Confessions of an Overwhelmed bibliophile

I love to read, but lately reading has become more like a chore for me.  I have so many books on my kindle and piles of books on my nightstand, that I am feeling overwhelmed.  I feel pressured to finish reading books, because there are so many more books I want to read – it has taken some of the fun out of reading. 

Part of the problem is that I have been doing book reviews for other aspiring authors like me.  I listed my name on a website called ‘Book Tweeting Service” which helps authors find folks willing to read and review books.  As soon as I listed my name and contact info, I was inundated with requests, so much so, that I couldn’t keep up.  While I do enjoy some of the books, to be honest some of them are just not books I am interested in, and a few of them have been awful (which presents a whole other challenge of whether to post a bad review or contact the author, and it is always awkward).  I have had to turn authors down lately because I simply cannot read every book that people ask me to.  I also really want to maintain perspective, so I try to alternate one review request with a book that I have chosen to read. 

I have also started getting daily and weekly emails about free books available through Amazon.  Many authors provide free books as a way to increase the visibility of their books and gain reviews, there are just so many choices available today – literally thousands of new books each week, and I just can’t help downloading a few free books that look interesting, but now they sit on my kindle just waiting in my to-read pile.  I really do want to read all of them, and I try to read some, but I would have to read 24 hours a day to keep up with all the great books being published. 

In addition to the free books and review requests, there are also new books released by my favorite authors, books that are on the best seller list and look really interesting, and books that I somehow did not hear about until the movie comes out (and I know the book will be better).   Inevitably some of those books will make their way to my kindle or night table.  Balancing my desire to read with the other responsibilities that I need to get done can be tricky.   

I really do want to read them all.  I also want to enjoy them – not to rush through them just for the sake of finishing them.  I really believe a good book should be like a vacation – getting lost in the pages and savoring the story – something that shouldn’t be rushed. 

On that note, I am going to post this on my blog and then get back to my reading….thank goodness I have a nice long holiday weekend to spend reading.