2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2025 Reading Challenge
2025 52 Club Reading Challenge
2025 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2025 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2025 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge
2025 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2025 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
2025 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Happy Tuesday! I don't remember submitting today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt, but apparently I did. I'm turning 50 this year and my memory is...not great. Anyway, the topic du jour is: Top Ten Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style Has Changed Over the Years. One of my favorite things about blog hopping is seeing how other bloggers do their thing. It's always interesting to compare/contrast others' approaches with my own, so I'm excited to read everyone's lists today.
As always, TTT is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Ways in Which My Blogging/Review Style Has Changed Over the Years
I've been talking about books here at BBB since 2006, almost TWENTY years ago. Crazy! Although I live in the same house that I did back then (after living elsewhere for fourteen years), a lot has changed in almost two decades. When I started my blog, I was a 30-year-old stay-at-home mom looking for a creative outlet. I had three small children, little free time, and a lot of stress. Nineteen years later, I have four children (we adopted our youngest in 2008), a daughter-in-law, a grandbaby, abundant time to myself, and a life that is generally smooth and peaceful.
As my life circumstances have changed over the years, so has my reading and blogging. Here's how:
1. Read, Review, Repeat—Back in the day, I reviewed every book I read on my blog. It didn't matter whether it came from a publisher, the library, or my own shelves, I took the time to write a detailed, thoughtful review. Since I read a whole lot faster than I review, this quickly became a huge source of stress and pressure for me. Eventually, I realized that I was creating my own issue by demanding too much of myself. It was only a handful of years ago that I finally gave myself permission to review only what I wanted to review and to do it on my own timeline. So liberating! Since then, the number of reviews posted on my blog has massively dwindled, but I'm a much happier blogger.
2. Goodreads for the Win—It took me some time to get into this iconic book site, but now I'm totally addicted! I keep multiple TBR lists there, follow friends, participate in the yearly Goodreads challenge, and more. I'm on the site almost every day. If you don't follow me there yet, you definitely should.
Even though I don't review everything I read on my blog, I do review everything I read on Goodreads. As soon as I can after I finish a book, I record my initial thoughts on GR simply because I like having a record of what I've read and what I thought about it. If I end up writing a more in-depth review on my blog, I can refer to my GR review and those fresher thoughts. Even though my GR reviews are generally rougher than my blog reviews, I still post them on NetGalley and Edelweiss when they're referring to ARCs.
3. Faster, more efficient reading—As I mentioned, I had three little kids when I started this blog. I had to sneak in my reading and blogging during naptime and in the early morning before they woke up. I'm not sure how many books I read in a year back then (probably not many), but now I usually get about 200. Since I don't have small children, I don't have a job, I don't watch tv, and I don't have many other hobbies, I have all the time in the world to read. When I'm driving (frequently), doing housework (ALL the dang time), or exercising (not enough of the time), I listen to audiobooks to pass the time and up my book count.
4. More succinct reviews—In the early days of BBB, my aunt told me she didn't like my reviews because I gave too much of the book's plot away. Fair point. My writing has always been wordy and that probably won't ever change, but I do think I've gotten better at penning reviews that are more succinct and spoiler-free. Writing quick reviews on Goodreads has definitely helped me with this.
5. Picky, picky, picky!—When I first started my blog, I was so excited that publicists were offering me free reads that I eagerly accepted every book that was offered to me. It didn't take long for me to feel totally overwhelmed and pressured to read them all, even if they were not at all my cup of tea. I have become much more selective over time. These days, I probably accept less than half of the books I'm offered.
6. More balance, less snark—As a baby blogger, I earned a fierce reputation as the Simon Cowell of the book blogging world. If I didn't like a book, I did not hold back! I was riding pretty high on my own wit when I received several hate emails from angry authors and lost a writer friend whose book I didn't love. After some humbling, I started to tone things down. I still believe in writing honest reviews, but I've tried to take a kinder, more balanced, less snarky approach.
7. Bye, bye book tours!—Once upon a time, I was super into participating in blog tours. Back then, it was sometimes the only way to get early copies of hot titles. Greedy little me signed up for so many of them that I had at least one tour stop every week and usually more. Keeping up a hectic schedule like that sucked the fun out of book reviewing, leaving me feeling panicked, stressed, and guilty when I couldn't keep up. Some time ago, I decided to give up blog tours completely. What a relief! Now and then, I'll agree to a tour stop, but they are very, very few and very, very far between.
