Book with heart

I havenโ€™t done any end of year lists of favourite books read or best viewed blog posts but I did come across a rather alarming figure recently which explains a lot and which I thought Iโ€™d share. As some of you may know when not inhabiting the world of writing I fill my time doing various administration tasks for several companies and one of these is book-keeping.

Barefooted children

Now much like the bare-footed cobblerโ€™s children it takes my accountant calling me to say time is running out and deadlines are approaching like ominous clouds of doom rolling across the horizon before I actually get round to getting my own paperwork in order.

Barefooted child

I preferred this to a photo of an angry accountant ๐Ÿ™‚

So having been given a stern talking to by said accountant I got on with it. One of the jobs was to provide a figure for all the books that I buy over the year for โ€˜research, education and marketing purposesโ€™ (of course) and leaving the actual pound cost aside…ahem… it was the number of books that surprised me. For the financial year April 2014 to March 2015 I downloaded onto my kindle 269 books.

This figure does not take into consideration all the โ€˜extrasโ€™ I have bought at bookshops, fairs, writer events or that I have won via giveaways – they fill shelves elsewhere.

I knew my to-be-read list was…

ย bursting-at-seams

…but this is a ridiculous number to have waiting to be read and reviewed.

Particularly when I get precious little reading time.

I havenโ€™t looked at the number of books Iโ€™ve reviewed but at a rough guess I doubt itโ€™s as many as one a week, so you do the maths.

Reviews pic

It was interesting going through the list actually because it acted as a reminder of many books that I had forgotten about but on seeing them again I remembered that I really, really want to read them, so much so that my little heart leapt with joy to see them on there. On the other hand there were others I spotted that I wondered what the hell I was thinking and seriously questioned why they were on there at all – Iโ€™m hoping to be proven wrong as on my flick through I was purely judging on the cover (shows how important that is!) and I hope to find some gems in there to share with you at a later date (probably at a much later date!)

So, if you are an author and you know that I have your book but it appears I havenโ€™t read it yet, let alone reviewed it, then this is why…269 folks!! And that is only from one year…

Pile of books

On the basis of finding this out I am going to be hanging back on buying more that is a certainty, because all of a sudden it feels a bit overwhelming.

On the subject of reviewing though, while Iโ€™m chatting about it I will say this. I am not a reviewer, just a reader who reviews what they read. I donโ€™t accept books to review, so please donโ€™t ask. I review every book I finish and that will be 3* and above and I put those reviews here on my site, on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com and Goodreads. I will not post reviews of 1 or 2 stars because if I was going to give them this rating then they I will not have finished them…life is too short and my reading time too precious for that.

Pen, pad and kepboard

I also review books for Rosie Amberโ€™s Book Review Team so if you are an author who has found your way here and are looking for reviewers then this is the place to go. ๐Ÿ™‚

And on that note Iโ€™d best goย and finish my current read andย get on with the couple of reviews that Rosie is expecting from me!

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19 Responses to Here’s why I haven’t read & reviewed your book yet
  1. That is a lot of books! Itโ€™s scary how they mount up, but I donโ€™t think I have quite that many ๐Ÿ˜‰

  2. A lot of books Georgia, glad you’ve remembered the ones for me too! Now I don’t need to chase you for the reviews!!

    • It’s amazing how quickly they mount up on a Kindle and I’m clearly not going to get to all of these anytime soon. I lot would have been free which just goes to show that when authors offer their books for free they get hoovered up and then sit unloved in the depths of the kindle.

      No chasing necessary here!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. I’m always both amazed and grateful to you lot! I find it impossible to read ‘modern’ books as I’m always researching or writing. I mentally earmark ones from your reviews for a time when I can read for pleasure….

    • Thanks for commenting Carol, I appreciate you stopping by. I can completely understand you being unable to read ‘modern’ books when you are in the zone, so to speak, of your own time period. I think when #4 is underway I shall cut back as well – it muddles me otherwise.

  4. Wow, Georgia. That’s a lot of books. I haven’t counted mine but I buy paperbacks as well as Kindle books. I just can’t resist if I see something that takes my fancy. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • I didn’t even include the paperbacks Heather ๐Ÿ™ They certainly do mount up but like you I can’t resist – however I am going to have to in the future or never do the maths again – I much prefer the stick my head in the sand approach ๐Ÿ™‚ but I’m not sure how my accountant will feel about that!

  5. This is from Terry, who can’t comment here…

    I’ve just read this and shook my head in affectionate despair… you little Capricorn you! Now, as I am a Leo Lion, what I say goes, okay???

    Tell your stern little ruling planet of Saturn to shut up, stop struggling up that hill and apologising!! For the amount of other commitments you have, you do MASSES to support other writers, more than most who have more time. You don’t only spend time on long detailed blog reviews (mostly do a paragraph and stick it on Amazon UK and Goodreads when time is tight, or even when it’s not!!); never mind people like me and Barb and our detailed spectaculars with pictures, we have the time!), you also comment on blog posts, reply to comments, take an interest in everything anyone posts, interview, share posts all over the place, retweet, the full works.

    I do know what you mean; I was only saying to Him Indoors last night that I wish I didn’t feel the need to write, because then I could just read and review books all the time (I do love it, too!), but the work that stops your family being like the cobblers children, and YOUR OWN WRITING come first. Amen xx

    • You are quite right T and I guess my goaty traits are showing through – haha! Maybe there’s a support group somewhere for people like me ๐Ÿ™‚

      I appreciate what you say here and I am soon to be writing again so will be cutting back through sheer necessity – I am also approaching the new year in a much more structured way which I’m hoping will help me do some stuff so I don’t disappear completely. xx

  6. And an amazing author at that!!!

  7. Buying books… and I really want to read them all… I don’t have as many as you on my tbr list but there’s a fair few. I read your post in bed on my phone this morning (I know…) and vowed to curb my book-buying. Then I went on Twitter and within 5 minutes I’d bought a book. Just do your amazing best, Georgia, we’re all with you ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Thank you, and I’m totally with you on this! I was on FB this morning, clicked through to Amazon to get a book that was on a free offer (see I am trying!) only to be told I’d already bought it – haha! I feel a new year resolution coming on…. ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Not a problem. I have still to review part 3 of the Grayson Trilogy. I don’t have any excuse other than I tend to leave things for tomorrow. Will do it early in the New Year, promise. Happy New Year, Georgia

  9. It’s scary – I need another twenty-four hours to a day to get up to date. I’m as slow a reader as i am a writer and working four days a week and preparing for the classes doesn’t help. But what a wonderful world of writing we live in, Geogia. Don’t worry about any backlog of books – we’ll all get there one day.jx


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