Average Girl Reads

Sunday Salon: Do You Review Everything?

Penned by Dani in NC at 11:19 AM

Book bloggers: do you review all the books you read? I know that many bloggers have decided never to post negative reviews; I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about books that you liked but there isn't much to say about them.

This week I read The Real Thing: A Tobey Heydon Story by Rosamond du Jardin. It is part of a light romance series from the 1950s. I love books like this because the speech pattern of the characters is different than in modern books, and I'm guaranteed a happy ending. However, I recognize that a book like this doesn't give me much to write about in a blog post. At the same time, it seems like cheating if I don't post every single book I read on the blog. I do add all the books I read to my Goodreads account. What do you do?

READ: Besides the vintage romance, I also read The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down and a lot of magazines. It was extensive magazine reading that lured me away from reading books years ago. I don't want to give them up totally, but I want to find a better balance.

CURRENTLY READING: This morning I picked up another book that doesn't need to be reviewed, Cheat Sheet. It is part of the Middle School Survival series. They are almost too light for my kids, but I keep checking them out because my reluctant reader C2 devours them. I zip through them just to keep tabs on what she is reading.

TBR LIST: I removed one book but added three, so my current total is 103 titles. One of those books is one that I've actually read before, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. My M is reading this for one of her advanced classes. I thought it might be a good idea if I reread it so that I could field any questions she will have. I generally don't like to reread books, but it has been many years since I read this one, so I could use a refresher!

 

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11 Comments:

  1. Kristen said...
    August 30, 2009 2:45 PM  
    I do review everything but some reviews are very short compared to others.

    I could never re-read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I loathed that book from first to last when I read it. It is actually on my all time most hated list but I know so many others think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Bah humbug! LOL!
    Michelle said...
    August 30, 2009 2:59 PM  
    I do review everything as well, whether it is books I'm reading for professional development, books my son asked me to read or books I've chosen of my own free will. It's my way to truly engage myself in each book.
    Ti said...
    August 30, 2009 5:25 PM  
    I review everything I read but if I toss the book mid-way then I don't bother to say much about. UNLESS it was so horrible and I want to prevent others from reading it but that has only happened once in my less than 2 years of blogging.
    Dani in NC said...
    August 30, 2009 5:34 PM  
    Kristen, I really don't remember anything about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance other than the title, so I have to reread it if I am going to help my daughter. I have a bad memory about most books, but the fact that I can't remember anything about it probably means I didn't like it, either. With books I like, I retain a warm glow even if the details escape me :-).
    Amanda said...
    August 30, 2009 6:20 PM  
    Yes, I do review every book, but on some, it's really hard. Especially if all I want to say is OMG YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND READ THIS IT'S SO GOOD which of course doesn't make a good review. :) But I review everything unless it's a reread that I've already reviewed elsewhere on my blog.
    Kerrie said...
    August 31, 2009 5:37 AM  
    I decided to write a review of everything I read Dani. Sometimes it is extremely hard to say much, and I am not sure why. Part of my reason for reviewing all is to make myself think about what I have read
    Lisa said...
    September 1, 2009 8:56 PM  
    I would like to review everything, but there are some that I never get around too- maybe 1 in 10. I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but now it's so far gone that I won't review it.
    Beth F said...
    September 2, 2009 7:11 AM  
    I review everything I read. I am in that challenge to this year, so I'm motivated. But I have discovered that some books and some genres are best reviewed in a mini review or spotlight.

    I even review books I can't finish.

    Unlike Kristen, I liked Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Lots to think about.
    Kelly said...
    September 3, 2009 12:49 AM  
    I try to review everything, but sometimes I skip if it's middle-grade level and it didn't blow me away! Kelly from http://yannabe.com
    kay - Infinite Shelf said...
    September 4, 2009 11:12 PM  
    I do try to review most of the books I read ; I make exceptions for books in French that haven't been translated. When I don't have much to say, I make shorter reviews, link to other bloggers' reviews or put excerpts.
    Anna said...
    December 20, 2011 9:36 AM  
    Lately if I've reviewed any book I've read, I've done so on GoodReads, rather than my blog. I don't feel as much pressure to write a lot about the book, and usually a few sentences will sum it up. If I have more to say, I may turn it into a full blog post.

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