Do you have a post-book process? As in, what do you do after you’ve finished a book? Do you immediately start your next book? Do you write out your thoughts in a lengthy Goodreads review? Do you stare at your library book stack or bookshelves to decide what you want to read next? Have you ever even thought about having a process of what to do when you finish a book?
Kaytee and Meredith, the hosts of the Currently Reading podcast, talked about their post-book process on a recent episode and it got me thinking about my own process, which is… nothing, really. Here’s what it looks like now:
- I finish the book and rate it on Goodreads. I’ll also mark my next book as “currently reading” immediately since I adhere to my strict TBR list and always know what’s coming next.
- Side note: my TBR list is only 5 books deep at any point in time. I keep a longer list of the different books I want to read soon and I can choose any book from that longer list to be added to the shorter TBR list. This ensures I’m not reading too much of one genre, too many heavy books in a row, etc. I also make sure for every two non-diverse books, I have a diverse book included. It’s mood reading lite, I guess you could say.
- If it’s a book I own, it goes back on my bookshelf. If it’s a library book, it gets placed near my front door so I remember to grab it when I’m leaving home.
- I keep a stack of the 5 books I’m reading next on my dresser. I’ll pluck the book off the stack, get a bookmark, and place it on my bed or coffee table. At this time, I usually pull up my TBR list, remove the book I just took off my TBR stack, move the rest of the books up the list, and then add a new book to the bottom of the list. If this new book is one I own, I’ll pull it off my shelves and place it on the stack. If it’s a book I need to get from the library, I’ll request it.
- About a week later, I remember that I haven’t filled out my reading tracker spreadsheet in a good, long while. OOPS. I fill it in and often consult Goodreads to figure out what days I started/finished certain books.
- I put together my actual, fully fleshed-out thoughts about the book when it’s time to write my “What I’m Reading” blog post. Sometimes it’s been many, many days or over a week since I finished the book, so my thoughts aren’t always as fresh as I’d like them to be.
Not the most streamlined post-book process, huh? I never really thought about what the ideal post-book process should look like until I listened to this episode. I mean, I’ve wanted to get better about filling in my reading tracker more frequently and I always thought it would be nice to do what Meredith does after she finishes a book and leave myself a voice memo on my immediate thoughts after finishing a book. But those were just ideas I had. I wasn’t sure I wanted to put them into practice.
But the more I sat with this episode and the more that I thought about streamlining my own post-book process to make it something that feels really good to me as a reader, it started to feel like something I have to do. Or at least, I have to try and see how it goes. So, here’s the new post-book process I want to begin implementing:
- Once I finish a book, I rate it on Goodreads and write some quick thoughts about the book in my Notes app. (Or I can do what Meredith does and leave myself a voice memo.)
- The same day, I need to fill in my reading tracker.
- I don’t need to start my next book right away. In fact, since my TBR list is a tab on my reader tracker spreadsheet, once I fill in my tracker, I can tab over to my TBR list and take a look at the books I have there and choose my next book from that list. It doesn’t have to be the first book on the list, if there’s another book that speaks more to me at this moment in time.
- I can continue with my usual process of removing a book from my TBR list, adding a new book to the list, finding the book on my shelves, and placing it on my TBR stack. (This whole process brings me such delight.)
- Within one or two days, I need to write out my overall thoughts about the book in a draft, to be used for an upcoming “What I’m Reading” blog post.
Do you have any sort of post-book process?
These are my steps, too– I never thought of them as a process before. Love this!
I didn’t either until I listened to this podcast episode, and it was really fun to think about what my own process looks like!
Wow, you are so organized about your reading! I have zero process, other than to put the book back on the shelf or return it to the library. If I think someone I know would love it, I may mail it to them. If I doubt I would read it again, I will take it with me while I’m walking the dog and drop it off in a ‘little free library’. Usually I take a couple of days off between books, to process, and then I find my next one. I am a rereader, so sometimes I will reread something as a buffer between two new books. I used to blog book reviews, and participate in reading challenges, which I enjoyed, but haven’t done that in awhile. I don’t keep track at all, and often will forget if I’ve read something before. Someone will say, “Have you read such and such?” And I’ll think…have I? Not much of a process for sure!
It *does* seem like you have a semblance of a process, even if it feels like you don’t. I’m always intrigued by people who take time off between books! That would never even occur to me, although I feel like it would really give myself space to let the previous book breathe before I immediately jump into something new.
You are so methodical and organized, Stephany! No process here! I am a mood reader all the way so never know what I will read until I’m reading it. I am mostly fine with that but I wish I were more disciplined about writing and posting reviews.
Organization is the name of my game in EVERY area of my life, even my reading life! Sometimes I wish I were more go-with-the-flow, but that’s just not the way I operate!
What an interesting thing to talk about! It’s impressive to me how many places you keep track of your reading (blog, Goodreads, and a spreadsheet). Do you feel like you go back to one of those things more often than the rest? Are you tracking different things in the different places? I am not that organized! I might steal this topic as something to write about on my blog!
Goodreads is the one thing I use most consistently. I actually use the app like a secondary social media app, scrolling through the updates and such. I love updating my reading progress and seeing what other people are reading. So I’m usually very quick to update the app when I finish a book/start a new one. I still love having a reading spreadsheet and I use it frequently, although I need to get better about keeping it updated.
