Talkin' About: What is more important than books?


Books and Life: The Connection
Hello everyone! Today I have a little different talkin' about discussion post. I am not discussing any particular aspect of books/questions that have to do with certain topics found in books but rather what books mean to me, how they have been slowly going away (NOOOO) in my busy life, and all the concerns that come with it. 


So here goes. 

I love books. I think this is a pretty much of an universal statement for anyone who is reading this blog, and if its not, than I hope you stay and look around a little longer and find some books you would like to read to show you the magic of literature. But this is not a casual,"Oh I LOVEEE Ryan Gosling!" type of love. (Although, that love is completely justifiable.) This is a consuming obsession. 

I physically cannot live without books. It is an unimaginable situation for me. In fact, this feeling is so strong and possibly dangerous that the very first thing I would try to save in a fire would be my Harry Potter books. (okay, a little exaggeration, but you get the idea.) 

So what did I do when the workload and exhaustion of school slapped me in the face and overwhelmed my schedule? DIED INSIDE, that's what. 

For me, life and reading are synonyms. One is part of the other, and one is incomplete without the other. But my "reading" is not just skimming a few pages per day. It is immersing myself in a novel for hours (my weekly therapy session, honestly), spending time cultivating my TBR list, and borrowing heaps upon heaps from the library- knowing I can read them all. 

But I can't do that anymore. My reading has been reduced to a maximum of a few chapters per day (also, classics are much tougher and much more discouraging). I barely know what's circulating around the YA book community anymore. And I can't help but feel hopelessly overwhelmed when I stare at my TBR pile. 

I know I can't be happy without sufficient reading. I know I can't be alone in this juggling balance of schoolwork, rest, and books. But also, I know I need to increase my reading somehow. This may sound dramatic, but there's no real point to my studying if I don't read at the same time. Reading is a different form of knowledge that I need. 

Have you ever felt this way? How do you deal with lack of time to read/blog? Any book suggestions to get me back in the loop? 

I apologize for the sadness...but I am a little desperate here. :)



8 comments:

  1. I get your struggle, finding time is hard! For me, I just try and read whenever I have free time. Bringing a book to school really helps to, because if you find yourself having some extra time after finishing an assignment, just whip out the book! It's all about incorporating the book into your day.

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    1. Definitely Emily! The amount of times I've finished a chapter in my school library during the mornings are too many to count.

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  2. Your struggle is real, Kate- but dare I say you'll learn to live with lesser reading by and by? I was feeling just like this a couple of years back, but then it became virtually impossible to stick to my routine of reading "at least" a book a day. Then it became two books per week and now I consider myself lucky if I finish just ONE book per week, as pathetic as it sounds. Uni is eating up my time, and as much as I'd love to read more, I can't. It breaks my heart, but it's impossible to juggle everything at the moment AND make time for reading daily. Hope you fare better at this :))

    Ruzaika @ The Regal Critiques

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    1. The cold hard truth...A BOOK A DAY! Wow. I definitely don't have my book bingeing moments anymore where I'll read for four to five hours on end. It is sad to give up reading a little, but I guess I am also becoming involved in quite a lot of other things. You are right, it's maintaining the right balance that matters.

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  3. AW KATE <3 I absolutely love this post! Like you, I can't imagine life without books. Others may find that as an exaggeration, but it's true in my case. I just love books way too much that it'd be hard if they had never existed! I admire all book bloggers and readers worldwide, though, for realizing the importance of books HAHAHA books are just amazing <3 Great post Kate!

    Jillian @ Jillian's Books

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    1. Thank you Jillian! I knew book bloggers would understand. :)

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  4. I agree with you and this post SO MUCH. I'm in the exact same situation. I have no time to read and it really breaks my heart :'( Although I have around 20 school days left until summer break, it's still too much going on for me right now to even think about that. I just want time to read...

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    1. I KNOW! The TBR list just for summer is overwhelmingly packed because I feel like I have t odo all my quality reading over those precious few months. I completely agree.

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