I know my original target is to do one book tag every month. However, I simply couldn’t resist doing one when I encountered Finished Books Tag through Amy @ Curiouser and Curiouser. She has an amazing book blog so do check her blog out. I guess there is a room for one more book tag?

This tag was created by Headless Books but it seems the video is no longer available. What sets this book tag apart from most book tag is that it doesn’t focus much just on the books love, want or have read. Rather, it focuses on what happens after one finishes reading a book. Before I start blabbering on, here is my version of the book tag. I hope you enjoy my answers!

1. Do you keep a list of the books you have read?

I do keep a list of all the books I have read. I started this habit when I was still studying in university. I didn’t have a laptop then so I write down all the books in those think comprehensive notebooks. I listed the books per author. I also kept a tab on the number of books I have read per author. I tallied them. Haha. I still have a copy of that notebook with the list of books I have read. Since I started working, I listed the books I have read in an excel file. I also have a Goodreads account but it is only good for my current reads, like the ones I have read starting in 2017.

2. If you record statistics, what statistics do you record?

When I started listing the books I have read in my excel spreadsheet, I monitor only the most basic data:

  • Title
  • Author
  • Year I have read the book

Lately, I am also keeping data on:

  • Whether I have written a review on the book
  • Whether I own the book or not
  • Whether the book is part of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
  • Whether the book has won the Pulitzer Prize or the Man Booker Prize

The latest feature I have is on the genre but I am only doing this for books I have published a book review on. Yes, that is correct. I have a separate list for books I have read, books I own, and book review I have made. Haha. I must take advantage of the technology we have!

3. Do you give star ratings for books and if so, what do you score books out of and how do you come about this score?

When I started doing book review, I used star rating because it was the easiest. Back then, it was in vogue and I guess I simply followed the crowd, seeing that a lot of book bloggers use the same rating scale. However, I started noticing its lack of flexibility. That was when I decided to switch to a percentage type of rating, focusing on four facets:

  • Characters – 30%
  • Plot – 30%
  • Writing – 25%
  • Overall Impact – 15%

Whilst characters and plots have the same weight, I have to admit that I am more of a plot-centric type of reader.

4. Do you review books?

I do. I started doing book reviews because I started running out of ideas on what to write on my blog. My first book review was about Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star. Although I have skipped one book, I have been reviewing every book I have read since then. I am also working on doing reviews on books I have read years ago, with focus on books I like and books that form part of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.

5. Where do you put your finished books?

I don’t have a bookshelf to speak of but I am stacking the books near my bed. There is no specific segregation like author or color scheme but I just separate books that I have read from the books I am yet to read.

6. Do you have any other rituals for when you have finished a book?

Not really. Unless you call rating the book in Goodreads a ritual then that would constitute my ritual. If I am not possessed by the spirit of procrastination, I would quickly write notes on a separate notebook so that I have a reference when I write my book review.

And that’s my version of the Finished Books Tag. If you’re interested to do your own version of the book tag, please feel free to do so. Just don’t forget to tag me so that I can check out your answers! Have a great Thursday everyone!