Top Ten Tuesday: Goals and Resolutions for 2015

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 Goals/Resolutions For 2015 -- bookish, blogging or otherwise!

April's Goals & Resolutions:

Last year when I made goals for my own blog, I knew that I would never accomplish any. I was so ready to just throw in the towel but 2014 ended up being pretty awesome as far as blogging goes. I'm glad I was able to transfer my goals into helping Jen with hers. And now they are ours. <3 It's been a great year and I think 2015 will be as well.


Jen's Goals & Resolutions:

First up, here's how I did with last year's blogging goals:

I carried out the more important items from my list, I think. Sort of. I mean, April and I created the review archive...but it needs a lot of work. As in, all of our reviews still need to be added. Which is why this is still one of my goals for 2015. o_O I was better at being social earlier in the year, but then I got behind on reading, blogging, and all things real life, so my social presence has suffered a bit. Hoping that now that the holidays are pretty much behind us, I'll have more time to catch up with everyone. Also, I am a perpetual book-hoarder. I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop. But I can at least attempt it.

Oh, and for #3, I just ended up asking April to blog with me because it became apparent that my sister was never going to have time for blogging. Probably the best blogging decision I ever made. =)

And now, here are my goals for 2015:

As you'll see, some of my resolutions remain on this list from year to year because I still haven't gotten any better at them or I'm still that far from completing the goal. Here's hoping this year is stress- and drama-free and that we all accomplish whatever we set out to do this year! :D


What are you hoping to accomplish in 2015? Be sure to share a link to your TTT post so we can visit!

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Labels: blogging goals, resolutions, top ten tuesday

We Co-sign on Co-blogging

It's been a little over two months since I started blogging here at The Starry-Eyed Revue. I think it’s time to talk about it! Co-blogging has sort of blown up over the last year or so. I’ve seen so many bloggers give up their blogs to move to others, or just add bloggers to theirs. A last ditch effort to keep things going? I’m not sure, I think for some it has been. And maybe some do it now just because it’s what all the cool kids are doing. (Yup, we are cool now!)

We totally co-sign on this whole co-blogging thing, and here's why:

When I started blogging with Jen, I was kind of at my wits end. I’m a working mom, and running a blog alone is hard. Really hard, and I was doing a horrible job of it. I was so overwhelmed, that it wasn’t fun anymore. 2 months later and I can honestly say that I’ve never been so happy blogging as I am now. Not even when I first started.

I think compatibility is a big part of this. Jen and I are so similar it’s almost creepy at times. We have the same priorities, and I think that’s very important in a co blogging relationship. Our families come first, always.

Some things I love about Co-Blogging...

-Not having to post everyday! This was the hardest thing for me. I don’t think I ever posted on my own blog every day. It was just too much. We split the week up, we both get 3 days to post whatever, and one day that we post together. It’s worked out so well, because I can actually schedule ahead!!!

-Our friendship. I’ve always considered Jen a good friend, heck we’ve been talking to each other for years, but working with her has made us even closer.

-Early access to posts! It’s the ultimate co blogging perk. I thought it would be weird having access to each other’s drafts, but it’s not at all.

-Planning discussions and joint posts. It’s much more fun when you have someone you can bounce ideas off of. Plus, buddy reads lead to joint reviews, and we recently reviewed Open Road Summer together, that was a lot of fun to do.

I think one of the hardest parts about co blogging for me, was giving up my blog and moving to Jen's blog. From day one, Jen has always made me feel like it's ours, not hers, and I love her for it. It made the transition seamless for me. Joining The Starry Eyed Revue is one of the best decisions I ever made. I would make that decision over and over again.



If you'll remember, I probably looked about like that chick this time last year. Last summer, my sister had offered to co-blog with me and post a few times a month to help alleviate some of my stress, but that never really took off. Not blaming her, but I should have realized beforehand that that partnership was never really going to work...past experience and all that. So, even though her name still appeared on the blog, Mendy wasn't really doing anything. It was all up to me again. And somehow, I was managing to post at least once a day, almost every single day.

