Skip to main content

Things I've Stopped Doing

purple book placed down on bed beside purple blanket with white nightstand beside the bed holding a vase of lavender flowers, a framed picture, and stacked books on top of a white lace tablecloth

I was thinking about my journey back into blogging and realized I've gone through a lot of changes in my life in everything from family to employment to church during this time. Thus, in a strange way, blogging and being on Instagram have been some of the few constants this past year alone. Through all the ups and downs, it's been a fun journey and also an educational one.

I thought I'd share a few of the things that have changed for me in case anyone else who enjoys reading and reviewing books may be interested, especially if capacity becomes an increasing factor.

I've joined one official launch team, but think it'll be the only one I join.

Honestly, launch teams or hype teams are both new to me. Being in Canada has limited me from joining these in the past, and now that I've had a glimpse, I think I'm fine with just requesting ARCs in the future. As exciting as being part of a team can be, I'm realizing that I have a hard enough time keeping up with my own content, much less content that I need to stay on top of in order to successfully fulfill my obligations as a team member. I hate the feeling of letting others down, so it's probably for the best if I refrain from such teams unless I already know the author. Speaking of that.…

I much prefer being a beta reader over an ARC reader if I have a relationship with the author. (This is really more of something I'm starting, but it does mean that I am reading fewer ARCs as a result.)

This stems from some frustration in reading ARC books and not being able to readily provide feedback to the author. As a beta reader, there's room to expand on things or ask questions, which is truly my favourite part of reading. I've had the pleasure of beta reading for several authors and books now, and it's probably one of the things that will keep me going as a reader and reviewer. Knowing that I get to point out things or learn more about where an author is coming from is a huge gift, and I'm tremendously honoured to work with the authors I've connected with over time.

I am more strategically selective about which ARC titles I request so that my review scores don't falter.

If it's a book that I know I will most certainly read, this makes it much easier to request ARCs. For instance, I will keep requesting any titles available for Gabrielle Meyer's Timeless series as it's at the top of my list and I don't mind if my review score drops a little as I know I'll make time to read her books to bring it back up. Otherwise, I've ended up skipping a lot of new authors because I don't want to feel obligated. It's definitely a lot more of a statistical approach, but it's also helped me from feeling as overwhelmed.

If it's a new-to-me author and their title is available on Kindle Unlimited, I am leaning toward getting their book on KU so that I am not constrained to any timelines.

It's no secret that I'll always have more books than I will have time. Since I've started up my blog, I've gone from being in school to working two jobs. As much as I love getting to read widely, it's not easy to squeeze a lot of time in, so I'm needing to be better about what I take on. I still fail and fall behind, but I don't want this to impact any commitments I may be making to authors.

I seldom review audiobooks now, which has slowed down my reviews.

I'm coming to the realization that as much as I enjoy audiobooks when I'm working, doing chores, travelling, etc., I tend to miss details as I'm not an audio learner. This makes reviews much more challenging for me, even if I end up reading a lot of books this way. However, I don't think I'm doing a book justice in reviewing it unless I also have a print copy that I can refer back to in order to verify my thoughts. I'll keep listening to audiobooks, but I much prefer reading something through before offering my perspective on it.

I'm sure there are other things that have changed over time; however, these were the ones that came to mind first. I like that I have the option to stop some things, and I appreciate the creative control I can have on here. This season in my life is much heavier than usual, so I've had to shift a few things, but I'm still here in the background, reading away 😊

Bonus: I don't review every book I read.

I just can't. I do try to rate most of them, so if you're ever interested, I share them on my Goodreads. I'm pretty candid there, and also offer negative reviews only on my blog because I had a bad experience on Goodreads and don't wish to get involved in the drama there 😄

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All the Cheese

I've been coming across content within the past several weeks that has stereotyped Christian books (and other mediums) as being cheesy on Christian accounts. While this isn't a new label or even a new topic, what has surprised me somewhat has been seeing more Christian authors jump into this conversation who wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Although some authors will name others whom they believe are writing non-cheesy fiction, I feel as though the damage has been done by repeating this blanket statement. While readers have freely been engaging in this type of commentary for some time, it's been interesting to see authors chime in, where in some cases, there seems to be an emphasis on self-promotion over reflection. I'm not stereotyping and saying that all authors or even the authors I'm connected to respond with this tactic (because I really don't think they do!), but there are a few out there from my limited experience who seem to respond to this disc...
13 comments
Read more

Review: A Garden Grows - Hills of Harvest #1

Just in time for the upcoming spring season, a new series launches today. A Garden Grows , the first book in the Hills of Harvest series by Karen Higgins , is one that will have you planning and desiring to plant the garden of your dreams once the weather clears up. It's a welcome reprieve after a time of dormancy, awakening the joy of seeing God's creation in all of its splendour. Many thanks to  Mountain Brook Ink  for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis One plucky widow, six scrubby acres, and an unlikely group of gardeners, all brought together by a long-ago promise. Fifty years is a long time to wait. Posey knows Elliot meant his promise, and oh, how he tried, but time and money didn’t grow on the sagebrush blanketing their high-desert land. Neither did life go exactly the way they planned. Now, Elliot is gone, the sound of his plea ringing in her ears ... “Build the garden, my love!” This English ga...
2 comments
Read more

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 Christian Publishers B&H Publishing Group Previously offered the B&H/Lifeway Blogger program which has since closed Availability: Professors and instructors Link:  B&H Academic Book Requests Baker Publishing Group Availability: U.S. and Canadian residents Genre: Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction Imprints: Bet...
8 comments
Read more