Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

2024 Challenge Sign-Up Post

January Reviews Link-Up

February Reviews Link-Up

March Reviews Link-Up

April Reviews Link-Up

May Reviews Link-Up

June Reviews Link-Up

July Reviews Link-Up

August Reviews Link-Up

September Reviews Link-Up

October Reviews Link-Up

November Reviews Link-Up

December Reviews Link-Up

My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 50 books. 64% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


13 / 40 books. 33% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


5 / 25 books. 20% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


15 / 100 books. 15% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016

My Own Choose Your Comment Adventure


If you've been a blogger for any length of time, you've probably noticed the general decline in not just blog reading but also in blog commenting.  I still spend a sizable chunk of time doing both, but no one has ever accused me of keeping up with trends!  Megan over at Leafing Through Life is also sad that commenting has gone out of fashion.  In order to bring back the blog commenting love, she launched a little thing she calls Choose Your Own Comment Adventure.  To have an "adventure," you choose a book blog, read the most recent post, make a thoughtful comment, then click on the first commenter's link and head over to their blog.  Repeat the process until you've visited ten (or more) blogs.  I love this idea!  I've been meaning to go on an adventure of my own ever since Megan posted about her first one.  Now that she's provided a linky to join in the fun, I'm totally going for it!  Here's the journey I took around the book blogosphere today:

1.  Back to Books:  The first blog that showed up in my Bloglovin' list was this one, written by a Canadian book lover.  I've been visiting Nicola's blog off and on for years and have discovered lots of great books because of it.  Unfortunately, the book she most recently reviewed—Crazy Dead by Suzanne F. Kingsmill—doesn't sound like my cup of tea.  Nicola wasn't wild about it either.  She said the plot was a mess and the characters behaved in ways that just weren't believable.  Hate that!  I'll pass on this book, but I'll definitely return to Back to Books.

2.  Mystica/Musings from Sri Lanka:  Mystica was the first commenter on Nicola's post, so I headed over to her blog next.  She reviewed a book that sounds like the exact sort of read I would enjoy.  Still Mine by Amy Stuart is a mystery about a missing girl and an outsider who refuses to give up on finding her.  She says the book is descriptive, atmospheric, and twisty.  I added it to my Goodreads TBR list.  Can't wait to see what I think of it.

3.  Bermuda Onion:  This blogger has been around for a long time and is well known for her generous commenting.  It's no surprise that her blog came up.  I was intrigued by her Wondrous Wednesday post, highlighting words I'd never heard of.  I learned the definition of "ruminants" (gross!) and "coelacanth" (interesting!).

4.  The Book Sage:  The first comment on that post led me to a new-to-me blog.  Lloyd's most recent post was a recap of an author event he had attended.  Yaa Gyasi, author of Homegoing—which has been getting excellent reviews—is a local author.  Gyasi, who's originally from Ghana, sounds like a fascinating person.  Her book has been on my Goodreads TBR list for many weeks.

The first comment on this post was from Bermuda Onion, so I went back to my Bloglovin' list and started over, which led me to:

5.  Bart's Bookshelf:  This is another blog that I've been reading for years.  Darren reviews a lot of sci fi/fantasy and dystopian books and has provided me with some excellent reading recommendations in the past.  His newest review is lovely.  He talks about The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Milwood Hargrave, which, he says, is worth the buy just for its gorgeous writing.  However, he insists readers should get themselves a paper copy because the book itself is so beautiful.  Verdict?  Sold.

6.  The Written Word:  The first commenter on that post was Kailana, another Canadian book blogger.  Her most recent post was a "week in review" summary.  Her loved ones have been sick, so it's been a bit of a rough one for her.  On the bright side, she's reading two books that I enjoyed:  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Cutting Season by Attica Locke.  She also posted some gorgeous scenic shots that she took.  Very impressive.

7.  I Wish I Lived in a Library:  Kailana's first commenter was Katherine P, whose blog I visit frequently.  Her most recent post is a review of An Address to Die For by Mary Feliz.  The book revolves around a professional organizer who is moving into a new house.  When she drives up, she's shocked to see that the home is in terrible disrepair.  Even more disconcerting is the dead body in the basement.  The plot sounds similar to The Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves.  I enjoyed that one and am quite sure I'll dig this one as well.

8.  Quinn's Book Nook:  That post led me to Quinn's review of P.S. I Like You, a new YA romance by Kasie West.  Quinn said it took her a little while to warm up to the characters in the book, but that she enjoyed it overall.  Like West's other books, it's a light, cute romance.  I enjoy West as well, so I'll check this one out soon.

