Play Book Tag discussion

Every month I vow that I am going to write reviews as I finish books, and every month I leave them all until the last minute. EVERY. DAMN. MONTH! I was going to be so good this month, and now I find myself with twelve reviews to write. 😫

Same - but I only have a handful and I won’t get most of them done ... 12 is a good month’s reading, though!

I'm usually behind a few reviews but I think I'm caught up at the moment. I'm with Kate - 12 is quite a great month of reading! Good luck, Susie!

This is one of the few things I don't procrastinate. I am obsessive about writing my reviews, I think because I want the points?

But it is important to note that I am reading an average of only 2 books per month so much less workload then most in the group.

I am just the opposite Susie, which sometimes is not a good thing. I need to write that review immediately, as I fear I will loose some of my thoughts-but I am finding it might be better to wait (like that is going to happen-lol)-This month, I actually waited a whole day to write one! I have even started making notes on my phone while reading, in hopes of not jumping the gun and actually "digesting" the story first.

I try to never be more than 3 books behind on my reviews, but this month a combination of things had me with 6 titles needing me to sit at the keyboard. Four down, two more to go! On the other hand this is the first time since January that I'm on track for my annual reading goal. (That won't last. If I take my time writing the last two reviews today, I'll be behind one book on my reading goals)

I’m behind 3-4 books, a play and 2-part comics.
I find it hard as it is to organise my thoughts, especially this year (which feels overwhelming in general). So now that I procrastinate - after a week or two - my efforts are going to be very sad

But before I sit and review Im scrambling to finish my last book for this month

I am with Meli and Joanne. I don’t even start the next book until I am done reviewing the one I just finished. It takes priority over other things that it probably shouldn’t. I probably won’t my reviews before I write my clinical notes, which I do pretty much daily. And I’ll interrupt and incredibly packed and busy day just to make sure that happens. Everyone has their weird executive functioning quirks. My mother often tells me I get more done in my life if I wasn’t busy writing book reviews. To which I often chortle like a deranged witch - oh you think that’s the thing that’s holding me up and making me crazy in my life? The occasional books reviews? I guffaw at the thought! How about being a one woman literacy program for three kids after work and sports and dinner and laundry, and trying to launch my tenth grader and teach him much needed reading comp? SAT tutoring for the illiterate.... Believe me - there’s plants in my life that doesn’t happen, and we often have little idea how someone gets home from something or other... but the book reviews, they are like clock work. Priorities- lol!

I pretty much write them up very soon after finishing a book. Not everything I read gets much of a review, which helps limit the time invested in writing them. Writing down impressions and thoughts of what I read is automatic in my professional life, and it isn't just shut off when I am not at work. Plus I need not be as politic!

I sometimes make minor tweaks to it a day or two later, but usually just let it stand. It also help s cement the book in my mind as writing something down is a way for me to 'learn' and thus remember.

I used to write them immediately (or within 24 hours) ... now I'm a couple of weeks behind (5 finished books currently waiting for a review, plus one that was partly done and needs some tweaking...)

I pretty much always write my reviews within 1-3 days of finishing the book. Must be the OCD in me. Most the time I want to just verbal diarrhea what I think about the book, and reviews are a way to "clean it up" into concise ideas and thoughts that I'll remember.

I don't dare leave reviews until later! I'd get buried in it all and not be sure that I could do a very good job at doing the reviews at all!

Joanne wrote: "I am just the opposite Susie, which sometimes is not a good thing. I need to write that review immediately, as I fear I will loose some of my thoughts-but I am finding it might be better to wait (l..."

I'm the same way. I like to get it written right away, so as not to forget. Of course, then I sometimes do think of something a day or two later I wanted to say in my review! Oops!

But, I also read so quickly, that I hate having a backlog to write (and copy/paste each one in about 20 different places!!!). I try really hard to keep up, though if I'm busy, it can sometimes be a day or two before I get it done.

I need to take a leaf out of some of your books!

Amy wrote: "I am with Meli and Joanne. I don’t even start the next book until I am done reviewing the one I just finished. It takes priority over other things that it probably shouldn’t. I probably won’t my re..."

This made me laugh so much. My other half just can't seem to get it. So you have to write the reviews or what happens? How can you prioritise catching up on them over catching up on the washing? Um....he doesn't quite understand that I enjoy it and it makes me use my adult brain.....for him it would be a punishment to write one. We are all different. I was recently 5 reviews behind due to being computerless and was going crazy. Almost caught up...now only 3 behind. (If only I would stop reading new books!) But I fell down the stairs yesterday and sprained my ankle and today I have to spend in bed with it elevated and iced....doctor's orders and he's the doctor. First thought after I recovered from the fright that I had broken it....now I can catch up on my reviews and no one will say anything about it lol. So that's what I'm doing.

