I love Twitter. I have some great friends (both online and real ones there) and if you want the latest book news and gossip it’s a brilliant way to discuss things. Having only 140 characters really makes you stick to the point and then you get questions like this one from @MarkCN:
Why not just read and review the books you want to read?
This came when we talking about online poles and awards and judging. I have sworn off navel-gazing blogging posts on Next Read (though I have done them in the past) and this comes close as the mechanics of blogging come into it but it also comes down to how do you filter the thousands of books you could be reading into the ones you choose.
Blogging has changed the way I read. I read more for a start. And that was one reason for blogging in the first place. Making a public commitment to blog really means that you need to fill that blog with content and seeing as book review blogs are about reviews I need to have read a book first.
The other reason to blog is that I love books – I’ve loved them for 15 years and can’t see that passion going away. I do have my highs and lows with reading but in the end I always come back and a find a book that drags me back in and reminds me what a wonderful thing a book is.
You can make your own worlds with words. How amazing is that?
My relationship with reading is a combination of joy and a guilt trip. This isn’t due to blogging. I’ve always had more books in my possession than I’m able to read. It’s just that now I know more books that I won’t have the pleasure of reading than I did before.
But I’m also very lucky as my choices are wider than I could imagine and I’m discovering books like Florence & Giles, The Chalk Circle Man, Sharp Teeth, Midnight Never Comes to name a few.
So the guilt of not reading something is very much outweighed by the feelings brought on by a wonderful read.
This doesn’t really answer the question of:
Why not just read and review the books you want to read?
It’s because I don’t know the answer. I don’t know why I chose to read Florence & Giles over anything else I could have read. I could say that it was because I wanted to read something Gothic or that I wanted to please Harper or that it looked like a quick read.
But I can’t. It’s not the reason. It’s more I’d just tried a book I didn’t get into and Florence & Giles was something different.
That isn’t to say that some books get more attention from me than others. They do. I put them in pile right in front of me. But I move books around all the time so they might get lots behind the pile.
I do try and read books around their publication as it’s nice seeing new books on blogs, like I’m waiting for a review on to appear on The Book Smugglers of a book I’m curious about.
I don’t read to please publishers. Have you tried to force yourself to read something you hate? You can see in my reviews in if I have (cause sometimes you need to see the whole picture) and it doesn’t work. Who are you making happy? Not yourself or the reader of your blog. And the publisher wants you to enjoy the books you buy so you buy more not to make you see the whole experience as pointless.
I’ll admit that I read more new books than old ones and I probably should force myself away from the guilt pile of new books to older books but I there are so many lovely new books to read…
So I can’t answer the question. Can you?
How do you choose the books you want to read next? I’m not thinking for blogging but in general.
EDIT:
I should have said that how books get into the guilt pile is a whole other post on what my tastes are but 99% of books I buy or get as review copies are books that I have an interest in so whatever I choose is going to be something I’d try anyway.
18 March, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I can’t imagine reading books that I didn’t want to read. Yes – I am lucky enough to get shiny new books from publishers, but they know my book taste and I almost always want to read them. Any book that doesn’t grab my attention stays in the TBR pile until someone recommends it and it becomes interesting to me. That may or may not happen, but there is no way I’m going to read a book just because a publisher tells me to.
18 March, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I can’t imagine reading books that I didn’t want to read. Yes – I am lucky enough to get shiny new books from publishers, but they know my book taste and I almost always want to read them. Any book that doesn’t grab my attention stays in the TBR pile until someone recommends it and it becomes interesting to me. That may or may not happen, but there is no way I’m going to read a book just because a publisher tells me to.
18 March, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I can't imagine reading books that I didn't want to read. Yes – I am lucky enough to get shiny new books from publishers, but they know my book taste and I almost always want to read them. Any book that doesn't grab my attention stays in the TBR pile until someone recommends it and it becomes interesting to me. That may or may not happen, but there is no way I'm going to read a book just because a publisher tells me to.
19 March, 2010 at 8:04 am
My main concern about the blogosphere is it’s fetish for frontlist titles (those released that period). Very quickly, great books of the last few years will disappear from discussion, unless they’re part of still-running series. And when books don’t get discussed (on and offline), they die. There’s precious little discussion of classic books as it is, which means a whole new generation of readers are missing out.
