These all sound like such good changes.

I can’t imagine reviewing every book I read! Kudos to those can do it, but I need to be choosier. :)

I've definitely also become a lot more choosy about which books to read and I don't force myself to review every single book I read anymore either. I do still need to work on DNF'ing more though :)

Another Goodreads lover here! (and totally agree with you on Storygraph, that learning curve has proved very difficult for me...) And I hear you on the great freedom that a single DNF can bring :)
~Lex (lexlingua.co)

Great list! I have an app that I sometimes use for longer quotes. It takes the photo and transcribes it into text that you can copy into your quote library or review so you don't have to type it up. So smart. I'm a sucker for collecting quotes too. :-)

OOh nice! I still take notes while I read as well, because I feel like I can be scatter brained at the best of times and I might not remember something simple, so I take notes constantly, pretty much up to the halfway point because after that anything else plot wise doesn't need to be in the review for spoiler reasons and I rarely use everything I write even prior to that point! I also take very detailed notes to keep for myself if it's an ongoing series.

I didn't use to like DNFing either but nowadays if I'm not hooked within a certain amount of pages, I'm done. There are some I am willing to try at a later date if I feel like it just wasn't the right time for that kind of book. But I feel like books I've DNF'd are still very low in number. I stopped writing mini dnf reviews because I just didn't feel like bothering especially if some were dnf so early on.

I am however someone who needs to write the review as soon as I finish the book. I want to get everything down while it's still fresh in my head. I've learned most of my other blogging friends are the complete opposite! Lol. I won't let myself start my next read until the review is written, so that's my incentive to get it done! Lol.

I do still read physical books primarily. Reading on my kindle feels like a chore most times. I guess because my screen isn't the "real" page and for whatever reason my brain treats it like that and I read super slow when reading on it and I don't like that. I read slow enough with real books so reading on a kindle makes me feel like it will take 2 weeks or more to finish a book I could get done within a week if it were real and in my hands!

Here's my Tuesday Post

Have a GREAT day!

Old Follower :)

Your list is excellent! Isn't funny how when we all first got into this reviewing game we felt called to say YES to every book we could get our hands on...then we got overwhelmed...and now we say YES a little less often? This is probably the most repeated item I've seen on almost everyone's lists today. We all meant well, but forgot about things like work and families and other life stuff. LOL!

I can really relate to a lot of these! Especially accepting too many review books early on, and slowly learning to say no and request fewer books. (Like you, I still request more than I can handle, though.) And I wish I were better about taking notes when I'm reading.

Here's my TTT post for this week.

So many of these changes resonate with me! I have found myself making a lot of these changes, too. And it seems that DNFing more is probably the most popular choice this week! I've seen it on a lot of lists.

I don't know if I'm where you saw the "take picture of quotes" thing, but I do that too. It's just so much easier than trying to write down every quote—and then remembering where I put the paper I wrote it on, LOL!

My TTT this week: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2024/10/22/top-ten-tuesday-the-books-they-are-a-changin/

There's very few books on my DNF shelf... on a scale of 5 to 1, 5 being the best, 1 being the worst, a DNF for me is -1. When I was a kid if I didn't like it I put it down. Now as an adult I tend to power through.

https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/10/top-ten-changed-reading-habits.html

My older blogging sister…….Our reading lives are similar in so many ways! Except in IRL I’m older! 😂😂😂 Choosy Suzie is adorbs though! I’m a firm believer in my blog-my way! I read and review in ways that make sense to me! Not providing written reviews for every book I read has been freeing! I record and give star ratings for every book on GR and I’m selective on what I feature on the blog. Taking notes saves my life! I always think I’ll remember but those impressions quickly fade. I’m always seeing something in my notes that I know I would have forgotten in relying on my memory alone. I grow pickier with every passing year and DNFing no longer bothers me! Great post! ~Carol @ ReadingLadies

I also used to accept WAY too many review copies. They've really dropped off lately and it's given me so much more freedom in what I read and I'm really loving it. I used to feel way too obligated to read books that were sent to me, even those that were unsolicited.

I couldn't get behind Storygraph ever, the emotions like adventurous and sad were hilarious, among other things 😂 thanks for dropping by my post! Athena @ OneReadingNurse

Related to a lot of these! Especially the first two - the excitement of being sent books definitely created some pressure to finish and review every book and that does make reading feel like a chore :/ Glad you've evolved past that! I'm still working on it. And a BIG YES to being paper people!!
Shoto @ Magic & Maybes

I'm not sure I EVER DNF'd a book when I read all the books from publishers or an author. Like you, I felt too guilt. I did write reviews sharing what I didn't like, but if I requested a book I always tried to read it. If I was sent a book I didn't request, I didn't tend to worry about it because while I was grateful for the book, I also was intentional about what I requested. :) Thanks for visiting my list!

