The Way of the Dodo

Have you ever checked out the reviews on Goodreads for an older, backlist title and ran across old blogger friends' reviews and thought, "Hmm...I haven't seen them around in ages. I wonder what they're up to or if they're even still blogging..." This actually happens to me pretty frequently now, and not only because I'm a lame, out-of-touch blogger. Though, I'm sure that's partly to blame.

You see those posts all the time about how a blogger is feeling less than motivated to keep posting, as if they're not being heard and it's all pointless. I know I've posted about those feelings from time-to-time. But then there are those who actually just give up blogging altogether, never to be heard from again...even on Goodreads.

I've contemplated only reviewing on Goodreads and just posting discussions and promotional stuff here. I honestly think they get more attention over there and are just more visible than they are here in my little corner of the blogosphere. It also seems that more people have taken to Bookstagram and Booktube, in lieu of traditional blogging, and it does tend to make me wonder, "Why bother?" Especially when you discover that some of those people are getting paid for their contributions.

I see nothing wrong with that. At all. We put a lot of time and effort and even our own money into this "hobby" and it would be nice to be fairly compensated for that, especially when we're promoting on behalf of a publisher or author. I honestly don't get those who think being paid for this would be a bad thing, that the early reader copies are compensation enough. If I could at least make a part-time job out of this, I'd definitely be more inclined to keep doing it.

But I digress. This wasn't supposed to be a post about getting paid. It's about missing the good ole days. About knowing the people you're blogging beside and remembering our fallen friends, those whose other priorities meant they had to leave the community. It's about being stressed and wondering at what point you just throw in the towel.

If I were witty and clever, I'd sing about the disappearance of bloggers to the tune of "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?", but you really don't want to hear my singing voice and the song is stuck in my head now anyways.

So. Do you think traditional book bloggers are on the edge of extinction? Have you lost any friends to the abyss? Are you considering a departure in the near future, or do you plan on hanging on till the bitter end?

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Labels: blogging, blogging breaks, blogging community, blogging confessions, discussion

How Book Blogging Has Changed Me as a Reader

So, our 5th blogiversary is coming up pretty soon, but I'm not all that excited about it. Honestly, I've been pretty apathetic toward blogging in general as of late. Well, that's not entirely true...some days are better than others. But I don't know if we're going to do a big celebration (read: giveaway) this year or not. I just bought a house at the end of last year and so funds are pretty tight as it is, plus April and I haven't even talked about doing anything, and it's less than two weeks away. Tells you where our priorities are, doesn't it?

Instead, I thought I'd just reflect on how blogging has changed me as a reader -- and maybe as a person, too. Because a lot can happen in five years and some things are harder to walk away from unscathed than others. And who knows? Maybe this will be the cathartic experience I need, and I'll be in the spirit to celebrate and give things away by the end. ;0)

For better or worse, here are a few ways I'm different because of blogging:

I don't visit bookstores anymore.

Back in the early days, I would run out to the nearest book store to pick up a book on release day. However, if I didn't already receive a copy from the publisher, or if I want a special edition or finished copy in addition to the review copy I received, I rely on other bloggers or Twitter to alert me to sales and pre-order deals, meaning that most of my book purchases are made online these days.

Also, my shelves are so unbelievably full -- I've even resorted to a "saved for Katie" shelf in the closet of the spare bedroom -- that it's not really feasible for me to just go peruse the shelves of Barnes & Noble or Half Price Books and take home an armload like in the good old days. Which is partially why I have this problem to begin with, let's be honest.

I know way more about authors than I ever wanted to.

Look, I love meeting authors, virtually and in real life. I love connecting with them and discovering their next project and seeing them interact with other readers. But I realize that they are not my friends and that I don't owe them a favorable review just because we're friendly on in the internets.

Shoot, I don't owe them anything, if we're being perfectly honest. If anything -- and especially if I've purchased and reviewed their book -- they owe me the respect any author should show any reader. Before I was a blogger -- and hey, maybe this type of thing didn't happen before blogging was a thing, who am I to say? -- I was unaware of bad author behavior. I may have supported countless "bad" authors with my hard-earned cash because of it. But I also have to wonder how much of these situations is really bad author behavior and how much of it is the blogosphere and Twitter blowing things out of proportion. One never knows unless one is directly involved in the confrontation.

I've become a green-eyed monster.

We've all been there: envying the person on the other side of the screen because they got the coveted ARC you'd give your big toe for. I don't think I've actually ever posted about ARC envy because I try not to let it control me, but it's there all the same. And it's pointless because we'll ALL get to read the book sooner or later. It's just hard knowing others are discussing the book, that you're missing out on that aspect more than anything because you WANT to be part of the community but you always feel slightly on the outside, especially when it concerns a much-desired ARC.

