To Review or Not to Review?

That is the question.

For a lot of book bloggers, it’s kind of an obvious thing: “I read the books, then I review the books, then I start all over again.” But — is it just me? — sometimes this routine can (as a blogger) begin to feel a little…stale.

After all, we aren’t being paid to post our reviews (most of us), so is there any set-in-stone rule that says we have to review every single thing we read?

While I tend to put at least small snippets about pretty much every selection I finish on Goodreads, I often don’t bother doing so on my blog. Partly because of the potential-dullness-creeping-in-to-steal-my-joy factor already mentioned; but also due to the simple fact that there are lots of topics I’d like to post on and discuss.

It isn’t merely as a result of not having as much free time to read new titles, or easy access to new titles (money and children issues, of course) — I could easily choose to review something I read ages ago. The fact of I want to be known as more than a reviewer certainly contributes.

Not that there’s anything wrong with being primarily a reviewer, either. There are many bloggers that this totally works for them, so more power to you, ladies and gentlemen. Some of you I truly look forward to reading your reviews and getting to know your thoughts on this classic or that impending release.

But I’ve always struggled to find my niche as a blogger, and I think it just boils down to: there is no way I can be so single-minded as to choose one subject and stay there.

There is just too much I want to cover while I’m in this space. Please, let’s talk about our favorite childhood novels, whether adolescents should be reading adult fiction, e-books versus physical, hardcover versus paperback, the benefits and downsides of ARCs, and if we pick books for our children based solely on the illustrations (hint: that’d be me).

And since I’m not only a reader but a writer as well, there are so many things I want to do on that front, too. Writing advice is so subjective — since what works for one person won’t at all for another — so let’s dive into the discussions on breaking tropes or genre expectations, various marketing concepts, what writing guidelines should really be, if you actually need an agent, and how long is too long a debut publication.

Plus, as a storyteller in general, I’m really interested in the mediums of film and theatre and how stories can be expressed not just in books, but through plays, dance, song lyrics, and music videos. Like I said, there are simply too many wonderful notions to explore in this space, to devote most of it to posting reviews.

So, I really am okay with the reviews being few and far between on this blog.