Top Ten Tuesday: First Books I Reviewed on Death by Tsundoku

April 23, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme originated by The Broke and the Bookish now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is: First Books I Reviewed

Yikes. This might be a painful post, my friends. I’ve learned so much about book reviews and book review writing since I started blogging. Yes, I have had a Goodreads account for years, but I only started to dig into how and when I write book reviews in 2015. In 2016 I started my blog, and here we are.

While I could scan back in time to my original Goodreads reviews, I think I’ll stick to Death by Tsundoku posts. After all, it’s been a while since I’ve looked at these posts, and it will be a fun trip down memory lane. I’ve changed a lot since I wrote these posts back in 2016. Just… be kind. 🙂

All titles below are links to the book’s Goodreads page.


 

First 10 Books I Reviewed on Death by Tsundoku

 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The first ever review I wrote for Death by Tsundoku! When I started my blog, I was already crafting book reviews in detail on the regular. But I wasn’t a part of the blogging community. I didn’t really know much. I just wanted to share my thoughts! And into the void they went… Either way, I spent hours trying to get all the photos just right. This was back when I still took photos for every post. XD The lessons I’ve learned!

My Review: Ready Player One

 

Lock In by John Scalzi

My introduction to Scalzi was a fun one! This is one of the first book club books I read for West Side Stories. Lock In pushed me to read beyond my comfort zone and helped open my eyes to great literature elsewhere in other genres. I really enjoyed discussing this book, even if I didn’t do a great job persuading others to read this book. I am still planning to read the sequel.

My Review: Lock In

 

The Situational Leader: The Other 59 Minutes by Dr. Paul Hersey

Oh man! The belly laugh I got seeing this here! Okay, okay. I have to read a lot of business books for work. When I first started blogging, I thought I’d include my reviews for my required business book reading on Death by Tsundoku. It’s three and a half years later and I have yet to write another business book review. Perhaps I will someday… but it’s not likely.

My Review: The Situational Leader

 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

One of my favorite books of all time! This was a pivotal moment in my blogging, even if I didn’t realize it then. By this point, I’ve started to understand the difference between writing a Goodreads review and writing a blog review. My passion for this book is what helped me understand that there can be different types of reviews written in different places. Also, if you haven’t read this book yet, do it.

My Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

 

Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus, Volume 1 by Kazuo Koike

My review for Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus, Volume 1 was the first of many graphic novel and manga reviews I created. For a while, it was easier for me to write these reviews than other formats of books. I think it’s because I was stuck on the idea of having photos in all my reviews, and these provided easy photo fodder? Either way, I learned very quickly that graphic novel/manga reviews cannot follow the same format as a traditional book review or they will become tedious quickly.

My Review: Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus, Volume 1

 

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

I have no idea why I read this book. I think I was looking for something fluffy, fun, and completely different? I dunno. What I do know is this was the first two-star review I wrote for Death by Tsundoku. This is a milestone for me because it’s when I realized the importance of writing book reviews for the books I loved as well as those I didn’t like. Thus, a critical mission statement for Death by Tsundoku was born: I read and sift through the bad books so you don’t have to.

My Review: The Heist

 

Girl on a Wire by Gwena Bond

Girl on a Wire was my first ever Kindle First (now Amazon Reads) pick. While this story didn’t blow my socks off, it was nice to get a book as an Amazon Prime perk. This is one of the first books which really made me think about the inspiration for the story and dig into the history behind it. It led me down a path towards other books too, such as The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein.

My Review: Girl on a Wire

 

Pet-Friendly Francie Scores a Pooch by Kat E. Erikson

My first ever ARC copy of a book! This one I received directly from the author. Honestly, I have no idea how Erikson found me. At this point in my blogging career, I wasn’t hunting review copies. Heck, I didn’t even have a blog following! But I was honored to receive the request. Now that I’m a veteran blogger, I have a very different perspective on review requests. Regardless, this was an exciting milestone in my blogging career!

