Do the books you buy keep getting pushed to the back of the queue?
Or is it just me?
I keep buying books (sorry, not sorry) and I am not getting the time to read them at the moment – Yes I’m looking at you The Priory of the Orange Tree.
I’ve suffered from #bookblogger excitement. I’ve said YES to lots of fantastic book tours AND I’ve requested lots of brilliant looking books – I hear you asking so what is the problem exactly?
Books. Are. Great.
And I agree. Books are great.
I am a book blogger and that does in my case = I love books.
So…
Well, all the book and tours are in the same month. April. And quite a few of the books I’ve requested have publication dates in, April.
As in this April. Coming very soon.
Which means between now and the end of April, I am predominately reading to review. Again, not necessarily a big problem, but I have so many other books I also want to be reading and before I can I have to prioritise the books I have committed too.
I’m also very much a mood reader.
From May onwards I am going to slow down on blog tours (I will try to at least) and I am going to step back from NetGalley (Until I have caught up). I will get a review rate over 40%. I will. I will.
I love reading what I am in the mood for. And I love the freedom to read older books or even recent releases, but ones I’ve also bought.
I can’t wait to get round to lots of great books that I have sat waiting for me.
How do you find the balance? Do you try? Does reading for review ever start to feel too much?
I think my problem was lack of organisation. I now have an excel spreadsheet filled with dates and deadlines to keep me on track and not saying yes to everything due in the same week.
I also completely understand that having too many great books to read is not that big a problem and I am very lucky.
Anyway – I must get back to reading!
Have a great day 😀
One More Word 
I get this! Reading to review can definitely take some of the fun out of it- especially as I always forget and end up stress-reading the book two days before the publication date 😛 I need to be better organised!
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Yes I have been there with the stress reading for a deadline and I’m a SLOW reader at the best of times 😀
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Totally understand how you’re feeling as I’m a mood reader too and have been in the same boat. I’m cutting back on blog tours too and definitely need to get on top of my NetGalley shelves.
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So glad I’m not the only one 😀 😀
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oh I’m drowning in books at the minute and as much as I love books – when I return to work after Easter – my tour commitments will be less. ON the positive side – I’ll get to read more of my Netgally and own stuff in my own leisure.
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I think that is what I will do to – less commitments and more just reading/blogging at my own pace. It is fun being involved with the tours thou, but for me it’s about finding a better balance.
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I just cannot work 55 hour weeks and do 5 tours a week. I’m not stopping, just slowing down and then i know I am in control when there’s a particularly bad week at work or something pops up.
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Sometimes if you read a book after publication date , it is okay. After all you are not being paid to do this and it would be sad if you became so overwhelmed that you stopped reading.
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Absolutely. And I can’t see me ever stopping reading, but I might put down a book for a while. Blog tours have a definite deadline but I do agree that books via the publisher for review would be best blogged about around the due date, but there is scope in when.
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This! I’m behind in my plans thanks to life and a DNF that upset me (undisclosed triggers in a grown up book that looked a different genre) and got a lot of reviews to write and a lot of books staring at me saying you bought me now read me!!
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Life always a way of shaking up well organised plans, or it does for me. I hope your next read is something fantastic and enjoyable.
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I use to be a mood reader and I have so many books I really want to read but never get to them! I am now controlled by pub dates which I told myself I never would. Lol. And even then I miss so many of them because really there is no way I can. I so want to go back to being a mood reader! 😍🤗💞
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I totally agree there is just far too many books and never enough time.
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I totally get this. My NetGalley percentage is in the toilet as well. I’m trying though!! It’s an addiction in every sense of the word!
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Yes, same here. I keep trying to cut back on blog tour reviews but get tempted!!
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It’s so easy to get tempted with so many great books being published all the time.
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Oh dear it’s sounding stressful – good idea to commit to fewer blog tours etc 🙂
I rarely agree to review books, I have to prioritise those I’ve reserved at the library because they’re in high demand so I have to read them quickly and they all tend to become available at the same time…
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I think it’s very easy to get so excited you request so many books and join so many tours then quickly become overwhelmed. Organization is key for sure
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Yes! I’m not going to fall into the same trap again. But it is so hard to say no to all the wonderful books 😀
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It really is! I mean we just need more time in the day to read…
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You described every blogging struggle I have in this single post. I’m a mood reader too and I find it hard to keep up with what I want to read vs. what I have to read. Great post!
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Thank you.
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Oh God! This is me!! I too am a moody reader and I don’t think I ever stick to my TBR plus, the struggle to be at the top of all the ARCs is real!!
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I can totally relate! I buy books but with all the upcoming releases and the blog tours going with them, I read proofs way more than my own books! I will try to cut back on tours because sometimes the pressure to read to review takes away the fun and it’s the first step towards a reading slump. I’m a mood reader too, I’m lucky to have found ARCs that suit my different moods recently (I have a backlog on NG that allows it, haha!)
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So true! I do all of this and never have time to read any I buy myself.
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The past two years I haven’t read any of my own books, only books for tours/Netgalley/received from publishers. This year I’m trying to avoid all of them and I’m finally reading some of my own books again!
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I’m having this ‘problem’ too. In February and March, I took on so many review books that I’ve burned myself out a bit. I’ve not read a book purely by choice in ages! I’m hoping to mood read more in April 🙊
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Defintely give all the review books a rest and read what you want for a while – It’s so hard to say no, but at the same time reading is our passion 🙂
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I have had to change about 10 of my tours to content. I have completely overwhelmed myself and I have lost my mojo and me time. I love reading but I’m reading every waking moment and I’m tired. I want to read for me and get ahead. I miss my own books. I’ve now got two friends who I have to ask permission first 🤣 it’s working lol x
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Definitely important to keep your mojo. We can put so much pressure on ourselves. Hopefully, whatever you are currently reading is fantastic!
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The book I have just finished and currently are, are fantastic! It should come back soon! xx
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This is a constant struggle. I have so many good books to read but the new ones on netgalley are hard to resist. Then my books are placed on the back burner. I figure that in time I’ll get to them. Having too many good books to read is a good problem for a bookblogger to have. Just tackle them one at a time.
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It’s a little easier for me since there are much less offers for audiobook ARC’s. It all gets overwhelming so quickly and I also sometimes just want to take a step back and read my own books.
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I totally feel you. I must have had 16 books all due for publication in April and then also a couple of extra books that I’d taken on board through different routes. What is going on with April. I ‘ve been reading April books all March and I’m still not caught up – but, good problems to have. Am I right? The thing is, you request a book, you don’t hear back, so you request another, then another, nobody comes back, so you think to yourself *foot tapping* ‘mmm, I need books for April’, so you request some more. Then everyone approves your request. Don’t get me wrong. I love approvals. I adore them in fact. I just wish I’d known a little bit sooner before I went totally request crazy. But, again, good problems. I’d sooner have more books that I have time to read than more time that I have books….or something like that …
Lynn 😀
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Absolutely good problems to have 😀
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Yes! There’s so many delightful books in the world it can be such a difficult thing to prioritise those you’ve committed to! My TBR pile beckons…
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I’m getting better at it, but it is still a struggle to prioritise!
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