Hmm. I always have a random stack in my bedside table drawer – whatever has come in off my holds list – and then a few more on top of the bedside table that I’m reading (usually 2-3 books concurrently).
I rate my book in Goodreads within a day or two, but never write a review. I feel a bit guilty I don’t do this, but I just didn’t start that way.
Also…until 6 months ago, I tracked every single book (even DNF) in a spreadsheet. I didn’t give a star rating in here, but would write out a sentence or two about my thoughts on the book. At some point I stopped doing this and it actually bums me out. I disliked the process of doing so – just another thing to add to my to-do list – but it really helped job my memory about what I liked/didn’t like about a book. I think I’ll aim to restart in January. I’d been tracking in a spreadsheet for 4-5 years, too, so this was a very well established habit. What happened?!
That’s really interesting that you disliked the process of using your reading tracker, but that you want to go back to using it. Is there anything you are going to change about the process so that it doesn’t feel like just another “to-do”?
I very rarely leave reviews on Goodreads, as well. Only if I have a strong opinion (good or bad!) that I want other people to know.
My process is pretty similar to you although I can get really behind on updating my book tracker excel spreadsheet, especially when I’m really busy at work! I have it saved on my work computer so only update it when I’m working. I also update goodreads too but don’t always write a review on goodreads.
I pretty much exclusively read library books on my kindle and I usually only have 2-3 checked out at a time so I always know what I am going to read next. But I also own some unread books so could read those if I don’t have an ebook available but that is never a problem for me. And I also have books in my tbr list on libby that are available immediately so I could choose one of those if need be! But I typically have several books becoming available to check out each week so there is never an issue of not having something to read. And I am not much of a mood reader so don’t have to worry about not being in the ‘mood’ to read something.
I keep my reading tracker in Google Docs – I like that I can access it from anywhere! I wish I was better about writing reviews on Goodreads, but sometimes I just want to rate it and move on!
I loved reading your process and seeing how you are going to tweak it! When I was reading more I’d updated GR every night and update my spreadsheet right away then write a recap the next am. Now I just use GR when I start and finish a book and that’s it!
Such a smart process! I need to get better about writing timely reviews. I started doing voice recordings when I finish a book, though, and I’m enjoying that process!
I am so impressed! I always loved to read but in recent years did not have as much time for it (I also need to read quite a bit for work, so there is that). With all the book posts during Nablopomo I am really inspired though, so I am oping to pick it up again. I don’t have a process (neither before or after). I wish for books for my birthday and they will be next to my bed until I have read them but I also ask my daughter for a book (I like to see what the kids read), reread one on my bookshelf or look what the library has available online. I tried to do recaps but it did not really stick. I like the idea of a book club but have not really found my people for that yet.
I hope you get your reading groove back! My identity as a reader means so much to me, but I know it’s not for everyone, especially those with kids. I also hope you’re able to find a good book club – it’s hard to find the right fit!
I knew you were super-organized about your reading/book tracking. I don’t really have a process other than that I try to track everything I read (mostly digital library loans these days) to my Goodreads, make a rating and write out a quick review (for a blog post, which I might also put on Goodreads). That’s it.
I then see which books on my library wish list /holds are available and pick a new book from there. I am definitely more of a mood reader and will pick the book that peaks my interest at that particular moment…. oh, and I never read more than two books at a time (and if I do, it’s usually different genres).
When I read more than one book at a time, I always make sure I’m reading different genres! I usually always have a romance going and I pair that with general fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, thriller, etc. I don’t always do that with my audiobooks, though, so sometimes the plots can get tangled in my head, haha.
Nope, I don’t have a specific process. I just finish a book, out it on the list (I do keep a list of books I’ve read) and start the next one. I would like to get a little more thoughtful about that, like maybe jotting down a sentence or two about each book. Maybe this post will inspire me.
If that process is what works for you, keep doing it! Nobody needs to be as crazy as I am about my book process, haha.
I usually try to update my goodreads to move it to read and add the next book I’m going to read. to currently reading. I usually try to have a book ready to go in each genre I’m reading. I will also take this time to put some books on reserve at the library if I don’t have enough queued books ready to go.
Once I get some time I will go through my highlights and add thoughts, or put into personal notes if its something I think I might want to refer to later.
Thanks for telling me about your post-book process. Our processes seem very similar!
So interesting. I never really thought about a post-book process.
I guess I immediately rate on goodreads. Sometimes after a day or two I go back and change the rating by a star but not often.
I usually have an idea of what book I want to read next. Either specific by title or by feeling then I search through my lists.
I love that you have a your TBR stack visible. And that you keep a 5 book TBR. I guess I somewhat have that but not written down.
Always fun to see how others “organizes” reading.
Oh, my goodness. I would drive you bonkers. I read, really, just to read. I haven’t updated my Goodreads since I think the summer of 2020. And I know what I’ve read by the Finished list in my Apple books (yes, I still buy most of my books but since I don’t buy a lot of other things, like, well, makeup or a lot of clothing, I figure it’s okay…). I probably should be better at least about Goodreads, though! I admire your organization around this – always have. I am organized in nearly every other aspect of my life (other than my file drawer, which desperately needs to be excavated and reorganized), so I’m giving myself a bit of a pass on this. 🙂