But I'm not just envious of those who get review copies before I do. That's a grain of sand in comparison to the rest of it. My jealousy also stems from how very little time I actually have to spend on this hobby. It's hard to take off work for conventions. I end up writing most blog posts while I'm at work. I pretty much have to wait until everyone else is in bed before I get time to myself to sit down and read. Working full-time and caring for a family take up a lot of time. A lot.

Oh, and how easy every other bookish person seems to be in the company of other bookish peeps! I am such a nervous nelly, so completely out of my comfort zone at bookish events, and so I avoid them for the most part. But I have an amazing, supportive friend who pushes me to do the things I want to do, even if they make me uncomfortable. She's the main reason I've been to any author events recently. So, I'm also completely and ridiculously jealous of you guys who are comfortable in your own skin and just put yourself out there.

I really don't like this about myself. Before blogging, I didn't worry about book events or getting advance copies. I felt completely anonymous...just another reader in the night. And I was more than okay with that.

I don't read old books.

These days, I put all my effort and physical reading time into reading and reviewing ARCs and don't spend nearly enough time on my backlist. Unless it's via audio. And that was only when I had access to the library in Austin. =( Now, I have to make the conscious effort to pick up an older title, or it just doesn't happen. And more often than not...it doesn't happen. This is why it's so hard for me to get rid of books. The want to read them is there, but the time is not. I've stopped requesting nearly as many review copies, and that's helped to some extent, but I don't think I'll be able read all of the books I want to in my lifetime. And that's just sad.

I listen to audiobooks.

Before blogging, I would NEVER have listened to an audiobook. In my head, that was like the equivalent of cheating. Now, I constantly have an audiobook on-deck. I listen on my commute, while I work, doing chores, exercising...pretty much anything mundane that can be made better with a good book. And I'm able to revisit old favorites via audio, which is like, the best.

I collect books.

I'd always planned to have my own library. I think that's kind of required for any little girl whose favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. But I never planned to become a collector. I've got multiple editions of the same book: paperback, hardcover, ARC, UK edition, signed, special printing, etc., etc., etc. My husband likes to point this out a lot whenever I complain about running out of shelf space. I've been better about culling books from my shelves, but I'm still not great. Hence, the aforementioned "saved for Katie" shelf. But there are just some authors I love more than others, some books that mean more to me than others. And those deserve special shelf space. And that's where the collecting comes in.

I have the urge to write...like, ALL THE TIME.

And not for the blog. I've got all kind of ideas -- lots of them saved in my notes on my phone -- that are just itching to be put on paper. Or screen, as it were. I used to write ALL THE TIME when I was younger. Horrible poetry. Really bad short stories. Journaling day and night. But then I met my husband and life was really good and I no longer needed the outlet that writing provided.

I'm not saying that's the only reason to write. It's not even why I want to write now. Sometimes you just have a desire to share a story, not necessarily get a feeling on the page so it's not in your head anymore. Though, admittedly, writing is really good for that, too.

At this point, I care little about getting published. I just. WANT. TO. WRITE. But, I also have to admit that because of blogging and social media in general, I have access to a lot more resources regarding getting published than I ever did before. Or at the very least, I know where to find them now.

I'm sure these aren't the only ways I've changed since starting blogging, but that's where I'm stopping for now. I feel like blogging has brought about some changes for the better in me, but it's also changed me in ways that I'm not certain I'm okay with. It's why blogging has become kind of a daily struggle for me.

As I reflect on five years of blogging, I'm trying to figure out ways to make myself love it again. If you've got any ideas or just general comments about how blogging has changed you, I'd love to hear them!

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Labels: blogging confessions, blogiversary, discussion, reading habits

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Nerd Problems

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Apparently, they are overly fond of list-making and love to share their bookish lists with the rest of us book nerds.  =) We're game.

This week's topic is the Ten Book Related Problems I Have:

April's Picks:

I could only come up with 5 because really, when it comes to books I don't have many problems. Other than having too many of them to ever read in my lifetime. lol. :)

Jen's Picks:

I got 99 problems but having something to read ain't one...

I could seriously whine about all the books I'll never get to read for days. But I won't because I know many of you suffer from the same problem. ;0)

What bookish problems do you guys have? Be sure to share a link to your TTT post so we can visit!