19 March, 2010 at 8:04 am
My main concern about the blogosphere is it’s fetish for frontlist titles (those released that period). Very quickly, great books of the last few years will disappear from discussion, unless they’re part of still-running series. And when books don’t get discussed (on and offline), they die. There’s precious little discussion of classic books as it is, which means a whole new generation of readers are missing out.
19 March, 2010 at 8:19 am
I have a massive (around 70 book)pile of things that i am going to read when i get round to it but if a publisher sends me something shiny the chances are its something i really want to read so that goes to the top of my list. If i get a review copy of something i will read that next in my list because its only polite to get a review done as soon as i can but then i will go back to my TBR pile and pick something i really want to read afterwards. I suppose the problem occurs when all your books come from publishers and you feel obliged to review them all…luckily i’m not popular enough to be in that position
19 March, 2010 at 8:19 am
I have a massive (around 70 book)pile of things that i am going to read when i get round to it but if a publisher sends me something shiny the chances are its something i really want to read so that goes to the top of my list. If i get a review copy of something i will read that next in my list because its only polite to get a review done as soon as i can but then i will go back to my TBR pile and pick something i really want to read afterwards. I suppose the problem occurs when all your books come from publishers and you feel obliged to review them all…luckily i’m not popular enough to be in that position
19 March, 2010 at 8:55 am
I do only read and review books that interest me and I only request review copies of books that I think I’d like.
I ado gree with Mark’s point though. It seems that most book blogs are only reviewing the new releases which means that everyone is reviewing the same books and the older books get forgotten. And I’m not even talking about the classics, but just books that I remember enjoying ten years ago, or so. Kate Elliot, Laura Resnick and Dave Duncan wrote some of my favorite series of books, but I have never seen any of them reviewed, which means that newer fantasy readers are missing out on some great stuff.
19 March, 2010 at 8:55 am
I do only read and review books that interest me and I only request review copies of books that I think I’d like.
I ado gree with Mark’s point though. It seems that most book blogs are only reviewing the new releases which means that everyone is reviewing the same books and the older books get forgotten. And I’m not even talking about the classics, but just books that I remember enjoying ten years ago, or so. Kate Elliot, Laura Resnick and Dave Duncan wrote some of my favorite series of books, but I have never seen any of them reviewed, which means that newer fantasy readers are missing out on some great stuff.
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
Easy !. I read reviews
and then decide which books I should read. But if I am going write an review on a novel which a publishers has sent me, then I really don’t care if I like the genre or the book theme.
Mark has a valid point about that a lot of bloggers are reviewing the same novels, and don’t pick the old classics. I think review bloggers has a misconception that readers only want to read the newest novels and when a novel is newly published they will get more response on their review. For me it is more about sharing what novels I find interesting and think other readers should read. But it is hard to both write reviews for upcoming novels and dig up the good old ones….
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
Why not just read and review the books you want to read?
Why, that’s exactly what I am doing. I do occasionally take a chance on a book of course and blogging has widened my horizon quite a bit but I don’t read books just because I have to have a review on the blog or because the entire blogsphere is raving about it.
How do you choose the books you want to read next? I’m not thinking for blogging but in general.
This is one of the few area’s where I don make a concession to the blog. I generally have anywhere from twenty to fifty books in the to read stack and I try not to read work by the same author too close together. I’m one of those readers who tries to read the entire catalogue of an author once I decide I like their writing. Even with only seventy something reviews some authors have two, three or four works in the index, I try to spread it out a little.
I also try to read a couple of recent titles every month, my wishlist for back list titles is enormous so I could probably happily read and blog about older works until retirement if I chose to.
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
I’ve learnt over the years, and more so from being a book blogger, that I can’t be forced to read a certain book. I’ve tried reading books from publishers as soon as they come in but if I’m not in the mood for it then I will get irritated and sometimes mistake it for dislike and it will go straight back on the pile, only to find that a few weeks later I will read it and like it.
Now I read what I want. Period.
I have a huge selection of books: from books I’ve bought to books sent for review. I’m a ‘moody’ reader and I know that I will enjoy a book more if I’m in the mood for it. If the cover and synopsis grab me and I go ‘ooh’ then that’s my next read.
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
Easy !. I read reviews
and then decide which books I should read. But if I am going write an review on a novel which a publishers has sent me, then I really don’t care if I like the genre or the book theme.
