This time last year, I had read more books than ever before in a single year (falling just one shy of my 100-book goal), but I was feeling antsy. I had sacrificed quality for quantity on a few occasions; I was bogged down with review obligations; and I felt like I didn’t have much control over what I was reading.
And that was ridiculous! I mean, hello. Who else could possibly be in control of my selections? The problem wasn’t with having control, it was with figuring out how to use it to maximize my satisfaction with the reading experience. The TBR pile wasn’t getting any smaller (and it grew even more this year), and I needed a strategy.
Enter Twitter and the year of reading deliberately.
Goal AnalysisI set goals to read more classics, chunksters, and award winners; to tackle the TBR, re-read old favorites, and read more by favorite authors; and to get picky about galleys and blog tours while balancing new releases with backlist. Realistic, achievable goals, all, but some of them became more important than others as the year developed. Here’s how I did:
Classics/Chunksters/Award Winners:Okay, so I didn’t really read any classics in the first eleven months of the year, and I still haven’t at this point unless you’re willing to count Flannery O’Connor’s short stories as (modern) classics. But I *did* read more than a few doorstop-sized tomes that I wouldn’t have picked up if I’d been obligated to review them on certain dates or if I’d felt pressured to review other books around the same time, so I count that as a success. If I hadn’t felt free to take the time to slow down and read chunksters, I’d have missed out on Skippy Dies, so if for nothing but that, this goal was worth it.
As for the award winners….well….I had this idea that I would get lists of the winners and nominees and select one or two to read each month, but the time just wasn’t there and holy smokes, there are A LOT of book awards. And when it comes down to it, I read eight to ten books a month, and devoting one or two slots to award winners would mean saying no to new books I wanted to be in on the discussion about. Give and take, this blogging business.
Tackling the TBR/Re-Reading/Favorite Authors: This is the one I feel haziest about. I did read quite a few books from my TBR list this year, but many also happened to be new releases I’d had my eye on for months before they were published, so they served dual purposes. I did one re-reading (of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, which I could read once a year, every year), and while I did read some additional titles from favorite authors and authors whose work I’d wanted to explore more, this year really ended up being more about discovering new and new-to-me writers and genres.
It’s not what I planned on, but it was a fantastic year in reading, and I can’t complain. And that’s not even the best part.
Getting Picky/Balancing New Releases with Backlist: The getting picky part of this year was a rip-roaring, raging, reading-life-changing success.When I set the intention to be more mindful about my reading selections, I thought it would mean saying “no” more often, but what really happened is that I changed the way I said “yes.” I stopped promising to review books (or to review them on certain dates) and started saying “send me a copy for review consideration.” (Thank you, Bethanne Patrick, for the sage advice. I am forever in your debt.)
I said “yes” to everything I was genuinely interested in reading. And since one can only tell so much about a book from a canned email pitch, I organized my galley shelves according to month of publication and did the actual deciding in the comfort of my living room, where I could pick up the books, flip through them, read a few pages or a few chapters, and make a more informed (and, ahem, deliberate) choice about what to read next.
And HOO BOY, it was amazing! I had more choices than ever. I felt free to read what I wanted. And I was still current with new releases and able to contribute to conversations about them within the online community. This change in philosophy was the most valuable result of the year of reading deliberately, and I think it is was the key factor in making this my best reading year yet.
I didn’t read as much backlist as I wanted to throughout the year (I snuck in maybe one per month), but I read several during my trip to Mexico in October, and I’m devoting the entire month of December (that’s one-twelfth of my reading year, you know) to it, so I’m calling that goal achieved as well.
The Big PictureThe year of reading deliberately was about focusing on quality, developing a better system for handling galleys and planning reviews, and getting back to a place where my reading life wasn’t about completing challenges or meeting tangible goals but about savoring language and encountering stories that allowed me to see the world through a different lens (and thereby see myself in new ways as well).
For the first few months, I had to work to remind myself of my priorities and to let go of feeling guilty when I put down a book I’d accepted for potential review or chose to read something from my personal list instead of something I felt like I should read (for any of a variety of reasons). But after I practiced the new deliberate approach to book selection, it started becoming second nature, and by the second quarter of the year, I was having such a great time reading whatever I wanted and discovering new books that I knew I would never go back to the old way. I even got a few weeks ahead in scheduling posts, and that has NEVER happened before.