Jemima wrote: "Amy wrote: "I am with Meli and Joanne. I don’t even start the next book until I am done reviewing the one I just finished. It takes priority over other things that it probably shouldn’t. I probably..."

I love writing reviews - I understand. I hope you feel better!

i used to do them right away ...Now I'm like you ... pushed so far I barely remember the book

Jemima, oh no! This is hell for crazy mom’s like us! Except that we get to catch up on our books!

Jemima wrote: "Amy wrote: "I am with Meli and Joanne. I don’t even start the next book until I am done reviewing the one I just finished. It takes priority over other things that it probably shouldn’t. I probably..."

Sorry you got injured-I constantly sprain my left foot, because I have broken it so many times...Would rather have the break and the cast, really is less painful-But enjoy your R&R(or should it be R(est) and W(Writing)😉

Jemima wrote: "I was recently 5 reviews behind due to being computerless ..."

Because I can't leave it very long without writing my reviews, afraid I'll forget what I wanted to say, when I am computerless, I hand write the review and just type it up when I get home. :-)

LibraryCin wrote: "Jemima wrote: "I was recently 5 reviews behind due to being computerless ..."

Because I can't leave it very long without writing my reviews, afraid I'll forget what I wanted to say, when I am comp..."

I know exactly what you mean. I tend to write copious updates on the Goodreads app on my mobile phone while computerless, which I copy and paste into my review and then rewrite into something that makes sense as a whole. There is no way I could remember my thoughts about a new book if I can't write it up straight away or if I'm running behind. I also delayed writing about the books that were multiple rereads, ones that I knew so well that I could think about how I felt about them without trying to power up the memory banks.

Joanne wrote: "Jemima wrote: "Amy wrote: "I am with Meli and Joanne. I don’t even start the next book until I am done reviewing the one I just finished. It takes priority over other things that it probably should..."

Thanks so much! I'm on the mend now but still not able to drive. I've caught up on all of my reviews though...so pleased about that! Now I have some serious reading ahead of me the next few days!

Susie wrote: "Every month I vow that I am going to write reviews as I finish books, and every month I leave them all until the last minute. EVERY. DAMN. MONTH! I was going to be so good this month, and now I fin..."

Oh NO!

I basically commit myself to four lines immediately after reading the book, before I can start another. Just four. As a result, some of my reviews suck, but at least there is a placeholder. Usually, once I get started, more than four lines pours out.

I will admit that I haven't been as vigilant about making sure they are actually well done reviews. And I try to recap the plot as little as humanely possible. People can read the plot elsewhere I figure.

Jemima wrote: "How can you prioritise catching up on them over catching up on the washing?."

HA HA, that's hysterical . . .

Nicole D. wrote: "i used to do them right away ...Now I'm like you ... pushed so far I barely remember the book"

Um, yeah, and I MISS them, so there is an audience of at least one who has noticed . . .especially the bad books. Can you at least please review the bad books right away? No one does that quite like you.

I miss the Nicole D take downs too!

It varies, but sometimes I have had to put them off and done a number at once or over a few days. I try to stay up to date because when I start writing too many at once they are short and not very good or interesting.

Love me the take downs, and I love them from both Nicole’s! Even my takedowns are unerringly polite, and therefore not very funny!

I’m with Anita, I’ve said this before. My reviews continue very little plot. They’re all written from the point of you of felt experience and ambiance. But people seem to like them. My reviews that is. I have a lot of strange people following me. Speaking of, if I were technologically literate, which a few of you know I am not, I might try to delete some of the friends that I have. I’m goodreads that is. Not you guys. The ones that I don’t know how they got there but that I think I just adding more clutter to my life. I’m also trying to get out of more Facebook groups and pages, and to try to unsubscribe to various email intrusions. I also couldn’t figure out how to leave Goodreads groups, not out of course! My trimming the TBR is going so well, that I’m trying to figure out how to trim my life - and my waist!

Amy I will help where I can-

To delete followers on GR, go to your friends page. On the top right is a link to Followers-go there, and you can then delete them.

For groups, Go to the main page of the Group-On top there is a link that says "Edit your Membership" click on that, and on the top of the page is a link that says "leave group" click there.

For email-on the bottom of the page there should be a link(usually
very small, you might have to search for it) that says "unsubscribe" click there and follow the directions.

Hope this helps you de-clutter!

Anita wrote: "And I try to recap the plot as little as humanely possible. People can read the plot elsewhere I figure...."

I like including it because I post my reviews in so many different places, I don't know if someone has the summary right there or not. I usually keep my summary obviously separate from the review, though, via paragraphs, so if someone starts reading and doesn't want the summary, they can skip to the next paragraph.

If I look at someone's review who hasn't written a summary... I want to know what the book is about before reading about what someone thought. I just don't take the time to go to a different site or page to find out, then go back to the review.

I'm really hit or miss with my reviews. I try to review all the books, I really liked ASAP, but don't always do that.

