Wednesday, January 27, 2016

A Creature of Habit? Maybe, Maybe Not!


It's been a long, long time since I last crafted a post that wasn't a review or a blog tour post, but here I am, ready to conquer le world blogging habits. What I have discovered this past year is how much my reading and blogging habits have changed throughout time and it's quite fascinating to look back and compare the past and present. I'll share some of my blogging and reading quirks below, but, if you have any as well, feel free to leave your reading and blogging habits that have changed throughout time in the comments! (✿◠‿◠)


reading vs visual reading


The first thing I've noticed is that while I have never been a very visual reader, I pay a lot more attention to character descriptions than I used to. It may be because of my love for (learning how to and) making graphics on my tumblr. I now mark all the places about character description, both in physical and ebooks, so that I have some guidelines for physical descriptions in order for the people I fancast as models for my graphics to be as accurate as possible, especially if these characters are poc, because you don't want to whitewash a poc character or get their ethnicity wrong. It hurts a lot of people and enables others to think that this is right when it's not. So yes, before I started making graphics I wasn't perhaps as invested in character descriptions since I only imagined characters more or less as silhouettes and it didn't matter to me to the tiniest details how people looked, I was simply invested in their experiences, relationships, character growth etc, but now I want to be as accurate as possible with fancasts, so visual reading has become quite important these days.



how do you do kawaii


Speaking of marking places, I'm a huge, huge fan of sticky notes! Some of my books have more than 50 sticky notes in them. Previously I only used the ordinary pink, yellow, orange, blue and green ones, and I still use them a lot, especially for paperbacks, but thanks to my dear friend Sue I've discovered that there is a huge selection of cute sticky notes out there and you can buy them for 0.99-1.99$ with free shipping! I love picking out themes too to go with the book if it's possible and truly, these stickynotes are such a joy, because you can write on them and they look so adorable when they're peeking out from between the pages. I also used a trick that helped me study for exams last spring: I used a lot of sticky notes for the materials I used to study for those exams and it was a weird sort of inspiration to have your studying materials look cute. I picked them up way more than I probably would have otherwise lol. Below you can see some books that have suffered under the sticky notes obsession (left one is the ordinary ones and on the right I put 2 photos with the kawaii sticky notes).



(click on photos to enlarge)



it's ok to stop

I've come to realize this past year and a little more that it's ok to DNF books. I used to be the kind of reader who either put books on hold or suffered it out because the compulsion of having to finish so you can review the book was too. darn. strong. But sometimes a book just makes you feel all ...


Whether it's the characters themselves or their decisions; a lackluster plot or offensive language; something you don't agree with or simply don't connect to on any (or some) level; anything else you can imagine that bores you or puts you off --  what I've realized is that IT'S OKAY to put the book away (and never return). Life is short and the hours you could have spent on another book, another couple, another hero or heroine -- they're ticking by mercilessly. It's ok to still rate that book, by the way, or at least that's how I feel; plus I personally like to elaborate some on the reasons why. Also, it's ok to skim a book to the end if it feels like you have lost interest or the book is simply dragging. Don't feel bad about it or feel like you didn't complete a mission, so to speak. I have an A-type personality, so I always feel like a failure when I do this, but I shouldn't; neither should you. It's not a failure and you're not competing with anyone, let alone yourself. Not every book will resonate with you and it's okay.



about writing 'em reviews (and saving time)


I suck at writing long reviews these days. Well. ok. That's on entirely true, but my reviewing habits have changed a lot. Lately I've been reviewing books on Goodreads first and then, maybe if I have time and will, I will also review this book on le blog with a tad bit more explanations. But the reason why I review more books on Goodreads is kind of embarrassing: I feel like I need to be a little more professional on the blog than on Goodreads + on Goodreads I can just say that "it was a good story, but I expected more" / "WHAT AN AMAZING PIECE OF ART GO READ IT Y'ALL" and give my rating whereas on a blog, I feel this need to be more thorough. I guess this is what I've essentially battled with during the last 1.5 years of this blogging slump, but looking at things from another angle, this reviewing habit of sorts helps me review more books. Here's the reason why:

When I review those two sentences or paragraphs, I feel as though I'm not as repetitive in my reviews and it allows me to feel that accomplishment of writing a review in the first place. Plus, if I truly want to talk about this book on le blog, I can always polish it up (or just copy the da*n thing) and publish it here. It saves up a lot of energy and obsessing over it a la "omg but i can't go out, i can't do this, i can't do that, because i still haven't written those reviews ;_________;" since it isn't an issue anymore. What's more important, if I do want to review it later on the blog and in more depth, I have some of my initial thoughts and reactions ready to help me remember what I thought without having to re-read/skim the book. Saves up a lot of time!




