So this is actually a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about recently and just wanted to do up a discussion post and see what the rest of you think about it as well! This is almost like a poll for me since I’m genuinely very curious as to what your opinions are on this topic so please join the discussion and let me know!
This will be a shorter discussion post than usual since it’s pretty straight forward.
Do we always have to publish a review for a book?
As book bloggers we read quite a few books and also review them on our blogs but when it gets to be too much I don’t see anything wrong with reading a book JUST for fun and not publishing a review at all. There are also instances where a book may just be too hard to review because we loved or hated it so much we can’t find the right words to properly describe our experience. I know I have certainly run into both of these problems myself.
The only time I think a review is mandatory is when you receive an ARC (advanced reader copy) because publishers gave you a FREE copy in order to review it and get some hype/buzz going about the book.
So when you do decide to review a book, how long is too long to wait?
This here is the golden question in this discussion! I know when I finish a book I may not always jump into a review right away (for the reasons stated in the first question). Then as time goes on I realize “Hey! I never actually reviewed that one….” which brings me to thinking I can either post a review now or maybe just put it off infinitely. However, many of the books I have yet to review were ones I had full intentions of reviewing and just never got around to it.
I personally like to think you can post a review for a book WHENEVER you want to! Read the book a year ago? Fine, post a review! Read it a month ago? Fine, post a review! You should be able to post reviews for books at your own leisure, with the exception of ARCs as stated earlier.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean we are all comfortable doing it whenever. I know I personally get really self conscious about reviewing books I read last year and why? Because I worry that’s frowned upon by others. But why?! Why do I care? I don’t know, but I definitely think at the same time we should post what we want, when we want!
One Last Note…..
I’m VERY curious as to all of your thoughts on this topic since I have quite a few books I read and have yet to review! So the big reason behind making this into a post is to learn whether or not you guys are still interested in reading reviews for books I read a year ago even if their mini reviews and whatnot.
Come Join The Discussion!
How long do you wait to post a review for a book you read?
Do you always review every book you read?
Are you still interested in reading book reviews even though the books were read a while ago?
Is it alright to read a book and NEVER post a review?
Do you think it’s alright to post a review even though you read the book a while ago? Even if it’s been a month, a few months, or even a year?
What do you think of others who take a long time to post their reviews?
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I think posting a review at any time is valid. Sometimes posting it long after you’ve read it speaks better to the lasting impact a book can have on you. The books that you’ve read ages ago but still find yourself thinking about are definitely worth reading about to me. I do all my reviews for the whole month at the end of the month so I’ve had some time to stew on my thoughts about the book too. Sometimes I like a book in the moment, but they wind up being somewhat forgettable in the grand scheme of things.
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Thank you so much for commenting! I’m glad you think posting at any time is valid since I agree with that too. I like to give myself some time to think about each book but sometimes a couple slip away from me, I like to think as long as I remember the details I’m a-okay! I definitely agree that after stewing on a book for a while my opinion changes too especially with the in-between books I may decide I liked it more or less. 🙂
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Great post! For me I love to review every book I read, it also gives me a reason to re-read a book if I know I haven’t ever reviewed it. I just like having a review for my own sake. Whether I post it or not is obviously up to me (and usually I do post them) I also started a while back posting reviews for books I read years ago on Thursdays as a sort of ‘throwback’ to give my blog some fun, as some of those reviews weren’t my best, but it’s always nice to go back and revisit them.
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Thank you!
I like to try and review everything I read but a lot of the time if I can’t form proper thoughts right away I wait and then I end up waiting too long…..
I really love your idea of doing “throwback” reviews! I know I definitely have a lot of old books I never reviewed since it was before I started blogging. Or even rewriting old reviews would be good too since some of my first ones are awful in my eyes now! 🙂
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You’re welcome! I know how that is, I try my hardest to think of things to say about the book I read. For some reason I find it easier to write it out than type it! 😛
I’ve done a few rewrites, I’m at the point where I have to reread the book in order to write a proper review, because what I wrote was that bad haha!
I say go with the throwback thing, I think it’s perfect & it’s fun! 🙂
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I definitely agree with you about reading a book for fun, in that instance you don’t have to review it either, it could take some of the actual fun out of reading knowing that you’ve got to write a review afterwards. No reason we all can’t just read a book for fun and not review it every now and again.
I’ll pass on commenting on the reviewing ARC’s bit as there are so many bloggers out there who never read there ARC’s and review them months and months after release.
I really don’t see why you can’t review a book that you read a year ago or more even, I recently started a weekly feature on my blog called 200 Words or Less where I look back and review books I read before I started blogging, it’s perhaps more thoughts on the book than an actual ‘review’ but I didn’t realise reviewing books you read over a year ago was frowned on, oh well! I don’t see it being a problem if you can still remember the book, what happened in it and still have some thoughts on it.
