Have you heard the term “mood reader” and come to find out more? This post explains what a mood reader is and the pros and cons of being a mood reader vs. someone who makes a TBR list.
I am the sort of person who loves to-do lists and ticking off tasks that I’ve accomplished. However, I can’t say the same for my reading. I am what I would call a “mood reader”, meaning I prefer not to create lists of books to read and instead pick up whatever I am in the mood for.
What is a mood reader?
Mood reading can mean different things to different readers and there’s no official definition for this term.
To me, mood reading means reading whatever your brain fancies at any given moment. No lists, no TBR piles.
Sure, I occasionally make TBR piles. As a book blogger, I have certain posts in mind that I want to write and will mentally put certain books aside for that purpose.
But if I’m not feeling it, I don’t force it. My TBR piles are more of a suggestion but if I feel like something else that’s not on the pile then I’ll go for that.
Mood reading is similar to, though not quite the same as, seasonal reading. By which I mean easy beach reads in the Summer and cosy Christmas reads in the Winter.
There’s also reading based on your emotions, such as reading sad books when you are down. In this case, the mood of a book matches your own.
I consider these to both be different from mood reading. As I read whatever I want, whenever I want, I have no problem with reading a Christmas rom-com at the height of summer or a gothic thriller on the beach.
What does TBR mean?
If you’re wondering how to define TBR, it stands for “to be read” and is a common acronym used by book lovers on the internet.
You’ll often see book bloggers and bookstagrammers talking about their TBR piles, which are piles of books that they intend to read imminently.
Often bloggers will create a TBR pile at the beginning of each month with a number of books that they intend to get through over the next four weeks. By creating a TBR pile, they feel motivated to stay on track and have always got something next in line to read.
I used to be a TBR pile maker, especially when I was accepting lots of review copies, but it resulted in me putting a lot of pressure on myself to read books that I simply wasn’t in the mood for and the experience wasn’t enjoyable.
This is a large part of why I prefer not to accept review copies from publishers and to simply buy what takes my fancy. I’ll feel too guilty about all the unread review copies that could’ve gone to another reader!
RELATED: How to Cut Your TBR Pile Once and For All
So, what are the pros and cons of being a mood reader?
Benefits of mood reading
You read what you want when you want
The best thing about being a mood reader is being able to read what you want, when you want. No one else is dictating the books you read and often it’s a surprise to you yourself!
If you want to read horror books whilst on a beach then you do that. Sometimes that’s just where the mood takes you, you know?
This also means that if you are halfway through something and a shiny new book takes your fancy, you can switch to the second book. I don’t force myself to finish the book I’m currently reading before beginning another, that would go against the essence of mood reading.
This does mean that I often have several books on the go, which isn’t for everyone, but personally, I like dipping in and out of multiple reads and I don’t find that it stops me from fully immersing in a story.
Reading never feels like a chore
I firmly believe that being a mood reader is actually one of the reasons that I manage to read so much. I’m not tied down by any TBR lists or imaginary obligations and I am completely free to read what I want.
This also includes choosing not reading at all – that’s fine too! Whilst I try to prioritise reading over other hobbies, there are plenty of Netflix shows that demand to be binge-watched too.
I may read in a slightly more disjointed manner and have several books on the go, but that means reading is never boring as there’s always a different world to explore.
I’m not saying mood readers never get into book slumps, but I do think giving yourself the freedom to read whatever you want means you’re less likely to find yourself bored of the books you’ve chosen.
READ MORE: How I read 75 Books a Year
You read a greater variety of books
You’ll never get bored of reading as a mood reader because there’s always be a book to satisfy you somewhere. The trouble is finding that book.
I think that mood readers tend to be much more fluid with the genres they’re willing to read and therefore may have more diverse shelves.
When I’m unsure what I’m in the mood for I’ll tend to opt for a few books in different genres to see which one appeals the most.
Sometimes I’ll be a few chapters into one book before I realise I’d actually much rather be reading a different style and genre altogether.
Cons of mood reading
You’ve always got 5 different books on the go
My mood changes constantly so I end up starting lots of different books and then getting distracted and beginning another. This means that I’ve often got around 5 different books on the go at the same time.