Move forward to January of this year when April and I were talking on Twitter about being overwhelmed with the blogging thing. She mentioned wanting to co-blog with someone else but not wanting to deal with some crazy person. I'd actually been wishing I had a legit co-blogger but didn't have a clue where to start. 1) My blog is my baby...how do I just let go of the reigns and give power like that to someone that I don't know (or barely know), that I can't gripe at the way I can my sister? 2) I'm a perfectionist. How do I accept that someone else isn't going to blog the same way I do? 3) Do I really have the time to train someone on the ins and outs of my blog?*

I was on the verge of burn-out and April just didn't have the time to run her own blog anymore. So, when she said she'd actually been considering joining up with another blogger, I thought, this is my chance. I know April. I've known her for three years and we actually have a lot in common. We talk frequently, and I know I can be completely honest with her and vice versa. And she was already running a blog, so I won't have much to show her that she doesn't already know. So, I jumped at the chance...I didn't even give myself five minutes to consider all the possibilities, as I am usually wont to do. I just asked her. And unbelievably, she said yes.

And here we are, two months later, loving blogging again, probably even more than we did in the beginning of our solo journeys into this community. Because we've already got our foot in the door. We're bringing our combined knowledge and our combined friendships together to forge something even better. And I'm loving every minute of it. Having someone else to bounce ideas off of, to take up the slack on a week when I'm not feeling it -- and I try to do the same for her, even though she's never as behind as I am -- and being able to just read as I see fit instead of sticking to that meticulous reviewing schedule of mine...it's all made this experience so much better.

When I started blogging three years ago, I had no idea where it would take me. The friendships I would make. The connections with publicists and publishers. The external pressure to post new and unique content, besides regular reviews. But I was missing out, letting it all get to me...not appreciating my own hobby anymore because I didn't have the time to make it mine like I did in the beginning. And then April comes along and gives that all back to me, almost immediately. From the moment we added her name to the blog, it's been ours. We both put a lot of work into our reviews and discussions, and I think we both get so much from doing this together now. Looking back, I was actually pretty lonely, doing this all on my own.

There are reasons for bringing on a co-blogger and then there are REASONS. I regret nothing. In fact, this is definitely one of my better decisions when it comes to blogging. And I think it calls for a happy dance.

*The funny thing is, my friend Lisa is going through the same thing right now. She needs help and wants to bring on a co-blogger, but she's asking herself these same questions. And then she posed the questions to me, knowing I'd already been through this twice now. So, I told her a few things that I've found to be true:  patience and honest are key; remember that you were friends before and you'd like to keep that friendship even if you're not co-bloggers till the end of time; allow your co-blogger to have her own voice so that the blog feels like hers, too, and that she's not over-stepping any of your boundaries; and know your strengths and weaknesses and recognize them in your co-blogger, too.

Co-blogging has definitely been on an upward trend, but I don't see that as a good or bad thing...it's just a truth. We're not the first ones to do it, and we won't be the last. And we're certainly not the only ones talking about it.

Do you blog with someone else? Are you considering a move in that direction, and if so, what are your REASONS? If you're a solo blogger, what are your thoughts on co-blogging? Do you think other solo bloggers need to band together in solidarity? Is this a passing phase or is the co-blogger a permanent fixture in the community?

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Labels: blogging goals, co-blogging, discussion

Top Ten Tuesday: On My Bookish Bucket List

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 list features the Top Ten Items On My Bookish Bucket List. Could be blogging related, book related etc. -- meeting authors, reading x many books per year, finishing a daunting book, etc.

April's picks:

-Go to a large book event. I’ve only ever been to a book signing, no large events. I’m signed up to work at one this Spring so I’ll be knocking this off the list real soon! I really want to go to BEA someday. *sigh* Someday.

-Read all of Sarah Dessen’s books. Lame? Maybe, but a couple years ago my friend Andrea and I decided we wanted to do this together. It was our Dessen Quest. Life got in the way, and it just never happened. I’m going to make it happen, even if it’s on my own.

-Finish all the series books!! Let’s be honest, this will never happen, because I continue to pick more without the finishing the ones I’ve started.

