Caroline: Why I won’t be contributing to any Best of 2014 lists
Despite the fact that I read a large number of books this year, and that I posted several DIKs, I can’t contribute to “Best of 2014” lists. Why? Most of my reads aren’t from 2014. Nearly every 2014 romance I read this year was for for review here, and I didn’t have enough that I loved to vote meaningfully. I’m a huge reader, but for a variety of reasons, a few of which I’ll list below, I’m simply not a new-book reader.
Review filters: I admit to freeloading off of the rest of you: I wait for AAR reviewers, or the forums, or other review sites to generate some buzz around a book before I check it out. I hoard both my time and my budget, and I want not to waste them on lousy reads.
Space and cost: I’m a book hoarder, so I decided a few years back not to buy books unless I’m sure I will want to reread them. I lean on my library heavily, but that can mean signing up for long waitlists or placing an ordering request. Either of these done any time after July can take a popular 2014 book into 2015. This not only saves me money on books I realize I don’t want to keep, but it also saves me money because by waiting, I can sometimes find a book in a UBS, bargain bin, or online. I know, I know – it’s not good for authors, and I do try to buy their new books when I’m sure I want them. But on the whole, I’m selfish here.
Graphic novels: While every now and then, I get a manga while it is still in English-translation release (this year I read Midnight Secretary and Library Wars), I usually prefer to wait until the entire series is out. That’s for two reasons. First, I can’t always find out if the series is going to have a happy ending until the whole thing is out (marketing classifications for graphic novels are not the same as in genre fiction, and a central relationship is often enough to get them called “romance” no matter how they end). Second, I like to binge-read the entire work. Waiting months for Volume 3 and another year for the final Volume 11 drives me bonkers. Hardly any series comes out in full during a calendar year, and I don’t like to select just one volume for a “Best of” list when what I really enjoyed was the full work.
What about you guys? Do any of you feel left out of annual lists, and even the AAR annual poll? Or do you read enough new books to feel like you have something to say? If you don’t read new books, is it for the same reasons as me?
Caroline AAR
I am way behind the reading curve and like it that way. Although I do eagerly await a release of a new Ellen O’Connell, Nalini Singh, Patricia Briggs, Mary Balogh, and Elizabeth Hoyt. For most other books, I look for older titles others recommend. Patiently waiting for Lisa Kleypas to publish another historical.
I tend to supplement my list with oldies but goodies as re-reads. But I do read a lot of new books courtesy of my library.
I too am wondering if I will be able to contribute to any “”best books of 2014″” lists as,though I read about 150 books a year, many are rereads, e.g. this year I reread L. M. Montgomery’s “”Anne of Green Gable”” series and found both the writing terrific and the stories delightful. Even many of my newly discovered favourite authors e.g. Dorothy L. Sayers ( Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries) may be new to me but are old news in the publishing world. However this discussion has prompted me to assemble a list of my 2014 reads and to consider which of the new publications are likely to become titles that feature on best/ favourite lists and are worthy of being reread in years to come. I really appreciate the AAR lists, reviews and discussions as they suggest new authors to try. Authors I have discovered thanks to AAR include Carla Kelly, Mary Balogh, Patricia Briggs, Susan Grant, Courtney Milan to name just a few. I look forward to reading about books/ authors that made the cut for AAR reviewers and readers in 2014.
I read mostly backlists of favorite authors as well as older books that I missed, since I came to romance relatively late and still have so much to read. I do read some new releases but not as many as most readers here. I’m careful about what I choose to read and try to choose wisely. I do love reading people’s thoughts on new releases and I enjoy the “”Best of…”” list and comments each year.
Having said all that, 2014 turned out to be a really good year for me for reading new releases!
Agree with all you say, I now tend to wait for my favourite tried and tested reviewers to give me the thumbs up on authors and series. I prefer to wait for a complete series and then read it back to back. I hate wasting money and have also learnt the hard way (I have an awful lot of rubbish on my kindle) not to buy unless I’m sure and my rule of thumb is always ‘would I read it again?’ Also the valuable reading time is so important. I therefore prefer not to read a book which would earn less than a 4 star review from me. I have a few authors on auto buy but not many.
I also read mainly ebooks, and supplement with the library. In addition, in the last several years, I focused on contemporary novels, and just a few historical or paranormal autobuy authors. My main problem is that my own list changes weekly.
I’m flaky like that.
Since I started reading mainly ebooks four or five years ago my reading tripled, but I still read mainly older books. I average around 150 books per year. Roughly 15 to 20 percent of those are new releases. I don’t feel that my favorites out of that number are meaningful for the polls, etc. I do enjoy reading the favorite lists of others, though. They definitely give me food for thought in trying new-to-me authors and books that wouldn’t already be on my radar.
I buy a lot of books but they tend to be older ones that I’ve read before and want to read again, otherwise like Caroline I use the library. I’m fortunate that my library has a free order system: so about September I start ordering same year books and after the poll I go back to older books. But I still manage generally to read enough really good books to vote in the minimum categories. In lot of ways the poll has broadened my reading … It prompts me to read across sub-genres and to try new authors as my favourites might not be available at the library. It’s weird but it seems to work.