Returning to Goodreads
When I was a kid, I had a book with me wherever I went. My family would always say I had my nose stuck in a book. Reading was my absolute favorite thing to do, and I was always reading.
As I've gotten older, I've fallen out of the habit somewhat. I haven't read more than 10 books in a year for quite some time, and most of the time it's less than that. Recently, though, I've been devouring books again, finishing them within just a couple of days, and my love for reading has been rekindled.
I think it's because I realized what the problem was. I was trying to read a lot of books that I felt like I should read and not the kind of books I personally really want to read. I'm a big fan of horror, so it makes sense that I would be drawn to horror books, yet I hadn't read a book in that genre in ages. Lately, I've been picking up horror and mystery books and going through them like candy. I'm sure I'll pick up the occasional fantasy novel as well because I do enjoy that genre sometimes.
I decided to overhaul my Goodreads shelves. I completely cleaned everything from the years before 2024 out, keeping only the books that I consider favorites. Most of the books I'd read were from over a decade ago, and to be completely honest, I didn't remember much of them. I also had a ton of books on my "to-read" shelf that I don't actually want to read anymore. My Goodreads just didn't feel like me anymore. It wasn't representative of who I am as a reader now.
So I redid everything, and I'm using it to catalogue only the books I've read from last year onward. I'm focusing on the genres I truly want to read instead of choosing books based on what it feels like I should read. Feel free to visit my profile and add me as a friend if you'd like to follow along on my new reading journey! I'm definitely still into recommendations as well, so I love having friends on there to follow and get new ideas from!