8. Schedule free me—As a matter of fact, I have stopped doing any kind of scheduled posting. I participate in TTT most weeks, but that's about it. For years, I've been telling authors and publicists that I review only on my own schedule. If I get to their book, I get to it; if I don't, I don't. Judging by the amount of books still coming to my doorstep, most people don't mind my lackadaisical attitude.
On the other hand, having no schedule means I rarely post these days. I don't want my blog to be completely forgotten, so I may have to be a little more disciplined on this one. We'll see.
9. Challenge Me—I've always loved reading challenges. Back in the day, there were tons of them going on in the book blogosphere and lots of them were competitive, offering generous prizes of books, gift cards, and so on. I took them seriously, participating in a bunch every year. Although I still join more of them than I should, I only do them for fun these days. I also host a couple of my own, which I enjoy.
10. Old favorites, been and gone—In almost twenty years of book blogging, I've fallen in love with so many wonderful blogs and bloggers. It's sad when they disappear from the book blogosphere. Over the years, some of those bloggers have died while others have just moved on to other pursuits. Although so many of them have gone away, luckily, there have been many more that have taken their place over the years. I'm so glad that the book blogging world is still going strong.
One thing that hasn't changed since 2006 is that I still love reading and promoting books. Being a part of the book blogosphere for all these years has been such a joy. Thank you for hanging out here with me and for all of your thoughtful comments, delightful book recommendations, wonderful support, and more. You make me feel included and seen, something that can be tough for bookish introverts to find. Even though I'm a senior citizen in the book blogging world, I'm not ready to let it go. That might not ever change!
How long have you been blogging? What changes have you noticed in your reading, reviewing, and blogging habits over the years? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also try to respond to comments left here.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Two Decades of Book Blogging
Ever since I learned to read when I was five, I've been obsessed with books. Reading has always been my main and favorite hobby. My reading habits have definitely changed over time, though, especially since I started book blogging back in 2006. All these years later, they look different still. Today's TTT topic is all about our evolution as readers: Top Ten Ways My Reading Has Changed Over Time. I'm going to focus specifically on how mine have changed since I started Bloggin' 'bout Books 18 years ago. (Look at that, BBB is legally an adult! Don't worry—the content here will always remain family friendly.)
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Ways My Reading Habits Have Changed Over (Almost) 20 Years of Book Blogging
1. Choosy Suzy—When I was a baby book blogger, I was so thrilled to be getting books from publishers that I accepted every title I was offered, regardless of whether or not it was something I actually wanted to read. I ended up with stacks of volumes I wasn't really interested in but which I felt obligated to finish and review. Not an ideal situation. While I still accept more books to review than I can realistically handle, I'm much choosier about which ones I'll take.
Fun fact: I hate being called Suzy. After about kindergarten, my maternal grandmother was the only one who could get away with it!
2. DNF or Die—Not finishing a book, especially one I had been gifted for review, used to make me feel horribly guilty. I'd force myself to complete them, no matter what. Not anymore. If I'm not liking a book for any reason, I DNF that baby. Life's too short—and my TBR list is too long—to waste time on books I'm not enjoying.
3. My Blog, My Way—Because I wanted to keep all the newest and shiniest books coming to my mailbox, I used to accept too many of them for review, participate in multiple blog tours through a bunch of different companies, and maintain a rigorous calendar of scheduled reviews. That stressed me out as well as sucking all the enjoyment out of my reading and reviewing. I finally said enough and stopped doing any kind of scheduled reviewing. These days, I tell publishers, authors, and publicists that I'll read the books they send me only if and when I can. This way, I can do what I do without feeling anxious, guilty, or pressured.
4. Reviews? What Reviews?—The stress I describe above also came from my own unrealistic expectations for myself. I had vowed to write a thoughtful review of every book I read, whether it was a review book, a library pick, or a title plucked from my own shelf. Since I've always read way faster than I review, I was perpetually behind on the latter. Finally, I realized I was stressing myself out for no reason. Giving myself permission to review a book only if/when I wanted to has helped me breathe a lot easier. Not gonna lie, though—having no review schedule at all has made me lazy. I'm pretty sure I can count the reviews I've done this year on the blog on one hand. Yikes! I need to up my game so I have fresh content to share with you all on the regular. I'm never going to be one of those book influencers who posts three times a day and that's okay, but I do want to publish more reviews than I have been.
