As you know if you’ve read some of my recent posts, I’ve recently been trying really hard to clear some books off of my NetGalley to-read list. I figured I’d take the time to post about NetGalley, what a great tool it is, and what is left on my shelf!
What is NetGalley?
It’s a site where readers and bloggers can request advanced copies of books in exchange for honest reviews. I highly recommend it to anyone who is new to blogging, or anyone who just wants to read new books before everyone else! It’s also a great resource for authors to get word out about their new books.
Why is it so important to clear off your NetGalley shelf?
The key to NetGalley is keeping your review ratio (books you’ve been approved for vs. books you’ve read) above 80%. They state this very plainly on their site, but when I first signed up I was way too excited to heed their warnings. As many readers do, I requested way too many books right off the bat without any regard for how long it would take me to read that many.
In addition, ebooks are my least favorite means of reading. Obviously my favorite are physical books. I also cruise through audiobooks while I work (sometimes, it depends on what I’m working on). Ebooks are only really preferred when I’m trying to travel light, though. I find it really difficult to stay focused when I’m reading on a screen.
Anyway, I ended up with way too many books on my NetGalley shelf and my ratio in the gutter. At the beginning of November, it was an embarrassing 39%. And that was after reading a few and requesting no new ones in October! Throughout November, I was able to bring it up to 82%! November was an amazing month of reading for me–check out my summary here.
My past NetGalley reads:
- The Guest
- The Safe Place
- The Best of Friends
- The Switch
- One by One
- The Wife
- The Ex-Boyfriend
- Little Threats
- Unfaithful
- The Power Couple
- Saving Grace
- A Million Reasons Why
- Little Pieces of Me
- The Good Sister
- The Other Side of the Door
- A Dark and Secret Place
What’s left on my NetGalley shelf?
I am constantly finding new books I want to read, but I’m trying to be better about keeping my number of requests low and only requesting books I have time to read and write a thoughtful review for.
Right now I have six unread books on my shelf:
- One in Three
- The Imposter
- Mirrorland
- You and Me
- The Wife’s House
- His Wife’s Sister
I’ve requested a few more, such as the new Mary Kubica book that I’m especially excited about. Sometimes your requests get approved right away, and sometimes it takes a while and months later you’ll be approved for a book you’ve completely forgotten about.
Do you use NetGalley? If you do, what’s on your shelf right now? What should I read next off of my TBR?
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