As you can see that my "to-review" count is super low. It used to be ~30! There is only one book there right now that I am not reading (it's on hold) and one that I haven't reviewed yet, because I was super angry at the time and couldn't write a review, but will sometime. The rest are all books that I have either recently read or am reading atm. Once I review that book, I put it in the "not-on-blog-yet" shelf if I want to maybe, potentially someday post it on the blog as a mini review or a longer piece. I try to not let the amount of books "to review" surpass over 10, but during the past half a year or so it hasn't been a problem.




documenting my reading (and saving time vol 2)


This brings upon another thing that I've discovered lately. I love making graphics. I love reading. But sometimes, after a while has passed, I don't always necessarily remember all the details from a book to make that graphic. However, what if I suddenly see a photo that brings upon a picspam-making need? Do I have to re-skim the book to remember some other details? Nope! This is why, first of all, Pinterest is so amazing (shameless self promotion: you can find mine here), and this is also why I love reading journals. I used to keep a self-made reading journal, but I received a Penguin reading journal from an OwlCrate subscription box in December and it's a true life saver! In addition to writing down all the books that I read, I can fill it up with key words from the book while I'm reading. This is great for refresing your mind without having to re-read. I also love to pin stuff on my pinterest boards and I have a lot of boards for specific books with photo inspirations. This is also such a neat way to remind yourself what went down and even if you don't make graphics, these tricks could help you when catching up with writing reviews for books you read a while ago. You can keep those boards either secret or public; you can also use We Heart It or Favim which are based on a similar system.


here are some examples of my boards ...



... and photos of the reading journal




PS. You notice how my focus when writing down "thoughts" is on details for graphics, yeah? Before this particular journal I used to write down thoughts that popped into my head in that self-made reading journal. These journals are all pocket size usually (though there are bigger ones too), so it's easy to carry around or have beside your bed table, but of course there are many places you can write your thoughts into and I've used a note app on my phone countless of times.



These above are some of my bookish quirks that I have picked up along the way but there are more, so maybe you will someday see a sequel to this (✿◠‿◠) So, tell me! What are some of your blogging or reading habits? Have they changed with time?? I'd love to hear from you how you manage all of your things!

15 comments:

  1. Fab post Siiri!! I especially love the pictures your photography skills are on point in this post <3 And you seem so much more organized than I am, you're an inspiration to me since I always try to keep track of things inside my head now. I do have a personal pinterest, which has a lot of fashion/food stuff, but I've been tempted recently to make another one for bookish edits, because it seems like a much more efficient way of keeping track of things compared to the sideblog I've been keeping on tumblr for edit pics. And hah you know I love marking books up with sticky notes, although I feel like I'm not that efficient in using them, since I usually use them for quotes/scenes I enjoy a lot, rather than more analytical things, which I've been trying to do.

    I use Evernote, and I have a blogging notebook, where I jot down quick notes about a book or more often, I'll start my drafts for blog reviews there. I have a lot of unfinished ones though, and I want to organize myself better, which you seem to have down quite well. Thanks for the inspiration Siiri this was so interesting to read through!

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    1. Aw, thank you Eri! <3 ILY *squishes you into a hug* You should totally make one for bookish edits! It's especially good since you can super easily keep track of photos and inspiration :) I think I've heard of Evernote? Or at least it sounds super familiar lol. Ooh! I used to write all my post and review drafts in Word since I once accidentally deleted my whole review from blogger drafts @.@ but idk I can't always use Word if I don't have my laptop with me and Google Drive usually isn't my favorite, so I find that the Goodreads system works best for me :P YOU CAN DO IT ERI! ;*

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  2. Ooh, my habits have changed to as I've started blogging and reading more. *nods* I used to read a lot less before blogging? I think that's my biggest change. And I used to not really think about a book when I was done. It was more like done, finished, huzzah NEXT BOOK. And now I think about books and photograph them and review them, and gahhh. I just love the process and I feel like it helps me remember the book more?!

    BUT SCUSE ME NOW I MUST GO TO YOUR PINTEREST AND LOOK AT ALL YOUR THINGS BECAUSE OMG. STORYBOARDS.

