Top Ten Tuesday: Hooray for Book Blogs
Top Ten Favorite Things about Being a Book Blogger/Bookish Person
I love this question.
10. Conversation Starters: I always have a topic for conversation. I have stock answers for my favorite book (White Noise in case you were wondering) and lists of recommendations for all sorts of people in my head.
9.Writing: Blogging was sort of a gateway back into regular writing for me. I am now actually working on my novel at a decent pace, and I credit blogging as part of the reason why I feel confident enough to write daily.
8. Professional Development: I teach online and a lot of the things I learn from blogging are applicable to my teaching as well. The blog also helps me vet possible texts for my class. I also learn things at work that I apply to my blog (web design and HTML).
7. Reading is an the most flexible hobby: I mean, you can do it anywhere. You can take reading everywhere you go. I can even listen to audiobooks while I drive. I read at the gym, the coffeeshop, in waiting rooms, in the bath, at home. Tell me another hobby you can do so many places?
6. Increased reading volume and variety: After graduate school I fell into a real reading slump. It was hard for me to get back into reading, and I wasn't sure I wanted to read the kind of stuff I had been reading. I was burnt out. As I've started to blog, I am reading much more, and a variety of things that I like. I don't think I read as much now as I did in school, but hey, I've got a full time job now.
5. Shared knowledge from other bloggers: I really get a lot out of reading other blogs. I get great recommendations. I learn about books I never would have learned about, and I've actually learned a lot about the publishing industry in general. Plus, I love having a reader full of stuff that I know will entertain me everyday when I get home from work.
4. The books: I'm not going to pretend I don't like free books. It's not why I started doing it (to create a record of my reading), and it isn't why I keep doing it (the sense of community). I still go to the library, and frequent booksellers, but it is a nice perk.
3. Buzz: I love being in the know about book releases and hot titles and all that jazz. It grows my TBR like it is going out of style, but it is fun.
2. Getting to know myself as a reader: I have always been a reader. I have always loved to read. I spent seven years studying Literature in an institution of higher learning, and although I was introduced to a lot of great books, they were not books of my choosing. Through my blogging journey, I am starting to really learn what I like, what kind of reader I am, and what kind of writer I want to be.
1. Duh, the community: I love the personalities of all the bloggers that I read. They are all wonderful, different, vibrant, interesting and bookish people. I would love to meet them all. I love blogs and Goodreads, and I'm thinking I need Twitter...
So, what is it you love about the bookish life?
Great list. I can especially relate to the one where you say your uni course didn't provide you with your kind of books. I found a few great titles in my course, but much of it was either stuff I'd already read or stuff I had no desire to read.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need twitter! It's the best for a sense of community in the blogging world (imho anyway lol). But yes- agree, agree, agree!
ReplyDeleteI love #2...I've taught reader identity for so long and encourage my students to examine their personal reading and writing selves...but until book blogging came along for me I had forgotten to try and keep up with my own reading and writing self. LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteLove your #9 and it's great to hear that blogging has helped your work on your novel.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about reading being a flexible hobby. I never thought about it that way but you're totally right!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog :)
Great point about reading as a "flexible hobby"! I never really thought about all the odd places I read, but it really is an anywhere, anytime pursuit!
ReplyDeleteI love your #2! I wish I had thought of it. But it is VERY cool to "stretch" myself as a reader and to better understand what I like and don't so I can give better reviews and recs!
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