-Meet Jess and Jen in person… This will happen someday. Probably not anytime soon, because we all have little ones and you know how that is. But I would love to actually meet them someday.

- Read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Two of my H.S. friends read, loved and raved about these books. They have been trying to get me to read it forever, so I plan to someday do this. It’s so freaking long though that it’s damn near impossible to squeeze into my reading schedule.


Jen's picks:

- To finally read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: I have the audio for Outlander, but it's like 33 hours long, which to me, is rather daunting. But I usually finish an average length audiobook in a day or two. Still, I want to know what everyone is going on about.

- To finish that damn review archive: April and I have been discussing the review archive forever, but we've actually put very little work into it yet. We need to rectify that immediately.

- Start writing my own stories again...the ones that have been wandering around in my head for ages: Not for anyone else to read, necessarily, but just because I want to. I used to write all the time, even some really bad poetry, but life and blogging take up most of my free time these days, so I haven't put pen to paper in awhile.

- Read all of the unread books on my shelves: Something else I need to do that requires more free time is reading all of my unread books. And there are some really good ones on my shelf. Even some full series that I could read back-to-back. That would be a welcome change.

- Attend BEA: I thought I was going to be able to attend BEA this year, but my plans fell through. Really hoping to be able to swing it next year, though. I just want to experience it once. I don't think that's asking too much. =)


How funny that two of our bucket list items are the same! We didn't even discuss this beforehand! I don't think there was ever a question that our co-bloggership would work out. =)

So, what's on your bookish bucket list? :)  Share the link to you TTT post so we can visit!

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Labels: blogging goals, bookish bucket list, reading goals, top ten tuesday

Nothing in This Life is Free...Even If Someone's Giving It Away

You know what really grinds my gears?  Well, a lot of things these days, but today, it's those people who enter ALL THE GIVEAWAYS, even going so far as to create Twitter accounts solely for the purpose of fulfilling the "Tweet for an extra entry" option on Rafflecopter forms.

*Side note* I freely admit that I used to enter a ton of giveaways before I started blogging myself -- and even some after I'd been blogging for awhile.  But I usually try to enter giveaways just for books I really want these days. I ended up winning quite a few books in the beginning, some that I wasn't as stoked for as I should have been, and I'm still trying to find time to get to them.  But these books never made it to my own giveaway shelf because I feel a sense of obligation to read them since I won them.  Once I've read them, though, they're fair game.

Anyway, aside from the essentially fake Twitter giveaway accounts -- which, let's face it, completely defeat the purpose of those extra entries -- it also irks me when I see people obviously not following directions or not completing the entries but clicking submit as if they did.  I only spot check entries, but I do check every single entry for someone who Rafflecopter selected as a winner, and if I see any falsified entries, that person is immediately disqualified, and I remove all entries attributed to them.

Giveaways are making me kind of pissy these days.  I think that only about one in ten -- maybe less than that, I'm just guessing here -- of the giveaways I host here are sponsored.  Meaning that I spend my own hard-earned cash to provide most of the books I offer up for giveaways, and on top of that, I have to pay shipping, too, if I'm not ordering from The Book Depository for someone.  (And honestly, I dislike that option because I like knowing a book make it safe and sound to the winner.)  Guys, I'm a little afraid to admit this -- and Heaven forbid if my husband should find out! -- but I spent over $400 on giveaway prizes and shipping last year alone.  That is some serious cash, y'all.

So, it's really disheartening when I see that most of the people who enter my giveaways aren't people who normally stop by and comment or chat with me on Twitter.  No, most of my entries come from giveaway bandits who want all the books.  We bloggers get accused of just wanting books for free (i.e. ARCs) all the time -- Wendy at The Midnight Garden actually did a survey to determine just how much of our own money we bloggers spend...still waiting on those results, Wendy!  :P -- but there are worse out there.  Like the giveaway bandits.

