Another year has come and gone.
At the last count, I have reviewed a total of 171 books since my decision on 7 Aug 2014 to dedicate this blog for my reading whims. In case, you are wondering how I manage to read and then write an average of 10 (171÷17 | where 17mths = 5 mths (Aug14-Dec14) + 12 mths (Jan15-Dec15) book reviews a month, allow me to clarify... 71 of these reviews are actually written retrospectively and posted with back value dates, with the earliest review dated as way back as 2 Feb 2014.
Out of the 171 book reviews, 97 of them are reviewed in Year 2014 of which 26 are logged – after Aug 2014 – in the last 4 months of the year. And that leaves 74 books reviewed in Year 2015.
In a nutshell, number of books reviewed in:-
Year 2014 @ 97
Year 2015 @ 74
Needless to say, for both years, the number of truly completed reads is actually less than the above reported statistics because these data include 'Did Not Finish' books. Looking back, Year 2015’s figure of 74 is a far cry from the 97 books reviewed in Year 2014; a whopping drop of 23 books that average out to be nearly 2 books fewer per month.
Obviously, no single but a few factors contribute to the decrease in the number of books read. Nevertheless, I attribute the drop in number to my book review writing. Oft in the year past, I cannot help but feel that instead of spending more time reading more books, I spend more time scrying, prodding and digging into my memory bank in a bid to pen down all my thoughts for each book that I lay my hands on, be it one I finish reading or did not finish.
Ever so often, I worry that I do not carry out a good enough job writing my reviews - especially for those books that I give a rating of 4.5 stars and above - and giving adequate credit to authors who have worked so hard in their writings to allow readers such as myself to indulge in the amazing world of fiction they have created.
In my opinion, authors - those whose books I have read – deserve my attention and acknowledgment. So, instead of starting off with another book the moment I am done with one which is what I used to do, I find myself spending the next few days pondering the last book, tapping into the power of my mind and coming up with a review which I hope reflect my views and feelings well during my reading journey.
Hard work as it is, I do feel fantastically accomplished each time I conquer yet another review. My mood without fail will soar up high in the sky the moment I have it posted in my blog. It feels as if a dead weight is lifted off my chest and I can breathe freely once more. But then, as soon as I have decided on my next read, I feel weigh down all over again - as ironically as it sounds - by the inevitable review writing challenge which I subject myself to. So goes the cycle of reading books and writing reviews.
Having said much, bottom line is I am a booklover; I love to read. My love to read knows no bounds. Much as I love to share my thoughts and feelings for each book that touches my heart by translating them into words via my book reviews, I find myself getting progressively unhappy and even a tad miserable at times having to do it at the expense of what little time I can manage to set aside for my own reading.
So, after considerable deliberation, I make a decision - my 2016 New Year's resolution - to stop writing book reviews. Having gone through the route of a book critic, I know the itch of wanting to document and share my views and opinions will always be there. But in reality, you can't eat your cake and have it too. There is just that much time I can free up for my reading pleasure in a day or sometimes none at all till the next or the next next or the next next next. You get my drift...
Having offloaded this unpleasant sentiment that has been subtly weighing on my chest with time and hereafter made up my mind to channel more energies to reading more books instead of writing reviews, I feel liberated.
Not to worry; I will still be posting titles of books I have read together with my two cents’ worth of star ratings, which hopefully, will provide some indication in place of the review. And each book rating post will continue to be graced with its respective book cover, book blurb, book's link to author’s website where possible, book’s link to purchase and book genre. I will also keep up with the task of updating my pages under the ‘List of Books’ and ‘List of Quotes’. In short, ceteris paribus can my writing of a review.
Notwithstanding, should I be drawn into sharing my thoughts and feelings so deeply because of a story that touched me to the core or one that irked me to no end, I reckon that I will still take the time out to write a book review. Ha, the contradictory mind of a book fanatic.
Last but not least, to all booklovers out there, may the Year 2016 bring along good books, better reads and best of all, discoveries of all things bookish.
Happy New Year
&
Happy Reading
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