Wow, um it has been one year and two days since my last post. Sorry about slipping into oblivion. It would be a bit of an understatement to say that the second half of 2019 was a bit of a doozy for me and 2020 has been… well it has been. A quick update on my end: I wrote my dissertation, defended my PhD, interviewed for jobs, moved across the country, made a baby, made it through a liver disease, and can count on one hand the number of times I have left my house in the past 5 months. With all of the chaos and excitement, reading and blogging slipped through the cracks. But now is as good a time as any to get back to reading and blogging. I miss the blogging community and feel I need to scream into the void about topics that aren’t as serious as everything else happening around me.
So, books!
I’d be lying if I said my backlist of reviews didn’t bother me. When I open the list of reviews I need to write from the last *cough* year or two (oh gosh how did I let this get so bad?!) I get this mild feeling of anxiety. But then I go straight to NetGalley and request more books. It’s a vicious cycle. But it’s time. It’s time I face my book demons and put down my thoughts in words. At least the thoughts I remember……. It is time to be a responsible book blogger!
Seeing as this is my first post of the year, I thought it would be a good idea to lay out some goals for the last 5 months of the year. I am going to be a little less ambitious than I have been in the past, since I am preparing to teach courses online this year and have been really struggling with the baby blues. So tentatively, the goals I am shooting for this year:
- Review all of the backlist books I have read (this is currently sitting at 33 I think)
- Bring my NetGalley ratio up to 80% (honestly, I am really close with this one, just need to sit down and write some reviews!)
- Read at least 30 books this year (I’m only at 6 so I will really need to hustle with this one)
- Read the books on my Book of the Month Shelf (seriously, whomever came up with a book subscription service was a genius. It’s like my kryptonite.)
I think that’s all I’ll say for the moment, I better get working on my reviews and whatnot, so I hope you look forward to it!
Reading With Moose 
Welcome back! Looking forward to reading your reviews!
I am curious how it will be to write the review after a longer time. I usually try to write the reviews as soon as I read the book, with fresh thoughts. But few months after, when I read my own review, I tend to have a more toned-down opinion compared to the fresh feelings.
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Oh I completely agree!! I really regret not writing down my initial thoughts on some of the books. Some of the more recent ones that I knew I wouldn’t be able to review for a little while (due to my little bundle of joy) I wrote an outline of my thoughts down. But the others, I’ll admit I’m a little worried. I’ll probably end up doing more mini reviews and rereading the first page or chapter of some of the books to remind me of the author’s style and voice. And I guess just go from there. On the other hand, I feel like I have a better grasp as to how well the book has impacted me so far out. Did it stick with me, or just blend into the background? I think the books at the extreme ends (love and hate) will be the easiest to write. I really admire people who have the dedication to sit down and write reviews immediately, you must be so organized! ^.^
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It’s great that for some books you already have some thoughts written down, it will be much easier to put together the review!
I aim to write the reviews as soon as possible, but it does not always happen this way 🙂 I had a period when I did not start reading a new book before writing the review of the previous one – that was quite extreme :))
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I am with you on the Book of the Month! I currently have two (and a half) unread shelves of my BOTM books, BUT I CAN’T STOP GETTING NEW ONES. It’s insane.
Best of luck getting back into the swing of things. I too am slowly working my way back into regular attendance here.
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They make it so easy to get more books! And they are such good books! Waaaay too easy. I send reading energy your way to get through your backlog too.
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