My dad's always been fond of saying that nothing in this life is free, and at the heart of the matter, that's pretty much true.  In the case of giveaways, you have to complete a few tasks in order to earn your entries. I don't think that's asking too much.  But I also don't think it's asking too much for people to actually be true followers, to stop by every once in awhile when there's not a giveaway going on and just say hi, comment on a review, or just say something besides "Thanks for the giveaway."  As it is, I feel like I'm only blogging for other bloggers, though maybe that's a discussion for another day.

I'm aware that I could make one of my entries a mandatory task like "comment on any review", but even so, I'd still get stock comments, no matter if I dictated that the comment should be "meaningful" or not.  Plus, that would just feel like I was bribing people to leave comments, which isn't what I want either. Ideally, I'd like this blog to be a place where we can have honest discussions about books and other bookish topics, where everyone has an opinion and feels free to chime in.  And I do see that when I post a discussion, I tend to get more feedback, from bloggers and regular readers alike, which just makes me want to crank more of them out for you guys.

Essentially, I want all disingenuous contact in this space to stop.  I've already decided to stop posting for most of the weekly memes.  And I plan to post more and more discussions instead.  But I think I'm also going to take it easy on the giveaways this year, too.  I had already let them dwindle toward the end of 2013, but the shipping on my Clear Your Shelf Giveaway was $30 alone, and that's not taking into account how much the 22 books that were included in the mystery boxes were worth, so it doesn't look like I'm off to a very good start this year.  Though I'm sure the winners might disagree.  ;0)

So, this year, I'm only going to participate in giveaway hops that really interest me and give away only the books that really have me excited and chomping at the bit to share them, and I'm going to be very particular in my entry tasks in an attempt to keep people from gaming the system.  Because I do this for my love of books and my incessant need to share them with everyone.  I don't do it to get more followers, and though that is considered a perk, it's only true if they're real followers, the kind who like to interact and don't just delete your new post email as soon as it pops up in their inbox.

Well, I feel better having gotten that off my chest.  But I still feel like this post could alternately be titled "Do I Look Like a Chump to You?"  *big sigh*

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Labels: 2014, blogging goals, discussion, giveaway bandits, giveaway hops, giveaways, pet peeves

The Making of a Library

I think it's safe to say that all of us book nerd types desire to one day own a library of our very own, complete with rolling ladder and comfy reading nook.  I know I do.  But I also dream of the organization of a library, the ease of use.

I find myself reorganizing my bookshelves with the seasons or with my moods, and because of this, they're all mixed together now, and I don't have a running list of what I still need to read. And I daresay that at least a third of the books on my shelves are unread.  I'm a spontaneous book buyer. If I see it and I want it, I usually buy it, funds willing.

I also can't say no to a good sale.  Or Half Price Books.  Or review copies.  But I digress.

I really want to make my dream library a reality.  And being the organized person I am, I want to catalog ALL THE BOOKS. Looking at my shelves, I can tell you what I haven't read at a glance.  But when I'm trying to decide on my next read, I want to have choices...I want to know all my options.  I'd also like to know which books I've passed on more than a few times so I can find a better home for them.

Ideally, I'd create a card catalog and have every single books' identifying information listed.  But that's a pipe dream.  Instead -- and also because I am a total spreadsheet nerd -- I'm going to use my awesome spreadsheet skills and organize an entire workbook around cataloging all of my books, present and future acquisitions.  It's worked so well with my review schedule and really helped me keep track of what I'm reading and need to be reading for review purposes.  It can't fail.  And maybe, one day, all of that info can be transcribed to a real card catalog of my own making.  One day...*sighs*

This also means I'll be reorganizing my bookshelves again in the very near future.  I keep changing it up...alphabetical order, favorites, read vs. not read.  I sort of want to color-code my shelves, but then I'd never be able to find anything.  Okay, that's not entirely true.  I kind of have a photographic memory and can easily recall the covers of books I've read or am at least somewhat familiar with.  But still.  That's not really organized, and it would end up peeving me rather quickly, resulting in another weekend spent organizing.

I want to get all of this done in the next few weeks -- at least the reorganizing part -- because I want to show off my shelves.  I've had a request or two for a bookshelf tour, and though I doubt I could ever gather enough courage to appear in such a video, I'd be more than happy to share my shelves with you guys.  Also, I've never counted my books, so I'll finally know just how many books I own.  (I'm currently giving away three boxes - which equates to 22 books -- if you're interested.)

