 |
| Does this look familiar? |
I've always loved books, and I've always had a tiny bedroom. These two facts, much like a cat and a dog, have just never gotten along well. At all. So I'm sure you can just imagine what's been happening since I started my blog. As a quick sample, here's what I've bought since the beginning:
As of July 27th - Now (if memory serves):
What I've Read:
The Hunger Games * Catching Fire * Mockingjay * Summer on Fire (won) * Divergent * Wither * Bumped * Anna and the French Kiss * The Sky Is Everywhere * The Truth About Forever * Will Grayson, Will Grayson * The DUFF * Shut Out * Nevermore * Perfect Chemistry * Rules of Attraction * Chain Reaction * Jekel Loves Hyde * Shiver * Invincible Summer * Shiver * Sisters Red * Dragon's Oath * The Iron King * Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
What's Still On My Shelf
Delirium * Keturah and Lord Death * This Lullaby * The Truth About Forever * Love Story * The Boyfriend List * Hex Hall * Heist Society * Fallen * Torment * Passion * Witches of East End * Stolen * I Am Number Four * Firelight * You Against Me * Glow * Passing Strange * XVI * Incarceron * Starcrossed * Matched * Daughter of Smoke and Bone
What's In The Mail?
Need * The Iron Daughter * The Iron Queen * Lola and the Boy Next Door * Carrier of the Mark * Grave Mercy (won!) * The Fine Art of Truth or Dare (won!)
Books I Want:
Destined (House of Night) * The Iron Knight * Dearly Departed * Bunheads
... Clearly, I have a bit of a problem here. My room's too small. My time isn't quite that infinite and I'm chasing a hamster on a wheel trying to keep my reading up to my spending habits (and wanting to read / review new stuff while catching up on books I "missed"). Ever heard the phrase "Your eyes are bigger then your stomach?" I seem to do that with books.
 |
| Well it's about time... |
1. I seriously need an e-Reader. I can no longer avoid it. I don't have enough room for all of the books I want to keep, let alone all the books that I buy. It's getting to a point where there's going to be an avalanche of books and I'm going to be buried alive. Not pretty. On the plus side, it will make reading ebooks a lot more convenient. (I'm looking at you here, NetGalley.)
 |
| Why does this look familiar? |
2. I didn't realize the value of having reviews "saved" when I started my blog. I hit the ground running and I haven't stopped. What I am finding, especially with trying to focus in this month for Halloween, is that stubbornness can be a strength or a weakness. It makes sure I get things done. But if I keep doing stuff that I don't necessarily want to, things can (and do!) get ugly. I need to figure out a way to make sure I'm getting reading done that needs it while still having the ability to read what I want when the mood hits me.
 |
| (Left to Right) Upcoming books, Me |
3. Constantly playing catch up. Constantly falling behind. I realize that this one is ridiculous. There is no way I will ever be able to read all the books that look interesting to me each month. My tastes vary too much. And when I add in books that I want to read that came out earlier, on top of that, the demand I'm placing on myself here is just insane.
4. Of course, it all boils down to time management. Or lack thereof. :) For the most part, this is strictly a hobby (at least for now). I have to remember that for the time being, I am free to do what I want. It's certainly not that I don't care about things I've agreed to do (like You Give = We Give, my Spotlights, Just Contemporary, etc.) Rather, it's that I need to remember that not everything I do here has someone waiting for it on the other end. (And that's especially true, right now, for the majority of my book reviews.)
So, how do you handle the unending mountain of books? Do you feel that you keep up to your goals as a blogger, or do you constantly feel like you're falling behind? Whether you'd like to share your own problems or perhaps some form of advice, I'd love to hear your thoughts so feel free to leave a comment.
On thing you could so with some of your books you have already read is give them away and host a giveaway on your blog. You have read some really great books and I am sure you would get a great response to it. :)
ReplyDeleteMy TBR pile is so huge I have a lot of books in boxes, three bookshelves full and books stacked everywhere..lol It is just really easy to get piled up. :)
I definitely agree with you about books piling up easy. Over here in Canada, it's $9 to ship a book and $8.25 to ship one to the U.S. I can generally send something via book depository for that or less without leaving my house. I've thought of seeing whether the local high school or the public library would be interested in some donations, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly falling behind too. I'm a really new blogger, so I don't know if I'll ever get on top of things. or if I'll always have more books to read then I've already read.
ReplyDeleteAs for book storage, any book I know I won't reread goes straight to someone else. If you have any ARCs, try donating them to an ARC tour like "Around the World ARC tours", http://princessbookiearctours.blogspot.com/. That way they get to as many other bloggers as possible.
If they're new books in good shape, ebay is great for making a quick buck. I dont know if libraries do this in Canada, but most of my books either come from or get donated to a book sale. At my library, there's an organization called "the friends of the library" consisting of volunteers that hold books sales from time to time. The books at the sale are either canceled library books or used book donated for the sales. And usually the books are a dollar or less. I don't really have enough readers (or funds) at the moment to hold giveaways.
Well there's my two cents.
I know I'm falling behind in my TBR pile but for some sick reason, I want to add more to it. I only have like ten books there (I know! A small miracle!) so I think: Hmm, I can handle all of these books by the end of the year, I should add some more. Besides, it's my duty to add more to my TBR pile for my readers and my future students! Let's add more.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost like an addiction to buried by books in a small room. I have a tight room to say the least, but I keep adding more and more books. So I might have to get an eReader too. I'm hoping though that once I change my new phones, once I move, that it'll have an eReader on it. I'd rather just have it with my phone then a separate device, but that's just me.
Anyway, good luck in tackling your problem. That one idea about a giveaway sounds fantastic. I would promote it on my blog if you need it. :)
http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blogspot.com/
I know exactly what you mean. I have a kindle and I love it but it has not replaced my love for paper books o I still have a huge problem. I need to cut back on review books, but it is hard to say no if I think i might like the book.
ReplyDeleteI am really falling behind reading the books that I've received for review. I have five books I've won from Goodreads that are still unread, I am expecting two books from LibraryThing, and I haven't read any of the books I've received from MacMillan yet (mainly because these books don't have a deadline for when I should review them). I hope to catch up on my Goodreads and LibraryThing books by the end of November, but I don't think I'll get to the Mac books until summer.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I have as a blogger is keeping up with my reviews. I can't force myself to write a review. I have to be in the mood. So, it may be weeks after I've finished a book before I write anything down about it. This is a problem for me because I feel like I should be posting at least one review a week on my blog, preferably two or three. I've been falling back on my old reviews that I've been writing on Goodreads these past couple of years before I had a blog, which isn't a problem now but I'm going to run out soon if I keep using them as often as I do.