5. Me + Goodreads = BFFs—I'm a lover of lists, spreadsheets, habit trackers, and other organizational tools. Not surprisingly, then, I'm a tad obsessed with Goodreads. In recent years, I've been using it nearly every day to record my reading, add titles to various TBR lists, interact with book buddies, etc. When I finish a book, and while its content is fresh in my mind, I always rate it on Goodreads and write a quick initial review. This helps me record my first thoughts, which I can refer back to if/when I write a lengthier review later here on BBB. If you want to see reviews of everything I read, follow me on Goodreads. I'm much more active there than here these days.
By the way, yes, I have tried StoryGraph. There are elements of that site that appeal to me, but I just haven't found it to be as user friendly or as useful as Goodreads. While I'm not 100% satisfied with GR either (What do they have against half stars?), I mostly love it. It keeps me organized and on track.
6. Give It a Listen—It's only been in the past few years that I've really gotten into audiobooks. I'm not sure what my hang up was before because listening to books has been a game changer for me. I listen while I drive, do housework, and exercise. Audiobooks make these tedious tasks less unpleasant while helping me up my reading game. Nowadays, I have both an audiobook and a "real" one going at all times.
7. Paper People—I love "real" books with their irresistible combination of paper and ink. I'll never not revel in the feel of one in my hands and their tantalizing smell in my nostrils. Although I once swore I would never give in to the digital reading craze, I've since been converted. I still read mostly print books, but I also can't live without my Kindle Fire. I'd estimate about 60% of my reading is print books, 30% is e-books, and 10% is audiobooks.
8. Fictional Vs. Factual—Fiction books have always been and will always be my favorite, but I've discovered that non-fiction isn't so bad after all! In fact, I quite enjoy narrative non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, pop psychology, historical accounts, and more.
9. Noteworthy Reviews—Unless it was for a school assignment, I never took notes on what I read before I started book blogging. I didn't even do it as a beginning blogger. These days, though, I have to take copious notes while I read—even on short middle-grade novels—because my aging memory just can't keep up. Unless it's a reread that I'm not planning to review on Goodreads or BBB, I take notes. I do it the old-fashioned way, too, with a paper notebook and a pen. When it comes to longer quotes, though, I have taken the advice of another book blogger (wish I could remember which one) who takes a picture of them with her phone instead of writing them all down by hand. Brilliant!
10. Changing It Up—Because I wanted to stay relevant as a book blogger, I used to be all about the shiny, new releases. I still get excited about those, but these days, I pretty much read whatever strikes my fancy, whether it's the latest and greatest thriller, an old favorite, a childhood classic I missed out on, a family saga from the 80s, or a random grab from the library.
There you go, ten ways in which my reading habits have evolved over the course of my 18 years as a book blogger. How have yours changed over time? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here, although I'm a couple weeks behind at the moment.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Top Ten Tuesday: I'm Thankful for YOU!
Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted, as always, by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl) topic is our annual Thanksgiving prompt: Top Ten Reasons Why I'm Thankful for Books. I've done this one multiple times, so today I'm going to go rogue and express my gratitude not for books, but for book bloggers. Over the years, I've wanted to do a personal shout-out to all of the bloggers I love and appreciate, but I couldn't figure out a way to do so without (1) creating a post that's so long no one wants to read it and (2) accidentally leaving someone off the list. Yesterday, I had the brilliant idea of highlighting the top ten commenters on my blog this year. Blogger, unfortunately, doesn't have an easy way to identify these rock stars (at least not that I could find). Since I haven't posted nearly as much in 2023 as I usually do, I decided to just count up the comments myself. How hard could it be, really? Ahem, this is what my desk looked like after tallying up comments for just the first few months of the year:
At this point, a few things occurred to me:
(1) This project was going to take longer than expected and maybe I should quit while I was ahead.
(2) I probably should have used a spreadsheet for my calculations instead of writing everything out by hand.
(3) I really wanted to know who my top commenters were.
(4) A lot of people have taken time out of their days this year to leave a comment on my blog. How awesome is that?
As I wrote all of your names down and scrolled through all of your comments, I was absolutely flooded with gratitude for YOU. According to my calculations, 184 of you (not including anonymous commenters) paused a moment to leave me at least one message this year. Thank you for that! It means a great deal to me. Even more amazing is that a whole bunch of you left me multiple comments over the course of this year. My favorite part of blogging is interacting with you. I haven't been as good about commenting on other people's blogs this year, so the many comments on mine mean even more to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You make blogging such a joy for me.