This is kind of a big undertaking, and I probably should have made it one of my resolutions so that when I finish, I can say I've accomplished something off that list.  Either way, I'm pretty excited about this endeavor.  And if nothing else, it'll help me with Resolution #1, which was to read more for pleasure.  Which, for me, means hitting up some of those books that are sitting on my shelf collecting dust and feeling unloved.  :(  And all books need a little love...

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Labels: 2014, blogging goals, book love, home library, reading goals, resolutions, the making of a library

2014 Blogging Resolutions & Goals

Last year around this time, I took a page out of many others' books and set myself to task with some book blogging resolutions.  I'm going to do that again this year because unlike in my life outside of book blogging, I actually found this exercise really helpful.  I'm not the best blogger out there, nor do I aspire to be so, but I definitely think I'm better than I was due to the changes I made to my blogging style over the course of 2013.

But before I get to my resolutions and goals for this year, I'd like to take a look back at those goals I set for myself last year and evaluate how I did, what I implemented, what I found didn't work for me...that kind of thing.  It just makes sense to review last year first and see if any of those same things still need work because, as in real life, I'm sure I didn't meet 100% of my expectations.  I'm a perfectionist, but I'm not that good.  =)

So, here are last year's resolutions:

1. Take better notes
2. Schedule more posts
3. Post less promotional spots (book blitz, excerpts, tours)
4. Review books immediately upon completion - eh, at least it doesn't normally take me a month anymore!
5. No new memes
6. Create an archive of reviews for the blog
7. Update blog at least 2x per week
8. Attend more book signings & conferences
9. Visit/comment on other blogs & return blog comments
10. Keep track of blog stats

Okay, so, I see some room for work there, but that's to be expected.  #1 is kind of null now because I've been better at #4 and because I'm actually using my Kindle's highlight and note features.  I am definitely way better at scheduling posts, though it may only be a day or two ahead of schedule.  Still...progress is progress, right?  I've also been better at only posting promotional material for books that really spoke to me as a reader, or that I was very much looking forward to.  I did only a handful of cover reveals and excerpts, and usually only for authors whose work I already knew and enjoyed.  I think I participated in less than ten blog tours, and the same goes for those.  No new memes...hmm...I think I quit doing one at the beginning of the year or maybe at the end of 2012, but I do occasionally participate in Top Ten Tuesday now, which I never did prior to this year.  Oops. But I really like that one.  And don't those two cancel each other out, anyway?

Unfortunately, I still have not completed -- or even started -- my review archive yet.  That probably should have been something I worked on over vacation/the holidays, but I've been sick, so nothin' doin'.  I am much better at updating my sidebar and menu bar items, so there's that.  And I do plan to work on my archive soon.  I have so many things I want to add to the blog.  2014 is my year y'all!

Oh, I attended the Maggie Stiefvater signing for The Dream Thieves tour and had her sign every Maggie book I owned...which was all of them except the anthologies.  And I attended Victoria Scott's signing/release party for The Collector at the beginning of the year.  Still didn't make it to any conferences, though. I wanted to, and I kind of had the opportunity, but I'm shy and had no one to go with, so...

For awhile there, I was very social, commenting and visiting everyone daily, but in the summer, work got a little chaotic, and that severely cut into not only my social time but also my blogging and reading time.  Still not sure how I managed to read over 200 books, but I did.  Imagine how many I would have read if work had been great!

As for keeping tack of blog statistics, I think I meant in the reading sense, not traffic-wise or anything like that.  I don't really do this for the traffic...I do it for myself and for those who love to read the same stuff I do. Traffic's nice, but I'd keep doing it anyway.  Back to my point, though...I definitely stepped it up in this respect.  I had a spreadsheet I used in 2012 to keep track of what I'd read, what I had to read, etc., but I think I added another ten columns to that sucker and it has really helped with my stress level.  You just wait till you see the charts and graphs because of it!

