Yes, this week I’m going to babble about being a mood reader, or not. You may be surprised that this is not a post inspired by whatever awareness event is happening today or this week.
Now, I could have written something inspired by British Sandwich Week. You may have piped up with: We all know who invented the sandwich, so what’s the point? Well, apparently… but perhaps I’ll leave that for next year’s blog calendar.
Anyway, I digress. Today’s blog topic is about the term “mood reader”. I’d never heard of this until I started using social media extensively when I gave this writing thing a serious go. By the way, if you haven’t already, you can follow me on the following platforms:
I would have guessed that being a mood reader means you read whatever takes your fancy at the time of choosing. Well, duh! Doesn’t everyone do that? Maybe I’m a mood reader? But no, I was very wrong.
What is a Mood Reader?
According to Book Riot dot com:
“A mood reader is a person who reads according to their mood. This means that their feelings and emotions often dictate what they’ll read. If they’re feeling happy and want to bask in that happiness, they choose a book or genre that will tie in with that feeling. If they’re feeling upset or angry, they may opt for a heart wrenching period drama or a dystopian thriller. The books could serve to expand an emotion or to comfort the reader. Either way, a mood reader selects and reads books based on how they are feeling at any given moment.”
So, a mood reader can jump from genre to genre, depending on how they feel at the time, to either complement their current emotional state or to provide comfort.
Am I a Mood Reader?
No. These days, romance is all I read, although I do hop between the sub-genres of historical, contemporary and fantasy. Plus, I don’t pick my reads based on my emotions at the time.
In the past, I’ve picked something because the concept or the characters have enticed me to read more. You all know I’ve struggled with reading over the last twelve months, and I continue to do so. Becoming a writer has changed how I absorb a book and it has made me fussy. Yes, I’m a fussy reader.
Fussy, Fuss-pot Reader
I used to be one of those readers who stick rigidly to their TBR list. Yep, there are readers out there who have their list all set up in the order they want to read, and they don’t deviate from that. Perhaps I wasn’t that rigid, but I kept track of my TBR on Goodreads (you can follow me on there, too) and worked through that, adding new reads as I went along.
These days, I don’t even look at my TBR list. When I try to read something because I think I should—or it’s “whatever” month—I fail miserably. Indie April was a prime example. I tried three indie authors and DNF’d them all. It’s got so bad that I’ve taken to re-reading books or authors that I know I will like. I want the comfort of knowing that the writer’s style doesn’t draw me out of a story, and I know what will happen to the characters.
However, I have been hit by an unexpected blow with a book by a new author to me. Yes, I finished The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros a few days ago, and I loved it. It was my first five-star review for what seems like forever. I’ve already reserved a copy of the next in the series from my library, but it’s in demand so I’ll have to wait a while.
The Fourth Wing gripped me from almost the first page. I loved Violet and her struggle to prove her mother and others wrong in a lethal world of constant war, magic and grumpy dragons (oh, I love a snarky dragon) where anyone can die at any moment. Yep, don’t get comfy or too fond of the characters.
So, I’m buzzing that I’ve found enjoyment in a new book. I know my fussy reading habits will continue, but it’s nice to know that, occasionally, I’ll come across something that will capture my imagination and let me escape into its pages. For that reason, I will keep trying new and new-to-me authors.
What’s the last book you read that you really loved? Are you a mood reader or a strict TBR list follower?
I like a good crime/ murder story that not what I would read when a teenager, Barbara Cartlands, Catherine Cookson and many more. I’m definitely not a mood reader
My first book I had bought was Heidi and I loved the Bobbsey twins and a bit like the Famous Five, the author was American, then Little Women and that’s my favourite book of all books. I do like books on how people cope and lived through the 1st and 2nd world wars, and a family book club introduced me to “The girl with a dragon tattoo” series I would certainly never have picked those books myself but I really enjoyed them and actually read them twice, maybe that’s when I decided I liked a good crime/murder (who knows).