Although I appreciate each and every comment left on my blog and it's not a competition, obviously, I still want to give some shout-outs to the bloggers who commented most here at BBB this year. If you're not familiar with them already, do yourself a favor and go check them out. You'll find thoughtful book reviews, on-point reading recommendations, fun book commentary, and, best of all, new blogger friends!
Just for reference, I have published 66 posts this year (not including this one), of which 40 were Top Ten Tuesday lists. (I've been a HUGE slacker on reviews this year!)
Top Ten (Okay, Fifteen-Ish) Top Commenters on BBB in 2023 (So Far)
1. Katherine P. @I Wish I Lived in a Library and Lark @LarkWrites...On Books and Life (43 comments)
3. Lydia @Lydia Schoch and Nicole @BookWyrm Knits (40 comments)
4. Rissi @Culture Characteristics/RissiWrites (32 comments)
5. Louise @Foxes and Fairy Tales (31 comments)
6. Deb Nance @Readerbuzz and Leah @Leah's Books (30 comments)
7. Carla @Carla Loves to Read (29 comments)
8. Dedra @A Book Wanderer (26 comments)
9. Nicole Santana @The Christian Fiction Girl and Vero @The Moon Phoenix (24 comments)
10. Lindsey @Lindsey Reads and Marianne @Let's Read (23 comments)
11. Lisa @Bookshelf Fantasies and Tanya @Girl Plus Books (22 comments)
12. Carol @Reading Ladies and Ethan @A Book a Week (21 comments)
13. Emily @Budget Tales Book Blog and Rainbow Stevie @Literary Loot (20 comments)
14. Suzanne @The Bookish Libra (19 comments)
15. Leslie @Books Are the New Black (18 comments)
A million thanks to these frequent commenters and to all of you who read my blog and take the time to comment. I appreciate you more than you could ever know. I love being part of the book blogging community. Thank you for making it such a fantastic place to hang out!
Have these book bloggers also blessed you with their lovely comments? Which book bloggers are you thankful for? Why are you thankful for books and this bookish community of ours? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
TTT: An Attitude of Gratitude
All over the U.S., families will be gathering this week to celebrate Thanksgiving. This underrated holiday is one of my favorites—not because I love to pig out on turkey and pie, but because it's not really about gluttony at all. Thanksgiving revolves around gratitude, being thankful for the blessings in our lives. Even when life is dark and gloomy, if we just look around a little bit, we can always find something to be grateful for. Like the quote says, it's a choice. We can actively decide to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, which will make us happier, healthier, and more pleasant to be around! This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for so many things—family, friends, a nice house, food on the table, the miracle of modern medicine, cool weather (a REAL blessing in hot, dry Arizona), and so much more. To all my U.S. readers, Happy Thanksgiving! A belated one to all you Canadians as well.
Not surprisingly, today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a gratitude freebie. Before I jump into the spin I decided to take, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun. It's easy. Simply click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few instructions, make your own list, then spend some happy hours surfing the book blogosphere checking out everyone's lists. Easy as ... pie! See what I did there??
Today, I decided to celebrate my favorite aspect of blogging—interacting with you, my readers. To be quite honest, I would probably blog even if no one ever saw my reviews, just because I find it enjoyable, but the fact that people actually want to read what I write is both surprising and wonderful. I love reading your comments, crafting responses, and just interacting with so many good, like-minded folks. I appreciate you coming by, even if you're a shy lurker, but I'm especially thankful for those who comment regularly here at BBB. You make this hobby so much fun! So, I'm going to publicly thank my most frequent visitors with a TTT list titled Top Ten Twelve Commenters On BBB Who Deserve My Eternal Gratitude. I hope you will show these good people some love by visiting their blogs, commenting, and taking their always on-point reading recommendations to heart. Thank you, my friends, for all you do for me and my little blog :)
Top Ten Twelve Commenters on BBB Who Deserve My Eternal Gratitude
1. Annette @Annette's Book Spot
2. Carla @Carla Loves to Read
3. Cath @Read_Warbler
4. Helen @Helen's Book Blog
5. Joy @Joyous Reads
6. Katherine @I Wish I Lived in a Library
7. Kay @Kay's Reading Life
8. Lark @Lark Writes ... On Books and Life
9. Mystica @Musings From Sri Lanka
10. Sam @Book Chase
11. Sam @We Live and Breathe Books
12. Stephanie @She's Probably at the Library
And a special shout out to Grace, formerly of Rebel Mommy Book Blog. Sadly, Grace passed away from cancer a few months ago. She was a wife and a mother as well as a talented writer, reviewer, and blogger. I miss all the bright book and life chatter I always found at her blog as well as her thoughtful comments here on BBB. You can read a sweet tribute to her here and find out how to leave messages of love and support for her family. Rest in peace, Grace.