I try to review as many books as I can. I don't feel terribly guilty if I miss some here and there, because I'm doing my best.

I would never hold off reading until I do a review. The first thing I do when I finish a book is start another. I want the next one in place right away. I cannot stand to have an empty space in my reading.

LibraryCin wrote: "Anita wrote: "And I try to recap the plot as little as humanely possible. People can read the plot elsewhere I figure...."

I like including it because I post my reviews in so many different places..."

I too, like to put in a summary of what the book is about, so that I will remember it. Knowing that too much detail can spoil the book for other readers who have not yet read it, I try to not put in spoilers. It's a fine balance.

Booknblues wrote: "I would never hold off reading until I do a review. The first thing I do when I finish a book is start another. I want the next one in place right away. I cannot stand to have an empty space in my reading. .."

Yes, this, too.

Holly R W wrote: "Knowing that too much detail can spoil the book for other readers who have not yet read it, I try to not put in spoilers. ..."

I also try to avoid spoilers (if something might be considered a spoiler, I do add the spoiler "tag" to hide it, but I try to avoid that, for the most part).

LibraryCin wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "I would never hold off reading until I do a review. The first thing I do when I finish a book is start another. I want the next one in place right away. I cannot stand to have an..."

Cin, I had a suspicion, I was not alone in this.

Booknblues wrote: "LibraryCin wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "I would never hold off reading until I do a review. The first thing I do when I finish a book is start another. I want the next one in place right away. I cann..."

Yeah, if it happens that I don't have another print or ebook with me, I'll switch to audio. :-) I usually do have another print or ebook when I'm coming close to finishing, but there are rare occasions when it's not with me. But, my audio will always be there, as well.

Sounds like you are prepared.

Booknblues wrote: "Sounds like you are prepared."

Always! :-)

I generally write reviews right after finishing a book. The main reason I write them is to jar my memory about the books I've read and what I felt about them. I wish I had been able to do this for all books I've ever read, but of course, many were read so long ago I don't remember much about the plot. I do tend to recall books I've loved. I include a short summary of the plot, but try to keep it vague and short enough to not spoil. I start another book right away but try not to get too far into it before finishing the review for the prior book. Even though I'm writing reviews for my memory, I try to make them useful to others by suggesting who might like them. I used to include content warnings but I found some people that believe they are spoilers, so now I only include them if it's something notable (such as warning a book with young protagonists whether or not they are suitable for younger readers). If I put off my reviews, I'd likely never write them, so I am pretty OCD about it.

Joy D wrote: "I generally write reviews right after finishing a book. The main reason I write them is to jar my memory about the books I've read and what I felt about them. I wish I had been able to do this for ..."

I also use my reviews in this way.

I make it a goal every year to write a review for every book I read, and every year I fail -- except, so far this year, I am managing to get the reviews written!

I haven't been able to keep up with writing them directly upon finishing the book, but I have been able so far to get them written by the end of the month, or within a few days afterward. So even though I feel like I'm getting them written by the skin of my teeth, it still feels good that I'm at least keeping up on a monthly basis. It is a chaotic few days at the end of the month though, getting all of the thoughts and words down for multiple books all at once.

Kimber wrote: "I make it a goal every year to write a review for every book I read, and every year I fail -- except, so far this year, I am managing to get the reviews written!..."

Congrats! Hope you are able to keep up with your goal!

Arrgh - I want to review all of the books that I read, but that takes too much time away from reading more books!

Maybe in June I will try for reviewing half of the books that I read, and see how that affects my monthly average. Reviewing makes me think more deeply about a book, which could be so valuable.

if It's a book I hate, rest assured, I'll write the review right away :)

I'm late even on replying to this thread but I still wanted to pop up here and say thank you, because I saw this on a day that I was feeling weirdly stressed out at having a pile of books that I needed to review before taking back to the library, and it was very reassuring to know that there were people out there who would understand why it bothered me! I'm another one who always vaguely intends to review each book before moving on to the next (or at least the next in the same category, i.e. fiction/non-fiction), but I never quite do...

Nicole D. wrote: "if It's a book I hate, rest assured, I'll write the review right away :)"

Thank you. Our appreciation of these knows no bounds!

Lol yes! Nothing I love reading more than a piece of well written smite!

Jemima wrote: "Lol yes! Nothing I love reading more than a piece of well written smite!"

Is smite an Aussie slang word or the product of autocorrect? The only definition I know of for smite, an archaic word, is a verb meaning to strike sharply, and, sometimes, to kill by striking, etc.

I'm asking so I don't insert the wrong word for this thinking it's an autocorrect.

No I meant smite in the full medieval sense of the word. Just one of my favorite expressions.

Jemima wrote: "No I meant smite in the full medieval sense of the word. Just one of my favorite expressions."

Okay, I like the word as well, so now I know what you mean :) !!! NOT my favourite kind of reading, though.