Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Looking Forward to 2010

I'm truly looking forward to 2010, and I hope Impressions... continues to reflect my passion for books, reading and the adventure the experience represents to me; an experience I want to continue sharing with you. I've always been a curious reader who loves to see what different genres and new or unknown-to-me authors have to offer. You might might find some surprises here every so often, I know you'll certainly find variety.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've actually come up with a few changes for this blog or "somewhat" of a plan. I say somewhat because I'm flexible and will continue to adapt Impressions... to suit me.

Here are some minimal changes, and policy clarification: :)

1) I will be grading full and mini reviews. I will be keeping the grading system on the side bar.

I've vacillated over this decision for a long time. In the end, after all my experimentation, although I love the freedom of not having to grade a book and leaving that decision up to the reader (after all that's what it's all about), I find that having to come up with that grade provides a better focus when I'm writing a review. It keeps me on my toes. So, here is the grading scale I'll be using:

A = Outstanding. Excellent. Loved it. (+/-)
B = Great Read. Solid. Very Good. (+/-)
C = Good. Average Read. Good but not great.(+/-)
D = Fair. Below Average. Problematic. (+/-)
F = Not Recommended
DNF = Did Not Finish. Not for me.

2) I will also be grading my impressions if I provide enough information about the book to justify a grade. However, I will not grade my thoughts -- (example: see On the Hybrid Zone and Perdido Street Station.) These are my personal thoughts and don't usually include enough information to give the reader a complete view of the book to assess it. I will post my final grade for these books at end-of-month posts.

3) I will also include random posts on my thoughts (see above), if not reviews, on ALL the different genres of books I read, weather they are romance related books or not. That is what I initially wanted to do and would like to go back to it. :) These books will also be included on my list of books read (something I don't do now).

4) All books reviewed at Impressions in 2009 are owned by me, purchased or obtained through book swap, unless otherwise indicated. I did not review nor did I pursue the review of ARCs at Impressions..., although I did review ARCs for Musings of a Bibliophile and announced them here as such. I will continue the same policy in 2010.

5) I've found that I don't enjoy maintaining a schedule to post my reviews or thoughts. I've tried and it takes the fun out of blogging for me, so no posting schedule at Impressions... I've been posting twice per week (slow blogging), and posting more when I have more to say or review. This makes me happy and I'll continue that blogging pattern for now. :)

Of course, who knows what 2010 will bring as I'm still learning and adapting, but for now I think this is a good beginning.

7 comments:

  1. Looking forward to the new year! Woohoo :D

    I'm glad you're going to start grading your books :) While I read all your posts, sometimes, it's nice to see what you thought of a book with only a glance :)

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  2. Nath: That decision took me a while, but yes... I understand what you're saying. I got used to grading the reviews when writing and it helps me focus.

    I'm looking forward to 2010 too! :)

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  3. It sounds like a good plan and one you're comfortable with, which is so important.

    I've thought about the scheduling thing too but it just doesn't seem to work out. To me blogging should be fun, not stressful and trying to keep to a schedule would be too stressful for me. :)

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  4. Thanks, Leslie. Yes, the fun comes first and stress is not something I want to associate with something I'm really enjoying. So, anything stressful gets the boot! *g*

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  5. Ultimately, I like to know why a book does or doesn't work for you. But the grading helps just as much.

    You're doing a great job with the frequency of your reviews and other posts. Having a schedule would make it more like a chore.

    Yay, let's bring on 2010!

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  6. Here's to 2010!!! *clinks glasses*

    I think you've got a great plan for Impressions... You know what's great about coming up with a plan for your blog? That you can change it at anytime you want to suit your needs, whatever makes you happy because it's ALL YOURS. I know this because I do it all the time. LOL!

    It's funny that you're now incorporating a grading system for your reviews when I stopped giving grades back in the summer. I found I was agonizing too much over the grades, plus I was practically giving every book an A or B+. I didn't want to lose credibility so I just did away with the grades.

    Looking forward to another year blogging! :)

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  7. Tabitha, yes! No chores for us, lol!

    Christine, thanks. I love the part about changing & adjusting to suit me as I go along. :)

    The grading of reviews is something I'm still not sure about. I enjoy writing the reviews both ways. I do find I focus better if I grade them. But if it becomes agonizing for me, I won't hesitate to revert my decision, lol!

    I did find that I read more A/B+ reads at the beginning of 2009 and less so toward the 2nd half of the year. It seems to come in spurts for me & my choice of good reads had a lot to do with it too. :)

    Cheers, Christine. Here's to 2010!

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