A note about our content philosophy

Photo by Kieran Sheehan on Unsplash ©Kieran Sheehan

From Ingrid and Ruth:

When Ruth and I first started writing for this blog, we decided to take our time and see what was most comfortable for us in terms of posting pieces as well as choosing content. While we are more than aware of how important it is to have current content regarding shows and publications, we realized that trying to keep up at breakneck speed while reading several books a week to compete with every other book blog out there just wasn’t going to work.

We believe in quality over quantity. We also believe that not every piece has to be a set number of words or paragraphs. Some pieces might inspire us to write a great deal and other pieces might be something that we enjoyed and felt our readers should be aware of so we might only have produced a short piece.

When it comes to book releases, social media is akin to swimming in shark-infested waters and influencers can sometimes be competitive and cutthroat. Frankly, reviews sometimes don’t say much; it is just about getting the titles out there for name recognition. While that is clearly important for writers and publishers alike, for reviewers, it can sometimes mean cutting corners, using AI to generate all their content and not giving the pieces they are reviewing a great deal of thought. The reality of the situation became very clear as we were watching many reviews. There is no humanly possible way some of the influencers to possibly read as many books a day as they are reviewing. For those of you who aren’t aware how things work, publishers will contact you and ask if you would like to review their books in the genres you feature as an influencer. They kindly either mail you the hard copy or send you a digital copy of the book on one of a couple of platforms where you have access to that book for a limited time. They also send you the PR kit/book notes. This includes a synopsis of the book, a bio of the author and finally, depending on when you are getting this packet, possibly a few great upfront reviews.

This kit is extremely helpful and it is very much appreciated; however, it is clear that sometimes the reviewers pull from the book notes rather than give their honest opinion. Perhaps they’ve read a chapter or two just to feel they have the best feel they can under their time constraints. What I care about is the fact that the influencers who are pounding out several reviews a day can’t possibly be reading these books, considering them and discussing them in a manner that I feel as a reader that I would benefit from.

This is why, after much discussion and consideration, Ruth and I want to be clear that yes, we will be doing our best to get current book and television reviews out in a timely manner. That might only mean a couple of current books a month. We are both watching television shows as well and since I tend to be the one writing more about the television shows at the moment, I will explain exactly how I approach my reviews.

I have two choices: one is a review of the pilot or the season opener—this is more for capitalizing on any surrounding buzz of a new show or creating some for a show we (or I) love. The second choice is to wait until I have finished a whole season and then review it in its entirety. I can’t tell you how many times I have started liking a show, only to be into the third episode and felt like it was a dud. I do understand there can be hiccups in the first season so I try to give the series an honest chance and then write.

Moving forward, we will be writing more about what we want to focus on and what we have read or watched that we feel merits a closer look. Ruth might be reading a mystery series that just started, whereas I might be reading a series I just discovered from a decade ago. There are so many books and series out there, from so many places, that it is nearly impossible to examine everything and give it some serious thought, even if the review comes out a bit light and airy. What we can promise is a smattering of what interests us the most, just like a salon from a by-gone era. In those settings, while you will discuss what is new, you never forget what is old because as any historian knows, the past always somehow influences the present and to understand ourselves and our present, we have to understand what happened. It’s just like solving any mystery.