Mark has a valid point about that a lot of bloggers are reviewing the same novels, and don’t pick the old classics. I think review bloggers has a misconception that readers only want to read the newest novels and when a novel is newly published they will get more response on their review. For me it is more about sharing what novels I find interesting and think other readers should read. But it is hard to both write reviews for upcoming novels and dig up the good old ones….
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
Why not just read and review the books you want to read?
Why, that’s exactly what I am doing. I do occasionally take a chance on a book of course and blogging has widened my horizon quite a bit but I don’t read books just because I have to have a review on the blog or because the entire blogsphere is raving about it.
How do you choose the books you want to read next? I’m not thinking for blogging but in general.
This is one of the few area’s where I don make a concession to the blog. I generally have anywhere from twenty to fifty books in the to read stack and I try not to read work by the same author too close together. I’m one of those readers who tries to read the entire catalogue of an author once I decide I like their writing. Even with only seventy something reviews some authors have two, three or four works in the index, I try to spread it out a little.
I also try to read a couple of recent titles every month, my wishlist for back list titles is enormous so I could probably happily read and blog about older works until retirement if I chose to.
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
I’ve learnt over the years, and more so from being a book blogger, that I can’t be forced to read a certain book. I’ve tried reading books from publishers as soon as they come in but if I’m not in the mood for it then I will get irritated and sometimes mistake it for dislike and it will go straight back on the pile, only to find that a few weeks later I will read it and like it.
Now I read what I want. Period.
I have a huge selection of books: from books I’ve bought to books sent for review. I’m a ‘moody’ reader and I know that I will enjoy a book more if I’m in the mood for it. If the cover and synopsis grab me and I go ‘ooh’ then that’s my next read.
19 March, 2010 at 9:14 am
Why not just read and review the books you want to read? Because often, in reading the unknown, one discovers a writer who will touch him forever. It’s happened to me on a numerous occasions and as a consequence I’m very receptive to new (to me) writers etc.
Of course there has to be some initial draw – usually the blurb. And it has to fit in loosely with the kind of thing I like reading i.e. literary fiction, world fiction, classics etc. but I’m incredibly open to books that aren’t initially my own choice.
I suggest others try a similar approach. Because in limiting oneself, one may be missing out on something pretty special out there.
Warmest
Rob
19 March, 2010 at 9:14 am
Why not just read and review the books you want to read? Because often, in reading the unknown, one discovers a writer who will touch him forever. It’s happened to me on a numerous occasions and as a consequence I’m very receptive to new (to me) writers etc.
Of course there has to be some initial draw – usually the blurb. And it has to fit in loosely with the kind of thing I like reading i.e. literary fiction, world fiction, classics etc. but I’m incredibly open to books that aren’t initially my own choice.
I suggest others try a similar approach. Because in limiting oneself, one may be missing out on something pretty special out there.
Warmest
Rob
19 March, 2010 at 10:33 am
I tend to read what I want and tweet about them. It’s fun!
19 March, 2010 at 10:33 am
I tend to read what I want and tweet about them. It’s fun!
19 March, 2010 at 10:35 am
I get them from other people’s tweets and blogs. I wander the aisles of bookstores, both independent, chain and virtually. I also post my random thoughts about the books I choose as tweets. Occasionally I get so excited I follow those authors on twitter when I like their work a lot.
19 March, 2010 at 10:35 am
I get them from other people’s tweets and blogs. I wander the aisles of bookstores, both independent, chain and virtually. I also post my random thoughts about the books I choose as tweets. Occasionally I get so excited I follow those authors on twitter when I like their work a lot.
19 March, 2010 at 11:14 am
I do! As others said, if I don’t want to read it then I won’t be able to give it a fair judgement – and I share concerns about the focus on newly or even about-to-be released titles. (Though twice recently, I’ve blogged about a book, and then found that someone was about to reprint it – first with Judith Moffett’s Pennterra, and then with one of Hugh Cook’s Chronicles of an Age of Darkness series.)
There are so incredibly many overlooked books out there that I’m never going to run out of things I want to read that I’ve never encountered before, things that will show me wonders, things that will crowbar open my brain, things that will change my world. So not following my instincts would only be a loss.
19 March, 2010 at 11:14 am
I do! As others said, if I don’t want to read it then I won’t be able to give it a fair judgement – and I share concerns about the focus on newly or even about-to-be released titles. (Though twice recently, I’ve blogged about a book, and then found that someone was about to reprint it – first with Judith Moffett’s Pennterra, and then with one of Hugh Cook’s Chronicles of an Age of Darkness series.)
