Have YOU seen my love of reading?

I have been a part of the blogging world for a little over a year now, and I have to say that I love it. Here's why:

• I share what I'm reading/hearing/reviewing with a wider audience
• I see what others are reading/hearing/reviewing
• I discover new reads that I might otherwise have overlooked
• I find ideas to share with my students 

Recently I have found my blog taking on a voice of silence because I've just not had time to read or just not felt like reading. This is a problem for me because I usually spend any downtime I have reading. So I decided to reflect on what I think has happened.

Recently I have been contacted by authors and publishers to review books. What a great opportunity, right? I do want to be a librarian, which means I need to learn to work with authors and publishers, so I look over books and their requests and decide whether or not I will take on that responsibility. 

Here's the thing - when I purchase a book to read and write a review, I am doing it because I want to share with others what I thought about that book (and why they should read it too, even if I didn't particularly enjoy it). When I am asked by an author/publisher to read and review a book, I feel immense pressure. I don't know why - I can't explain it. I don't feel pressure to give a positive review, that's not what I do. I read and then share my thoughts/feelings on a novel. 

I guess the difference is when I buy a book or ask NetGalley to allow me to "borrow" a book, I know I can take the time to savor every single page. I know that I am reading that book for myself and for my students. I always try to tie whatever we are studying into contemporary YA.

It has gotten to the point where I find myself procrastinating when it comes to reading, and I do not like it. For this reason, I am thinking of suspending all review requests so that I can reinvigorate my inner-reader. 

This all could be because I am still a relative "newbie" at blogging as well as receiving requests. I want to be able to balance it so that I read what I love while still keeping a positive relationship with authors and publishers.

So fellow bloggers, my question to you is this: does this happen to you? Do you feel an over-whelming since of responsibility when you agree to review someone's book, and how do you deal with it?

I am mostly looking for advice - some of which I know will be, "Of course that makes sense, why didn't I think of that?" But it's always easier when you're on the outside looking in. And to be honest, there is no guidebook on how to be an effective blogger. 

Happy reading to all!