Comments on: A Change of Pace and Policy

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:12:26 +0000

Yes — sometimes I look at my piles and all I can think is, OH NO. But I think over the Christmas break I may be able to discharge the last of my obligations. Then it’s back to reading for fun! (well, fun and school…)

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:02:49 +0000

I’ve got two items to review, one book and one product, and really don’t feel like it. So I understand.

By: Adventures in Reading

Adventures in Reading — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:52:43 +0000

Bravo. I was holding out on continuing to take free copies, but after my last few I’m reconsidering.

By: 3m

3m — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:50:05 +0000

Well stated! I’ve been thinking of doing the same, but I’ll still probably accept books on a VERY limited basis. I still love reading new books, but some of my favorites from 2008 are books I found at the library — Atmospheric Disturbances and Downtown Owl come to mind.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:35:56 +0000

Thanks for sharing this with us. It’s always hard to tell from a press release or similar what’s good or bad, so the easiest way to cut out unwanted review copies is to not accept any more. I’ve got this policy that I only accept ARCs that I’ve requested myself, because in those cases I’ve already done a fair amount of research on a book and can judge for myself whether or not it’s something that I might like. Life is just too short for bad books, and it’s also too short for authors who make your life hell simply because you didn’t just LOVE his or her book.

By: Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog

Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:17:32 +0000

Thanks for sharing this change with us and for stating it so well. I’ve always been pretty selective about what I accept from authors, publicists, and publishers for review, and I make sure they know up front that I’m going to write an honest review, whether it’s positive or negative….but as nice as it is to receive free books, it does interfere with one’s personal reading time. My pile of TBR/ARCs for review has continued to grow, while my personal TBRs are languishing on the shelf, making occasional appearances in my monthly round-up. I’m hoping to strike more of a balance in the new year, and I hope your changes will make your reading time more valuable and enjoyable for you.

By: Christine

Christine — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:59:48 +0000

You’re welcome, Sheri. This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a couple months — it just seemed the appropriate time to make the final decision, with what’s been going on recently.

And which header did you see, I wonder? I’ve got about fifty, that rotate.

By: Sheri

Sheri — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:16:09 +0000

First of all, I just love your header and must tell you so!

Second, boy did you get me on a roll… going from site to site… leaving comments…

Third, I did change my policy on my ABOUT page… if you’re interested in reading it. This is because of your amazing post!

Thank you!