I am much more likely to DNF books now than in yesteryear, especially since COVID pandemic. I got quite impatient with bad books during that huge event.

Since discovering your blog, I've noticed we have a lot in common. :) I'm a lover of lists, spreadsheets, habit trackers, and other organizational tools too. (I think it's the OCD in me). I need to start taking notes while reading because that would really come in handy with writing reviews. Followed you on Goodreads! Have a great day, Susan!

I liked your post. Lots resonate with me.

I am in alignment with you on almost every one of these points. I do continue to review everything, but maybe that is starting to drop away, too.

I really used to be on Team No-DNF too, but I've been working at getting better at in and more confident in my own tastes. Like you say, there's too many books in the sea!

I am giggling because I hated being called Sami, but my grandmother was the only one I would allow. I think I was a lot like you, reading any old book they offered. I am more picky these days, though, I do tend to borrow a lot of the offered titles from the library once released. I also like featuring a mix of old and new books. I find older books get more discussion since more people may have read them.

Great post! Your #1 reminds me of me. When I first started blogging, I accepted every review request. I'm not the fastest reader so this hasn't worked out well. To top it off, when I found NetGalley I requested way more books than I should have. Although in all fairness, I didn't think I would get approved...much to my surprise, I did. All these years later and I'm still trying to catch up. I love Goodreads too. I'm on my way over there right now to send you a friend request.

DNF-ing books and not liking writing reviews is something I connect to on a deep level 😂😂 I don't know why, but I've always preferred writing basically anything else on my blog instead of reviews. They scare me and I feel like I'm always writing the same things so I don't want to sound repetitive

All these sound so close to my own experience. Keep enjoying reading and blogging, your way!

I didn't think I would ever listen to audiobooks, but I'm more open to them now although I'm not on your level yet. I haven't had to DNF a book for a long time now, maybe its because I only read what I know I'll like. It was great reading about your reading habits :)

If you'd like to visit, here's my TTT: https://thebooklorefairy.blogspot.com/2024/10/top-ten-tuesday-new-reading-habits.html

I've only been Blogging since 2021 so I still do your early things! I love a Blog Tour. I try to cut down but so many books call to me! I do try and get Library books in as well though so I actually have no time left for my own books! I will find a balance one day...

DNF is something I haven't learnt to do yet. I DNF one book and that was a book of short stories so I finished the one I was on and just didn't continue 😶

Anyway here is to the fun of reading and many more years blogging!

Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog

Great list and we have a lot of similarities. I've definitely done a lot more DNFing in the last few years as I used to be a finish regardless kind of reader. I've also gotten a lot choosier on review books. I read a lot of pretty terrible books early on!

I think we all had to learn how to DNF and actually to do so over time. I was so bad at it too!

I totally agree on reviewing without pressure. My problem however, is that I've been an official reviewer for an official Dutch bookish website, and now I can't leave that behind and losen up. Which really sucks, because I just can't review leissurely now as I have to keep a structure for myself. Which sucks the enjoyment out of it somehow. Anyway, does a little structure help you maybe in writing reviews? They don't have to go deep, but it might prevent you from struggling what to write. I do without structure LOL.

LOL I keep forgetting about GR, I rate but barely review on there. I often update the app when I'm travelling, so not the ideal time to write a review since reviewing on my phone feels like a hastle to me.

My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2024/10/22/top-ten-tuesday-how-my-reading-habits-have-changed-over-time/

I'm the same about books for review! Much pickier these days, and no promises about when. It's less stressful that way!

Love these. I don't worry about blogging about new releases any more; and I definitely DNF books I'm not enjoying. And I don't do many reading challenges any more because of the stress. I also write much shorter reviews these days. But I want to keep blogging feeling fun. Great post, Susan! And I hope you have a great weekend. :D

It’s easy to get caught up in asking and accepting almost any book. I deleted my NetGalley twice because of that. Now I have a system that keeps me from doing that.

I took notes (pen and paper) for the first time this month. It helped the review process go so much smoother.

I can relate to the first four! I did that too, and it was thrilling to get the free review copies for a bit, but then there were so many I felt obligated to read that I didn't like. I am so glad that I don't do that anymore!

I still end up succumbing to ARCs every so often! but it has reduced from before (though my pending review list is miles long so admire those who do it and my goal is to get there...) While I still love paper books, I read more ebooks now on my phone (always with me) but not yet into audio books..
My ttt post is here

I definitely understand that wanting to keep the books coming (although I never figured out how to get publishers to send me physical copies of books for review, that one has always been my blogging dream!) I hope you have a great week and thanks for visiting my blog earlier. - Katie

This is a great list, and I see what you mean about how much we have in common! I used to struggle to finish a book I didn't like no matter what, hoping it would get better, but I gave up in the last few years. There's too many great books out there to be stuck reading one we're not enjoying.