There are so incredibly many overlooked books out there that I’m never going to run out of things I want to read that I’ve never encountered before, things that will show me wonders, things that will crowbar open my brain, things that will change my world. So not following my instincts would only be a loss.
19 March, 2010 at 12:48 pm
For me, at least, I do read and review the books I want to read. I don’t go to the bookstore and grab new releases off the shelf simply because they’re new releases. If I’m not interested in reading the book, then I won’t bother.
And honestly, with my current budget, I can’t afford to get a lot of new releases, so I do a lot of reviewing of old favourites. Most of the stuff I have and will review are books that are at least 3 years old, and likely going back into the 1990s. “New for the sake of new” has never really appealed to me.
And besides that, I’m new enough on this scene that I don’t have a lot of publishers sending me ARCs yet, so older books are pretty much my main standby. And I’m pretty happy with that. Older doesn’t mean bad, after all. Just means older. Heck, half of the books and series that I love are ones I found in the library about five years ago, and they’re still just as enjoyable now as they were then, and as they were when they were first released. Reviewing older books may not get me a high readership base as quickly as reviewing brand new ones, but at least I’m having fun with what I do and enjoying the books I like.
Admittedly, I have already read a few books this year that I might not have bothered reading if I hadn’t started bookblogging, but at least they were books that sounded interesting and fell into genres I tend to read anyway. Some people will say that only reviewing the books you want to read is a limiting option, and I suppose in some ways it is, but I think a lot of those people are mistaking that for “read and review books I’ve already read that I know I like.” That isn’t always the case. I’ll go so far as to say that it’s rarely the case. Even reading and reviewing the stuff I want to read has helped me find a few awesome authors that I hadn’t heard of before. Just because I’m not tracking down chicklit and historical romance now instead of SFF and paranormal doesn’t mean that I’m limiting myself.
And that’s my long and rambling two cents.
19 March, 2010 at 12:48 pm
For me, at least, I do read and review the books I want to read. I don’t go to the bookstore and grab new releases off the shelf simply because they’re new releases. If I’m not interested in reading the book, then I won’t bother.
And honestly, with my current budget, I can’t afford to get a lot of new releases, so I do a lot of reviewing of old favourites. Most of the stuff I have and will review are books that are at least 3 years old, and likely going back into the 1990s. “New for the sake of new” has never really appealed to me.
And besides that, I’m new enough on this scene that I don’t have a lot of publishers sending me ARCs yet, so older books are pretty much my main standby. And I’m pretty happy with that. Older doesn’t mean bad, after all. Just means older. Heck, half of the books and series that I love are ones I found in the library about five years ago, and they’re still just as enjoyable now as they were then, and as they were when they were first released. Reviewing older books may not get me a high readership base as quickly as reviewing brand new ones, but at least I’m having fun with what I do and enjoying the books I like.
Admittedly, I have already read a few books this year that I might not have bothered reading if I hadn’t started bookblogging, but at least they were books that sounded interesting and fell into genres I tend to read anyway. Some people will say that only reviewing the books you want to read is a limiting option, and I suppose in some ways it is, but I think a lot of those people are mistaking that for “read and review books I’ve already read that I know I like.” That isn’t always the case. I’ll go so far as to say that it’s rarely the case. Even reading and reviewing the stuff I want to read has helped me find a few awesome authors that I hadn’t heard of before. Just because I’m not tracking down chicklit and historical romance now instead of SFF and paranormal doesn’t mean that I’m limiting myself.
And that’s my long and rambling two cents.
19 March, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I am only reviewing the books I want to read anyway – this is why I will chuck in older books from my bookshelves as well. I have the full Deverry series by Katharine Kerr on my list of reviews, as well as The Silver Falcon. I have to confess that, more recently, I’ve felt more of a responsibility to newer books because publishers are sending them on good faith in the expectation of a review, so I feel guilty if I don’t provide this. But I will still only pick the books I want to read from those I’m sent. And I certainly intend to post reviews of older books on my site (and, in fact, you do still pick up comments from people who have read the same and want to discuss it).