I'm just going to go back up to my little list and mark out the ones I feel I've mastered.  Hang on a sec. Okay, done.  And now on to 2014.

So, here goes.  My 2014 book blogging resolutions...and probably some confessions because that's what I do:

1.  Read more for pleasure - This is self-explanatory, but I think 98% of the books I read last year were for review.  Of the ones I listened to, probably 85% were actually for pleasure, but that's because I receive exponentially less audio for review.

2.  Create a review archive - For real this time. Like I said before, I search for my own reviews sometimes looking for this or that, and I have the darndest time sometimes trying to find what I'm looking for. So, this resolution is as much for me as it is for you.

3.  Force my co-blogger to actually do some blogging - Yeah, Mendy got busy with real life and forgot all about me...I mean, us.  A commitment is a commitment, am I right? Okay, I'm sorta kidding...I understand completely, but I miss having her brand of humor and review style on the blog.  It's so different from mine and I liked what it brought to the blog.

4.  Add a schedule tab on the menu bar - I stopped participating in challenges. I didn't sign up for any new ones this year, and the only one I kept track of was the Goodreads challenge.  And that's probably only because GR does it for me for the most part.  So, I don't need a Challenges tab.  I've been brainstorming what to put in its place, and I think having my reading schedule on my blog would come in handy.  Others can see what I'm going to be reading soon, maybe we can schedule buddy reads and what-not.  I don't know, I just think it'll make me feel even more accountable than I already do having the spreadsheet sitting on my computer.

5.  Stop focusing on reading "deadlines" - I know this is counterproductive to what I'm doing here, but I've usually been conservative?...cautious?...when posting reviews.  Meaning, I try to keep it within the six weeks surrounding a new release (three weeks prior/three weeks following).  But I see so many reading what I desperately want to read NOW and then immediately reviewing it with little consequence that I can tell.  The benefit to me is that I won't have everyone else's opinions clouding my judgment when the book finally does pop up on my schedule and I finally get to read it for myself.

6.  Be more social - I was better in 2013, but I wasn't stellar, by any means, at being social and approachable, whether it was on Twitter or Goodreads or even here on the blog.  I need to make myself available, put myself out there.  In real life, too...I really need to make an effort to get over my introverted-self and meet some of you beautiful book bloggers, you.  But also, I need to make time in my busy schedule to visit you all on your own blogs and spend time each week returning the comments left for me.  I feel like I've lost a few good friends over the last couple of years because I wasn't able to do this.  You get what you give, am I right?

7.  Start using Overdrive - I managed to really cut back on how many physical books I bought this year, but I ended up giving Audible all of that money instead.  I have a membership, but my purchases on that site are probably unrivaled by  most due to sales, new releases, and trying to catch up on back-listed titles I missed.  But people keep reminding me of Overdrive, which can be accessed through your local library.  I've yet to try it out, but I have to or I'm going to go broke with my audiobook addiction.

8.  Stop hoarding books - Especially those that probably won't ever see a re-read.  Like, I bought each of the Matched books by Ally Condie as they were released because that's what I did back then.  But I highly doubt I'm ever going to read those books again.  I need to start donating more books to the library and giving them away here on the blog.  I'm constantly running out of room, and I can't fit another book shelf in my office.  There really is nowhere else to put one.  (P.S. I'm participating in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway that technically starts on the 4th, so check back for that soon!)

9.  Cross-post reviews - I already do this to Goodreads and obviously to Netgalley and Edelweiss, but I often neglect adding reviews to Amazon and Audible, where applicable.  I just wish there was an easier way to do it than cutting and pasting everywhere.  Like, a button on Blogger that said "post to Amazon", etc.

10.  Post more discussions - These seem to be the posts that get the most attention, but that's not why I want to do more of them.  I just really like seeing what everyone else has to say.  I like to speak my peace and then listen to everyone else chime in.  It's interesting to see how varied we all our on different topics and I think it keeps this space fresh.  It can't all be memes and reviews, right?  I am definitely open to suggestions for topics, too.  I already have a couple in mind:  do you even care about memes anymore, or is that just for us book bloggers?  Are there any plain ole readers out there anymore, or did we all turn into bloggers along the way?  Things like that.  ;0)

And that about does it.  I have other goals for 2014, but those are the major ones.  I feel hopeful about my ability to conquer these feats of book blogging, too, especially seeing what kind of progress I made on last year's resolutions.

