. I feel obligated to read them all, especially since I hope to one day be a YA or teen librarian. I need to know this literature cold—but I feel like I'm constantly behind.
Being a part of the book blogging community has certainly added many great titles to my TBR list, but the more I see, the more I want to read, and the less time I have. Add to that my compulsion to exercise at least 3 times a week (or if I have a free couple of hours), and that's even less time. (This wasn't so bad when my treadmill worked, but now I can't read and run at the same time—poop.)
I'm finding that listening to books on CD in my car as I drive around to all the places I need to be has helped whittle it down a bit. I just finished listening to Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (look out for a review later this week), and really enjoyed it. Plus I'm spending my driving time doing something worthwhile. Two birds with one stone, woot. This is why you'll notice more audiobook reviews from me.
How does everyone else handle this? From an informal Twitter survey, I found some people feel the same way I do, while others relish the thought of being buried in books and always having something to read. Thoughts?
I definitely would rather be buried than not have enough to read, but it has been bothering me lately how many books I want to read and how little free time I have to read them in.
ReplyDeleteMy advice: Read to become familiar with the authors rather than trying to read all of the books. Read some representative novels by an author so that you know their writing style, etc. There's plenty of information on the web if you need to know about a book you haven't read. I think the biggest challenge is reading across the genres. I tend to get stuck on genres I like and ignore others that hold no interest.
ReplyDeleteTake a deep breath. Now, you really don't think you have to be familiar with EVERY book, classic or contemp in order to be a teen librarian? Stop right there. Yes, you need to be well-read, but readers's advisory doesn't mean you've read every book. Enjoy reading. Mix some of what you WANT to read with some of what you HAVE to read. Be happy that you will never have "nothing to read!" And, yes I feel overwhelmed sometimes, but there are only so many hours in the day. Take another deep breath.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. There are so many books out there that I want to read, but know I'll never get around to even half of them. My Goodreads page has 350+ books listed as 'to-read' and most of them are relatively new. With the influx of YA books, and good YA books, it's impossible to keep up. Audiobooks would probably help, but it's impossible to keep up with all the incredible releases.
ReplyDeleteSolidarity in being buried in books will be my comfort.
Em—I'd rather be buried too, but I'd be perfectly happy with only having a handful of books at a time instead of my massive amount on my shelves. It's quite scary.
ReplyDeleteKathy—part of the problem is having so many different authors out there. I don't plan on reading everything by each author, but there are SO MANY authors out there that it's hard to even get that far.
Annette—I will try that!
Nikki—I agree, solidarity is a good thing. Bookworms unite!
Great post and I totally know how you feel. Audio books are really the key for me. I have a 45min commute to work each way and I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t listen to books. Right now there’re about 10 books that I seriously can’t wait to read. To make matters worse, me and my wife just discovered the series Lost (I realize we’re about 3 years too late...) and I’m feeling even more overwhelmed by my lack of reading time. If nothing else, it’s a good feeling to have a stack of good books on your TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteThanks Evan! Yeah, I have so many books that I would love to read, but don't have the time. What makes it worse for me is I feel like I have to give priority to YA titles because of my blog, but I have a bunch of adult fiction and nonfiction that I'd like to get to soon. I'm just afraid it won't happen for a while.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing is that you are connected to the online book community, so even if you haven't read all the new YA titles, at least you have an idea of what books are being enjoyed or not. That helps me tremendously when it comes to making recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way of looking at it, thanks!
ReplyDeleteWith a to-read list on Goodreads of over 700 books I definitely share your feeling of being buried! So many books, so little time..
ReplyDeleteI understand the urge to read everything, but with all the books I see you review on here I don't think you'll ever be underread ;)
Totally and completely overwhelmed. It's increased exponentially since I started blogging. I have to keep reminding myself to chill out. I have enough stress in my life with school to start worrying about my hobby as well.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather be buried then having nothing at all. As someone who also wants to be a children's librarian, I also get stressed out. But I think the best thing to do is keep reading and try to enjoy the books I pick up.
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