There you have it, a baker's dozen of bloggers for whom I am very thankful! Who and what are you thankful for this holiday season? I'd love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.
Happy TTT!
Thursday, April 04, 2019
Hey, Look, It's a Major Award!
I know a lot of bloggers are bugged by these awards, so I'm not going to tag anyone. The rules of the award are listed below in case you want to pass it on. I'm not going to do that, but I am going to list 15 blogs that I enjoy reading. Keep in mind that I read hundreds of book blogs, so this list will obviously not include all my favorite book bloggers. Do give the ones I list a look-see, though. They're all excellent blogs by enthusiastic readers who will definitely help you add books to your TBR mountain chain!
Rules:
- Thank the blogger that nominated you.
- Write a post to show your award.
- Give a brief story of how your blog started.
- Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
- Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
- Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.
TWO PIECES OF ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS:
- Be yourself! Write the things you want to write, when you want to write them, and how you want to write them. Don't take blogging too seriously. Have fun with it. Infuse your blog with your unique personality—that's what will make it stand out.
- Engage with the book blogging community. The best thing about book blogging, IMHO, is communing with like-minded people about our favorite thing—books. Find blogs you love and visit them often. Make thoughtful comments. Join in with memes, reading challenges, scavenger hunts, and other events. It's the best way to promote your blog in a non-obnoxious way, spread the love to other blogs, support authors and bloggers, and find great new books to read.
I've been reading book blogs every day for years. Some of my favorites have fallen by the wayside over the years, but here are 12 I have been loving for at least a year and 4 (bonus!) I have discovered only recently. Give them all a visit, wontcha?
Annette's Book Spot—Annette is a high school librarian who always has great YA recommendations.
Bibliophile by the Sea—Diane has been reviewing books since 2008. She always has great recs. She also has cute cats :)
Book Haven—I love Greg's insightful reviews and thoughtful comments. He reviews a variety of genres, but primarily sci fi/fantasy.
Grab a Book From Our Stack—Gerard and Karen are a husband and wife reviewing team. I love it when they both review the same book. It's fun to compare/contrast their opinions.
I Wish I Lived in a Library—Katherine and I have a lot of interests in common, both bookish and non, so it's not surprising that I always find new books to love on her blog.
It's All About Books—I've had the pleasure of meeting Suey in real life and she's a wonderful person as well as a fun blogger. She reviews books, movies, TV shows, and Korean entertainment.
Kay's Reading Life—Kay's my go-to girl for all things mystery/thriller. If that's your genre, check her out!
Lark Writes—Lark reviews a variety of genres and has a lot of fun elements on her blog. I especially love when she posts bookish art, reading quotes, and her awesome haiku reviews.
Library of Clean Reads—Laura reviews everything from picture books to adult non-fiction. The books she talks about are free from profanity, sex scenes, disturbing subject matter, etc.
Rebel Mommy Book Blog—Grace reviews mostly contemporary books and women's fiction. She's a frequent commenter on my blog and someone whose blog I thoroughly enjoy visiting.
The Perpetual Page Turner—Jamie's blog has a lot of great features. I especially love her lists of book deals and upcoming books she's looking forward to.
We Live and Breathe Books—Sam and her co-bloggers review a lot of YA and contemporary books. I always find great books I haven't heard about yet from them.
--
Carla Loves to Read—I discovered Carla's blog through Top Ten Tuesday. We have similar reading interests, so I like to keep up with what she's reading.
Helen's Book Blog—Helen and I also have similar reading tastes, so I like to see what she's got on her stack. She's also a great commenter on my blog!
Helen's Book Blog—Helen and I also have similar reading tastes, so I like to see what she's got on her stack. She's also a great commenter on my blog!
She's Probably at the Library—I already mentioned Stephanie, who gave me this award. She reads a lot of interesting books and writes thorough reviews that always make me want to give the book she's reviewing a try, even if it's not my usual genre!
Wishful Endings—This is more of a re-discovery since I'm pretty sure I used to be a more frequent visitor to this blog. At any rate, Tressa reviews mostly YA, sweet romance, and Christian/LDS fiction.
