Welcome to part two of the Blogger Q&A's we're hosting in theme of Bella & Daph's Epic Review Month! Bella from Cheezyfeet Books and I are co-hosting this month's theme to read a dent into our TBR's. Every week we have five amazing bloggers over on one of our blogs to answer some reading and/or reviewing related question. For the first Q&A post, head over to Bella's blog!
Do you find it difficult to find the time to read and review? Any tips for anyone who's struggling to find time?
Amber from Books of Amber
Only when I'm in a funk! I don't have much else to do at the moment, as I'm without a job, so I read and review quite a bit. Although, if I'm in a funk I find it extremely difficult! Erm, tips... I'd say to make time to read for at least an hour every day. Clear your timetable for that one hour, and try to do the same every day. I doubt that was helpful :')
Ashley from What's Your Story?
At first I did, because I just had so much going on in my life! With school and acting competitions, I literally had no time. I’ve barely read anything this year, I’m so far behind on my goal! But, now things have calmed down, and I’ve been reading more. I guess the best advice I could give to anyone struggling is ALWAYS CARRY A BOOK OF SOME KIND WITH YOU. If you have an e-reader, even better. You honestly never know when you’re going to have time to read, so keep a book on you. If you’re a student, it’s the best because there is so much time in class when you’re not doing anything, of you’ve finished your work early, and you can whip out a book and get a few chapters read. I’ve started carrying either my Nook or Kindle with me everywhere, and trust me, it’s helped.
Bella from Cheezyfeet Books
Sometimes. On school days I struggle to get any proper reading done - I usually waste my time on Twitter, then I watch TV and then I go to bed and only get in 20 minutes or so before I go to sleep, but I guess that's better than nothing, right? I find it a lot easier at the weekends when I don't have so much to do and I can sit for an hour or two and just read. If you're looking for tips, I'd suggest always have a book on you! You never know when you might have ten minutes or so - and surprisingly this can add up to a lot of otherwise wasted reading time! Also, if you're struggling to find time, remember that you can sacrifice an hour of TV (or in my case, Twitter) a day to make time to read! There's always time - you just have to make sure that you're not doing something else during it ;P
Image from Pusheen
Carina from Fictional Distraction
Since I’m taking my current read with me everywhere I go, I always tend to find some time to read every day. It’s the perfect pastime when you’re waiting for something or someone. And if I have a really busy day, I always try to read a bit during the evening to calm down.
My reviews are mostly written on the weekend or my days off from university. I try to write down a few notes while reading a book, so I can remember my most important thoughts about the books once I’m actually writing the review – this helps a lot!
Stacey from Pretty Books
I read every day but I do not have the luxury of reading for hours and hours straight any more. I mainly read on public transport and before going to sleep, but as I have a full-time job now it can hard to stay awake at night! I suggest:
1. Always bring a book with you when you leave the house - you never know when you might find time to read!
2. Read on public transport and before going to sleep - you'll be surprised how much you can read during this time.
3. Set yourself a goal if you're finding it hard to motivate yourself e.g. participate in the 50 Book Challenge.
As for reviewing, that can be tricky. It takes me about 45 mins - 1 hour to review each book and so it's extremely time-consuming. I tend to think in advance and say "I'll review that on Saturday morning" and stick to it so it gets done. I generally review books soon after reading them so I never have 10 reviews that need to be written (but then again, I do read slower than some of my fellow bloggers!).
Oh and I draft my posts (with book covers, bibliographic information etc) at the beginning of every month so all I have to do is write the review and then press post!
Image from Pusheen
Sara from Just Another Story
I am a full time university student. There is no time for reading, never mind reviewing. In saying that, reading is a passion of mine. I love it. I will always find time for reading. Reviewing is a little more difficult. It takes me over an hour to write a good review. That is more time then I have. It helps if you take notes of the book while you are reading. Take note of what worked for you, and what didn't. Write down lines that you enjoyed. Taking notes makes the review writing process a lot easier and take a lot less time.
Daph from Loving Books (aka me!)
I'd definitely recommend taking a book with you wherever you go and reading before bed. That's how I started out reading again: reading before I went to sleep. I started out with not even 15 minutes before I went to sleep, now I try to read at least 30 to 45 minutes each day. With all our busy lives it can be difficult to find the time to read, but it's all about making time. Reading is a hobby, just like sports and going shopping. I'll happily make room for an hour of reading on a very busy day, even if that means I'll have less time to do other things.
As for reviews: writing down your thoughts in a little notebook can definitely help if you can't write your review right away. I usually post a couple of sentences in my Goodreads review when I mark the book as 'read', which also helps me write my 'real' review. I don't have the patience to write really long reviews, so I don't. I'd rather spend that time reading! :)
That's it for this week's Q&A! Make sure to check out Bella's blog for the third Q&A post next week :) Also, I'd love to hear your answers to this week's question, so leave them in the comments below! :)
Amazing post :) !! I loved reading about all your reading and reviewing tips :) !!
ReplyDeleteI actually do most of my reading before going to bed and I always have he book I'm currently reading in my handbag just in case !!
I tend to write short reviews and I take some notes on my phone when I want to remember something I'd like to say in my review .. Just like you Daph I prefer writing short reviews as long as what I think of the book is in it, I think that's what is important. =)
Great post !!