Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Thoughts on Books that "Count"

Now that we're into the second month of 2014 and I've read countless posts about reading goals and challenges (not to mention the ridiculous number I've joined myself), I've been thinking a lot about the idea of counting books. Not that long ago, quite a few bloggers I follow participated in the latest round of Bout of Books as a jump-start to the new year. I didn't participate myself, but I read quite a few update posts and perused the comments, intrigued by the idea of a week of intensive reading. What surprised me the most were the comments by some people who felt what they read didn't really "count." These people were not criticizing each other -- in fact, every single comment I read was supportive -- they were instead criticizing themselves! They were saying how much better the other person did because they only read: easy books, short books, novellas, graphic novels, audiobooks, etc., etc. -- whatever genre or format they felt to be "less than" worthy. They were putting themselves down because seemingly, they felt like they were "cheating" or not challenging themselves enough.

I understand the temptation to do this kind of thing, but I am also a firm believer that a book is a book, period. It doesn't matter if it's short or long, easy or difficult, if I want to read it, it's a book (and it counts!) Looking at my GoodReads challenge progress, it would be easy to start worrying about people judging my reading choices -- of the nine I've read so far, only three are full-length books in the most traditional sense. The others are a combination of poetry, short stories, and children's books, three of which I listened to on audio. I try not to entertain such silly thoughts, but I will admit those Bout of Books comments allowed some doubt to creep into my mind. But, just as with body image (and just about every area of life), I am convinced we are always harder on ourselves than we are on each other. You know the adage, "don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to a friend?" I think that's might be something for us book bloggers to keep in mind too!

Personally, I never choose a book solely for it's length or ease of reading for the purpose of inflating my yearly number of books read. I doubt there are many people who do, but if that's their prerogative, who am I to judge? I have all different interests and while the majority of books I want to read are "full length" books/novels, I think I may have subconsciously neglected other types, possibly feeling like they don't really "count" without even realizing it! So going forward, I'm making it a point to not limit myself and make sure I don't fall prey to self-criticism for my reading choices. The list of books I want to read is long enough and varied enough that I definitely have options for just about every mood or scenario. There's nothing wrong with choosing a book from that ever-growing list that is lighter/easier/shorter, for any reason and I shouldn't waste time or energy wondering if it should "count" or not. We can't read long, heavy books all the time, (or at least I can't!)

One genre I think often falls into the "it doesn't really count" category in people's minds is children's books. Not YA necessarily, actual kids books -- but there are so many classic ones I haven't read, and if the mood strikes, I'm going to read them! This past weekend, I dove into Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic and I couldn't put the thing down! It's one of those books I never read as a kid (not in full, anyway) and I was only more intrigued after learning it made the ALA's most frequently banned & challenged list. Where a book is located in the library should not diminish its value. There are treasures to be found in all sections, including those that happen to be shelved in the area that also hosts Mommy & Me storytime.

There are all kinds of reasons for reading books and I'd much rather focus on those than come up with reasons against reading anything I'm genuinely interested in. We don't all like the same books, and we all have our reasons why certain authors, genres, etc. don't interest us. That's totally fine, but worrying that someone (or yourself) will deem a book not worthy enough to "count" should not be one of them.

So, I'm making 2014 a judgement-free year -- who's with me?

34 comments:

  1. Absolutely! All of these challenges are just a means to an end anyway; as long as you're reading what you want, who cares about anything else?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm with you!! A book is a book no matter how small (or big, or with pictures, or whatever). :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way! There are no book police after all, lol :)

      Delete
  3. I'm with you too! I don't know what books are "counting towards" but count me out. I don't really pay attention to the number of books I read anymore, because it makes me speed through books without taking the time to savor them, and in no time, I've forgotten everything about them - even the ones I liked!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a very good point! I do the GoodReads yearly challenge, but I use it more to organize in one place a chronological account of what I read. I try not to really think about the number & would never want to race through a book just to check it off the list. It is always interesting for me to see my number at the end of the year though, even I don't take it too seriously!

      Delete
  4. I completely agree with you - a book is a book is a book, and they all "count". I definitely understand the temptation to question it though. But I definitely think no one out there is judging us as hard as we are judging ourselves! I've even added the occasional poem or short story to my list. So what? I read it, I enjoyed it, I added it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that is a great way to think about it -- enjoyment is key -- and even if we don't enjoy a particular reading choice, I'm sure we thought we would when we picked it up!

      Delete
  5. Some people just want to see how many books they can finish during bout of books. I would much rather read at a slower rate maybe only finishing one book and enjoy it instead of reading a lot of little books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally understand that and I think it's something to be proud of, whatever a person chooses to read -- it just makes me sad to see people put themselves down out of fear of judgement, which seems so silly when it comes to reading -- there are enough books out there for every person and interest!

      Delete
  6. I am with you! I read a Meiji story and counted it! Reading in General is the most important part

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you -- I'm on team reading all the way :)

      Delete
  7. I have to say that I don't count audiobooks are reading, personally. For me reading is an act that I devote all my attention to; when I listen to a book I'm walking the dogs, exercising, or driving. Just personal preference, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personal preferences I totally understand -- I just don't think anyone should feel they *have to* exclude something based on other people's opinions. We should all count (or not count) however we truly want to for ourselves.

