![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
What a week! It's been great fun participating in Book Blogger Appreciation Week. To wrap things up, the BBAW team asked us to reflect on our blogs:
What do you like best about your blog right now and where would you like your blog to be a year from now?
I started my blog over two years ago as a reading journal, primarily for my own use. I never really expected much from it, and was really pleased to discover the broader community of book bloggers. I discovered reading challenges, and made some good friends along the way. Today I still enjoy writing reviews and visiting other blogs. But I have to admit, I don't have any specific goals for my blog. Then BBAW's award judging criteria got me thinking. I could aim to increase audience engagement. And I wouldn't mind improving the visual aesthetics, but I fear that might require me to migrate my blog to another platform, which I dread.My main goal is that book blogging continue to be fun! But I'm open to suggestions. What do YOU think I should do with my blog over the next year?
Once upon a time I relied on bestseller lists to fuel my reading, and I was never quite satisfied. And then I discovered all of these book-loving communities on the internet, and my TBR pile grew exponentially. I have given up all hope of ever working through it. Each w
eek, blogger book reviews pass through my Google Reader, or I find revivews on LibraryThing, and I realize how much great literature is out there, just waiting to be read. I used to keep endless lists of books I hoped to read someday, but I gave up on that, too -- the list itself became overwhelming. And yet sometimes a book review just speaks to me, demanding that the book be read. Such was the case with Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road, which I had not heard of until reading a review written by Trevor at The Mookse and the Gripes. And then I knew I had to read this book. I joined a long wishlist queue on Paperbackswap, and forgot about it for a while. A couple months later I came across a copy in an antiques shop, which was weird, because it was definitely not an antique. Another sign, perhaps? Anyway, I finally read it in August and absolutely loved it. And I never would have discovered this book had it not been for the book blogging community. Here's my review; perhaps both Trevor and I will inspire you to read Revolutionary Road!- Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? Definitely one at a time. I have a very hard time concentrating on more than one.
- Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? I prefer to finish a chapter. If the chapters are long, then I'll stop at the top of a page, at the end of the first sentence or the first paragraph. I can't stop mid-page, I just can't. Yes, I know that's a bit OCD.
- How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) My Virago Modern Classics have their own bookcase (pictured), and are organized alphabetically by author. My TBR shelf used to be organized by reading challenge, but now it's alphabetical by author as well, although I have pulled the books I actually intend to read this year into their own little sub-pile. We have lots of other books around the house, generally organized by subject (gardening, history, etc.). So that's how they're organized today, but I love organizing my books so they may not stay that way!
What about you? How do you like to read, and how do you organize YOUR books?
Welcome to Book Blogger Appreciation Week! I'll be blogging about the celebration this week and while there are a myriad of excellent blogs being honored, today I'd like to recognize two of my favorites that received nominations, but didn't make the shortlists.
- The Book Lady's Blog - I discovered Rebecca's blog about a year ago and found it so fresh and fun. I picked up several book recommendations from her, and have laughed out loud over her experiences working for a major book retailer. I also love her Sunday Salon posts. Rebecca and her husband stay in and have a "pajama day" every Sunday. I love to read about how she spends those precious Sundays -- what a lovely way to nurture their relationship.
- Paperback Reader - I met Claire online at LibraryThing; she's a fellow Virago Modern Classics collector and Booker Prize fan, so I enjoy her reviews of those books. Not to mention the way she organizes her bookshelves by color (like pink and green), just because they make for nice photos! Claire is relatively new to blogging and is doing a fantastic job!
I was thrilled today to learn that a challenge I host, The Complete Booker, was nominated for Best Collaborative Blog in the second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week, which takes place September 14-18, 2009. Here's BBAW's description of the Best Collaborative Blog award:
They say great minds think alike, and this blog is proof - while the individual members may not always agree, their collective whole makes for some of the best content on the web.UPDATE: Wow, another nomination! This very blog, Musings, has also received a nomination for Best Literary Fiction blog:
This blog covers primarily literary fiction. The reviews are of a high caliber and get you to think on some of the deeper issues that literary fiction brings up.
I am so excited! And I'm also so grateful to the participants in The Complete Booker challenge, because this nomination is due entirely to their efforts. Just being nominated puts us in some pretty fine company. This is a real honor; congratulations to all of the nominees, in all categories!
So, you might want to keep these important BBAW dates in mind:
- September 7: Shorlists are announced and voting begins
- September 12: Voting closes at 11:59 PM EST
- September 14-18: BBAW! Jon the fun here!