--
If you'd like to pass on this award to bloggers you love, consider yourself tagged!
Friday, September 21, 2018
Light, Funny MG Story Not Without a Lesson or Two
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Living like a pioneer is not quite what 13-year-old Genevieve Welsh had in mind for her summer break. Trudging around the prairie in a long dress (and petticoats!), growing her own food, slaving away at chores that can easily be done by machine, living with her family in a tiny, rustic cabin—nothing about Frontier Family History Camp sounds like a vacation at all. What are her parents thinking? Living without modern distractions might bring her family closer, but it's also going to make Gen completely insane.
Camp isn't completely awful, especially considering there's a cute boy to practice her flirting skills on. Still, Gen finds plenty of drama to rant about in the texts she sends to her friends on the forbidden cell phone she snuck into camp. When Gen's pals turn her messages into a blog and that blog goes viral, attracting national media attention to her plight in the Wyoming wilderness, Gen starts to wonder just what she's done. Has she managed to ruin what's turning out to be the best worst summer she's ever experienced?
Little Blog on the Prairie, a middle grade novel by Cathleen Davitt Bell, tells a cute, uplifting story about learning to appreciate the simpler things in life. It's an easy read that's funny, upbeat, and entertaining, albeit totally predictable. While it feels contrived and far-fetched at times, it's still a fast, fun read that will appeal to anyone looking for a light, laugh-filled story that's not without a lesson or two. I enjoyed it.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and scary images
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions I Make (And Break) Every Year
Top Ten Tuesday is my favorite weekly meme by far and wide so, despite recent tweaks, I'm sticking with it. In case you haven't heard, TTT will no longer be hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. In fact, that blog is dissolving. You can read goodbye posts from the contributors that include links so you can follow them individually on their own blogs and social media accounts. Thank you, ladies, for all your hard work over the years! From now on, TTT will be handled by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Be sure to stop in and give her some love. To join in the TTT fun, just read up on the meme, make your own list, then have a good ole time hopping around the book blogosphere. It's a great way to find new blogs to follow, revisit old favorites, and of course, add to your TBR list mountain mountain chain. What's not to love?
This week's topic is: Top Ten Bookish Resolutions/Goals. I feel like I've already talked about this, so forgive the redundancy. I'm really not making any hard and fast bookish resolutions for the new year, but here's what I wouldn't mind accomplishing:
1. Read 200 Books. This has been my yearly goal for a number of years now. The closest I've come is 186 in 2011. I read 158 last year, so we'll see what happens in 2018.
2. Read more non-fiction. I've always been a fiction kind of girl, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy an intriguing biography, a scintillating memoir, a fun pop-psych book, or an uplifting inspirational read now and then. I avoid anything too deep or too dry, but other than that, I'm fairly open ... Anyone have any great recommendations?
3. Comment More. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty good about commenting on other people's blogs. I know how much I enjoy it when people react to my posts, so I always try to return the favor. However, I'd like to do better about visiting ALL the blogs on my reader and commenting regularly so the authors know how much I enjoy their work.
4. Keep up on reviews. You guys, I totally suck at this. Totally. My bookish OCD makes me feel like I have to give every book I read its day in the sun, so I can't cheat with mini-reviews, skipping books, etc. I must review them all! Apparently, I am incapable of doing it in a timely manner, though, so yeah, I need to work on that this year.
5. Limit the amount of books I accept for review. This one is SO tough because I want to read all the things! It's hard to resist shiny new releases, hopeful debut authors, awesome-sounding ARCs, fun blog tours, etc. I've gotten pickier over the years about what I accept, but I need to be even pickier so I don't go stark raving mad from the guilt I feel over not being able to review everything.
6. Clean up my feed reader. My feed reader is crammed full of book blogs (as well as food blogs, diet blogs, organization blogs, writing blogs, etc.). It's overwhelming and guilt-inducing to see all those unread posts just sitting there. A lot of the blogs have fallen by the wayside over the years, or my interest in them has waned, so I need to ditch the dead weight and focus on those that are still dynamic and helpful.
7. Find new blogs to read. I love reading book blogs and am always looking for new ones to follow. I prefer those whose authors share my reading interests, have a clean, upbeat writing style, and comment/follow back. This is one of the reasons I love TTT—it helps me find new blogs to enjoy.
8. Actually complete a reading challenge. I get so excited for the new reading challenges that come out every year, but then I never finish them. I'm doing some fun ones in 2018, so hopefully I'll actually have some success this time around. Wish me luck!
