As we are still stuck in this bizarre situation, I thought today would be a good day to reflect on whether any good has come out of being stuck inside. Lockdown is still in affect in most countries, even if the rules are a bit confusing, and it has impacted us all. I've spoken about how it totally destroyed my summer plans and I've spent a lot of time finding ways to fill the time.
Something that has always been a part of my life, even without lockdown, is reading. In today's post, I will be discussing if lockdown has had a good impact on my reading habits or if it's the opposite.
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| A small stack of books I've read in lockdown |
Before lockdown started, I had managed to read 16 books in total. This was not as high as I had hoped, but I had struggled with some quite severe health problems since the beginning of February, which took a toll on my everyday life. My average amount of books read per month had been around 5 books. January had been a really good reading month, having read 7. It then dropped to 5 a month for the following three months. In the past few months, it has gone back up to being either 7 or 8 books a month.
Like most readers, my reading habits fluctuate. It depends what's happening in my life and what I'm reading. I've had more reading slumps on average during lockdown that I normally have throughout the year. Yet I've somehow managed to read a lot more books recently. That being said, in 2020, I am reading a lot more books that I rate three stars. I've been giving out four stars less than normal and have had a few two star reads.
This begs the question, while I'm reading a lot, am I reading any good books? With being stuck inside all the time, reading has become my escape method. I may not be able to physically go interrailing this summer, but I can travel through the magic of books. There are books I expected to love which I have ended up not enjoying and books that I thought I wouldn't care for that I've really enjoyed. Lockdown has changed my approach to reading.
I know that most readers are either thriving off lockdown and demolishing their TBR piles or they're really struggling. I fall somewhere in the middle. I'm glad to have the opportunity to be able to tackle my TBR and sort out my book collection, yet I am also finding it difficult to get the motivation to read at times. As a reader, surely I should love reading? So why am I finding it almost chore like to have to sit down and read my books?
I'm very grateful to have been able to find the time to read and to take my mind off everything at the moment. It has definitely helped my mental health and kept me stable throughout this whole time. It's helped me work out what type of books I really like, rather than still buying overhyped books and not liking most of them. I'm thankful to this time as it is helping me as a reader. I may not be reading loads of books I love, but I am tackling my TBR for once. So in a bizarre way, lockdown has helped my reading. Just not in the way you think it would have.
Carenza :) x