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    1. OH YES!!! I used to read like a book a month or so, but blogging has definitely increased that. And super obsessed with some books heh. I don't think I ever knew what a book hangover meant until blogging though I have experienced some before with Twilight, Harry Potter and Vampire Academy ages ago when I was still in high school :P Cait your photography is ON POINT OK! Always some of my fav things to spot on le instagram feed ;) <3

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  3. Siiri!!! It feels like ages since I last visited you on here, I'm loving the heck out of this post right now, like you I love my sticky notes and journals, but the thing is I have so many but just not made the time to use them, all my planning and organising skills have gone out of the window recently! Also you Pinterest boards look amazing!!!!

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    1. Muhaha thank you my love! ;* Time to get back on track Jazzy :P it's super easy to keep it up once you get the hang of it :) <3

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  4. Girl, you're so organized! I'm so impressed by all your skills. You know I mostly use my secret book boards on Pinterest for graphics, but also keeping it to keep certain scenes and characters of the book in mind is GENIUS! I'm going to have to remember that everytime I read a book and go on Pinterest. :)

    And that reading journal! That just looks amazing and I would love to have one of those. I already have one where I jot down my thoughts about books, and it's so helpful when I have to write reviews because I'm usually someone that takes FOREVER to write a review and my memory isn't always the greatest, especially if I'm reading a so-so book.

    I'm like you in that I've started to DNF books really easily. If I can't get into a book within the first 20% I'm usually out of there although sometimes I'll push through up to around 50% or so.

    Great post, Siiri! :)

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    1. Your graphics are <33333 kind, Nick! This system has helped me a lot on occasions when I want to remember what happened in that book and I have found a photo that perfectly describes certain things in a book, so I hope it will help you out some too ;)

      Same tbh -- the so-so books are really hard to review when you don't remember much :/ hah! I'll try to hit about the ~15-30% mark and sometimes I'll skim it to the end. Though, occasionally, I'll read more if I feel like I may still get interested at some point :)

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  5. Love this post Siiri! I definitely use to be the kind of reader who felt compelled to finish a book too, and for the first several years of blogging I powered through no matter what. Now though, I give myself more of a break. If it's not working for me in the first 75-100 pages, I feel like I've given it a solid shot and I set it aside and move on. There are way too many books out there I want to get to to waste time dragging my way through one that just isn't for me.

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    1. Exactly! You could be enjoying a 3-5 star read instead of having to drag through a lackluster read which will just end up eating your time or frustrating you. So glad I'm not the only one realizing this that it's ok to DNF and that not all books will work for everyone :)

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  6. This is such a lovely post, girl! I have missed you!
    I think those mood boards are so very cool! I'm like the least creative person in the world, which is why I don't have a pinterest or even an instagram haha.
    I don't use sticky notes when reading, but this is one reason I sometimes prefer ebooks because I looove that I can highlight favorite quotes in those!
    My reviews have taken a drastic turn since late last year after I had a blogging slump. I am writing many more mini reviews now, and for books I rate lower I only write a few thoughts on GR. ~can't be bothered
    And yes, I've been DNFing (and sometimes skimming to the end) a lot more lately. I know what I like, so I see no point in continuing with a book that's not working for me!

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    1. Aw, thanks D! /mwah/ OH YES!!!! This is why I love ebooks too because you can find all the places super easily and highlighting + adding notes is soooooo useful. But for the aesthetic I think cute sticky notes are really fun :P especially since I can't bring myself to write in or highlight passages in books ;)

      *hugs* slumps suck! Same here tbh; though I do write a bit more maybe about books that I want to rant about, I feel like not every book needs to have a long review, so it's good to write a few sentences about those lack-luster books :)

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  7. I have a "to-review" shelf on Goodreads too! Definitely helps me not procrastinate in writing my reviews. ;) And I think that's how I've changed since I started blogging - all the documenting about the books I read. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! ♥

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    1. YES! Totally :D I like to see that low number there, so it's like OK I GOT THIS I'LL REVIEW ONE BOOK AND THEN IT'LL LOOK BETTER ALREADY :D Thank you, Zoe! *hugs*

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  8. I love your “it’s ok to stop” point. This is exactly how I feel about DNFing books. I used to be the kind of reader who finish their books no matter what too, not anymore. And your collages are gorgeous!

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