The stack of semi-read books on my bedside table can often get quite tall as a result!
As I mentioned, these books are usually all in different genres and I’ve picked up multiple different books because I couldn’t decide what genre I fancied at that particular moment.
This isn’t necessarily because I am not enjoying a book or that I won’t end up rating it highly. Sometimes books that I flit in and out of at the beginning turn into books that I devour the second half of.
Sometimes it takes me a few chapters to figure out that a particular book is the book I am in the mood for.
I always carry a book with me but it does slightly complicate matters when you’ve got 5 different options to choose from and you’re not sure what you’ll be in the mood for when you’re on the tube.
Perhaps it’s best to bring all five?
You’ve got a tonne of unread books
The problem with being a mood reader is that you might buy a book and then find that when you get home you actually don’t feel like reading it. Even if it sounds like an amazing book and something that you would usually very much enjoy, the timing may not be right.
Mood reading means finding the right book at the right time.
The downside to this is having overflowing shelves with unread books that you intended to get round to but then didn’t feel in the mood. It may take ages for you to finally feel “in the mood” for something you bought years ago.
It doesn’t mean you’ll never read these books but it does mean there’s often a big lag between you buying a book and you actually reading it.
RELATED: How to Declutter Books
You can’t join a book club or book challenge
If you’re an active member of the book blogging community online then you’ll be familiar with all the book challenges, readathons, buddy reads and book clubs that are on offer.
The problem is that as a mood reader it’s quite hard to participate as you never know what mood you will be in by the time the challenge or particular book rolls around.
I’ve never wanted to join a book club (even though there are many that look like wonderful communities!) as I simply can’t bear to have my reading dictated by someone else and be forced to read a certain book by a certain deadline. It’s just not for me.
Whilst others are spurred on by this, I am repelled.
You waste time trying to find the “right” book
The problem with being a mood reader is that most of the time even you are not sure what you’re in the mood for.
I’ve spent so much time poring over the books on my shelves, picking random books up and putting them down again.
I’ve read and re-read the blurbs of so many books that I already own, even when I already vaguely know what they are about.
I’ll look up reviews on Goodreads and read the first pages of lots of different books before finally deciding on one.
Frustratingly, sometimes it’s not the right one and the process starts all over again…
You get genre fatigue
This one may seem to go against the very essence of mood reading however I sometimes find myself facing genre fatigue.
By letting myself read whatever I’m in the mood for, I’ll often find myself binge-reading a particular genre and several books later I’ll find myself facing genre fatigue.
For example, I may read four YA dystopian books in a row and then find myself YA dystopian-ed out.
Then I know that my reading mood has changed and it’s time to move on to a different type of book.
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Does any of the above sound familiar to you? If you recognised yourself in some of the above discussions then perhaps you are a mood reader too!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Love this post? Check out these:
How to Start a Book Blog
How to Start a Bookstagram
How to Cut Down Your TBR Pile
How to Declutter Books in 2 Steps
How to Get Out of a Reading Slump
8 Benefits of Reading Books
Laura
Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?
Mary
Monday 2nd of August 2021
Absolutely, I read like this as well! you put it into words in a way I haven't however, and hopefully thinking about it like this can help me embrace it. I get a little frustrated with myself sometimes because I do keep a TBR list on a excel spreadsheet, so that I won't forget about books that I've heard about and want to read. I don't pressure to read them in any order, though, I just look through when I need a new book. I sometimes sort by genre, and I also write a description/topic column. "post-apocalypse wild west" or "women of the Trojan war" or "survival, mt Everest disaster", just enough to jog my memory or interest.
My frustration comes from situations like last year, my boyfriend got me a 8 book series. He gave me the first one a week before Christmas, because I was out of things to read and had mentioned thinking about getting the book without knowing it was my gift. I finished it in 2 days after he gave it to me. He made me wait for books 2-8 til Christmas, and I just finished the 2nd book last week, about 7 months later.
Currently, I'm on a prehistoric fiction kick, and I feel like I'm wasting my time a bit because I'm rereading some old favorites.
Peixinho de Prata
Thursday 27th of May 2021
Thank you for explaining my reading habits so thouroughly. :)