A quick round-up of random things on my mind related to reading, books, and book blogging:
- Despite all of my careful planning and tracking — including my nifty Excel worksheet that tracks all of my ARCs — I now find myself almost hopelessly buried in commitments to new and upcoming books. How did I let this happen???
- After sticking to my schedule so, so diligently for the last couple of months, I made the radical decision to DO WHAT I WANT this week… and am now re-reading a 1400 page book. Because I feel like it.
- Rereading does make me feel a wee bit anxious. But I’m going to try to get over it. So what if I fall a week behind? Live for now! (Or so I tell myself…)
- Of course, rereading a massive book means there probably won’t be any new reviews on my blog for a bit. But I think the reading world will survive without my input for a few days. (Insert maniacal laughter here…)
- Are discussion posts the new must-have thing on book blogs? Seems like every book blogger these days has made it a goal to feature more discussion posts. But about what? How many different ways are there to write about whether people leave comments? IDK, maybe I’m just being a sourpuss today (entirely possible), but I tend to find these repetitive after a while.
- I guess I’m just not all that interested in reading blog posts about blogging. Unless I’m specifically seeking out a blogging expert for guidance or inspiration. But for the most part, when I visit a blog, I want to read about the topic the blog covers, not the ins and out of being a blogger.
- Continuing on my cranky roll, I’m starting to get annoyed by people on Goodreads… the ones who need to update their status with QUOTES from the page they’re on or comments like “OMG, nooooo! I can’t believe she picked (insert spoilery name here) over (some other dude)!” People, please CUT IT OUT! I do not want to be hit in the face with these updates every time I log into Goodreads. Save your spoilers for your reviews — and put a spoiler warning on them!
- Let’s see, something positive… I work someplace where there are constantly kids in the hallways and underfoot, and every time I see a kid totally absorbed in a book while waiting for a class or for a younger sibling, I feel a little shiver of joy run up my spine. Kids still read! They’re not all plugged into pads, pods, and gizmos. Well, not all the time, anyway.
- Stephen Colbert’s take on the J. K. Rowling interview that broke so many shippers’ hearts made me so happy. Watch it here, if you haven’t already.
- Are you waiting for Gail Carriger’s next series, about Prudence from The Parasol Protectorate? How does The Custard Protocol grab you? Check out the announcement here about the new title for the series.
- I was very excited to read this week that Redshirts by John Scalzi is being developed for TV! More info here — such an awesome book, can’t wait to see how this turns out!
- More exciting news: Not one, but two new Stephen King books will be published in 2014. Take my money, Mr. King, please!
- And my favorite discovery of the weekend is probably Wiry Limbs, Paper Backs, an awesome gallery of paperback books acting out their own plots. Check it out!
Sorry for the extra heaping doses of crankiness today! Must remedy that immediately… by diving back into my big, fat book. Quilts, couch, coffee, slippers, and paperback… perfect for this rainy Saturday.
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I think people have realized that discussion posts tend to get more comments than book reviews, so that may partially explain the increase in them. That, and I think some people find them more “original”–even though I personally think every review is an original reaction to the book. 😉 I enjoy reading discussion posts, but, like you, I do find that a lot of topics are repeated. That makes it hard to comment on those, too, since I don’t want to just same the same thing on ten different blogs!
“Every review is an original reaction to the book” — yes! I find reading people’s reactions to actual books much more interesting than some of the so-called discussion posts that seem to be everywhere lately. Although, to be fair, every once in a while, I’ll see a topic that presented in a really informative or engaging way, and those are the ones I’m happy to comment on. It just really started feeling like a trend, that suddenly discussion posts are the must-haves of book blogging! 🙂 thanks for your comments!
I got a kick out of Colbert’s segment. As someone who has not read HP yet, it has been fascinating to see the reactions to this. I’m really looking forward to reading these now and seeing what I think, after 7 books.
Ooh, I hope you read them! I love hearing what people think on their 1st encounter with Harry Potter. I read them as they were released, and I think it’s a very different experience reading them now when they’ve become such a cultural landmark. The Colbert piece cracked me up — but then again, he usually has that effect on me!
I am so excited about Gail Carriger’s book and about Redshirts. Very cool!
I hope Redshirts is awesome as a TV show! I just loved the book. John Scalzi posted a bit more info on his blog about the TV deal, if you’re interested. Yes, I’m excited about Gail Carriger’s new series too! I’ve been waiting for this one; I couldn’t get into her current series (the Finishing School), but I’d love to read more about Prudence!
I saw that, I need to look at it. I couldn’t get into Gail’s last series either but i am not a big YA fan, I am hoping that since it’s about prudence I will be more vested as well
Sometimes I get on a cranky roll too. It can be hard to stop.
As for discussions vs reviews, I’ve always preferred discussions. Reviews are so restrictive in their audience. I skip over reviews all the time, either because the book doesn’t interest me at all, or it’s already on my TBR and I want to avoid spoilers/influence before I read it myself. So, the only reviews I can read and comment on are ones where I’ve already read the book… or for books that look vaguely interesting and maybe I want to add them to my TBR, but even then I can’t really comment except to say, “Looks interesting!”
My favorite thing about blogging is being part of a conversation, and when I’m not reading the super popular books that everyone else is reading, reviews (writing or reading them) just don’t lend themselves to that.
True, I get your points completely. I don’t mind discussions — and sometimes they can be really interesting — it was more the fact that everyone seems to have “write more discussion posts” on their resolutions for the year, as if this is a trend that needs to be jumped on. Sigh… crankiness kicking in again, I suppose.
Very excited for more Stephen King this year!
I’m not a big fan of the series name change for Prudence… sounds very Middle Grade-ish. Which I suppose would be okay, but eh.
Oh, not for me, if it’s not aimed at grown-ups! I was excited for the Prudence series as a Parasol Protectorate spin-off — but if that’s not what it’ll end up being, then I don’t think I’d be interested. The Custard title doesn’t grab me, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the books will be good. Hurray for more Stephen King!!