19 March, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I am only reviewing the books I want to read anyway – this is why I will chuck in older books from my bookshelves as well. I have the full Deverry series by Katharine Kerr on my list of reviews, as well as The Silver Falcon. I have to confess that, more recently, I’ve felt more of a responsibility to newer books because publishers are sending them on good faith in the expectation of a review, so I feel guilty if I don’t provide this. But I will still only pick the books I want to read from those I’m sent. And I certainly intend to post reviews of older books on my site (and, in fact, you do still pick up comments from people who have read the same and want to discuss it).
19 March, 2010 at 8:04 am
My main concern about the blogosphere is it's fetish for frontlist titles (those released that period). Very quickly, great books of the last few years will disappear from discussion, unless they're part of still-running series. And when books don't get discussed (on and offline), they die. There's precious little discussion of classic books as it is, which means a whole new generation of readers are missing out.
19 March, 2010 at 8:19 am
I have a massive (around 70 book)pile of things that i am going to read when i get round to it but if a publisher sends me something shiny the chances are its something i really want to read so that goes to the top of my list. If i get a review copy of something i will read that next in my list because its only polite to get a review done as soon as i can but then i will go back to my TBR pile and pick something i really want to read afterwards. I suppose the problem occurs when all your books come from publishers and you feel obliged to review them all…luckily i'm not popular enough to be in that position
19 March, 2010 at 8:55 am
I do only read and review books that interest me and I only request review copies of books that I think I'd like.
I ado gree with Mark's point though. It seems that most book blogs are only reviewing the new releases which means that everyone is reviewing the same books and the older books get forgotten. And I'm not even talking about the classics, but just books that I remember enjoying ten years ago, or so. Kate Elliot, Laura Resnick and Dave Duncan wrote some of my favorite series of books, but I have never seen any of them reviewed, which means that newer fantasy readers are missing out on some great stuff.
19 March, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Isn’t it possible that the new books are the ones that bloggers are mostly wanting to read? Especially those who may have read many of the older ones before they started blogging? It doesn’t follow necessarily that bloggers reviewing new books = bloggers reviewing books that they don’t want to read to please others. It’s very easy to be caught up in the excitement of new book releases, and therefore as a result want to read all the new ones and forget about wanting to read older ones.
I’m new at this blogging game, so I’m still looking at the best way to manage my reviews and other features. Right from the outset I knew I didn’t want my blog to be a review factory. So my intention is to be very selective about the books I review. As with the other commentators here I can say I’m only reading the books I want to read.
I have been planning for a while to review some older books under a separate heading from the new reviews. So basically I will have Reviews as one heading and these are the recent releases, and Classic Reviews for older works of SF – Fahrenheit 451 or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Will likely be my first. This will still leave a big gap for all the books that fall in-between being recent and those which fit whatever arbitrary designation of classic I settle upon. I suspect many of those I will review as part of some other feature.
19 March, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Isn’t it possible that the new books are the ones that bloggers are mostly wanting to read? Especially those who may have read many of the older ones before they started blogging? It doesn’t follow necessarily that bloggers reviewing new books = bloggers reviewing books that they don’t want to read to please others. It’s very easy to be caught up in the excitement of new book releases, and therefore as a result want to read all the new ones and forget about wanting to read older ones.
I’m new at this blogging game, so I’m still looking at the best way to manage my reviews and other features. Right from the outset I knew I didn’t want my blog to be a review factory. So my intention is to be very selective about the books I review. As with the other commentators here I can say I’m only reading the books I want to read.
I have been planning for a while to review some older books under a separate heading from the new reviews. So basically I will have Reviews as one heading and these are the recent releases, and Classic Reviews for older works of SF – Fahrenheit 451 or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Will likely be my first. This will still leave a big gap for all the books that fall in-between being recent and those which fit whatever arbitrary designation of classic I settle upon. I suspect many of those I will review as part of some other feature.
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
Easy !. I read reviews
and then decide which books I should read. But if I am going write an review on a novel which a publishers has sent me, then I really don’t care if I like the genre or the book theme.
Mark has a valid point about that a lot of bloggers are reviewing the same novels, and don’t pick the old classics. I think review bloggers has a misconception that readers only want to read the newest novels and when a novel is newly published they will get more response on their review. For me it is more about sharing what novels I find interesting and think other readers should read. But it is hard to both write reviews for upcoming novels and dig up the good old ones….
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
Why not just read and review the books you want to read?
Why, that's exactly what I am doing. I do occasionally take a chance on a book of course and blogging has widened my horizon quite a bit but I don't read books just because I have to have a review on the blog or because the entire blogsphere is raving about it.