Cool post.😀
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I really like your idea of doing short posts talking about books you’ve read in the past!
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Thank you.😀 I’d struggle to remember enough for a whole review but a short post of review/thoughts seemed like a good idea to me.😀
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Thank you!
I’m glad you agree with not reviewing every book, sometimes I just need a break and want to read it for fun and still give it a rating just not a full review.
I feel like reviewing ARCs is definitely it’s own discussion post! I may have to do that one as well now since it definitely has a lot of opinions I feel. Although I will say it’s sad to see people not read and review an ARC on time.
I really love your post idea for doing a sort of “throwback” or “mini” review for books you read before! There are definitely a lot of books I have that still need to be reviewed. I like to think as long as I remember it and how I felt about it I can still review it.
I also didn’t mean for it to sound like people DO frown upon reviewing books you read from over a year ago! I’ve never had anyone actually say anything to me it’s just that I personally feel like I may be judged for it which is why I did up this post! 🙂
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Oh yes, ARC’s is definitely it’s own discussion post, it’s a subject everyone has an opinion on.😂
Oh, definitely, we all need a break at times and sometimes you just don’t want to bother with a review. I agree completely, as long as you can remember it and how you felt there’s no reason not to write a review on a book.😀
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I would say it doesn’t matter whenever or not one reviews a book and when. When I first started book blogging I was reviewing favourite books that I’d not read for a while and it felt good because there was no expectation. I still do write reviews when I feel like it and for me it is just easier that way, especially when real life becomes more important.
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Thanks for commenting!
I’m glad you agree it doesn’t matter when someone reviews a book! When I first started blogging I did the same thing as well, sort of mini reviews of books I read before. Life definitely gets in the way sometimes and that’s when I get behind with reviews, I’d still like to review them but didn’t know if that would be “socially acceptable” to do it so much later, if you get what I mean! I’m glad to hear it doesn’t really matter when you review as long as you remember your thoughts and opinions on it! 🙂
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I like to offer my thoughts on most of the books that I read, but because of grad school, this has become more challenging. I’ve come to the place where I’m okay if I don’t review a book that I’ve read. And if I have a dry week (I only post reviews on Thursdays right now), I’m happy to go back and post something I’ve read a while ago but never did a sticky note review for. It’s kind of freeing, not feeling like I have to do a full blog post or a full review for everything I read. Sometimes I just do the sticky note review, leave it on Instagram, and call it a day.
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Thanks for commenting!
I do like to try and review most of the books I read but definitely agree with you that life gets in the way sometimes and thus it’s okay to read for fun, because it should be fun! You’re right, sometimes it is very freeing to know I don’t have to write a review if I don’t feel like it. I think I’ll try and do mini reviews for books I didn’t get to from last year. 🙂
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I agree that reading should be about fun, an activity to pass the time, to escape and relax. If we were to read books purely for the review that we make at the end, not only would it make reading boring, but it would greatly reduce the amount of young people who start to read due to someone else’s passion or their own interest.
Book reviews are not mandatory, it may be that you just want to let people know what a goood book it is and convince them to read it… or warn them against reading it if it was rubbish! Reviews are a way to build connections with your audience by showing them your view and asking them their’s as well.
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Thanks for the comment! I’m happy to hear you don’t think reviews or mandatory either, I agree with you 100% that reading should be and STAY fun! Reviews are just an added thing to do and share thoughts with others. 🙂
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Exactly my thoughts, reading is and should always be fun!
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Great topic! I definitely don’t review everything I read. But I usually won’t review books I’ve read a long time ago, because I tend to forget a lot. That being said, I sometimes feel like I should wait longer (usually I wait a few days to a week) because my impression of a book sometimes will change a lot over time. I might look back at a review I wrote a while ago and completely disagree with it now that time has gone by and the book has “settled” so to speak. I think so long as you remember enough, you can write a review whenever you want. Sometimes it might even be beneficial to wait a bit.
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Thanks Emily and thanks for joining the discussion!
I like to wait a little while to review after reading as well because like you said my impression sometimes changes. Although sometimes when I wait I don’t review it at all then it’s a year later and I want to review it finally. Usually I have notes to use or just remember how I felt and do a mini review, even reading other reviews can jog the memory a bit. I’m glad you think reviewing whenever is fine as long as we remember what’s going on! 🙂
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I love having my reviews written within two weeks after I’ve read the book. That way it gives me time to reflect and get my thoughts together.
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I think that’s definitely a good time-space to get reviews done, like you said it’s nice to reflect on a book since our impressions can change over time. I know I’ve had books where I thought it should be a 3 or 4 and then thinking about it in the end it was a 2 star rating. 🙂
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I have A book that I need to change the rating of.
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I have a couple I want to change the ratings on as well but haven’t gotten around to it. Which one are you thinking of and are you wanting to rate it higher or lower?