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Labels: blogging confessions, book nerd problems, top ten tuesday

Sometimes You Just Gotta Shake It Off

If you've been by the blog lately, you've probably noticed that April hasn't been around as much. But if you've been around the blogosphere much at all, you've probably noticed this is kind of a trend among those of us who've been blogging for any length of time. Whether it's the recent author drama, real-life stuff, or just a serious reading slump, we all need a break every now and then.

Jen: And that's the point I was at earlier this year, when I saw April mention on Twitter that she wished she could just co-blog with someone else to alleviate some of the stress. I had honestly been contemplating a hiatus of my own at the time because blogging had become more of a chore than a hobby. I didn't want to take a break, but I wanted blogging to be fun again. So, when I saw April's tweet, I jumped at the opportunity without any real deliberation. (You can read more about that here.)

It's worked out beautifully as far as I'm concerned. We're there to help out when the other has things come up that keep us from posting on our scheduled day. We've got each other's back when drama rears its ugly head. And our different styles and preferred genres provide some much-needed variety on the blog. Plus, it's fun again! I love our joint reviews and discussions like this!

But what do you do when you're BOTH kind of in a funk? I'm not in a reading slump per se, but it's taking me forever to finish a book these days. I used to read three books a week, stay up till 2am doing so, and never think twice about it. Now, I can barely make it to 10pm before my head hits the pillow, which means very little reading is getting done each night. I'm still flying through some audio, though. That's really been my saving grace.

April: I feel terrible for this. I feel like I let Jen down the last couple months. When we started out blogging together, we were both fed up. I was so ready to shut my blog down and say goodbye. Blogging here with Jen was fun again and gave me a new life in the blogging community. Now I'm back to barely posting. It sucks, but it's unavoidable. I barely have time to email with Jen; this week will be the most we have emailed in months and that makes me sad.

It goes to show you how quickly life can change. Early this year when I joined Jen, I was working part time at a company I had been at for almost 10 years. Then I was told I'd be laid off this winter, so the job hunt began. Now working full time with a ton of new responsibilities, reading and blogging have taken a back seat.

I've never been one to stay up until 2am reading. I value sleep too much but I used to read a lot in the evening. Now I'm too tired from work, and Aubrey wants my attention and she is most important. I'm having trouble finding a balance now. Half the time I don't even want to read.. I'm just not into it. It's become such a stress to me, and I think part of the reason is that I feel pressured to read. My turn to review a book on the blog is two days away. I'm 10%. And it's not even a review book, so it's not the stress of reading for publishers. It's the pressure to read for review in general. I miss the days of leisurely reading.

Jen: April has no reason to feel bad...this is the beauty of the co-blogging relationship: we pick up the slack for each other whenever life has us otherwise occupied. I mean, just this week, I caught whatever is going around and ended up laid up on the couch with nothing to post. Luckily, we usually schedule our meme posts a week out, so there was something on the blog each day, but this will be the first week ever that we've not posted a single review.

And you know what? I'm kind of okay with that. Reviews take me the most time to write because I want to sound intelligent while getting my point across, and yet, those are the posts that see the fewest comments. Oh, they get loads of views, but I know from experience that I rarely comment on reviews myself unless I have something worthwhile to say that hasn't already been said. The posts that get the most attention are ones like this -- discussion posts where everyone wants to voice their own experiences and opinions.

I've been forcing myself for months now to review everything I read and listen to each week, and it's really starting to drain me. After my forced mini-haitus this week due to illness, it's even more apparent to me that I've got to read for the pure enjoyment of it or I'm going to burn out that much quicker. I've essentially turned every book I read into a review copy, and that's just sad. It's one thing to post a short review on Goodreads for every book so others can gauge your enjoyment of a story, but to full-on review every book is kind of ridiculous. I wish it hadn't taken getting sick to realize that, but it is what it is.

I'm going to take a break from reviewing every book. Sure, I'm still going to post a review or two a week for upcoming books that I'm excited about. But I also want to focus more on discussion posts and other creative outlets on the blog since those do seem to garner more interaction with readers. And I know I've been terrible at that lately, but maybe taking a break from so much reviewing will give me more time to socialize with everyone. It's been at least a month since I've visited any of you, and I feel absolutely awful about that.

April: Oh my gosh, yes to turning every book into a review copy. I've been doing the same. Even the books I want to read, I have been viewing them as review books. It is sad, because it really takes the fun out of reading. We should read because we want to, not so we can form an opinion and have a post to schedule on the blog.