9.  Nick and Nereyda's Infinite Booklist:  Quinn's commenter led me to another new-to-me blog.  The most recent post by N&N is a fun guide to their "Favorite Friends to More Romances."  I've only read 1 1/2 of the books on the list, so I got a lot of great recommendations on what to try next.

10.  Lekeisha the Book Nerd:  The last stop on my adventure was another new discovery for me.  Lekeisha's Waiting on Wednesday post featured The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis.  Like me, she's a fan of McGinnis' writing.  Even when she doesn't like one of the characters or plot devices in one of the author's books, Lekeisha said McGinnis' prose is always "on point."  I agree wholeheartedly.

Phew!  So, there you have it.  I had a fun commenting adventure, which led me to new blogs and back to old favorites that I hadn't visited in awhile.  Thanks for the inspiration, Megan!  If you'd like to join in the commenting fun, head over to Leafing Through Life and sign up.  I'd love to hear about the blogs you discover on your own journey.  Until then, happy commenting!

17 comments:

  1. This is a really fun idea. I'm glad that you did it and had fun and found some new blogs to follow. I'll have to check it out. But, I'll admit, I'm in a slump of all slumps right now. Not just with blogging, but life in general.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry you're in an all-over slump :( Is it the weather? The heat always makes me feel sluggish ...

      Delete
  2. This is a fun idea. I think making it 'official' would guarantee me failing at it. But I do try to comment on the blogs I read if I get the chance. I do wish that more people took the time to comment. Because blogging takes hours and hours of work...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha - it made me feel motivated! I try to comment on the blogs I read, too, because I know how much I enjoy it when someone comments on my blog.

      Delete
  3. This is such an amazing idea and a great way to get to new blogs. I have to try this myself. Glad you had a great adventure :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I follow Kailana. She's awesome! Always has the most beautiful pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed looking around her blog. Her photos are especially eye-catching.

      Delete
  5. What a great idea! When I have a bit more time I will try the same thing. One thing that happens is that comments do not get emailed to some bloggers anymore. Sometimes I find comments I didn't know I had! Then I feel bad that I didn't respond...which I often do. Darn spam controls or whatever is stopping some blogs from recognizing a comment as valid and notifying the blogger.

    Pam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's frustrating. I always manage comments through the Blogger dashboard. I don't trust the emails!

      Delete
  6. What a wonderful idea! And a privileged to be your first blog mentioned! I've been following you off and on probably for the same about of time. You are definitely on now!

    I won't say I'm upset about the lack of comments these days. I hardly get any anymore, though I've been blogging almost ten years. I miss the old days when we were a smaller community and evryone knew everyone either by following their blogs or just seeing their name in the comments all the time. I'm as guilty as anyone of not leaving comments sometimes I even (gasp) start to comment then delete it instead of posting.

    What I'm trying to do now is follow less blogs and comment more often on the ones I do.

    I'm going to go participate in this "Adventure" myself. Consider yourself blog #1!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I miss the old days, too. Blogging was more personal back then. I think it's great that there's a whole new generation of book bloggers, but I think some of the book blogosphere magic has been lost over the years.

      Glad you're going to go on your own adventure. I'm excited to see where you end up!

      Delete
  7. This looks like a lot of fun! I've definitely noticed the comment decline over the years. I used to get a lot of comments a few years ago and in Agatha Christie style, and then there were none. I get a few here and there depending on the type of post, but it's disheartening sometimes. So, I've started looking at it as my own little voice and outlet for whatever I want to share. It's not a business; it's a hobby.

    I spend hours commenting on posts and still don't get to all the blogs I follow. I like the idea of supporting through comments and love finding new blogs. I think I'll join in on this fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you're going to join in. It's a fun event and, like you said, a great way to support blogs and find new ones.

      Also, yes, I think you have to blog for yourself primarily. Otherwise, it's too easy to get discouraged when you don't get the comments and follows you want.

      Delete
  8. This is awesome! I have seen the talk of blog reading and commenting declining but haven't noticed it too much in the book world. I have noticed a pretty dramatic decline in comments on the food blogs I follow. Most of these are blogs I already follow but I don't think I've visited Back to Books or The Book Sage. It really made my day to see my name! I've added The Dead Cat Bounce to my TBR. I saw your comment and looked it up. Definitely sounds like a book for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting. I follow a few food blogs, but I haven't visited any of them lately -- proves your point!

      THE DEAD CAT BOUNCE is a fun one. I had trouble finding it in my local libraries, so I ended up buying a copy. I need to read the next book in the series as I really enjoyed the debut.

      Delete
  9. Yay! I'm so glad you got to go on a good comment adventure. Definitely see some new to me blogs here that I'll have to check out and some old friends. Thanks for joining the fun! =D

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction