I know we’re all in the same boat these days. Those of us in jobs considered “Essential” are released from our homes for a days work. Then we return to sit on the couch, or clean, or anything that breaks up the hours of boredom really.

I thought I could break up the monotony with a book tag. It’s the blogosphere’s version of Facebook quizzes. While on the hunt for something fun I came across this one on Kristin’s blog.

So, thanks Kristin! You’ve given me the gift on an hours activity.

Do you keep a list of the books you have read?

These days I only keep a list on Goodreads, but before Goodreads I logged my books in a notebook. It was logged by month of the year, and color coded by enjoyment level.

Thinking about that book makes me miss it. I love my Goodreads shelves, but I think I’d like a physical log too. So, I ordered one. This is coming soon!

If you record statistics,
what statistics do you record?

I used to record a lot more things on Goodreads, using shelves. I had so many shelves it became confusing, so about a year ago I got rid of most of them. Now I just record the year it was read and my rating. There are a few extra shelves for favorites, or special authors. I have an audio shelf, and a novella shelf.

Do you give star ratings for books?
If so, what is your rate scale and reasoning?

I do, yes. I log the rating on Goodreads of course. I also have an index on Birdie Bookworm that lists all books I’ve read since starting the blog with links to my review. The index gives each book a star rating.

While I like to keep the index for reference purposes, I don’t share this star rating in my review. When I review, I only list my overall opinions of the book and leave it at that. Like Kristin, I believe star ratings are subjective. There could be a book that it looks like I mostly raved about, but I only gave it three stars. When someone reads that review, it could be confusing. I’d rather anyone looking for my recommendation base their decision off my words, not the number of stars.

For anyone interested in how I do judge books based on stars, here’s a link to my ratings and review policy.

Do you review books?

Absolutely! That’s basically the idea about Birdie Bookworm. Originally I wrote my reviews on Goodreads. I enjoyed sharing my opinions so much I joined Badass Book Reviews, which eventually led me to creating Birdie Bookworm.

Where do you put your finished books?

Where do I put them physically? On my well ordered book shelf, of course. I don’t have a read vs unread shelf. They’re sorted and shelved by genre then author. Finished and unfinished are allowed to commingle in the Birdie household.

A few times a year I’ll go through my physical bookshelves and rehome ones I know I’ll never read again. I like knowing I’m passing on a book that was only so-so for me, but could be someone else’s treasure. (The saying “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” is never more true than with books!)

My ebooks, I have folders on my Kindle. One for to read, one for arc’s and one for finished books. I try to keep it as organized as possible, but right now it’s a mess.

Any additional rituals when finishing a book?

When I start a book I immediately draft up my review, getting all the images and colors laid down, so when I finish reading it’s ready for my thoughts and opinions.

Then, upon completing the book, I move it to wherever it’s going to live permanently. Then I go to Goodreads and mark it “read” by dating it, rating it, and shelving it. I immediately select my next read and add it to my Currently Reading shelf.

On Birdie Bookworm I change my “Birdie’s Reading” widget to reflect the change before I finally sit and write my review.

While I try to do all these steps the day I finish my read, I tend to not schedule my review same day. I let it sit, and then the next day I come back to the review for editing and scheduling. Basically I purge all my immediate thoughts, then later I come back with a clear head to ensure I made sense. (Many times I didn’t, I swear. Word vomit.)

Also, another little quirk of mine, I never ever start another book on the same day I finish one. I select my read, but I don’t start until the next day. To me, it’s like moving on too fast. I need time to grieve and mourn the books I’ve finished. I want to let them ruminate.