So, what are some of your resolutions for 2014?  Bookish or not.  We ain't picky around here.  =)  Seriously, though, I wish you all the love and support you need to accomplish whatever goals you've set for yourself in the coming year.  We all need a good support team.

Thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate each and every one of my readers, and I wish you all a prosperous and happy new year!

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Labels: 2014, blogging goals, holidays, resolutions

Thoughtful Thursdays: Feeling Antisocial

**WARNING -- This post comes with a lot of whining...and not the good kind. **
***Also, there will be rambling.***

Lately, I've just been feeling a little antisocial.  I'm an introvert by nature, but it's gotten worse since the beginning of summer.  I can't really pinpoint what exactly triggered it, but I'm sure it has a lot to do with stress.  Work's been sucking a$$.  Like, I just cannot get motivated to care about my job at all.  I've been with the company for, well...March will be ten years, and I am so burnt out.  But I have a kid in school and we're trying to buy a house within the next year, and so now is so not the time for a career change.

And so I read to escape that stress and anxiety.  But that whole antisocial thing because I'm stressed out at work is now carrying over into my blogging world.  I want to visit everyone and comment and discuss books like usual, but I'm finding it difficult to interact with anybody these days.  In real life or in the blogosphere.  And I feel terrible about it...I owe so many of you some comment love!  And I know that you guys will have my back and understand.  I don't think I've lost any of you because of my self-imposed hermitage

Guys, I've been such a lurker lately.  I've been reading all of your wonderful posts and delighting in your comments here on my own blog, but I've just kind of been lurking in the background, not saying anything or doing anything to make it better.  I've just been so blah lately.  All I want to do is read...even the desire to write anything substantial has kind of waned, though I hope that urge hits me again soon because it's one of the few things that usually gets me out of a funk like this.  Well, besides a terrific reading streak.  Which I am not having, though I have read some fairly good books recently.  Or a really, really solid cry.  I think I'm about due for one of those.

Anyway, I want to come back is what I'm saying.  I want to catch up on everything you guys have been doing, see what's been going on in your lives.  Stop feeling sorry for myself and stop being such a shut in. I've always been a bit of a loner, at least until I started blogging and met all of you wonderful people.  And I want to repay you all for the friendship.  But I'm afraid I still don't have enough time to go back and catch every post I've missed.  :(  I'm going to try very hard to devote Saturday to visiting everyone.

But this whole experience has made me wonder, how do those bigger blogs do it?  They must get tons and tons of comments each day.  How do they respond to everyone, visit all of their own favorites, create new content AND still have time to read each day?  I just can't fathom it.  It's daunting to me when I just have a piddly 15 comments (not that I'm not appreciative of each and every single one...I totally am!) on a meme post that I need to return the favor for.  Used to, I had time during the day at work to do so, but my workload is kind of crazy right now, so it just keeps snowballing and I keep getting further and further behind.

I think I'll make this one of my blogging resolutions for 2014:  be a better blogging friend.  For every comment I get, I will return a comment.  I've always felt that's the way it should be, anyway, but well, life happens.  I've blogged about this before (earlier this summer, actually) and it seemed like maybe we all go through spells like this.  But you know it always helps to hear from others sometimes.  :)  Oh, and don't even get me started on all of the blogs I follow via Bloglovin' that I haven't visited in weeks.  I finally just started deleting that daily email until I could get caught up again.  Like I said, hopefully this Saturday...it's supposed to be rainy and we're going to the State Fair on Friday, so I'll probably be worn out from that and too tired to do anything else, anyway.  :D

Pretty much, this is a usual case of Jen putting too much pressure on Jen, of me being the perfectionist that I am.  I hate not doing something 100%, and it makes me like this.  Grrr!  But acceptance is the first step to recovery, right?  And, hey, if you guys do want to hold it against me, well....I can take it...


