Sunday, June 24, 2018

Ch-ch-ch-ch-CHANGES!

A couple weeks ago I had a mini-freak out over just how behind I was on everything. Yes, EVERYTHING. I am writing a book about Eleanor of Aquitaine, which requires a lot of time and effort into research and writing, and the ability to speak Latin (which I can't. Yet.) I also strive to do quality reviews whether it is a book I picked up on my own, or it was one offered by an author or publisher. I also try to do weekly/monthly features (Top Ten Tuesday, Would You Rather..., First Line Friday, Stacking the Shelves, State of the ARC) to keep in contact with my fellow bloggers who I have come to know and enjoy conversing with. PLUS, my most important job is a full-time Momma to a scary-smart almost-five year old, while also teaching Special Education students who are diagnosed with emotional disturbances. Thank goodness it is summer vacation.

I appreciated the feedback I received from my 'regulars', and have realized that if I keep making this blog into a job, I am eventually going to lose my passion for it. I will burn out on the very thing that keeps me sane when my students are going through difficult things that I can't protect them from, and when my daughter has decided sleep is for the birds.

One of the changes I have decided to make is how I do reviews. It is tough for me to read a book and never write a thing about it. It is also becoming more difficult to write massive reviews touching on EVERY. SINGLE. ISSUE, positive or negative. Going forward, I am still going to review much of what I read, and will always provide a full-length review for ARCs received directly from authors or publishers. (This part will not necessarily be true for all ARCs from NetGalley, as I have to prioritize.) For books that have been published a few hundred reviews ago (and usually this means at least five years ago also), I will now be providing a shorter review. This may be just a few sentences. It might be a paragraph. OR, it might just be a yay or nay. I don't even know yet and for once, that kind of cavalier attitude toward reviewing feels incredibly refreshing. I will still aim to to be constructive (unless it is nonsense that deserves some snark), but this time in fewer words.

Happy Reading!
Sarah

4 comments:

  1. A well-timed sanity check! It looks like this blog is one of four potentially full-time jobs you have running alongside each other and something has to give. I've seen mini reviews grouped in posts on other blogs and I don't often write more than a couple of paragraphs, especially about middle-of-the-road reads. I hope this change of tack works well for you :-)

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    1. Thank you Stephanie! I think it will work out much better than what I have been trying to do. And because I read so much non-fiction, I think it will be easier to group and do some compare and contrast. It is definitely a relief to have made that decision. I love the blog and interacting with people and I don't want to burn out.

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  2. My reviews take two forms-the mini review for books I DNFed or don't have much to say about, and my normal sized reviews. I find it hard to write the longer ones as I seem to take ages over it!

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    1. YES!! I was spending sometimes 2 hours on ONE review - and I have decided that is not necessary for all anymore, especially if it is a book that came out a few years ago and there is nothing really new I have to say that has not already been said. I am still debating whether or not to even review any DNFs, still mulling that one over.

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