Friday, July 26, 2013

Book Blogger Hop - July 26th


So this is my first time participating in the Book Blogger Hop.  It's a weekly meme hosted at Rambling of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  There's a new prompt each week to encourage bloggers to follow other blogs, meet other bloggers, learn about new books, and gain some followers.

This week's prompt:  How do you organize your books to be read?

Pre-BEA:  Before I attended Book Expo America, it was really easy to organize my TBR books.  The only books in my actual TBR pile were ones I bought as they came out or borrowed from the library.  I didn't have an organized system.  It was just seeing a book online/in the library and going "That looks cool!" and then reading it.  I didn't have any ARCs for review, so I never cared about when I finally got around to reading a book.  Which is probably why I have so many books sitting on my shelf that I just had to buy, but still haven't read yet.

Post-BEA:  After attending BEA, a lot has changed.  Now I have so many books to read, including ARCs, and it's overwhelming.  So I started making an Excel spreadsheet of my whole TBR pile, both new books and old.

I want to read and review the ARCs I received as close to the release date as possible, so I've got them organized by date in the spreadsheet and physically in stacks on the floor.  (Yes, piles on my floor because there is no longer room in the bookshelves, desk, and wardrobe, or under the bed.)

For the books that aren't ARCs, my method is based on genre.  I don't want to read the same genre over and over again, or I get burned out.  I went through a reading slump because I read way too many dystopian novels in a row, and ended up pulling out of it by reading some Georgette Heyer regency romances.  Now, I've got my books separated by genre, so when I finish a fantasy book, I can then grab a mystery novel, for example.

And of course, I have a constantly growing list of all the books (well, most of them anyway) I want to read on my blog and on Goodreads to help me remember everything and stay on track.

12 comments:

  1. I love Georgette Heyer. She's a great go-to author for when I need something to read but I'm just not sure what. I'm never disappointed. BEA sounds like a wonderful experience. I'd love to get there one of these years. I'm not sure my already toppling piles of books to be read could handle the influx though! Happy hopping!

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    1. I've never been disappointed by Heyer either. I love all of her books.

      BEA was amazing. Overwhelming, but amazing. And I brought home so many books, even though I told myself I wouldn't. I can't even imagine how many more books I could have gotten had I actually been trying.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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    2. Last year was my first "official" BEA and I came home so confused. I *might* have read half of what I got last year by the time this year rolled around. So this year I came out with a plan: pick up ONLY what interests you (as a former teacher, I had no idea how to say no to "free" in 2012!) and then, like you, organize by release dates. I feel like things make sense to me now! I haven't gone electronic with it, but that sounds like an awesome plan.
      I am also a genre jumper. It is an absolute necessity!

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    3. I've heard the same thing from a lot of bloggers. They all came home with so many books that they never read. Which was one of the reasons I tried to limit myself. And I actually got the idea of putting together a spreadsheet from one of the bloggers I met at BEA. It's definitely helpful.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  2. You sound like you have a great way to organize. I use an Excel spreadsheet also to keep my books in the order I need to read them.

    Stop by for my full, organized answer if you like. :)

    Happy Hopping!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog Hop Answer

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    1. Thanks! I never really thought about using a spreadsheet before BEA, but one of the bloggers told me how it helped her out. And then when I saw that overwhelming pile of ARCs, I just knew I had to make one for myself.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  3. Hey, Ashling!

    What a GREAT answer! You're a very thorough, detailed writer, and I like that!!

    It's interesting that everything changed for you AFTER the BEA event ended. So now you're much more organized than you previously were. I think you do have a point in organizing your ARCs, because it is indeed better to read them closer to the release date. People will then be attracted to your reviews, naturally!

    What made you decide to do a spreadsheet? Did you get inspired by Elizabeth, from SILVER'S REVIEWS? Lol. But hey, I'm not criticizing. If doing this type of things is a big help to you guys, then definitely GO for it!!

    What you say about reading too many books in the same genre is also interesting. Personally, I do go through periods where I tend to read only one genre. Ever since The Twilight Saga, I've been hooked on YA paranormal romance/urban fantasy! However, I also enjoy other genres, but I read them every now and then. Well, I'm trying to be less obsessive about reading YA PNR/UF. For instance, I'm currently reading "Pride and Prejudice".

    Anyway....thanks for sharing your answer!! And thanks so much for dropping by and commenting on my BBH post!! : )

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    1. Thanks! I actually got the idea for making a spreadsheet from a different blogger at BEA. She said it helped her out a lot, so I thought I'd give it a try.

      I used to read the same genre over and over, and then the huge dystopian fad started. I was reading nothing but that genre, but dystopian tends to be dark and somewhat draining. Now I mix the genres up.

      I really hope you enjoy "Pride & Prejudice." It's one of my all-time favorites.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  4. Ashling, I'm liking your unique answer regarding organising in genres, I haven't seen many people that organise via genres but I do understand your thoughts and it certainly makes sense. I really want to start a spreadsheet with all my books to read, but I can't think of a way to organise my ARC's, books for Review, Netgalley ebooks and then those for tours, then those for personal TBR...I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you differentiate between the different categories. Do you make a spreadsheet for each one?

    My Friday Hop

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    1. Personally, I would keep all of the ARCS, ebooks, and tour books together on one spreadsheet. I'd organize them all by release/tour date, as well as including what each book is for. This way you'd have everything in order by "deadline." As for the personal TBR list, I'd keep it separate. Mixing it in with the "deadlined" books could get confusing.

      That's just what I'd personally do. It might also work to have each list separate, but to have a calendar with the books listed on their release dates. It could give you a better idea of how many days you have between books.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  5. I'm very impressed that you organise things on a spreadsheet. Perhaps I should try that? I've got books coming out of my ears!

    I'm quite conventional, I organise (mostly) alphabetically. I used to split by fiction and non-fiction, but I have so many books now that extras have to be piled up wherever.

    Sarah

    P.S. I'm a new follower via Bloglovin'. :)

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    1. Thanks so much for the follow!

      I know what you mean about books coming out of your ears. I always told myself that there's no such thing as to many books, but now I'm starting to question that. The spreadsheet definitely gives me a grasp of just how many books I've got.

      That's a great idea, organizing your books alphabetically. Even though I've organized my books by genre, I still have a hard time finding the one I'm looking for because the books are squeezed wherever they fit. An alphabetical system would make it so much easier to find everything.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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Thank you so much for commenting! I always appreciate reading what you have to say.