Skip to main content

ARC Madness

stacks of books against clock with a bird resting on top of book stack

Alright, it's not really madness, but it is a catchy wordplay off of March Madness. I even remember seeing people work through their ARCs back in March, with a few creative folks creating brackets out of the books they read. I haven't done that with the books I've read yet as I'd have such a difficult time choosing between two really good books, so I'd probably just have a bunch of winners instead.

I've been missing in action a little over the past while, not due to disinterest, but more so because I have taken on additional employment and my days are quite full. It wasn't so long ago that I had a lot of spare time to create and write to my heart's delight; however, I have to be a lot more judicious about how I use my time now. It's a good season to be in, though, and I'm grateful that God has allowed me to both have enough leisure time so that I could launch this blog, and now more work time so that I can be better about not wasting spare moments.

And what have my spare moments mostly consisted of this past month? Well, to be honest, it's been equal parts dread at how I should have used my time better in previous months to whittle down my ARC pile, and excitement in getting to discover new titles and authors. In a list of things that I do badly that I shared to my Instagram account, I alluded to how I have a difficult time saying no to ARC requests. I imagine I always will because I'd hate to miss out on a new favourite book; however, I've discovered that it might not be so bad to have the deadlines of book releases to prod me along to reading as much as I can whenever possible. Given my long list of ARCs to read and their upcoming release dates, it's certainly lit a fire under me to stop procrastinating (maybe that's just human nature, haha!).

I don't think I have a sweet spot for the number of ARCs I can handle yet, but I have seen that no matter how many titles I take off my list and add, it seems that I'm consistently at around a baker's dozen. Some of these ARCs are quite old, but those are the ones I've noticed that I don't feel as inclined to read compared to those that will be coming out soon. The pressure of keeping up review scores is also an added incentive. Thankfully, when my list is in double digits, I try to refrain from requesting more, but whenever I dip down into single digits, I somehow take this to be a green light, leaving me in a pickle again when some of the requests are approved 😄

I've also noticed that as I share more reviews, I'm blessed in that authors have been reaching out to me about their books, and that for the most part, a lot of these books do resonate with me. It's been such a great adventure in finding these amazing titles, so I definitely don't want to discourage these types of requests. If anything, I just need to be more disciplined these days in getting the reviews out on time. I do write them quite quickly after finishing a title, but I usually have to devote a chunk of time to get them ready to share. I haven't yet found ways to more automate this process, so I am very appreciative of people's patience with them. One day I'll figure out a solution to avoid being on the computer as much as possible!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Biblio Diet

Over the years, I've had the joy of reading many books on health and nutrition, partly a product of some studies I've done on it and also due to personal interest. As a result, I'm always intrigued when there is a Christian perspective on this subject. I'm grateful that I learnt about The Biblio Diet by Jordan Rubin and Dr. Josh Axe after having previously read Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe. Many thanks to Worthy Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis In this breakthrough book, New York Times bestselling authors and nutrition experts Jordan Rubin and Dr. Josh Axe offer a simple and holistic plan for building strength, health, and longevity. Based on the ancient wisdom of the Bible and confirmed by modern science, The Biblio Diet’s intuitive and easy-to-follow plan invites you to experience a breakthrough in the health of your entire family by learning to eat and live God’s way. In this book, y...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: A Brewed Awakening

With surnames like Austen and Dashwood, you know that the people of Wisteria, North Carolina are just itching for a romance to play out before their eyes. A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham is definitely a rude awakening for Daphne, and it's a fun journey that we get to go on as we see a small town band together to support old and new local businesses. Many thanks to  Thomas Nelson Fiction  and  NetGalley  for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : several New Age references including séances, hauntings, and manifestation; symbols of luck; mentions of speaking to and praying to deceased family members; near conflation of deceased family members to deity Book Synopsis Daphne dreams of Mr. Darcy. Finn serves up pints and rock music. Can opposites attract when a tea shop princess meets her pub-owning rival? In the charming mountain town of Wisteria, North Carolina, Daphne Austen clings t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Wes and Addie Had Their Chance - Adelaide Springs #3

After visiting Colorado, I can see why this series has won a Colorado Book Award in the romance category. It's a celebration of all things small-town and Americana with a charming cast of characters.  Wes and Addie Had Their Chance  by  Bethany Turner  is the third book in the Adelaide Springs series and it's helpful to read the first two books as they culminate in this story. This book releases July 15, 2025, so there's time to catch up on the previous titles if this clean book series is of interest to you. This is a disclaimer that although this book is published by a Christian publisher, this book falls along the lines of clean fiction, so expectations should be set accordingly. I shared the following when I reviewed  Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other  and Cole and Laila are Just Friends , and as this book follows those two, I'll adopt the same refrain again: This is more of a crossover title that fits the genre of what the author terms "pop culture-i...
Post a Comment
Read more