Hehe.  Sorry for the ramble.  I hate re-reading one of these posts and seeing just how much I rambled.  I did warn you at the beginning, though.  I don't know if this made a lot of sense, but I definitely feel better having gotten it off my chest.

You ever feel like this?  Do people frequently say, "Oh, it's just the weather that's got you down"?  Do you ever just say, "Screw everyone," and do your own thing for a little while?  If so, do you feel guilty about it later?  'Cause I do.  :(

Ever your antisocial basket-case,

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Labels: blogging community, blogging goals, book bloggers, thoughtful thursdays

Thoughtful Thursdays: Changes

For some reason, I've had David Bowie on the brain lately.  Maybe because I've decided it's time for a change.  Or a lot of them.  You may have noticed the blog got a face-lift, for which I will forever be grateful to the awesome Stephanie at Hopeless Romantics.  And, yeah, more changes are on the horizon.  I have to do something to get out of this slump I'm in.







For your viewing/listening pleasure:



This is me...to myself:

I put so much pressure on myself to post often, to post daily, and to post the best damn content I can.  I think I do alright.  If I didn't have a real job, I could do better.  =)  But it doesn't look like I'm going to win the lottery any time soon, so I'll have to make do with the time I've been given.  Which also has to be split with reading.  Oh, and the family.  And they demand a LOT of time, not that I'm blaming them. I love them and I want to treasure the precious years I have with my daughter while she's still little.






I feel like I'm always under pressure to read, to post, to meet deadlines.  And no one's really putting that pressure on me but myself.  There's like a six-week window for reviews of new releases, and yet I feel the need to always post those reviews prior to a book's release.  And I feel responsible for reading and reviewing every title I request or receive from publishers.  I have sixty books on the schedule right now through the end of April.  o_O



And that would totally be doable, if I didn't feel the compulsion to read books NOT on that list.  I have become such a mood reader these days, and yet, I don't allow myself to stray much from the schedule.  My friend Christina at Christina Reads YA has been urging me to give into the moods, though.  And those few times that I have, I ended up having a truly awesome reading streak.  I just read a book not scheduled on the list for a few weeks, and it was kind of a wake-up call.  The one I desperately needed.  I try and try to keep up with other bloggers and read what's scheduled so that my review goes up close to when everyone else's does, but I'm tired of feeling rushed, tired of the pressure that I put upon myself.  And to the schedule, I say NO MORE.



I'll keep the schedule to help me keep track of what's releasing and when and where I got it from -- and also just 'cause I'm a nut like that and love the organization it provides -- but I'm not going to force myself to adhere to it anymore.  I know I've said that before, and I meant it when I said it, but that old familiar guilt always creeps back in.  This time, though, I can't let it.  I've got to prove it to myself -- and to my family -- that I do still have a life outside of reading and blogging.

I'm not saying that I won't still be posting daily or that I won't still be reading.  I most definitely will.  But I'll probably spend less time reading -  and definitely less time reading things I don't feel like reading -- and I'll hopefully rearrange things so that I can get all of my posts scheduled once a week so that I'm not spending so much time in the evenings working on the blog.  And hopefully I'll have more time to visit you guys when all this is said and done.  =)


Just curious...does anyone else suffer that same guilt, that same need to review all the books?  I mean, I requested it...I'm supposed to review it.  But I don't think it's fair to the author or the book to read it when I'm not in the mood for it.  I'm more likely to be apathetic and probably rate it lower than I normally would if I didn't feel like I was being forced to read it.

Also, what's up with books with similar themes and premises releasing so close together?  I don't want to read three similar books in a row based on their release dates and then have to try not to compare them when I'm reading and reviewing.  I like to mix it up.

Okay, I'm rambling now.  I just needed to decompress.  Also, this was an excellent reason to bring out the David Bowie.  (I warned you that this would be a really David Bowie-heavy post, didn't I?  And now I just want to go watch Labyrinth.  =)  That movie's almost as old as me, but it's timeless, as is Bowie's music.  :D)

Happy reading!

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Labels: blogging goals, changes, thoughtful thursdays, updates