Reader's Guilt

I read because I love it. I love the characters, the journeys, the worlds I can be transported to. I love the reflections of the real world woven within the pages; the commentary on life, relationships and culture. It makes me relax and feel joy and fear and compassion. It’s one of the things that I am most passionate about. So why do I find myself feeling guilty when I do something I love? Is this a shared experience among readers? 

I think there are a few types of reader’s guilt. One of the main ones seems to be from being in a reading slump. It makes you question if you even like reading. Why can’t you just pick up a book and get into it? I mean you’ve done it before, what's different now? It must be because you are a bad reader and that probably makes you feel like a bad person. 

Another type of reading guilt is that of slow readers. People who should feel ashamed because of their reading pace. Readers behind in their reading challenge and who certainly won't reach their goal by the end of the year. You crumbled under the pressure and watched others on Booktok or Booksta surpass you in every way.

Maybe you feel guilty because of the types of books you read. You love a mushy romance with little challenge. Maybe you read YA or children's books while everyone else is reading War and Peace and discussing its literary and socio-political impacts. You feel bad because you don’t enjoy the intellectual side of reading.  

Whilst these feelings are valid, they are in fact total rubbish. Reading is a hobby and one that is there to be enjoyed. Guilt can creep in but don’t let it ruin your experience. It’s important to reframe these feelings.

 Slumps can happen to anyone, life can take over. Maybe the book just isn’t for you and that’s absolutely fine. There are plenty more out there. This is something I really struggle with. I hate DNF’ing a book. I worked out that if I put it down,  I might really enjoy it when I come back to it in a couple months. 

I wrote a whole blog post on slow readers that you can read here: https://www.novelnatter.co.uk/post/why-slow-readers-are-great

Again, this is nothing to feel embarrassed about as we all read at different paces. It really doesn't matter; it’s never been a race. 

Who cares what genre you like? I am all for anyone reading and they should feel no pressure to engage with books that don’t interest them. For some, reading is used as positive escapism and that's fine. Even then there are still benefits to this kind of reading such as a more rounded sense of empathy and understanding. 

I think with the rise of book talk on social media, a sense of comparison and competitiveness has evolved. It’s easy to feel bad when you compare yourself to other readers. It’s important to remember that you read for yourself. So, however you read, whatever you read, how long it takes you to read it- just keep reading. Do it because you love it and banish reader’s guilt.