Being a Mood Reader

I've said it before, but I am most definitely a mood reader. Being a mood reader means that I have to be in a certain mood/frame of mind in order to read certain books. I can't just walk over to my shelf, and pick a book at random. Oh no, it can't be that simple. If I'm in the mood for a light, fun contemporary, I have to read one. If I try to read something other than a contemporary, than I just don't enjoy what I'm reading, and it can put me in a slump.

I don't mind being a mood reader, but it can be frustrating. Sometimes I'll go to the library and take out a bunch of books that I'm looking forward to, and then I just don't read them because they don't suit whatever mood I'm in. For example, I've taken out Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas twice now and haven't read it (I'm not buying it until it comes out in paperback, to match my other two books)! This is wrong on so many levels.

 

Of these books pictured, I've read 10 of them, which only included 2 library books.

 

The same thing happens with review books, which is frustrating on a whole other level because I don't want to let people down by not reading the book. I'll read it because I know I have to, but I may not enjoy it as much had I read it when I wanted to, rather than when I felt I needed to. I try not to let this affect my overall feeling of the book, but sometimes it does.

Being a mood reader isn't all bad. Often I go into phases where I'll read the same genre for a few weeks, and then switch to another for a bit. I like doing this, because I feel like I'm a little more selective with what I read, which leads me to read better books.

 

I know this isn't an actual problem, but it can definitely be frustrating when I'm standing in front of my shelf, or scrolling my Kobo or Goodreads desperately trying to find something that sounds appealing.

 



Do any of you go through the same thing? What is your book selection process like? Hopefully it's less annoying than mine can be!