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I used to have a shelf dedicated to my review books but when I started running out of space, that was the first shelf to go and then review books got piled up on top of the shelves as that was the only space left for them. For people that DO use this method, I do wish that ALL British publishers would put the publication date on the spine of the ARC's (like the American publishers do) which would make it easier to organise the books in order of release date but that's no longer an issue for me now.
At present, I really have no system apart from choosing what I want to read when I want to read it. Obviously this doesn't help with review copies and if I don't get to the Netgalley books for a while, then no reviews go up and I won't be accepted for books that I really want to read on there. So, with that in mind I've been thinking of alternative ways of being organised. I can say off the bat, that I don't think a paper diary or an electronic diary would work in this instance but what about a database or spreadsheet? It's a little geeky but whatever works, right?! When a review copy comes through the door, it could be entered into an excel spreadsheet that's in order of publication month and then you could see at a glance exactly which books are being published that month. This also works for netgalley books, eARC's and physical ARC's. I can't see any other way of being organised but that's where you come in. I'm interested to know what methods YOU use to stay organised? How do you juggle your bought books, your review copies, your eBooks, your Netgalley books? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave a comment and let's see if we can't come up with a way to do this, a way that will help all book bloggers! I'll post a list of the best suggestions.
I have a reading blog thread on my forum.. as review books come in, I add them there, in publication date order. That way, if I'm not sure what to read next, I can check which has highest priority.
ReplyDeleteAs for my bought books, they don't get much of a look-in. Because of that, I'm starting cut down on review books.
Every now and again I get too stressed by my review pile, and consider stopping. Then I get offered some too good to miss, and the pile grows again!
I use a nifty little Excel spreadsheet that Emma created. If you ask her nicely I'm sure she will share. IT has a list of publications as they come out each month. The ones I don't read that month, then get transferred to a long list which I work through with my reviewers when I can.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Michelle about my review pile. I get offered something and I just can't refuse. The publishers are like my dealers!
I don't have much order to mine at all, which is strange because I'm so organised with everything else. But, I kind of do it purposely. All of my review books are together, as are my own books. I read what I want/ when I want because otherwise I feel too much pressure to read everything in the right months. Due to uni just finishing, I'm way behind anyway.
ReplyDeleteOoh, a spreadsheet is a good idea! I always get lost between upcoming releases between physical books and ebooks, I have to write out the dates on a scrap piece of paper and stick it to my wall! I don't really organise the rest of my TBR, just pick out a few at a time to read immediately and they sit next to my bed :)
ReplyDeleteI have a whole bookcase that I only put review books on & I shelve them in order of release date! Not that it really helps me stay organised though because I prefer to read the book I'm in the mood for and not feel stressed about release dates. I also have a list of review books on my blog organised by date so that helps me keep track of the netgalley books as well as the print ones. If I can't decide what to read then I tend to have a look at my list & try to pick from the books that are releasing soon
ReplyDeleteI don't receive many review books anymore so I don't really need to organise them. When I did though, I found a spreadsheet really helpful. Especially as I could then choose from what was coming out the soonest, meaning I didn't feel like I was being forced to read one particular book
ReplyDeleteCait x
I use iCal because I found that most convenient but I highly agree that using a system is a good idea-something that helps you keep track of what books you have, when they're scheduled to release, and when you plan to read them.
ReplyDeleteDo you need me to send you the spreadsheet again :)
ReplyDeleteI have no organisation to mine - when a book comes in, it kind of just gets added to the pile (alas that sits on the floor next to my bookcase).
ReplyDeleteI gave up trying to review books for publication - it just meant that I was reading the books I had to read rather than the books I wanted to.
Now I just look at all the books I have (both review books and ones that I have bought - (I give no favoritism to review books) and pick out the book I want to read today! :)
I cannot read for deadlines or publication dates, so I don't. Blogging is supposed to be fun, so for me, I read whatever books I want when I fancy them - whether they're review copies, ARCs, bought books, etc. If I fancy an action packed urban fantasy, I'm not going to enjoy a romance, so forcing myself to read it when I'm not in the mood is not going to be of any use to anyone. Better to wait until I do fancy a romance. That's the way I work, it's in my review policy, and the publicists I've had face-to-face discussions with about this are completely fine, because they knew books I request will get read at some point, so they're happy.
ReplyDeleteI can't do it any other way, or I get stressed out and frustrated. I don't want blogging to become a chore.
I have set shelves on my bookcase for review books and they are organised by publication date. When a new one comes through the door, or I get one from netgalley I write the title and publication date onto a small rectangle piece of paper (I have 3 different colours for requested, unsolicited, and ones from blogger events) and the paper then gets stuck onto my bookcase in publication order, that way I have a physical reminder of the books I need to read.
ReplyDelete