Dear Readers,
As I write this, it is the eve before Wednesday; wishful, waiting, and otherwise. I have searched Amazon for ideas to post for the memes of tomorrow, but instead of finding another book to add to the never-ending TBR list, I’m choosing Wed-nez-day to ponder. I’m sure I’ll find a few new additions thanks to the reads y’all are going to post, but now I’m just going to ponder and wonder. I wonder how in the world I ended up with eight advanced reader copies of books which are all released in the next six weeks, and a few more on the way. How? Oh you know, GoodReads, LibraryThing, and the best of them all, the daily enlightenment and daily additions courtesy of Shelf Awareness.
If you’re like me you set reading tasks for yourself: fifty pages a day, perhaps. And, if you’re like me, you like to read and review your ARCs before they’re released; they’re not called advanced for nothing, you know. If you’re like me, you love getting ARCs, but you also feel bad for the none-ARCs on your shelves, the books you purchased with your own funds (also known as giftcards) and you feel bad neglecting them. You panic knowing only more time will go by before you can get to them (and you really should have read Her Fearful Symmetry and The Lost Symbol by now). You wonder when you ever will.
So you set rules: only one ARC request a week, or maybe two. Or maybe only just the ones that look really intriguing, or fulfill a certain craving (classic romance literature) that you’ve been having lately. How do you do it?
And how do you handle your reading? I’m sure most of you have school or a job that prevents you from making reading a full-time activity. If not, I know some of you are stay-at-home mom’s, which, let’s face it, can be even more tough than a full-time job or school. Which brings me to the train ride this morning when I wondered how on earth I could keep reading at this pace, and how I couldn’t possibly wish for reading to turn into a chore. I just couldn’t stand for that to happen. Reading is life to me, books are flesh and blood, and to make reading a chore would suck the life out of my favorite relatives.
So here’s my charge to you, dear readers, and this is especially for those of you who have mailbox postings with dozens of books: only request the ones you really want, the ones you can give your all to, because it’s not fair to the rest. If you want all twenty then props to you! But if you know there’s one that looks okay, but it doesn’t grab at you, don’t request it. Because I would hate for you to force yourself to read it, only to be bored, thus making reading a chore. You’re better than that, and so are the books. 
So, having said all that, what did you pick for Wednesday’s memes?
Love,
Alayne
I definitely agree with you here. I’m running into that problem now, because I have a book I need to have reviewed by Thursday as part of a blog tour, but I’m only 100 pages or so in. My problem lately has been not requesting ARCs, but accepting too many review requests. I’ve gotten a lot better with picking and choosing, but there’s always room for improvement I suppose! Great post!
I’ve come to the same conclusion. I’ve started scheduling things on my calendar and making myself not order things or accept review copies if they aren’t books I absolutely MUST read. I’ve got too many books sitting here waiting to be read already.
On a side note, I’m finding blog tours to be useful for my attempts at reigning in my book acquisitions. They have set dates that I have to work around, and if I limit myself to 1-2 a month, I’m not losing my mind as much AND I get a chance to work on my giant TBR pile at the same time. I cannot wait until this summer, during which I will read like there is no tomorrow and hopefully make my GIANT pile much less daunting!
Great post! I see some Mailbox memes and seriously wonder where they even put all the books! I get a lot of books too (probably have close to 500 on TBR) but I really don’t bring in ALL that much anymore.
But I know what you mean about ARC’s. It’s only fair to take in as many as we can realistically review so I just try to keep that in mind when I request them!!
I’ll admit it, I stopped requesting ARCs. Sometimes the wait for the book is crazy — The Swan Thieves was one of these books — but I found myself with too many TBRs and not enough time. I was reading to read and not reading because I was enjoying a book so much I just couldn’t put it down. I decided to stop the requests in January. I still put in for book at LibraryThing and sometimes from Shelf Awareness but I’ve become very picky about the books.
I do reviews for another site in addition to my blog and I find I’ve even become picky in the ones I choose to read for that site as well. I figured if I was going to make any reasonable attempt at getting the list under control, something had to give.
I am loving the title of this post!
Since I don’t receive many ARCs yet, I haven’t run into that problem.
I didn’t even know we were suppose to request them. *sighs* I actually had a author email me and ask me to review his book, I was excited and told him I would. LMAO I never heard back from him. I think my reviews my scare him??? Anyhoo, I understand what you are saying and agree, it is a case of biting off more then one can chew. Great Post!
As for Wednesday meme…Here’s Mine I just like making you come visit me
I think this is a really thoughtful and considerate post. It’s only fair to accept as many ARCs as you think you can not only handle, but also devote enough time to write a well-thought out review for. I don’t have this problem yet, as I haven’t received any ARCs, but even just keeping my blog updated every day is time-consuming–I don’t know how you all manage to do that AND read the piles of ARCs you have!
All that being said…my WoW pick this week is the first fiction book by a scientist, and can be found over at bookwanderer! (And damn but I would love to get an ARC for this!
Great post, very informative for us new bloggers. I didn’t know we were supposed to request them either. Working at a library, we occassionaly get ARCs, which we review for the system blog and then pass along to our teen reviewers. But, from the IMM posts, it sometimes sounds like publishers just send ARCs to bloggers for review.
I always wonder what people do with all those books they recieve, especially when they get 10 or more every week! Their bookcases must be overflowing.
Thanks for the advice about not just requesting every ARC available, but only requesting what you are really interested in.
Good post. I currently have a lot of time to read because I am unemployed. Hopefully that will change soon! I do have a couple of ARCs to get to as well as a pile of books from the library that I have quickly polished off.
Here is my WoW pick for this week.
My TBR list grows longer and longer as the days go by…
Great post!! This is really something to think about.
Excellent post. I think all of us have requested more ARCs than we could possibly read. I know I did in early 2009, but I now only request books I want to read—I still receive a lot (some are sent unrequested) but since I am not currently working, and have no kids at home, it still seems manageable.
This is exactly why I’m not sure if I will ever request an ARC. I don’t want the pressure. I can’t really plan my reading time at the moment, every day is different, and I don’t want reading to be a source of stress instead of a break from it.
I would like to help authors promote books I’ve enjoyed, but I think a review can be useful three or six months down the track, or even later – it all helps sales (hopefully).
I never thought of setting a target. When I was commuting daily I used to read about 40 pages a day. Now it completely varies!
I’ve heard agents and editors have to do their reading out of hours so you are getting in good practice!
I definitely agree with – only request the ones you want to read! I have one ARC at home, which I have no clue why I felt like reading at all. It’s definitely not one of my fav themes. Shoot! Well, I learnt my lesson!
Well, I can’t relate to the ARC thing (“Yet!” she says hopefully), but I do have a weakness for library book sales. Just over the past year. And I have stacks and stacks of books that I feel like I should read before I go to the library and check out more good books. Luckily, most of the ones in my stacks have been great, but that doesn’t keep me from yearning for the next new thing to be found at my library.
What a great post – thought provoking. I’ve just started my book blog, and I hope I never feel like I *have* to read for the sake of getting a review out. I really don’t want it to turn into work.
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