When I started this blog, I thought it would be a good idea to write book reviews as I finished readings. I've discovered two problems with this goal:
- It takes a long time to write a worthwhile book review.
- Due to the voracity of my reading appetite, I have been unable to delay starting a new book until I have finished writing a review for the previous book.
The result, I am now behind in writing two reviews and close to finishing a third book. So much for posting book reviews anywhere as frequently as Eli Bendersky.
I can think of five solutions:
- Write shorter reviews.
- Force myself to write reviews before starting a new book.
- Only write reviews for selected books.
- Don't worry about it and write reviews when the time permits.
- Stop writing reviews.
Of these, only options 2 and 3 are acceptable. Part of my rational for writing reviews is to obtain a deeper understanding of the material through extended contemplation, review, and summarization. This motivation rules out options 1 and 5. Option 4 is more or less a formalization of the current situation which I already know isn't working; I'll just keep on reading and never get around to writing the reviews. This, again, leaves options 2 and 3.
So, going forward I will attempt a hybrid approach of:
- Writing reviews before starting new books.
- Only writing in-depth reviews of selected books which deserve the most reflection.
Hopefully this new approach will lead towards fulfilling my goal of getting more out of the books that I read.