What is one thing you wish you knew about blogging when you started or what advice would you give a newbie blogger? Do your homework before choosing a blogging platform. When it comes to technology, I'm normally the kind of person that conducts exhaustive research to understand all the ins and outs before making a decision. For some reason, when I started blogging, I didn't do that. As I mentioned on Monday, my initial inspiration came from Alisia at Book Haven. At the time, her blog was on LiveJournal. I got all caught up in the excitement of starting my own blog and registered with LiveJournal straight away. About a week later, Alisia moved from LiveJournal to Blogger. Hmmm, I thought, what's that about? But I was having too much fun playing with templates and settings and again, I didn't give it much thought. And I thought LJ's communities might be fun. But over time I've realized the communities aren't for me, and I've found some limitations in LiveJournal's blogging capabilities, particularly with sidebars and widgets. Maybe someday I'll switch platforms, but I will definitely do my homework first!
What is your best blogging tip?
The "Golden Rule" applies. Whether you are writing blog posts, responding to comments, or commenting on another person's blog, practice an ethic of reciprocity and treat others as you would like to be treated. While your blog is a place to share your opinions and views, it is not a place to belittle others. Someone may post a comment disagreeing with your views, and this should be acknowledged in a respectful manner. Arguments and personal attacks should be avoided at all costs!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Award presentations begin today -- check out Amy's blog post for the details!
These four are special to me because of the role they have played in my own blogging journey. And they illustrate the power of the internet for building honest-to-goodness relationships among people who otherwise would never know one another:
- Book Haven - Alisia hasn't had as much time for blogging since becoming a mom and moving house, but I credit her for inspiring me to start this blog. In early January 2007 I followed a link from a Yahoo book group post and read Alisia's blog. I'd been thinking about keeping a reading journal (you know, the old-fashioned kind, on paper...), but she inspired me to create my journal online. And Musings was born!
- Caribousmom - After creating my own blog, I took a look at Alisia's blogroll and discovered an entire community out there. Some of these people I had already "met," like Wendy. She was part of the same Yahoo book group and was also on LibraryThing. I quickly discovered that Wendy and I had eerily similar tastes in reading. And sometimes we were reading the same book at the same time! We've since dubbed ourselves "bookie soulmates". I credit Wendy with inspiring me to continue blogging, even on those days when I wonder if it's worth the effort. Wendy also led me down the evil path of reading challenges, from whence I may never return!
- And then there's Jill at The Magic Lasso. Jill's another one I had met on LibraryThing. And she seems to hold me responsible for her own blogging and challenge addictions. It took me a long time to learn that the name of Jill's blog refers to the superhero, Wonder Woman. And Jill is most definitely a wonder woman! I always enjoy her book reviews; she has both introduced me to great books and warned me away from a few duds. Thanks Jill!
- Finally, my newest blogging buddy is Terri at Reading, Writing, and Retirement. I first met Terri on LibraryThing and as I learned more about her, I found we shared some views of the world around us, and I came to admire her courage in acting on those views. Oh yeah, and we also enjoy similar books. Terri's blog combines one of my passions -- reading -- with another -- gardening. I love the photos she takes of her garden and sometimes I wish I could transport myself over there!
- Brit LitBlogs - this site collects and publishes posts from a number of different blogs, all UK-based. It's a great source for reviews of contemporary British literature.
- dovegreyreader scribbles - I love this woman. She's kinda famous in the blogosphere, giving talks at conferences and so forth. But she's so unassuming and modest, it seems like she continually wonders how this all happened. Her reviews are thorough, detailed, and insighful. She reads the entire Booker Prize Longlist and offers recommendations, which I find enormously valuable. She has a very sweet cat. And, once a month she posts about the view from the lane near her house, with lovely photos (check out The Lane in August). Although she lives in a completely different part of the country than I did, these posts reconnect me to what I loved best about English flora and fauna.
- Table Talk - I "met" Ann through The Sunday Salon. Her reviews are full of amazingly thoughtful reflections. And she frequently offers up highlights from the book supplements in the UK papers, which saves me lots of time online. She also enjoys walking in the countryside around her home, and as with dovegreyreader this allows me to get all misty-eyed about the English countryside and forget that when I was there, it rained too much.
My Friend Amy is hosting the very first Book Blogger Appreciation Week. What a great idea! Here's Amy's description :
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Acknowledging the hard work of book bloggers and their growing impact on book marketing and their essential contribution to book buzz in general, I am excited to announce the first Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Think of it as a retreat for book bloggers and a chance for us to totally nerd out over books together. And of course, shower each other with love and appreciation.
Register: In order to experience the maximum impact of the week, I invite you to register your participation (just like a retreat)!
To register, just send an email to bookbloggerappreciationweekATgmailDOTcom with your blog url and what you consider your niche...i.e, general book blog, classics blog, personal blog with a healthy dose of books, YA books blog, etc. Then, add one of the two buttons at the bottom of this post to your sidebar. If you are a reader (no blog) just send an email announcing your plans to follow along.
Why bother? If you register, you will be added to a book blog directory which will exist long after this week is over. Additionally, you will receive one raffle entry into the daily giveaways during BBAW here at My Friend Amy.
Awards: Oh yes, there will be awards. The Oscars of Book Blogging. :)
Sounds like something fun, so I'm in! How about you?
