I get overwhelmed easily. You might not expect to hear that from a mother of four energetic, noisy children. Or maybe you do.
But if I see too many options at once, or contemplate too many tasks together, my head starts to throb. Right between my temples. Panic sets in.
The book blogging world overwhelms me
Have you ever navigated the complex and unending line of book blogs on the internet? You could spend hours. And these people read A TON of books; upwards of 150 a year. I love books too, but I’m lucky to read 15. ( I tell myself that I savor my reads more.)
So, the good news is, if you’re looking for reading suggestions, you have LOTS of options. The tough part: how to find a book blogger, besides me, of course, who provides helpful information for your needs/interests.
Luckily for me, book blogger Joy Weese Moll introduced me to Book Blogger Appreciation Week, which was established a few years ago to celebrate and promote book bloggers and the helpful information they provide. I have spent a lot of time browsing book blogs this week, trying to find a few more to follow, and I’ve formulated some criteria.
How to find a book blog you can enjoy
Here’s what I’ve decided I need from a book blog:
- concise, yet informative, posts about the content, style, and overall feel of a book
- a personal reaction to books
- a well organized blog so that I can find books I’ve already read easily and look up ones I’m interested in
- uncluttered, clean style without too many ads or distracting side bars
My suggestions
I’ve discovered the following blogs this week and would like to share them with you. Check them out and see what you think!
- Sarah Reads Too Much You can find Sarah’s reviews by author and genre, and she has read a lot of the books and authors that I’m interested in. Today’s post is on To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my favorites! She says she absolutely loves it, which makes me want to visit her blog more!
- The Well Read Red Head If you can’t tell from my pic up in the right hand corner of my blog, I’m a red head. (strawberry blonde, to get technical). Also well read. So how could I not like this blog? Kelly shared in a BBAW interview that The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of her favorites. I had to check her out. She’s a blogging veteran, but new to book blogging.
- The Relentless Reader Ok, I actually found Jennifer before this week, but she also participated in BBAW, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her a little better. She also loves To Kill a Mockingbird, and she includes other “bookish” posts on her blog, like 20 Proven Benefits of Being an Avid Reader.
- A Room of One’s Own Jillian’s blog has an impressionist painting as its background, and a lovely quote from Thoreau in the banner. Her posts tend to focus on classic and children’s literature, and she brought it to my attention that September 22 is Hobbit Day! How about that!
Thanks to Book Blogger Appreciation Week, and Joy, for leading me to these gems!
What do you look for in a book blog? Do you have any that you can recommend?
Julia
Great sites, Julia. I read 5 books when I was on vacation, and would love to find some more good sources. I’m with you on the “concise” part. Thanks for the scoop!!
Julia –
Thanks for the suggestions. I went to the blog “A Room of One’s Own” and the blogger, Jill, mentioned a website in which different people read aloud one chapter from “Moby Dick” each day: http://www.mobydickbigread.com/
Today is day 2 – Chapter 2. Chapter 1 was read by Tilda Swinton (an actress whose work I love!). The book reading will be completed at the end of Jan. 2013. I’ve read the book before – in college. I’ve wanted to read it again. This way, I will savor the book.
Thanks for a an informative and blog-sharing post!
Monique
Wow! What a great tip! Thanks for sharing. Glad you found helpful info here.
I love your criteria. And, it reminds me that it’s time to do some organization of my book reviews. When I first started, I didn’t have anything to organize — so I put it off! Now, of course, there’s so much to organize that it feels overwhelming. Oh well, a good thing to add to the Bloggiesta list.
Yes, I plan on reorganizing too. I’ll try to do it before the lists get too long…
Great post, Julia! I too feel overwhelmed with all the choices of blogs to read. I will definitely be checking some of these out. I just found out my brother-in-law is naming his new baby, Scout. Love, love, love 🙂
Julia, thank you so much for putting my blog on your list 🙂 I appreciate it more than you know! BBAW has really inspired me. I’m thinking about featuring different blogs in some sort of fashion on my own blog. I have my faves (yours included!) on my sidebar but I’d like to do something a little more. I’m using your comment box to think out loud here, lol.
That’s okay- good ideas. I think it’s a great idea- could give you lots of subject matter for future blog posts. And it would provide useful information.
This is such a great post – loved seeing what you look for in a book blog. For me, I want review and more … might seem like a lot to ask, but I can’t read a blog with just review after review.
I agree- that’s why I like The blogs I listed above- they usually include some book related extras.
All those blogs are outstanding, and there are many, many more.
You will love blogging…it can be overwhelming at times, but just enjoy the experience. 🙂
I found so many great blogs and more wonderful books this week. This was my first time participating.
I got to know new bloggers and got to know my old blogger friends even better.
It is has been a fabulous week. I loved it all.
Stop by my blog if you like to see my Day 3, 4, and 5 responses if you like.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
http://silversolara.blogspot.com
My first time too! I don’t think I fully experienced it – more next year!
This is very informative Julia – thank you for taking the time to do this research and share with us.
Bless you, Hester 😉
Great post!! Concise and to the poont. I love it!!
Thanks! I am for pithy! I’ll have to check out your blog too!
I work with Sarah and Jillian at The Classics Club and they are definitely two of my favorite book bloggers (and people)! Great people with whom to connect! 🙂
Navigating the book blogging community can be quite overwhelming. Events like BBAW do make it a bit easier though, as you suggest.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so! 🙂