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great choice! I was just briefly discussing in some comments the other day how I envy those who can post reviews at much later dates. I tend to have to review a title within several days of reading it. I do get that everyone works differently though. but I am not sure how much faith I would put in something possibly written a year later. Even our favorites can be lost a bit over time I think. But I could be wrong. Also waiting sometimes helps. We need to let things stew if they are complex.. so no solid answer on this one I guess.
I am terrible about reviewing everything I read. I just do. I have no idea why. I want to actually break this habit because I feel it will encourage my “pleasure” reading haha. It is a goal of mine personally this year to try to read a few titles and let them be.
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Thank you and thanks for joining the discussion!
I try to get reviews up right away but sometimes certain books need to stew for a while with me since I find my impressions change quite a bit. I understand both sides but overall I think posting a review whenever is fine. If it’s been a while then a mini review is more than adequate I think since it’s shorter than a full review. I know if it’s been a while for me and I want to do a review it’s easy to look back on notes I took or even read other reviews to jog the memory.
I think I HAVE to review everything I read as well, which is why I get behind sometimes but I agree with you it is a habit to break because reading for fun is the whole reason we love to read! 🙂
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Absolutely! I completely agree about the mini reviews for books that it has been a bit since reading 🙂
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I have a horrible memory so I only wait a week at most. I like the comment that Emily wrote about a book settling. I definitely think that’s a great point. Some of the books I’ve reviewed that I really enjoyed I may have given a slightly lower rating if I’d sat on it. And vice versa really. Sometimes I may be hard on a book but then looking back I’ll think it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. As far as reading for pleasure, I definitely do that. Hose books would be my guilty pleasures… 😉
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Thanks for joining the discussion!
I agree with Emily’s comment a lot as well, I know for me personally my impression of a book can change a lot after even just a few days so I like to wait and let things settle too. 🙂
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To me personally it doesn’t matter how long it takes a blogger to review a book -if they do. I don’t always post reviews myself. My main reason is that I’m cathing up on very popular books and because synopsis and what not is superficial for these books I have enough space in my monthly wrap up to quickly write out my thoughts. The reviews I do write most of the time are for books I finished recently. If I don’t do it quick I kinda forget all lot of important stuff from the book.
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Awesome, I’m glad you think that since I too think it doesn’t matter how long it takes a blogger as long as they remember how they felt about the book!
I like to let my thoughts settle after reading a book, usually a few days, since I find that my overall impression can change quite a bit.
I forget things sometimes too but I find reading other reviews can help jog the memory! 🙂
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If I wait too long, I become unsure about my feelings, especially if this was just an okay book and I’ve read a few other stories since then so I don’t feel comfortable reviewing. This year I am doing my best to review every book I read, with a 10% leeway because I’m not a robot, haha! Usually, I review within a week, max two, as soon as inspiration strikes!
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Everyone’s different and we all have to do what works best for us! I’m almost the exact opposite since I find my impression changes and I need those extra few days/weeks to really get my opinion straight!
I also try my best to review everything I’ve read but I like your idea of a little bit of leeway because you’re right, we aren’t robots! 🙂
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I think as long as you present the book accurately and remember your thoughts on it beyond “here’s a plot synopsis” then by all means wait as long as you like to review! Personally, I have to marinate on a book for at least a couple of days before I write about it. It’s easy to think you’re really far behind if you don’t get it out right at release time, but we all read books months or years after publication so it can still help others find good reads even if they aren’t fresh new releases. I definitely do not review every book I read. I’ve been dabbling into more adult/literary fiction recently and while I typically enjoy them, I sometimes don’t have strong enough opinions about the stories to be able to write thoughtfully about them, either positively or negatively. On the other hand, I’m fully sunk into the YA/sci-fi/fantasy genres so I tend to review all of them, since I feel I can comment intelligently on whether others who like that genre will enjoy a particular title.
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Thank you for joining the discussion!
I’m happy you say that because I agree 100% as well, as long as you remember your thoughts on a book go ahead and review it! (also that’d be just terrible if someone thought a plot synopsis was a review!)
I need to sit on a book for a few days or weeks as well since I find that my impression can change quite a bit the more I stew on it.
I’m really glad you brought up the fact that you don’t always review because you don’t have a strong enough opinion negative/positive since that’s the exact same problem I have sometimes as well! I also am big into YA scifi/fantasy as well so I definitely feel I can give a better opinion on those too so I also tend to review all of them. 🙂
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Ugh, our local paper’s movie reviewer seems to think that “review” means “recap,” so I unfortunately have some experience with that. He’s a real eye-roller. I tend to mull over sentences and “write” in my head before I sit down to actually type anything. It helps me get a feel for the direction I want to go, especially for my opening/closing statements. Gotta get that hook down! I’m finding that standard adult fiction is just really not for me, because I get to the end and am thinking “The plot was…they lived life??? The themes were…yeah I’ve got nothing.” And then I go back to the dragons and all is right with the world. 😄
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Nice topic. I actually do review everything I’ve read, at least so far. I’m not saying everyone should do it my way, just that I like to at least have a post up 5-6 times a week and reviewing what I read is the easiest way to do that. I’m sure there will come a time I decide not to review a book, and that will be okay too. It’s only that it makes it easier for me to review everything I read.
