My reading pace varies, but I usually finish between three and twelve books per month. I’ve gone through phases in my life where I record at least the title and author of every book, and since I started blogging seven years ago, I’ve kept that up.
I’ve never written a review or even jotted notes about every single book, though. I write blog posts only about the ones where I feel I have significant things to say. In these years of blogging, though, I’ve realized that I remember the books I write about much better than the ones I don’t. When I do not record any of my thoughts or responses, they get foggy and soon fade.
So I’d like to change that, even though I don’t always have the time or the inspriation to write a full post. I’m making it a resolution this year to write at least a short note in Goodreads about every book. I can then link to these from my monthly review posts and interested readers will be able to read my impressions. And I hope this will help to jog my memory too, when I’m looking back on what I read this year.
Here’s my Goodreads account, if you’d like to follow me (I’m happy to do likewise). And please let me know how you keep track of your own reading. Do you write about every book? If so, how do you manage it? If not, how do you choose? Are you happy with what you’re doing?
Linked in the Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts At Midnight.
I write about every book in my paper journal. If a book is about a terribly private subject or, occasionally, is one I worked on as a transcriber for the ghostwriter but I’m not allowed to even imply I had anything to do with it, I will leave it off the blog.
I’ve never been able to keep book notes in a paper journal for some reason. Maybe because I need to do lots of revising and changing as my thoughts develop. I do like to keep a book of favorite quotations, and for that I prefer paper to transcribing on the screen. Go figure.
Like you, I only write about books when I have some point to make. I read (and reread) lots of books that I don’t write about. I don’t use Goodreads, though, and don’t particularly care if I have notes about everything. Books can be for devouring. I’m no good at keeping a food diary, either!
I’ve never been good at either reading or food diaries, but I’m going to try this for a while and see how it goes. The food can take care of itself. 🙂
This has been a dilemma for me for awhile now and was especially acute in 2020. I am finding I prefer to read more than write, which as a book blogger is not very convenient! However, I utilize Goodreads and Instagram more and make the effort to note and write something for everything I read on those platforms.
So far I’ve been doing the notes for each book this month and I like it. I don’t feel obliged to make them so coherent as I would a blog post, which is quite freeing; I give myself permission to just jot down whatever is on the top of my head as i finish the book, for my own personal reference rather than as a “review”. It will be interesting to see if I can keep up this practice and how it develops.
I try to write about each book I read. Goodreads is where I keep track of what I read – since 2007, so incomplete for the first 45 reading years of my life 😉 I post some of those reviews on my blog and a few still on Amazon.com.au
If only I had been disciplined about keeping records from early on in my reading life, what a document I would have. 😀
I’ve kept a handful of written list of books read throughout my life, but none of them have survived. I really wish I had a list of every book I’ve ever read because I know there are a few from childhood and even my early adult years of which I don’t remember the title.
I don’t blog about every book I read. I really admire those that do! have a hard enough time just blogging about the few challenges I participate in. I do write something on Goodreads, however, for all the books I read and for the past three years, I’ve been keeping a written journal as well for my most immediate thoughs.
Oh yes, there are so many books I have forgotten – that’s why I want to do this now.
I used to try and review every single book I read on my old blog, but I could never keep up, and I think that’s why I really burnt out on reviews. So now I just do a monthly ‘What I Read’ post with a few lines about each book, and I find that works better for me.
A few lines on each book is enough for me too. I hope I’ll be able to keep that up.
Fascinating post.
There was a time when I posted about everything that I have read. I gave gotten and away from that but hopefully I will get back to it this year.
Your reviews are so in depth, I can understand not having time to do them for every book.
I haven’t always written about every book I’ve read, though lately, I tend to share a little bit of most books. I like your idea of sharing a brief thought on Goodreads at the very least!!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Yes, that seemed like a reasonable compromise.
I used to write a review for every single book I read AND I even posted them all to the blog. Of course, that changed when I only started putting positive reviews on the blog. Now I review most books I read, but certainly not all. Of course, everything that I have for review gets something, but some books that I just read for me don’t get a review at all.
That’s how I’ve done it until now, and I still don’t see blogging about everything. But I’d like to keep a little more of a record even of the “just for me” books.
I used to try to write about every book I read, but there’s no point in writing about a fluffy mystery novel I’ve already read five times! So I write about *most* of them, but not all.
Right, I’m not sure what I will do in that case. Maybe just a very short note.
I used to review every single book that I read but I stopped doing that about four or five years ago and haven’t reviewed a single book ever since then because I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. These days I’m more likely to give every book a star rating and then give a short little thought in a monthly recap post than I am to write a full review.
No point in doing what you don’t enjoy. It’s good if you have found something that works for you.
I’ve kept a master spreadsheet of everything I read since 2006 which comes in very useful all the time. However, I do try to blog about every book I read – even if only a short review, precisely to fix them in my mind more firmly.
That’s why I’d like to try it.
Every year, I try also to write about about every book, but then I don’t keep it up, and when the end of the year arrives, I have tons of reviews behind. Writing shorter notes for the Sunday Salon has helped me. Goodreads is definitely a good idea too, I should that for all the ones I need to catch up with
I am not sure I’ll keep it up for a whole year, but I’ve done it this month so far!
Lory, I write about every book I read, as I started my blog to be an online book journal and it really helps me to remember my reading much better. However I only read on average four books a month, so it is a lot easier for me to do that! 😊
Indeed, four books would be fairly manageable. I try to do at least one in-depth review per month, so that’s my bottom line.
I don’t review every book I’ve read, though I’ve been doing a better job at reviewing most middle grade titles. I have also considered making at least a short note on everything. I do think it would be a valuable practice, but I haven’t quite kept that up so I have no tips to share there!
I’ve considered it for a long time without doing it, so we’ll see how it goes. 🙂
No, I like that my blog only has la crème de la crème. Also, I physically can’t write about every book I read… a story can stick with me months before I know what I want to say about it. Goodreads sounds like a good way to keep track of your impressions without committing to a detailed post!
Exactly, that’s what I’d like to do with it.
Nope. I have a secret vice–I like those awful romances on Kindle Unlimited–and one of the things I like is that I don’t feel any desire to review them. I mean what am I going to say–its just like the last 20 I read, just with different names and a different setting?
That makes sense! I would probably omit something like that as well.