Thank you so much to Stephen from Stephen Writes for tagging me! I love the questions and I am nosy so I am always curious about other bloggers’ reading routines.
Do you keep a list of the books you have read?
I do on Goodreads and I have a reading journal. I have been using Goodreads since 2010 and having a record of all the books I have read has been so helpful when it comes to blogging.
If you record statistics, what statistics do you record?
I did not keep track of any stats until I got my hands on the Always Fully Booked planner. I now keep track of format (print, ebook, audio), genre, number of pages, start/finish date, etc. It is interesting to look back on and see what patterns start to form. I always share my yearly stats in December!
Do you give star ratings for books and if so, what do you score books out of and how do you come about this score?
I do not give out star ratings on my blog. I have been meaning to write a blog post sharing my reasons for this, but basically it comes down to the fact that I find star ratings arbitrary. My rating system would be completely different to the rating system of another blogger and that just gets confusing. It is also difficult for me to explain what makes a book a five star vs a four star or why two very different books would receive the same rating.
I do give star ratings on Goodreads but I do not take them too seriously. I just go with my gut and give a rating based on my own personal enjoyment.
Do you review books?
Of course! I rate books here on my blog, on my Goodreads (though I am behind), and on my Instagram.
I do my best to give thoughtful reviews to every book that I read. They are more in-depth here on the blog and short and sweet on my Instagram. These days it seems as though I just give books a star rating on Goodreads, but I am trying to be better about that.
Where do you put your finished books?
Wherever I can find room for them! I have little to no organizational system at this point. I think with all this time I now have on my hands I might try and come up with something that works better for me.
If I didn’t love a book I no longer keep it and usually donate it to a Free Little Library. It is interesting though because I have truly come to understand my readings tastes and it is rare that I buy I book I do not end up enjoying.
I do have a question though. What do you do with ARCs that you do not want to keep? I’m thinking of also donating them to a Free Little Library, but was just curious what others do.
Do you have any other rituals for when you have finished a book?
The first thing I do is mark it as “read” on Goodreads. There is something so satisfying about that! I then write a short review and post it to my Instagram story/feed. I will then fill out my reading journal, which I will later use for reference when writing my review for the blog.
This is was a fun tag and I would love to see everyone’s answers to these questions!
I was just debating what to do with ARCs I don’t want to keep because I have a bunch for the first time. I might find a little free library or give them away on Instagram.
Good idea! I should consider an Instagram giveaway.
Loved reading this! I always think it is fun to look back at stats!
(www.evelynreads.com)
Me too!
I love the marking “read” part on Goodreads! Trully satisfying!
Yes! Don’t know why that is.
That reading journal is GORGEOUS!! I hope I can snag one when it’s back in stock 😀 I kind of agree with you on the star rating system as well. Rarely are my ratings based on rigid standards for each rating. It’s more based on my enjoyment of a book, which kind of defeats the purpose of a rating system…As for your question about ARCs, I usually keep them as a memory of sorts, even if I didn’t like them as much. Sometimes I give them away at my local thrift bookstore if I think it would be better off in someone else’s loving hands haha
Isn’t it so cool?! I was so excited when I got my hands on one. I think rating based on enjoyment kind of makes sense. Really that is what it all comes down too!
I keep the majority of my ARCs but there are some that come unsolicited that I know I will never read! A thrift store is a good idea.
Loved reading your answers! I completely get why you don’t use star ratings. Another difference for me is that I don’t mark a book as ‘read’ until I have written the review ☺
Ohh that is interesting and probably the smart way to do it!
It’s always fun to discuss books! I use goodreads but I also keep an excel spreadsheet so that I can track diverse reads, women authors, authors of color, sub genres, source(library/kindle/arc etc)….I suppose I could have shelves for all of them but the spreadsheet allows me to keep the years separate ….I’m afraid That all the goodreads shelves I would need would be unwieldy. I do include star ratings in my blog reviews. I read almost exclusively on kindle so storage is not a problem. The few books I do end up with I donate to a friend who has a LFL. Thanks for sharing! I love behind the scenes posts! I’ll keep it in mind for a rainy day!
I’ve always meant to use a spreadsheet! I have seen a few good ones for tracking reading. The Goodreads shelves are not great. That whole website needs an update!
Your reading journal is beautiful! And marking things as “read” on Goodreads is so satisfying.
Ooo! That’s a great tag! 😀 Ha ha, I agree with you on putting books wherever there’s space … there used to be a system. Now there is a shelf. Or a pile. Or a box. Or a windowsill. Or a fireplace mantel …
This is such a great post! Also that’s planner look damn awesome
I find GR really helpful for keeping track of books too. Ah I understand your thoughts on star ratings- I do use them, but I based it on personal enjoyment (and usually assume that’s what others are doing too 😉 ). I find it satisfying to mark a book as read too!
Thanks for sharing this with us! I may just do this book tag.
I use Goodreads and Amazon to help keep track of books that I have read. I do use the star ratings on both. I do put it on my blog book reviews. My finished books are ebooks. I rarely buy physical books. Ebooks are more cheaper. When I am done with a book, it is always marked read on Goodreads and Amazon. I am new to book tags.