My Review: Pet-Friendly Francie Scores a Pooch

 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I don’t know what inspired me to pick this book up. It wasn’t the film. But the audiobook was inspiring. In fact, this audiobook is what helped me understand that a great narrator can make a book more than it is on its own. Thomas Mann and RJ Cyler brought this book to life for me. I never would have enjoyed this book to the same level if I had read it. This is also the book which started me hunting Audie award winners. Can you blame me?

My Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

 

Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 3 by Kazuo Koike

An almost disappointing book to end on, the 10th book review I ever posted on Death by Tsundoku is a continuation of my exploration into Lone Wolf and Cub. At one point, I had thought that I would read all 28 volumes of this manga. While I might continue this series someday, I realized quickly that the fighting just wasn’t for me. A great lesson was learned: Life is too short to read books you aren’t interested in. And then we move on.

My Review: Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 3: The Flute of the Fallen Tiger

 

Wow! What a shockingly valuable trip down memory lane. The first ten book reviews posted on Death by Tsundoku all taught me something about myself, my blog, and my reading. I had forgotten how quickly I was learning and experiencing new things as a baby-blogger. If I could go back in time, I might do it differently, but all the changes I’d make are based on the person I am today. Each of these reviews helped shape me and Death by Tsundoku in some critical way. I wonder if my posts today are still as critical and important? I guess only time will tell.


What do you think?

  • Did you participate in Top Ten Tuesday? Share your links below!
  • Which books from this list have you read? What are your favorites?
  • What book was the first you reviewed on your blog? On Goodreads? Share your links!
  • Did you learn any lessons from your first few blog posts? What were they?

17 Comments

  • lydiaschoch April 23, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    I’m curious to know what you think the differences are between a Goodreads review and a blog review. I’ve noticed the writing styles do differ between the two, but I haven’t seen a lot of bloggers go into detail about what each one should contain. Have you ever written a post on this topic? I’d sure like to read it if you have (or do in the future).

    My TTT.

  • Jane the Raincity Librarian April 23, 2019 at 1:13 pm

    I did the same thing and went back through the first 10 books I reviewed on my blog, back when I first started blogging. I’ve never been very consistent when it comes to Goodreads, I’ve always felt more comfortable expressing myself on my blog.

    • Jackie B May 1, 2019 at 8:23 am

      I was fairly consistent on Goodreads for a while, but I tended to come and go from the platform. I found that GR is just too busy for me to get what I want out of it as a social media platform. Instead, I use it to help keep track of my TBR and the books my friends are reading. I use my blog for the proper details, like reviews. I agree with you about feeling more comfortable expressing myself on my blog. It’s nice to have a space where I can write about what I want to and feel 100% myself!

      Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting, Jane. I really appreciate it! It’s always nice to meet new people in the blogosphere. 🙂

  • Greg April 23, 2019 at 5:25 pm

    This was a very interesting exercise- looking at early reviews! Yikes haha! I can’t believe some of my early ones. Still, good point about how the early revies make us the blogger we are today- we all gotta start somewhere, I guess!

    Ready Player On! Wow memory lane… 🙂

  • Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense April 23, 2019 at 6:00 pm

    Oh my gosh, I feel like I spend hours on photos and I only post on Instagram or use photos on my blog every once in a while. I can’t imagine using them for every blog posts. You must have put in a lot of work. Do you still take photos to include in your posts?

    • Jackie B May 1, 2019 at 8:26 am

      Hahaha — I DEFINITELY do not spend time on photos any longer! I don’t have a great eye for good photography, I found I didn’t enjoy doing it, and it was taking up a lot of time I wanted to spend reading. XD So, photos only lasted a few months on this blog before I let it go. At this point, I barely use Instagram, let alone put photos on my blog. I know my blog isn’t the prettiest or most eye-catching blog out there, but I’m okay with that. I know that my blog will attract the sorts of readers I want to truly develop a relationship with as they are here for my reviews. Do you do much Instagram posting? What does your photography relationship look like with the blogosphere?

      Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting, Alicia! It’s wonderful to hear from new friends.

      • Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense May 1, 2019 at 7:49 pm

        It takes tons of time. I just joined Instagram and only post every once in a while, but the amount of photos I take compared to how many I post…it’s kind of absurd. I used to be on Tumblr more and I feel like there was a lot less pressure to take the best photos there.

