I’m so Sloooowwww!
No, I am not slow at reading. On the contrary, I have already read 10 books in 2009, and I am heading comfortably towards my 75 book goal for the year. No, what I am slow on is writing my reviews up in my blog? What on earth has happened to me I wonder?
I think there are several issues. Firstly, I have been super busy with work. Because I work with social media, it means I am at the computer all day, every day. When I get home in the evening, I do like to switch off – and I switch off with a book generally. Switching on the laptop isn’t really my number one priority, so unless I get my reviews written during the day, they just aren’t getting written.
The second issue is that I would like to put more substance into my reviews. I read The London Review of Books quite frequently (I say that because although I am a subscriber, I am somewhat behind in reading those as well!) and I am always blown away by the eleoquence and depth of the reviews therein. I understand that those type of reviews (most of which are fairly hefty essays rather than simple reviews) aren’t appropriate for a blog, which needs to be succinct and to the point, but to be able to catch some of the essence of those kind of reviews would be fabulous. As I write, I am conscious that I repeat myself and I wish I wouldn’t. What that has done is made me hesitate over my reviews, abandoning them for another day when I feel I can word my thoughts more appropriately.
As such, I have most than ten draft posts sitting here on the blog, waiting to be finished. As I have finished each book, I have dutifully started a new post, noted down the details of the book and the date I finished it, and written some brief notes about my thoughts. And then I have left it, meaning to come back and finish it. Unfortuantely now I am six weeks and ten books behind, so it is about time I pulled myself together and got on with it, otherwise my lovely record of all of the books I have read will become a relic.
I like your book review posts and scoring system so don’t give up on them. I know what you mean about the being “blown away” by reviews and like your ambition but always remember they are probably authors or academics doing it full time. There are also those reviewers who throw in some arcane knowledge that makes you think gosh how do they know all that and then think must read and know more. Unfortunatley I don’t think my little grey cells are up to it.
Thank you for your kind comment, Joy. It is wonderful to know that you enjoy the reviews I have been posting and I hope that some of them have inspired you to pick up the book yourself.
I agree with you on the grey cells front. I take such pleasure in reading other people’s reviews but I know that when you review full time you have plenty of time to perfect your responses. As much as I would love to read and review full time (wouldn’t we all!) I know my limitations.