9. Catch up on all the series in which I am woefully behind. Yeah.
10. Keep enjoying doing what I love. By limiting the number of blog tours in which I participate and being very up front with authors about the amount of time (years!) it will likely take me to review their books, I've minimized (but not erased) a lot of the pressure in my blogging life. This makes the "job" much more pleasurable. I want to keep that feeling going this year. More than anything else, I want to make sure this gig remains a pleasurable labor of love. When it starts to feel like a stressful slog, that's when I'll know it's time to give it up.
What do you think of my resolutions/goals? What are yours? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor.
Happy TTT!
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!
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned ...
I know, I know. You don't hear from me for days and, suddenly, I post four times within a 24-hour period. What's up with that? Um, yeah. Apparently, the long, lazy days of summer have zapped my blogging energy—I've read lots of books, I just haven't gotten around to reviewing them. Now that I'm back from a week of vacation in Utah, I'm trying my hardest to catch up. So, I really shouldn't "waste" time on Top Ten Tuesday, but you guys, I just can't help myself! This is my favorite bookish meme, especially when our lovely hosts over at The Broke and the Bookish give us fun topics like this one—Top Ten Blogging Confessions. Without further ado, here are mine:
1. UPS/USPS deliveries still make me squeal—After eight years of book blogging (eight years!), the thrill of getting free books in the mail should probably be gone. It's not. Not at all. I still get excited when I find packages on my doorstep or in my mailbox from Harper Collins, Scholastic, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, etc. If my reaction to that ever sours, I guess I'll know it's time to start drafting a goodbye post.
2. I still can't be trusted in a bookstore—Because I've been doing this book blogging thing for almost a decade, I've accumulated a lot of books. Thousands. They're stacked on my desk, crammed into bookshelves, packed into boxes that fill the closet in my guest room ... I've got more books than any person could possibly read in two lifetimes and yet, I can't resist buying more. Seriously, I think I need an intervention.
3. Someone needs to cut me off. Like now—Closely related to the above two confessions is this one: I need another review book like I need a hole in the head. I have so many, I literally do not know what to do with them all. Over the years, I've become much more selective in what I choose to accept for review, but I still have no control at all when presented with new books from my favorite publishers. My greedy little book bloggin' heart wants to read them all.
4. It's all about the numbers—Okay, it's not. It's really not. But Megan's confession #2 reminded me of how hard I always try to reach my reading goal of 200 books a year. I've yet to accomplish it, but I still find myself avoiding chunky books and embracing quick, children's reads—especially toward the end of the year when I'm racing to get as many books read as I can. How neurotic is that? The only person who cares about my numbers is me. Major head slap.
5. I really, really want to be nice—Over the past eight years, I've earned a reputation as the Simon Cowell of book bloggers. People describe my reviews with words like honest, brutal, scathing, pulls-no-punches, etc. And those are compliments (if not entirely accurate ones)! But, here's the thing, I'm really a very nice person. I hate conflict. I go out of my way to avoid offending people. The truth is, I wish I could review every single book I'm offered and do so with raving, gushing excitement. I wish I could make every author happy. As a veteran book blogger, I've learned something: it just doesn't work that way. The only way I can do this "job" is to tell it like it is. And you know what? I'm not going to apologize for that.
6. I spend a lot less time in the library than I used to—Maybe this has nothing to do with book blogging at all, but I find myself spending very little time in the library these days. I used to love to roam the stacks, spending long hours browsing and spine-gazing. Nowadays, I'm much more efficient—if I see a glowing review of a book that looks interesting, I reserve it online, then go grab it from the library, and proceed on my merry way. Most of my visits to the library take less than 5 minutes (ironic, since I make a point of driving to the county library that's about a 15-minute drive from my house because I like it better than the city library, which is a whole lot closer). This turn-of-events makes me sad because I truly love libraries.
7. Long waits don't bother me none—Most people complain about having to spend hours and hours in waiting rooms and airport lobbies. Not me. I embrace the uninterrupted reading time.
8. I'm a reading vs. socializing hypocrite—I love that my preteen adores reading, but watching her choose books over interacting with friends, family and classmates sometimes gives me pause. While I completely understand, I find myself lecturing her a lot about putting her book down and engaging in the world around her—all the while, ignoring my own advice. I'm an adult, so that's okay, right? Right?
