Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s theme is:
Top Ten Blogging Confessions
I am seriously digging this topic – I really enjoyed coming up with my top ten blogging confessions! It was a lot of fun and really made me think.
one
I am a total ‘pantser’ – sure I have ideas which I jot down but mostly I just go with the flow. If something springs into my mind I usually just write it then and there.
two
I have hit a bit of a reading slump. I only read 2 books in June! This has been reflected in the amount of actual reviews I have been posting.
three
Book reviews used to be my favourite thing to write but I since I varied my posting more – writing discussion posts and so forth – I find I enjoy that so much more. I love to ‘discuss’ books so that works more for me overall. Sometimes reviewing can feel like you are writing a school report!
four
I still get very excited when someone leaves a comment on one of my posts – I love the interactive side of blogging!
five
I change my blog theme way too much. I get bored with the look of the look of my blog very easily.
six
I am still a bit of a newbie at Twitter. It really is a great resource but I am never sure if I am using it correctly.
seven
I sometimes get jealous when I see other bloggers with physical ARC’s. I don’t really have the confidence to approach publishers directly though I do make good use of Netgalley and Edelweiss.
eight
Speaking of Netgalley, I went a bit click-happy when I first joined and I am still paying the price (my ratio is…not great). I made sure when I joined Edelweiss that I didn’t make the same mistake again.
nine
I worry that my blog isn’t as original as other blogs. I am so envious of the bloggers who can really put an interesting spin on things or have a really unique voice.
ten
I visit a lot of other blogs but I do not feel I comment enough. I adore getting comments on my blog and having discussions with those who have taken the time to stop by so I feel really terrible that I do not reciprocate quite as much.
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Love this! I agree with everything you’ve said 🙂
A kindred soul!! LOL 😉
I’m a total pantser too ! And I also prefer ‘discussing’ books rather than strictly reviewing them (I hate giving books a star rating since I find that to be a pretty personal thing). I think the way you’ve described traditional reviews as occasionally feeling like book reports is very similar to how I feel (that being said, I enjoy it when others write them!!!).
For the record, I think your blog is lovely! It’s definitely one of the visually beautiful ones I envy! 🙂
I have really tried to be more organised and ahead of schedule but it seems to work better for me to be more spontaneous – I feel more motivated that way. 🙂 I know what you mean about star ratings – I do give them but sometimes I feel they are a little pointless since I can read a truly excellent book but it all depends on whether I connect emotionally with it (ratings seem more to do with my feelings than anything) so I totally agree with what you are saying.
Sometimes it does feel like I’m doing homework when I’m writing reviews – I think my style is more ‘book reporty’ but I have tried to make my reviews a little more conversational! 😉
Aww thank you! <3 It took awhile to get a look I liked but I am quite happy with it at the moment. 😀 I really like your blog too and I think your lists look great! <3
Reading slumps are the worst! I feel absolutely wretched when I fall into one, but it seems only time can cure it.
They really are the worst – it is so hard to break out of it too. You really cannot force yourself out of a slump – just have to go with it!! 🙂
Reading slumps suck, but they happen to all of us at some point I guess. I agree that book reviews can be a bit like a school report. I like gif reviews that people have done, but I feel like a copycat if I were to do one myself–not sure why exactly. I don’t think there’s any blogger out there that doesn’t get excited to see a comment come through–unless it is spam. I want to update the look of my blog, but I’m afraid to stray too much for the sake of “branding”. I’m not a huge fan of Twitter myself. That’s one of my confessions. I get jealous of bloggers who have physical review copies too but mostly because I haven’t been able to find the right contact information for any publisher for me to contact them myself for physical copies. 🙁 I definitely read a lot of posts that I don’t comment on, but I try to take the idea of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I want them to comment on my posts, so I try to find SOMETHING that I can comment on when I read someone else’s post. Great confessions!
TTT
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
Going through reading slumps is really frustrating for me – reading is what relaxes me most so I hate it when I cannot get lost in a book!!
I like reading gif reviews but I only very occasionally do it myself for some reason. Twitter is…a bit confusing for me – getting there though but I don’t really have the energy to devote too much time to it at the moment.
I really agree with your confessions especially the blog tours – I have never signed up for one and I think it’s very unlikely that I ever would (I tend to skim past these posts in my reader too!!). I am never really sure what the etiquette is for quoting from ARC’s so I never really do it!!
Thanks for stopping by! <3
I’m a pantser as well. In fact, I only just learned the term, but when I did, I was like, “THAT IS ME.” XD
I’ve been in the worst slump I’ve ever been in for weeks and it’s been so horrible 🙁 Once I get reading, I’m fine, but actually picking up a book is hard at the moment… and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m distracted. I also find that I don’t really review books… I kinda just ramble about my thoughts in a semi-organized manner, haha!
I’m noticing that I can relate to several other bloggers’ confessions… maybe I should do this post, too!
Lol – I was the same – I saw someone describe themselves as a pantser and it was like it all just clicked into place!! I would like to be a bit better organised but I like just spontaneously posting for the most part. 😉
I know how you feel – this is perhaps the worst slump I have ever had (well, except for when I was at University – I never hardly read anything but textbooks for a few years there!). I am the same as you, when I get going on a book I enjoy it – it’s starting the book in the first place that’s the problem!!
I thought this would be a really hard topic to do and put it off but it actually came pretty easy and I have found myself nodding along with a lot of other bloggers’ confessions too. 🙂
I still don’t really understand Twitter, either!
It eludes me and I am really not sure why!! I spend time on a lot of different social media but I find Twitter the hardest for some reason! 😉
If two books is a reading slump, then let me just go ahead and throw myself in a ditch for not having read anything for a good month and a half. Finding a voice is definitely something that takes time to genuinely cultivate–and if we’re being honest, with all of the LGBTQ content I see from you (or at least, I think I see anyways)…I see you as “that person who promotes that kind of content” Though I hope you don’t take that the wrong way. But at least you’re better off than me, I’d say. I feel like my blogging presence is pretty much a cop out since I’m like the 1% of guy book bloggers and I’m definitely not living up to whatever imaginary standard I’ve set for myself LOL.
Cheers,
joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts
Lol that would frustrate me – I hate not being able to find something good to read. I have a lot of great books sitting on my shelf – just not really feeling the motivation to pick them up right now.
You’re right – it can take awhile to find ‘your voice’ and I do like promote LGBTQ content (because I enjoy reading it and want to talk about it). No worries – I know what you mean and I didn’t take that the wrong way at all. 😉
I don’t think your blogging presence is a cop out at all. I enjoy reading your posts – there are too few male bloggers out there (or at least I personally haven’t come across that many) in the book blogosphere. I really enjoy your perspective. <3
I can relate to so many of these! I really wish I knew how to request ARCs directly from publishers. Getting physical books before they come out on a regular basis would make my life complete! My NetGalley ratio is less than 10% right now, so you really shouldn’t feel bad about it. I also get so excited when I get a notification, especially a new follower!
I would love to have physical copies of ARCs – I get so excited when I receive books! I remember once I took part in a giveaway on Goodreads and won a copy of Angelfall – I was so over the moon I think I skipped round my living room a few times! LOL 😉 I would totally do the same if I received ARCs through the post.
I get really excited by notifications too!!
When people comment or interact on my blog, it makes me ridiculously giddy, too ☺️ But I, too, do not comment enough. I’m trying to get better!