Looking back on 2017, I’m happy with the review section of this blog. Now, happy doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but overall I think it was the start I needed. As I look forward to 2018, improvements become obvious, and I plan to make this year better. As always, the review policy is applicable for any work that I tackle this year. Finally, after a lot of thought and research, I’ve decided to maintain my policy on negative reviews.
In 2017, I posted thirteen full length and eight short reviews. I’m happy with it for a starting effort. I underestimated the amount of work that goes into each review. There was also no plan, no connecting theme. I just reviewed whatever caught my fancy. Books and comics were the sole medium. While I saw some great films, I don’t understand enough about everything going on to feel comfortable. Reviewing just the plot or story of a movie cannot be done without talking about shot selection, framing, blocking, etc. So, I avoid those essays for now. Maybe in the future, there’ll be one where I just can’t shut up about it. The reviews were a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. Looking ahead at my 2018 schedule, the mix will likely be different. Also, my reviews and reading weren’t as diverse as I think they should be. All of that means:
2018 will be a year of large improvements. I’ve increased my reading goal this year to three books a month. This will be a stretch for me, but I can do it. In order to accomplish this, I’ve made myself a schedule of books to read and review. Currently, twenty-one books have dates throughout the year. All of these books are ones that I currently own. My To Be Read (TBR) pile needs some cleaning, and 2018 is the year to work the pile down. That leaves fifteen free spots. Certain authors have earned the ability to shove their way to the front of the line, and I know one is releasing a new book in 2018. As I browse the advanced reading copy (ARC) websites, I’ll find books that interest me. They will get added to the schedule as required.
My hope is that the schedule will help me be more consistent at posting on the blog. I want to get at least one post out per week in 2018. That’s not a lot of posts, but with the other aspects of my life, that’s what I can do. This blog is important to me; so, I will find a way to make it work. Since the month in which I read the book may not be the month in which the review is posted, I’ve decided not to post the schedule. I already know that what I’ve created will not be the schedule that actually takes me through the year. No plan survives contact with the enemy and all that. I plan to spend a little more time on the reviews as well, and shifting down to one post per week should allow me that leeway.
My policy on negative reviews is not changing. I’ve thought a lot about this, and while I understand that being critical of a work is important for art, there’s a threshold to be published on this blog. I’m a writer; I have gone through many workshops. I understand why critical feedback is important and necessary. There are plenty of other critics willing to be more critical than positive. I’m not one. Writing is work, and I respect that effort even if I didn’t enjoy it. So, for now, I maintain that no book that gets a rating of less than three stars on the Goodreads scale will be reviewed here.
In 2017, there were books that I started and didn’t finish or finished but couldn’t review. Some I read, enjoyed, but didn’t want to review. So, there is no way to determine how I feel about a work if it’s not posted here. This blog is fun for me, and if it ever becomes more work than joy, I’ll stop. Getting ARCs is a great benefit to what I do here. Helping someone discover new art is wonderful, and seeing which books my friends and family enjoyed is a treat. But I think I can do it better, and in 2018, I will.