I never manage to read enough recently published books to feel justified in voting in Best of The Year contests like the GoodReads 2013 awards. Then I go over to look, just in case, and my TBR pile explodes.
I'm torn between feeling guilty that I don't have my act together, awed at everyone else who can keep up with the wealth of books that have come out this year and being pulled inexorably into that Memoirs & Autobiography section... and the Horror section... and the Fantasy section...
Weirdly though, this year the Mysteries & Thrillers left me unimpressed.
I know that guilty-awed feeling only too well. There are more than a few books in the Fantasy and Young Adult Fantasy sections that were already on my TBR list but I just haven't gotten to them yet because they are in a series and I'm still trying to catch up on the first book or two or whatever. I might have to become even more of an introvert. If that's even possible.
THIS. I do way more adding of books for the next year than actual voting. But I mean, the whole voting thing is pretty weird, now that I think about it. Who are these people that have time to read everything that comes out in 2013 to make a selection of "Best of"? I have to believe they're either in the publishing industry or are bloggers getting books for free, which skews the whole concept of best.
Then the people on GR voting in the categories likely haven't read everything in that category; they're likely just voting for what they did read. That doesn't strike me as "best" so much as "read by most # of people".
I don't even know. I feel like I need a whole different category of Best of 2013 awards: only books you read during 2013 may apply, regardless of year. Get a bunch of people from GR together, have one round where it's Yes, Everything You Want In Here, then try to narrow it down to like, 20. Then have them fight to the death. :D
I think I'm going to join GR now. To keep track of books read, at least.
For several years now, I've just read through the year-end "Best Books" lists and looked up interesting titles I've seen for finding/putting on hold at the library.
I also use the list to add to the TBR piles. I do read some current fiction but as you, not enough to know or vote on the lists. I also wonder how has the time and money to read all the new releases, and I say this as someone who reads a lot. Our library was woefully behind on new releases this past year.
There's been a big bookcase in the garage since spring bc books have taken over the house. I'm still sorting and arranging and and and... The bookcase was to be refinished and moved inside, still does not hold all the books so there are a couple of boxes there too. If I could, I'd put bookshelves on most of the walls of the house.
It's absolutely a danger. How is my TBR on GR alone nearly 700 books? That is crazymaking.
At the same time, seeing the micro-updates from friends as they read -- either tiny thoughts after they finish a book, or some folks jot down thoughts as they read, or even just seeing the ratings folks give books -- has been totally worth it.
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Weirdly though, this year the Mysteries & Thrillers left me unimpressed.
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Then the people on GR voting in the categories likely haven't read everything in that category; they're likely just voting for what they did read. That doesn't strike me as "best" so much as "read by most # of people".
I don't even know. I feel like I need a whole different category of Best of 2013 awards: only books you read during 2013 may apply, regardless of year. Get a bunch of people from GR together, have one round where it's Yes, Everything You Want In Here, then try to narrow it down to like, 20. Then have them fight to the death. :D
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For several years now, I've just read through the year-end "Best Books" lists and looked up interesting titles I've seen for finding/putting on hold at the library.
Reply
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There's been a big bookcase in the garage since spring bc books have taken over the house. I'm still sorting and arranging and and and... The bookcase was to be refinished and moved inside, still does not hold all the books so there are a couple of boxes there too. If I could, I'd put bookshelves on most of the walls of the house.
Reply
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At the same time, seeing the micro-updates from friends as they read -- either tiny thoughts after they finish a book, or some folks jot down thoughts as they read, or even just seeing the ratings folks give books -- has been totally worth it.
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