Being more thoughtful about how I selected books allowed me to go with the flow and be more flexible in how, when, and what I read. When trusted booksellers put a recommendation in my hands, or when a blogger or reviewer I follow featured I book I just *knew* was for me, I was able to read it right away instead of shelving it for “someday,” and that—being able to pick up recommendations and run with them—made being part of this amazing literary community even more rewarding. I ended last year feeling a little bit guilty for having put new releases ahead of backlist reading, and I spent this year realizing that I love reading the new stuff, and there’s nothing wrong with that, AND I have the power to rotate in backlist whenever I feel like it.
All of this may seem obvious, but this blogging thing can feel like it comes with obligations, expectations, and pressure, and it took a year of taking back the reigns to remind me that I’ve had them all along.
How do you choose what to read? What’s your strategy? Are you trying anything new in 2011?
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Sandy onDecember 23rd, 2010 8:53 am Everything you say here makes all kinds of sense. I think I suffered this year, at least that is how I feel. I agreed to review books that I probably shouldn’t have, I signed up for way too many challenges, and at the end of the day I wasn’t able to leisurely read what I want. So you all have inspired me to change my ways. No challenges (except The Dare to read my TBR for the first three months), very few ARCs and tours, and I’m going to allow myself the freedom to read whatever the hell I want whenever the hell I want. I’ve already started it, and it is a delight.
Sandy´s last blog ..The Book Thief – Markus Zusak Audio
Rebecca Rasmussen onDecember 23rd, 2010 9:34 am “Review consideration” sounds like it was so much better for you. I think a lot of bloggers try to much to please everyone that the love of reading becomes a bit of a burden because there is a timeline and added pressure. I love that you have taken that burden away from yourself! Congrats!
Happy reading in the New Year! xox
Amy onDecember 23rd, 2010 9:36 am So glad to hear your year went so well. I’ve read more than ever this year, but also some truly incredible books. I don’t feel that I sacrificed quality, I just sacrificed other things in life and spent more time reading! My method of choosing books has changed too though in that through the year I learned your lesson of not feeling guilty if I don’t like a book, and I no longer feel obligated to read anything I feel I can just read what I want. It’s great!
Amy´s last blog ..12 Days of Christmas Guest Post
Rebecca Joines Schinsky onDecember 23rd, 2010 9:41 am It seems like we’re always sacrificing something…I’m happy to give up TV time in order to have more reading time, but it’s too easy to compromise other things, too. Finding a balance can be quite the challenge, but I’m glad it seems to be working for you, too!
Amy onDecember 23rd, 2010 9:46 am Yes, next year perhaps my goal will include more balance – which would also mean less work travel time and more time home with friends and family. We’ll see what happens
Amy´s last blog ..12 Days of Christmas Guest Post
erica onDecember 23rd, 2010 10:40 am 2010 was my first full year at this job, and I really concentrated on reading as many of our books as possible. I think I needed this year to learn the difference between what I need to read, what I would be willing to read, and what I actually want to read, especially when it comes to our books.
2011 for me is going to be all about prioritizing. I’m still going to read plenty of our books (and books on submission), but I also have to keep in mind that reading new releases that I’m really excited about from other publishers helps me be an even more active part of the book community–which in turn can help the books that I work on (even the ones that I haven’t read.)
erica´s last blog ..how andrew shaffer hides the holiday pickle
Elisabeth onDecember 23rd, 2010 11:59 am I think I have always read deliberately. When it comes time to choose a book, I look at my stacks and at my lists of the books I want to read. I choose what feels right. I say the book needs to be “calling me”. This works for me since even though the book can be waiting a long time it has to be the right time. I have been reading more library books lately and more current books but I always try and take a list of books I want to read with me to the library so I can find some of my backlog ones too. I also have this “thing” about reading everything I take out of the library before I return it which gets me into pickles sometimes. Right now I have 2 library books waiting for me and a chunkster – Cutting for Stone to read for Book Group. Yikes.
Meg onDecember 23rd, 2010 12:08 pm So glad to hear your year of reading deliberately worked out so well! As you know, I’m definitely joining your ranks in 2011 — and have definitely amended my philosophy on review copies.