  • Annemieke April 24, 2019 at 7:35 am

    Its interesting to see what you read back then.A little different than now, right?

    • Jackie B April 26, 2019 at 9:18 am

      VERY different! XD Part of this change is that I didn’t know what sort of blogger I wanted to be when I started. I didn’t recognize that it’s okay to find a niche and stick to just reading and blogging about whatever *I* wanted to read. It took me almost a year to figure that out…

  • Laila@BigReadingLife April 25, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    Fun topic – I’d like to do a post about this too even though it’s well past Tuesday! 🙂 I haven’t read any of the books you listed. I have thought about reading The Guernsey Literary one though, since I think I’m the only person who reads books that hasn’t read it yet. LOL. It’s neat to look back and see the genesis of one’s blog and what we learn through the years.

    • Jackie B April 26, 2019 at 9:17 am

      Pft, you are completely welcome to do a post like this whenever you want! It’s a really fun trip down memory lane and taught me a lot about myself and my book reviewing. And shows me I still have a long way to go…

      I think you’d really enjoy The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It’s a quick read with incredibly engaging characters and a compelling, realistic plot. I highly recommend.

  • Grab the Lapels April 26, 2019 at 8:39 am

    I started Grab the Lapels so I could review small press books written by women, so my first reviews are all of obscure reviewer copies. Titles include:

    Rampart & Toulouse by Kristin Fouquet
    Firewater & Pixie Dust by Karen Lillis
    An Anthology of Babes ed. by Suzi Banks Baum
    Love Does Not make Me Gentle or Kind by Chavisa Woods
    Dysfunction by Annam Manthiram
    The Bridge to Take When Things Get Serious by Lori Jakiela
    História, História: Two Years in the Cape Verde Islands by Eleanor Stanford
    Iron by Zarina Zabrisky
    Unruly Princess by Marcelle Thiébaux
    MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

    You’ll notice the last one is an Atwood novel. That’s because so many of the small press novels I was reading and reviewing were just….not good. I had to take a break and read something with some credibility behind it.

    • Jackie B April 26, 2019 at 9:13 am

      I’m not surprised you needed to pick up something with more credibility behind it. I was reading that list and didn’t know a single title or author name… which isn’t a bad thing! But I know that reading review copies has been an exhausting chore for me. I know I’m aiming to at least *write* reviews for the NetGalley books I’ve read, but I think I’m done. Just walking away entirely at this point. It doesn’t bring me any joy.

      You don’t read review copies now, right? I like that you still review books by women, though. And a lot of smaller presses, too. I’ve learned so much from your blog!

      • Grab the Lapels April 26, 2019 at 9:28 pm

        I don’t take review copies right now. Part of the problem is I say yes to one book from a press, and then they want me to take all of their books by women that are coming out. It’s like, HELLO, I can make this the [insert press name] show! You’re not the only press that exists, and I’m not here to be a media creator for you.

        I got anxious this morning and starting a spreadsheet of what I’m going to read in 2020 (just titles and months and categories) and . . . I ran out of books by women that I own. WTF. I mean, if I read a Zora Neale Hurston in 2020, I don’t want to review another one. Thus I have SOME more books, but like…whoa. The oldest shelved/newest shelved thing is working!

  • Jessica at Booked J April 26, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    Ooh, so many good titles on here. Ready Player One and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl take me back! Also, now I’m curious about checking out the audiobook for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

    • Jackie B May 1, 2019 at 8:32 am

      If you enjoyed reading the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl AND you like audiobooks, then I definitely recommend it. It’s a great way to re-read the book! I love finding great audiobook versions of books I love– rereading in different formats brings me a lot of joy. Do you listen to many audiobooks? Are there any you’d recommend?

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Jessica! I really appreciate it. It’s always great to make new friends in the blogopshere!

  • Dani @ Perspective of a Writer April 27, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    Fascinating Jackie!! I’ve looked back at these reviews and remember thinking… no one will be reading these so whatever. hahaha My attitude sure has changed since then and you can tell. Still my eye for storytelling hasn’t changed. I think I was more brutal back then though. ❤️

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