How do you choose the books you want to read next? I’m not thinking for blogging but in general.
This is one of the few area's where I don make a concession to the blog. I generally have anywhere from twenty to fifty books in the to read stack and I try not to read work by the same author too close together. I'm one of those readers who tries to read the entire catalogue of an author once I decide I like their writing. Even with only seventy something reviews some authors have two, three or four works in the index, I try to spread it out a little.
I also try to read a couple of recent titles every month, my wishlist for back list titles is enormous so I could probably happily read and blog about older works until retirement if I chose to.
19 March, 2010 at 9:12 am
I've learnt over the years, and more so from being a book blogger, that I can't be forced to read a certain book. I've tried reading books from publishers as soon as they come in but if I'm not in the mood for it then I will get irritated and sometimes mistake it for dislike and it will go straight back on the pile, only to find that a few weeks later I will read it and like it.
Now I read what I want. Period.
I have a huge selection of books: from books I've bought to books sent for review. I'm a 'moody' reader and I know that I will enjoy a book more if I'm in the mood for it. If the cover and synopsis grab me and I go 'ooh' then that's my next read.
19 March, 2010 at 9:14 am
Why not just read and review the books you want to read? Because often, in reading the unknown, one discovers a writer who will touch him forever. It's happened to me on a numerous occasions and as a consequence I'm very receptive to new (to me) writers etc.
Of course there has to be some initial draw – usually the blurb. And it has to fit in loosely with the kind of thing I like reading i.e. literary fiction, world fiction, classics etc. but I'm incredibly open to books that aren't initially my own choice.
I suggest others try a similar approach. Because in limiting oneself, one may be missing out on something pretty special out there.
Warmest
Rob
19 March, 2010 at 10:33 am
I tend to read what I want and tweet about them. It's fun!
19 March, 2010 at 10:35 am
I get them from other people's tweets and blogs. I wander the aisles of bookstores, both independent, chain and virtually. I also post my random thoughts about the books I choose as tweets. Occasionally I get so excited I follow those authors on twitter when I like their work a lot.
19 March, 2010 at 11:14 am
I do! As others said, if I don't want to read it then I won't be able to give it a fair judgement – and I share concerns about the focus on newly or even about-to-be released titles. (Though twice recently, I've blogged about a book, and then found that someone was about to reprint it – first with Judith Moffett's Pennterra, and then with one of Hugh Cook's Chronicles of an Age of Darkness series.)
There are so incredibly many overlooked books out there that I'm never going to run out of things I want to read that I've never encountered before, things that will show me wonders, things that will crowbar open my brain, things that will change my world. So not following my instincts would only be a loss.
19 March, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I got to this stage late last year and have since decided to read the books I want to read. That doesn’t mean that most of the books I get don’t stand a chance, but there is only a finite amount of time in my week that I can chill and read a book. I’ve got lots (seriously, LOTS) of books that I’ve had and want to read, but I have to make that hard choice and read what I want to first.
The main problem for me is book-guilt – all those lovely books sitting there that slip by because something else comes up that I want to read first. I always promise myself that I’ll get around to them, but so far that day doesn’t seem near enough.
I recently read and reviewed Meridian Days by Eric Brown, a book first published in the early 90′s, and after writing my review I went to look at what others thought of it. What did I find? No reviews. None. People need to read older books and get the word out on them – it’s not all about the here and now!
19 March, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I got to this stage late last year and have since decided to read the books I want to read. That doesn’t mean that most of the books I get don’t stand a chance, but there is only a finite amount of time in my week that I can chill and read a book. I’ve got lots (seriously, LOTS) of books that I’ve had and want to read, but I have to make that hard choice and read what I want to first.
The main problem for me is book-guilt – all those lovely books sitting there that slip by because something else comes up that I want to read first. I always promise myself that I’ll get around to them, but so far that day doesn’t seem near enough.
I recently read and reviewed Meridian Days by Eric Brown, a book first published in the early 90′s, and after writing my review I went to look at what others thought of it. What did I find? No reviews. None. People need to read older books and get the word out on them – it’s not all about the here and now!
19 March, 2010 at 12:48 pm
For me, at least, I do read and review the books I want to read. I don't go to the bookstore and grab new releases off the shelf simply because they're new releases. If I'm not interested in reading the book, then I won't bother.