Instead of feeling that terrible dread when I glance at a book sent for review and how I haven’t even cracked it open, I’m remembering that I’m a single person — and unpaid, single person — who is reading for pleasure, not profit. I do what I can and won’t sacrifice my own reading happiness, a vibrant part of my life, just to accommodate some misplaced sense of guilt about not reading on a schedule. I’m definitely accepting fewer books these days and am hesitant to commit to anything on a schedule or tour — unless I really want to read it. I’m hoping that will work out well for me in 2011!
Meg´s last blog ..Puckering up for Hershey Kiss Cookies
Lisa@ButteryBooks onDecember 23rd, 2010 12:33 pm The most rewarding thing I learned this year was that is was okay to put down a book if I wasn’t enjoying it, instead of trying to force myself to get through it. I put it on a shelf and tell myself that if I feel the urge to pick it up and start reading again, I could. So far, I have not gone back to one single book and I feel great about it!
Lisa@ButteryBooks´s last blog ..Joan Walsh Anglund and Angel Kisses
Amy onDecember 23rd, 2010 1:33 pm I’m participating in my first Reading Challenge starting in January (Gothic Reading Challenge), so that’s exciting.
As for “reading deliberately,” that comes pretty easy to me. I use my local library a lot, because getting books from there gives me a soft two-week window in which to read the book. It also saves me money because it’s free and if I despise the book, it’s no skin off my nose.
I don’t really have a problem with wanting to read too many books. More often I deal with the frustrations that lack of shelf spaces causes. I’m often tempted to go through and find books to sell or donate, but then I get this horrible guilty feeling — it’s like I’m getting rid of a child or something. So I guess my issue isn’t one of too many books coming IN, but rather one of not enough books going OUT! :p
Amy´s last blog ..Tis the Season- Christmas Stories
Rebecca Joines Schinsky onDecember 23rd, 2010 1:38 pm I’m a big believer in what Nancy Pearl (librarian extraordinaire) calls the “rule of 50:” if you’re under 50 years old, you give a book 50 pages to hook you, then you put it down. If you’re over 50, you subtract your age from 100 and only read that many before making the decision. I’ve only quit a few books this year, but like you, I haven’t regretted a single one of them.
Rebecca Joines Schinsky onDecember 23rd, 2010 1:39 pm Erica, I often wonder how you folks who work at publishing houses manage to find balance (or if it’s even possible) between what you have to read, what you probably should read, and what you want to read for yourselves. Thanks for sharing the perspective.
bookmagic onDecember 23rd, 2010 1:52 pm I read a lot of books this year, passed my 100 book goal and I am very happy with most of my choices. About halfway through the year, i stopped accepting review books. I wasn’t being offered what i really wanted, so it became obligatory and I felt guilty when I wouldn’t end up reading the whole thing.
Now I am reading what I want, when I want. If I see a great recommend, I’m sampling it on Kindle, then reading it if I like it. And there were so many great recs this year ( thanks for A Visit From the Goon Squad by the way). I did read a lot of chunksters this year and have overcome my fear of them. I plan to continue the same thing for 2011. i just hope there are just as many fabulous books as there were this year
bookmagic´s last blog ..MY FAVORITE READS OF 2010
Rebecca Joines Schinsky onDecember 23rd, 2010 1:59 pm So glad you had a wonderful year and that my evangelism of GOON SQUAD paid off. Have I sold you on SKIPPY DIES yet?
Beth F onDecember 24th, 2010 8:30 am Happy, happy holidays to you!
Beth F´s last blog ..Review- The Rabbis Cat 2 by Joann Sfar
Alyce onDecember 24th, 2010 12:51 pm I liked what you said about receiving books for “review consideration.” I’ve been blogging for about two and a half years, and each year I seem to request fewer advance copies because of the deadlines.
What I’ve noticed is that most of the books that I want to read and review are available via the awesome library consortium here, and even though it means fewer books to add to my permanent shelf, I am enjoying the freedom that comes from reading what I want to when I want to, and still reviewing the books within a few weeks of their release date.
I just plan to continue as I have been, possibly requesting even fewer review copies as time goes by, because I’m enjoying the freedom so much. I like the idea of receiving books for consideration because it would take that pressure of obligation away.
Alyce´s last blog ..The Sunday Salon – December 19
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