Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Blogger.
I don’t have 10 reasons, but the ones I have are really important to me. As usual, these are in no particular order:
- ARCs. I’ve got to admit, I love reading advance review copies before the books come out. I occasionally got the chance when I was a bookseller and bookstore manager (more years ago than I want to count.) I missed it after I left the bookstore, so I’m really enjoying the opportunity again. It’s like getting to go to a movie preview; you have the fun of being one of the first to get to see it. And if it’s a series I’m following, I don’t have to wait quite as long as I would otherwise!
- Reading books I might not have discovered on my own. Now that I’m blogging and reading other bloggers, I’m exposed to more new titles, I read more new-to-me authors, and I’ve been reading a bit more broadly. For instance, I might not have picked up either Lisa Van Allen’s The Wishing Thread or Gwen Cooper’s Love Saves the Day if I hadn’t been a blogger, and they were among my few 5-star books last year. (I read both as ARCs. Yay for ARCs!) The last time I read this widely and this many new books a year was when I worked in a bookstore.
- Getting to interview or otherwise “chat” with authors. I’ve had this opportunity a few times so far, and it’s always a thrill for me. I’m fascinated with how authors work and what makes them tick. And I’m in awe of what they can do.
- “Meeting” other bloggers. The bloggers I’ve come across so far are kind, supportive, caring people who share my passion for reading, and often for the same books I love. It’s truly a blessing to have “met”, and in some cases made friends with, so many people I wouldn’t have encountered in real life.
- The satisfaction of writing a really good review. I don’t necessarily mean a positive review, but a review that is well-written, fair, and persuasive. I don’t always manage it, but there are some reviews I’m pretty proud of.
- The delight of persuading someone else to read a book I loved. It’s all about sharing my excitement and getting someone else to join in. And if they end up loving the book, too, that’s the icing on the cake.
Stephanie Shepherd
I definitely relate to sharing books I love and the exposure to so many great books I never would have without the recommendations of bloggers. My TBR pile has gotten HUGE but this isn’t a bad thing!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
My TBR pile is about a bookcase and a half… and my TBR list is upwards of 900 books by now. I’m not sure I’ll ever get through them, but I should never run out of things to read! 🙂
Pamela D
I love ARCs so so so much. They are my favorite.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
They’re so much fun!
Bea
I’ve never worked in a bookstore (it’d be like putting an alcoholic in a liquor store) but I agree with everything you said. I’ve tried authors and read books I never would have even found before blogging, I’ve met (both virtually and in real life) wonderful people through blogging, and blogging even was responsible for my becoming an editor.
I get a thrill when someone says they bought or read because of my review or a conversation we had. 🙂
Good post!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I bought so many books when I worked for the book chain… and gave them as gifts, too. (I haven’t worked for a bookstore in almost 25 years, but I still give more books as gifts than anything else!)
And Bea, you’re one of the people I was thinking of when I mentioned all those wonderful bloggers I’ve met! Just so you know…