Discussion: How long is too long to wait to review?

Ariel is like, please, stop bugging, poor Kyera. She really doesn’t need to know every time you have a Sailor Moon fangirl freakout moment.

THIS BOOK PRINCESS IS IN A DOWNHILL SPIRAL OF SAILOR MOON MANGA, AND SHE IS NOW IN BOOK HANGOVER MODE. The book struggle is so real right now, and poor Kyera at Kyera’s Library has been so gracious to lending her ear to my crying/fangirling/just being a general mess about this series. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, please do because she’s clearly epic and has put up with my Sailor Moon meltdown.

Anyway, I stared at this blank screen for about 20 minutes now, knowing I need to write a post, wanting to write a post but all I can do is think: But are Sailor Venus and Sailor Neptune REALLY good? And are Tuxedo Mask and Sailor REALLY okay? And why the heck wasn’t there more episodes of Reign?? Not entirely sure how that last one got in there.

So, I was like, Mandy, maybe it’s time you wrote a review? Yes, yes, that’s a brilliant idea since you have literally only done what, 4, of the books that you read in June? And the fact that you still haven’t wrote a review on a book that you read in…MAY?!??!?!

It got me thinking: how long is too long before you should/shouldn’t write a review? Is there a time period where you should just give up on it? Should you have some sort of preface saying, it’s been a month and half since I read this book?

To tell the truth, I find myself writing most of my reviews a month later. Out of the 15 books I read in June, I’ve written 5 reviews. That means, I still have 10 reviews to write and with me averaging about 3 (if it’s a good week) reviews per week, I won’t have them all done until…3 – 4 weeks later. And then bam! I’m in the same predicament again. Meaning those reviews that are getting written in four weeks…are they the same when they would have been written now? When they are still fresh and clear in my mind? When I’m either fangirling or angsty or freaking out about them?

Oh, look, they’re in the same picture! Look at that efficiency, me!

Honestly, I’m not sure. Waiting on posting a review has helped me clear my head about certain things – Love and Other Alien Experiences, for example, helped me get out a lot of underlying frustrations that I hadn’t realized I had with it. Not doing a review on Eliza and Her Monsters has also helped me realize just how much I love it and has it joining a coveted spot on the favorites shelf.

But then there’s the downside: after reading super fast through a book and then waiting a month or so on the book, I tend to forget certain things. I will admit that sometimes in the past, I have gone to review a book, and I literally can’t remember a main character’s name – it was that impressionable or it’s just been too long, I can’t tell. But is that the time that you decide to cut your losses and just not post anything – I mean, especially since you literally can’t remember the lead’s NAME? Is it really fair to the book if you can’t quite remember all the details of why you did/didn’t like it but can just remember general feelings?

I’m not really sure what the answer is. Do I just need to put up a bunch of reviews up quick and get them out the way? Do a bunch of mini reviews? Do I keep going the way I’m going now? Do I REALLY need to review every book I read? To tell the truth, I’m not quite sure there is one right answer – and I totally have no clue what I plan on doing (especially about that poor book from May except maybe baking it a cake and asking for its forgiveness?)

So, what do you think? How long is too long to take before reviewing a book? What is your turnaround time? Also, this is Mandy’s first time writing a discussion post, so did I royally screw it up? Let’s discuss in the comments below!