I agree with taking a break on reviewing. I've pretty much already been doing that, but I feel like we haven't had time to do fun creative discussion posts. And that's one of the things love the most about blogging with Jen. We need to get back to that stuff. When I posted earlier this week about not being able to get into books, a lot of you suggested we take a break to avoid getting burned out. I've been stewing over it all week. I would miss it too much I think.

Jen is on to something for sure though, with the whole creative outlets idea. I just had my computer redone and I'm dying to get back into making more SIMS videos. There are so many amazing books I've read over the years and wanted to put into video. Also, the holidays are coming up and I love doing crafts with Aubrey and sharing our creations. My only concern with that is would people want to see those things?

And I'm 100% with Jen on socializing more. If we aren't so pressured to post time-consuming reviews, then we can venture out and visit you all. I cannot remember the last time I've sat down and just browsed through blogs. It's terrible, because I love doing so, but there just hasn't been any time.

I'm ready for a change, but I'm not giving up, Jen. No way. ♥ We are in this slump together and we will come out of it together!

Jen: I think we owe it to ourselves to take it down a notch, to make this blog what it originally started as: a place to connect with like-minded individuals. I hate how competitive blogging has made me, especially since I'm competitive by nature. I hate comparing what we've got going on here to what else is out there and vice versa. I just want to talk books and ships and fandoms with people who get me. I don't want to worry or feel left out when I didn't get this advance copy or that one. I don't want to worry about not getting invited to the bigger tours or not being able to attend conventions and hob-knob with the publishers at events. Because I have plenty of unread books on my shelf as it is and I'll be able to read that book I'm anticipating soon enough. I don't think I'll ever want for reading material again, ya know?

How did it come to this? How did I let it get to this point? April seems pretty well-adjusted, but I've somehow let blogging consume me. Stressing out about reading and writing reviews and keeping up with the schedule -- in addition to all of the other stuff I've got going on -- may just have contributed to me getting sick this week. Stress isn't good for anyone, but I've always tended to take it a step too far, until it reached an unhealthy level and I was forced to take a step back. (Senior year of high school, I tried to juggle 4 AP classes and two part-time jobs and nearly gave myself an ulcer because of it, just to give you an idea of how I tend to let stress rule me.)

I don't want to take a break. I don't have it in me to take a break. Taking a break would feel too much like giving up, and I'm no quitter. Though, sometimes I have to admit it would feel like kicking an addiction or bad habit rather than giving up a hobby. :( Still, at the heart of it, I do still love blogging. I think we just need to get it back on track and stop forcing ourselves to crank out reviews and focus more on what we loved about it in the first place. And like April said, maybe branch off into other, sort of related hobbies. I like photography, and if you follow me on Instagram, you know I like to take pictures of my books. April likes to make book trailers featuring SIMS characters on her YouTube channel. And we both seem to love these discussion posts, though we haven't done many recently.

So, I think for the rest of the year, we focus on the good things, the things that brought us together in the first place. I have a ton of review books piling up for 2015 already, but I'm almost done with those for 2014, so I plan on reading what I want. Reviewing just what I have to. And spending more time with friends, visiting your blogs and hanging out on Twitter and such. I think it's high time we made time for the fun stuff.

This was going to be one of my blogging resolutions for the new year, much like it always is, but I think it's time to really work on it, and I think April will keep me on track with that now that she's here. She'll hold me accountable. I don't worry about her so much...she's pretty good at prioritizing real life versus blogging. I could learn a thing or two from her, actually. ;0)



I think what we're both saying is, we just want to go back to being READERS. There's just something about opening a book with no expectations, without having read 20 different reviews first, without having Tweet-stalked the author, without knowing the publicist for the book. No worrying about whether so-and-so has already read a book or whether their opinions are going to influence ours. No forcing ourselves to finish a book just to review it or stockpiling DNFs for a later date just because we can't get into them now.

We're taking it back to the days of reading for the sheer joy of it. If we get a few reviews done each week, so be it. But we're not putting that pressure on ourselves. This is not a job and there's zero reason to stress out about it. (Someone please remind me I said that in a few months when I let all of the 2015 titles start to freak me out.)

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Labels: blogging breaks, blogging confessions, co-blogging, discussion

Top Ten Tuesday: Confession Time

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Apparently, they are overly fond of list-making and love to share their bookish lists with the rest of us book nerds.  =) We're game.

This week's topic is the Top Ten Blogging Confessions:

April's Picks:

Jen's Picks:

There you have it: our little quirks and no-no's when it comes to reading and blogging. =D

Got something to confess? Spill! :D Be sure to share a link to your TTT post so we can visit!

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Labels: blogging confessions, top ten tuesday