      Delete
  8. I think you make a great point! I count all of the books I read toward my total number read, but I am guilty of being a bit pickier about what books I count for challenges :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That makes perfect sense to me and I can see why you might want to be more picky in certain cases -- but as I just said in the above comment, it's the self-criticism based on insecurity or worry about what other people think that I don't think serves any real purpose. I just hope that whatever we count (or don't count) be decided by our own true preferences, rather than a result of a fear of judgement. I certainly shouldn't be telling anyone they *must* count books they don't actually want to count -- that would be just as bad!

      Delete
  9. I agree with you 100%. A book is a book regardless of length, format etc. Personally I don't read audiobooks but I would knock them as an actual book. I enjoy a lot of classic children's books as well as a fair few books of middle grade genre and to me they are still books even though they are a considerable amount shorter than a regular novel.
    Reading is a past time to be enjoyed, not a past time to stress oneself over whether what they're reading is a 'real' book.
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely something not to stress about! We don't all have to like the same kinds of books or formats, but we decide for ourselves what we prefer. I read a post once about a blogger getting asked in real life what she was currently reading and when she answered that she was listening to an audiobook, the person's response was something like, "oh, so you're not really reading anything then" -- which I think is so wrong! A person can decide that for themselves if they'd like, but not for other people! A "real" book is whatever we decide we want to read, if you ask me :)

      Delete
  10. Come on readers, we all know that it's not the size of the book that matters. It's how it stimulates your brain that really counts. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree as well. I definitely feel those feelings of inadequacy creep in when I see how many books many have read on Goodreads at times. But I too enjoy audio books, YA etc. The bottom line is a person created the story from their imagination and published it to share. The experience is the point not the number of pages, genre of the book. Cheers to you for writing this post. Keep on reading girlfriend!

    Belinda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the way you put this Belinda! It can be hard to not compare ourselves to others, but I agree that it is the experience that matters most. The talent of a good writer never ceases to amaze me.

      Delete
  12. I totally agree with you, but I don't always practise what I preach! I'm good at not judging any genre books/graphic novels (I used to be a total book snob), but for some reason, I don't 'count' audio books when I listen to them. I don't know why this is...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is sometimes hard to practice what we preach! I definitely understand how listening to a book doesn't always feel quite the same as reading a print book and I think that is one format that is not "counted" quite often. For me though, I would read hardly any books these days if it weren't for audio! Busy schedules make it hard to find reading time, so I do love to multi-task. I can only do audio for certain genres though, because if I have trouble following a story, there wouldn't be any point in "reading" it in that format -- multiple narrators & complex storylines are not my friend when it comes to listening to a book!

      Delete
  13. You can't see it, because I'm behind my computer screen and you are behind yours, but I am totally giving you a standing ovation! I'm always dismissive about my reading, as if I have to justify how much I read (oh, I read a lot of YA, I listen to audiobooks at a higher speed, I get to read at work) for those that don't have as much time as I do to read. I sometimes almost feel weirdly guilty about it. I read a lot in January, and one of my commentors actually asked me if I was taking the time to truly savor the books. I responded that whether or not I savor a book has more to do with the author's talent and not how quickly or slowly I read a book.

    Of course it could just be a female thing to do, because we're quick to deflect compliments. Love my blouse? Oh, I got it for super cheap at Ross. Love my hair? Oh, it's really Feria #21b! Congratulate me on how many books I read? Oh, it's mostly YA or audiobooks! It's just in our nature to downplay. I have no idea why.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Kate! I'm definitely one of those people who sometimes looks at other people's "Read" lists with a twinge of envy, but that's mostly because I am a slow reader and I know it, lol. I'm trying to break myself of that though and I definitely know a particular reader's pace does not determine enjoyment of the book alone! Sometimes I drag books out too long when I am busy and know that if I had finished it in a more condensed timeframe I would have enjoyed it even more.

      And you are so right about deflecting compliments! I hadn't really thought of it that way, but it really does often extend to all different areas of life in addition to books.

      Delete
  14. Agreed, I read what I want regardless of genre, age, or length and they all count..because they effect me and mold me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is so heartening to hear so many people share similar sentiments on this subject. Team reading all the way :)

      Delete
  15. I definitely agree! I've been guilty of being embarassed about what I read in the past but I don't see why! The main thing is we're reading and we're enjoying ourselves. Who cares what it is we're reading? What I've also noticed recently is that all the books nominated for literary prizes tend to be really hard hitting, intense, and often depressing stories. Not to knock those stories but are they really saying that a book can't be award quality unless it's harrowing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been wanting to read more award-winners, but I definitely see your point! We really shouldn't care what other people think -- that's their problem, not mine :)

      Delete
  16. See i completely agree with you! I count everything i read even the short single stories on tor.com and my graphic novels. I don't care if other people dont. Im reading for me and to keep track of everything i read that year not just novels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is definitely how I keep track as well -- if other people really don't want to, that's obviously OK too, but I think it's nice to give ourselves some credit for all the different things we read. In my opinion, there is not just one kind of book deserves recognition -- page count or genre doesn't make one book any better than another, if you ask me :)

      Delete
  17. Honestly, I don't play by the "Book Blogger" rules. I just read books that I am interested in as well as children books and audiobooks. I remember when I first started book blogging way back in 2012 and bloggers where talking about audiobooks don't count as reading. WHATEVER! I count it all short stories and everything. I think the authors and publishers would think they count. LOL! I started my blog to keep track of the books I was reading not to follow the crowd. Love this topic and I agree with you! Great post sweetie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love your feelings toward this -- it really is best to each do our own thing :)

      Delete

I'd love to hear what you think :)