If you've been around my blog for a while, you may have wondered why my reading taste has changed so much this past year. My blog has never been a hotspot on the internet, and that's never bothered me. I initially created it as a personal way to track my thoughts on books and authors. Since I've stopped getting books from NetGalley, my number of views has dropped, and I'm okay with that as well. And I'll tell you why...
Before that, I want to clarify that everything here is my personal reflections. Other people feel differently, and that's fine. I think it's good for people to think differently and for us to challenge each other's thought processes once in a while (not all the time, though - that's draining!). I'm going to break this post into two sections: NetGalley and current fiction.
NetGalley
When I started getting books on NetGalley, I thought it was great. I wasn't spending a bunch of money on books, and I was able to read authors I enjoyed. I even had a few authors stop by my blog, and I was excited. But after a couple of years, I started to feel uncomfortable. What happened when I didn't like a book? I got it for free, I liked the author, but I didn't want to "hate" on their hard work. On the other hand, I also felt I owed NetGalley something for giving me the book in the first place. I didn't feel comfortable not giving any review, either. I once saw a comment saying, "If you don't like a book, just don't leave a review." I don't think that's the answer. If I post a negative review, I'll tell you why. Normally, there was something in the book that didn't appeal to me. That thing, whatever it is, might not bother you, but if it does, you'll know you may not enjoy the book. I mean it to be helpful, but some consider it to be negativity thrown at the author.
Another issue I came across was that many of my reviews were beginning to sound the same. The books were sounding the same in my head. I wasn't trying out new authors because I was too busy keeping up with the ones I'd come to love. I asked myself, what was I adding to the conversation? I'd be reading a book, enjoying it, and then stare at the keyboard when I'd go to write the review. Everything I wanted to say, I'd already said it somewhere else for another book.
In the end, I fell out of love with NetGalley through no fault of its own. It gave me books for free, but I felt guilty if I didn't like them. I wasn't going to lie, so I gave it up. I've heard change is good (not that I'm a fan), which brings me to my second point...
Current Fiction
Once I quit NetGalley, I evaluated what I was reading. The main thing I wanted to do was get outside my comfort zone. Since all the books I'd been reading had started to sound the same, I wanted to mix it up a bit. I started to wonder, "Who decides which fiction becomes popular?" Most people have heard of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, but who decided that? That's when I wondered who else was writing books back in the day and if any of them were any good.
I want to hunt down some hidden gems that have slipped through the cracks. Anyone can write and publish a book now, and we're overwhelmed with choices. The tales of the past are being forgotten unless they were of significance, but maybe there are still a few out that deserve some recognition. Maybe I'll be the only one finding the little diamonds, but in the end, that's not the point. I'm actually enjoying this journey more than I thought. I've also started diving into some nonfiction (Night Witches and I held the sun in my hands), and it's been great. The lesson here, narrowed down to four little words is "read what you love."
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