I also tend to review right away. I know when I wait to long to review I find I no longer have much to say about it. All those thoughts and opinions are rolling around in my head, but my brain pushes them to the back when I start a new book. I think the longest I’ve waited to review was a week.
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Thank you!
I agree that reviews definitely are the best way to fill up a blog with posts, it’s hard for me to review things super quick sometimes though since my impression changes over time. I also try to review everything I read but sometimes some of them just slip away from me!
You’re very lucky that you can get your reviews done so fast! Like I said for myself I need to sit on it for a bit before I can get a straight opinion! 🙂
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That makes sense. There have been times I’ve written a review and my opinion changed.
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Love this, Heather 😊
I try and review most books I read, but sometimes when I’m struggling with my thoughts it might take a while. I sometimes then just start a draft and keep on editing it until I’m happy! I don’t think there’s a time limit on how long after you’re allowed to review a book, if you can remember what it was about and how you felt about it then I say go for it!
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Thanks Michelle!
I also try to review everything I read but sometimes some of them slip away from me. That’s a really good idea though to make a draft and add to it every now and then! Usually I just add to my notes though until I get enough to go off of in a review.
I’m really happy you agree that we can review whenever we want as long as we remember our thoughts on it! 🙂
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This is a really great discussion topic, Heather! I had never even thought about if there is a ‘right’ time to post a review for a book you’ve read. I usually find myself posting a review close to when I finished reading the book – otherwise I will have trouble remembering what I read and how I felt about it!
But I don’t think you have to play by anyone’s rules! If you want to post the review weeks/months after you read the book? Go for it! It’s your blog after all and you get to decide how things are done!
I will read reviews for books I read or want to read and not care about when you finished it and when you posted your review.
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Thank you and thanks for joining in!
I usually need to wait a few days or weeks before I review since my impression changes quite a bit. Although if I must wait longer I find that reading other reviews can help jog the memory!
I’m really happy to hear you say all of that too! It definitely helps me personally feel a little bit better about posting reviews for books I read a while ago and I do agree that everyone should be able to do whatever they want on their blog and not have to worry about it!
I also find that I’ll read a review for anything as long as you have your thoughts on the book in there! 🙂
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I don’t allow myself to read or watch reviews of the book I am about to review until after I have finished my own post and it’s all said and then. I feel like reading someone else’s words will influence my own review and I don’t want that to happen. I can’t wait to go off and read and watch reviews for A Gather Of Shadows as mine goes up in a bit!
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That definitely makes sense as well, I find it jogs my memory without influencing my own thoughts at the same time. Of course I do read reviews of things I have yet to read as well to make sure they aren’t a waste of time. 🙂
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Great post, Heather! As someone who is suuuuuuper inconsistent in reviewing, I don’t think the time frame matters too much! I’m constantly reviewing books weeks and months after I read them, haha. I read Caraval in like September last year and wrote my review the day it was released. Obviously the downside is that I can forget a lot of what happens, but I’ll TRY to take notes or look at my annotations so I remember, ahaha. I’m just not one of those people who can sit down and write a review the moment they finish a book. I also have SOOO MANY books that I’ve never reviewed on my blog. I mostly only review books that are review copies or that I really love or hate.
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Thanks Lauren!
We seem to have a common reviewing style then, haha, I’m pretty much always reviewing books a while after reading them! I agree with you 100% I cannot sit and write a review immediately after reading either, I need a lot more time for my thoughts to settle….it might also just be laziness on my part too! I’ve got more than a couple that still haven’t been reviewed either I just keep hoping I’ll maybe get to them and for me it’s about the same as well: they were either loved or hated by me. Those books always seem harder to review so. 🙂
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I have a review I still need to write for Rose Daughter but the only part of waiting that I hate is forgetting details about the book! So I put it off too long and I may just review it quickly on Goodreads…but I feel like I HAVE to review a book I read now that I’m a blogger, lol!
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I agree, I personally like to wait but then sometimes I wait TOO long and forget details as you said. In which case a mini review on the blog or Goodreads is an excellent idea! I also feel like I need to review every boo I read on my blog but am still comforted by the fact that I know I do not HAVE to! 🙂
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Was googling about reviewing books as soon as one finished reading.
For sure agree with you, but there’s always something nagging me to write the review as soon as possible!
Thanks for the self assurance!
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