And honestly, with my current budget, I can't afford to get a lot of new releases, so I do a lot of reviewing of old favourites. Most of the stuff I have and will review are books that are at least 3 years old, and likely going back into the 1990s. “New for the sake of new” has never really appealed to me.
And besides that, I'm new enough on this scene that I don't have a lot of publishers sending me ARCs yet, so older books are pretty much my main standby. And I'm pretty happy with that. Older doesn't mean bad, after all. Just means older. Heck, half of the books and series that I love are ones I found in the library about five years ago, and they're still just as enjoyable now as they were then, and as they were when they were first released. Reviewing older books may not get me a high readership base as quickly as reviewing brand new ones, but at least I'm having fun with what I do and enjoying the books I like.
Admittedly, I have already read a few books this year that I might not have bothered reading if I hadn't started bookblogging, but at least they were books that sounded interesting and fell into genres I tend to read anyway. Some people will say that only reviewing the books you want to read is a limiting option, and I suppose in some ways it is, but I think a lot of those people are mistaking that for “read and review books I've already read that I know I like.” That isn't always the case. I'll go so far as to say that it's rarely the case. Even reading and reviewing the stuff I want to read has helped me find a few awesome authors that I hadn't heard of before. Just because I'm not tracking down chicklit and historical romance now instead of SFF and paranormal doesn't mean that I'm limiting myself.
And that's my long and rambling two cents.
19 March, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I am only reviewing the books I want to read anyway – this is why I will chuck in older books from my bookshelves as well. I have the full Deverry series by Katharine Kerr on my list of reviews, as well as The Silver Falcon. I have to confess that, more recently, I've felt more of a responsibility to newer books because publishers are sending them on good faith in the expectation of a review, so I feel guilty if I don't provide this. But I will still only pick the books I want to read from those I'm sent. And I certainly intend to post reviews of older books on my site (and, in fact, you do still pick up comments from people who have read the same and want to discuss it).
19 March, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Isn't it possible that the new books are the ones that bloggers are mostly wanting to read? Especially those who may have read many of the older ones before they started blogging? It doesn't follow necessarily that bloggers reviewing new books = bloggers reviewing books that they don't want to read to please others. It's very easy to be caught up in the excitement of new book releases, and therefore as a result want to read all the new ones and forget about wanting to read older ones.
I'm new at this blogging game, so I'm still looking at the best way to manage my reviews and other features. Right from the outset I knew I didn't want my blog to be a review factory. So my intention is to be very selective about the books I review. As with the other commentators here I can say I'm only reading the books I want to read.
I have been planning for a while to review some older books under a separate heading from the new reviews. So basically I will have Reviews as one heading and these are the recent releases, and Classic reviews for older works of SF – Fahrenheit 451 or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep will likely be my first. This will still leave a big gap for all the books that fall in-between being recent and those which fit whatever arbitrary designation of classic I settle upon. I suspect many of those I will review as part of some other feature.
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19 March, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I got to this stage late last year and have since decided to read the books I want to read. That doesn't mean that most of the books I get don't stand a chance, but there is only a finite amount of time in my week that I can chill and read a book. I've got lots (seriously, LOTS) of books that I've had and want to read, but I have to make that hard choice and read what I want to first.
The main problem for me is book-guilt – all those lovely books sitting there that slip by because something else comes up that I want to read first. I always promise myself that I'll get around to them, but so far that day doesn't seem near enough.
I recently read and reviewed Meridian Days by Eric Brown, a book first published in the early 90's, and after writing my review I went to look at what others thought of it. What did I find? No reviews. None. People need to read older books and get the word out on them – it's not all about the here and now!
21 March, 2010 at 11:29 pm
That is a hard question. Why do I read what I choose next? I guess it is part of what is in the stores and what has struck me hard as something I would really enjoy, or is me. I have many books setting here. But it is always hard to pick the next one.
21 March, 2010 at 11:29 pm
That is a hard question. Why do I read what I choose next? I guess it is part of what is in the stores and what has struck me hard as something I would really enjoy, or is me. I have many books setting here. But it is always hard to pick the next one.
21 March, 2010 at 11:29 pm
That is a hard question. Why do I read what I choose next? I guess it is part of what is in the stores and what has struck me hard as something I would really enjoy, or is me. I have many books setting here. But it is always hard to pick the next one.
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