9. I'm getting choose-y in my old age—As I mentioned before, I'm a nice person. So, I felt terrible when I had to pare down my list of book blogs on Bloglovin'. Well, I didn't get rid of any, I just shifted my favorites into their own section. While I still read tons of book blogs, usually they are only the ones on this exclusive list. I know, I'm an awful person! The guilt is killing me (but I feel a whole lot less overwhelmed by my list of blog posts to be read).
10. Uh ...—Okay, I can't think of any other scandalous secrets to spill, so I'll just end my confession here. What do you think? Do I have some repenting to do? A Hail Mary or two? How about you? What are your deepest, darkest blogging confessions? I promise I won't tell. I'm a book blogger, so I'm totally trustworthy ...
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Term "Dying to Fit In" Takes On A Whole New Meaning in New YA Novel
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
At 423 lbs., "Butter" can barely move without fighting for breath. Waddling down the hallways of his ritzy Scottsdale, Arizona, high school is just plain torture—not because his classmates tease him, but because they don't. Even the bullies feel sorry for him now. He's too pathetic to warrant a glance from them, let alone from a thin, beautiful girl like Anna McGinn. Sure, Butter can pour his heart out to her online (as long as Anna continues to believe he's the cool, confident "SaxMan," anyway), but in real life? Not a chance. She'd probably throw up if she knew that Butter, the blob who sits behind her in English class, has the hots for her.
Butter has tried to slim down, he really has. He's gone on special diets, attended fat camp every summer, even starved himself to lose the weight. Nothing works. After he humiliates himself at school one day, he's officially ready to give up—not just on dieting, but on life. Butter creates a blog, announcing to the world that he's planning to eat himself to death on December 31st. And he's going to do it live on the Internet. He's prepared to tell anyone who asks that it's all just a big joke, even though the thought of dying sounds more tantalizing by the day. Then, something weird happens: the in-crowd at Scottsdale High starts swarming around Butter. They're not there to talk him out of his impending suicide, they're clamoring for all the macabre details of Butter's death plan. Suddenly, bizarrely, he's the most popular guy on campus. And, just as suddenly, he's not so sure about the suicide thing. He knows that wimping out of his big plan will cost him all of his new-found friends, but, then again, how can he kill himself when he's just discovering what it feels like to truly live? With everyone gleefully counting down the days until his death, Butter must make the biggest decision he's ever faced in his 16 years on planet Earth—live or die.
With a premise as shocking as that one, you just know Butter (available September 18, 2012), a debut novel by Arizona journalist Erin Jade Lange, is going to be one of those disturbing, no-holds-barred kind of stories. And it is. It's also sensitive, thought-provoking and, ultimately, empowering. Anyone who's ever struggled to accept themselves as they are (and, really, who hasn't?) will sympathize with Butter. He's funny, talented and self-deprecating—the kind of person everyone would love, if only they could look past the extra pounds to see the kid beneath the fat. The fact that our hero is contemplating suicide (an act I find unforgivably selfish) does diminish him as a character for me, especially since the decision to kill himself seems to pop up out of nowhere. Still, I devoured Butter's story, as anxious as anyone to find out what he'd do in the end. I had a few issues with the novel (of course I did). Overall, though, I enjoyed this modern take on the old dying-to-fit-in story. It offers a little something different—and I like that.
(Readalikes: a little bit like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language and depictions of underrage drinking
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Butter from the generous folks at Bloomsbury Children's Books via Netgalley. Thank you!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
TGIS - A (Belated) Book Blogger Hop
This week's question is:
What is your favorite thing about blogging?
- Easy. For me, it's all about mingling with other book lovers. I love talking about what I'm reading, my favorite authors, what's new in the book world, etc. with other people who get it ('cause, you know, not everyone does). It's just a whole lot of fun for me. Because of this blog, I've gotten to "meet" tons of readers, authors, bloggers, publicists, booksellers—both in the virtual world and the real one. I learn something from each and everyone one of you. What's not to love about that?
What about you? What's your favorite part of blogging?
If this is your first visit to BBB, welcome! I'm so glad you're here. Take a look around, leave me a comment (or two or three or ten) and I'll definitely return the favor. If you've been lurking around this joint for awhile now, thank you! Your support means so much to me.
Have a wonderful weekend, everybody! I'm going to be spending the next few hours watching my daughter get her hair braided, then I'll be back to do some hopping. See y'all soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Reading
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed By Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Listening
The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner
Followin' with Feedly
-
Fonseka by Jessica Francis Kane1 hour ago
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Design by:
2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
