Back in the early days of book blogging, awards were a huge thing.  So big that people got really tired of accepting them, tagging other bloggers, and feeling obligated to pass them on.  That led to "award-free" blogs and the near extinction of blogging awards.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that Stephanie over at She's Probably at the Library had given me an award!  I'm so honored.  Thanks, Stephanie!

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!

• 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.

HOW IT ALL STARTED:  Back in 2006, in the heyday of blogging, I decided a blog would be the perfect platform to use for an online reading journal.  I was proud of my innovation and cleverness—surely no one had yet thought of using a blog for this nerdy purpose!  When I discovered that there was, in fact, a whole book blogging community out there, my mind was blown.  Here was my tribe, just waiting for me to discover it!  I started visiting other blogs, receiving review requests from authors and publishers, joining community events and just having a blast.  Thirteen years later, I'm still having a great time with this book blogging gig.  It's a fun hobby through which I have met some wonderful people (online and off), discovered amazing books, and had opportunities and experiences I never could have imagined before.

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.

15 BLOGS I VISIT OFTEN:

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?

Do you ever find yourself reading the same genre with the same premise/themes over and over and over again?  Do you ever wonder why you like what you like?  I do, too, which is why today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is so fascinating to me:  Top Ten Things That Make Me Immediately Want to Read a Book.  Besides wanting to read new books by favorite authors, there are certain fictional topics and themes that get me every time.  I've actually done this topic a couple times over the years so you can check out this April 2013 post and this one from April 2017 if you're interested in seeing how little my reading preferences have changed!

I'll spill those particular beans in a minute, but first, if you want to join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun (and you really do), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl.  Read some simple instructions, make your own list, then have a grand ole time visiting other blogs.  It's a great way to find new blogs to love, add good reads to your TBR list, and spread the book blogging love.  Plus, it's FUN.

Okay, here we go with the Top Ten Things That Make Me Immediately Want to Read a Book:


1.  Family Secrets—I'm always intrigued by the tantalizing secrets lurking in the closets of families, especially in those that seem perfect from the outside.  Note:  I enjoy this topic in fiction.  In real life, you can keep your dirty laundry to yourself.  I really don't want to know.  In novels, though, bring it on!

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  Anything by Kate Morton or Joshilyn Jackson


2.  Creepy Old Houses—There's just something about a big, mysterious abode that sets my imagination of fire.  Especially if it's perched atop a rugged cliff near the sea.  The possibilities with this theme are literally endless.  Think hidden passageways, ghosts, secret rooms, forgotten bones, concealed treasures, etc.  Show me a creepy old house on a book's cover or anywhere in its plot summary, and I'll read it.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  Anything by Kate Morton or Carol Goodman


3.  Homesteading/Pioneers—On the flip side, I also enjoy books about pioneers who leave their creepy old houses to go West in search of land, freedom, and new starts of all kinds.  Something about a character battling inclement weather, poverty, opposing forces, etc. in order to eke out a life in a wild land appeals to me.  Must be my Mormon pioneer heritage that draws me to these kinds of stories.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, and Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson


4.  World War II—I love historical fiction and this event/time period is one I just can't stop reading about.  No matter how many WWII novels I read, I always want to pick up more.  It's an endlessly fascinating topic and time period.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Diary of Anne Frank, Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum


5.  Adoption—Adopting my daughter has been an incredible, life-altering experience.  I'll never not want to read about adoption, whether it's non-fiction guides on various aspects of the process or novels about adoptees searching for their birth families, this topic always reels me in.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr


6.  Amnesia/Traumatic Brain Injury—For some reason, I also find this topic irresistible.  From psychological thrillers to murder mysteries to domestic dramas, I love me an amnesia/TBI novel.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson


7.  Survival Novels, Especially in Severe Environments of In the Wake of Some Kind of Disaster—As big a wimp as I am, it's kind of surprising that I enjoy these types of books so much, but I do.  Whether they're memoirs or novels, I dig a riveting survival story.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf, Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer


8.  Virus/Disease Outbreaks—Again, I'm not sure why this topic intrigues me so, but it does.  I find outbreak books (both fiction and non-) both horrifying and hard to put down.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier and Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson


9.  Hoarding—Having books stashed and stacked in every corner of your house doesn't count as hoarding, right?  Asking for a friend ... I'm always engrossed by books about this condition.  It's fascinating to read about the psychology behind the disease and how people cope with it.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omolulu



10.  Small Towns—Cue Bruce Springsteen.  I was born and raised in a beautiful little town that's not nearly as exciting as most fictional villages.  Still, I love me a small town setting, especially if it's filled with quirky characters, loving (if nosy) neighbors, and some simmering secrets that are about to be uncovered ... Be it quaint, hardscrabble, mysterious, or somewhere in between, a small town setting is always going to get me.

Favorite book(s) in the genre:  the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny, the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr, and the Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani

So there you have it, ten themes/genres that I just can't resist.  How about you?  What topics/settings/genres pull you right in?  If you've read any great books that fit into my favorite categories, let me know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!