Bloggers who deserve more attention #6

Hello all! And today’s an exciting day, cos I’m picking up my series of Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention and talking about some TOPNOTCH people from around the blogosphere! Let’s just jump right into it!

Flora’s Musings– not only does Flora have some fab reviews on all different genres, but I adore how she combines the meme Book Blogger Hop with her Friday Finds. It’s just such a great way to do this feature, cos it gives me a chance to find more books and more blogs to follow!

Thoughts of a Reader– Sarah has both excellent recommendations and cool list ideas. Recently, I especially loved her idea of going through her highest rated books and seeing how they compared to her own ratings. Plus, she also joins tons of readathons, so you can follow along with those too!

Metalphantasmreads– Amanda’s riveting reviews often introduce me to books I hadn’t heard of before. Plus, her fresh takes on popular books always get me to look at books I enjoyed from a fresh perspective!

Meeghan Reads– Meeghan is such a delight to talk to, cos she’s so friendly! Plus, really enjoy her lists, fun content and cute aesthetic!

Linda @Pages and Papers– I love Linda’s ideas- they’re so unique- especially her recent social distancing tips from Robinson Crusoe (genius!!!). On top of that, her discussions are brilliant- especially recommend her posts: why you should read sci fi and why the humanities matter.

Bookertalk– Karen’s discussions on blogging, writing and reading are always thought-provoking and worthwhile. I enjoy her interesting thoughts on less well-known books- particularly how she frequently reviews Welsh books. I could go on forever recommending her posts- she has a huge collection!- but (…for now…) I’ll just point you in the direction of 5 things I wish I knew about blogging.

Katie @Never not reading– Katie is one of my favourite people on the blogosphere!! This isn’t the first time I’m mentioning her posts and it certainly won’t be the last! She always comes up with clever original content and lists. Right now, I’m very much looking forward to the outcome for her Harry Potter Superlatives post!!

Camillea Reads– Camillea has such thoughtful posts, I get really wrapped up in them. And I also appreciate how thorough and well-thought out her reviews are! Plus, her aesthetics and photos are really pretty!

This is one for the books– if you’re looking for fair, balanced and well-developed reviews (which of course you are), I highly recommend checking out Katherine @This is One for the Books! She reviews from a variety of genres, including historical, literary fiction and classics.

The Geeky Jock– Em’s blog is a fantastic place to go if you’re looking for excellent reviews and entertaining takes on memes (especially her contributions to Top Ten Tuesday). Also, I loved her fun take on Marie Kondo’s “30 books” rule recently- it was great to see what books she’d choose! (love her good taste! 😉)

The Crooked Pen– straight up, this is amazing content. Rachael’s posts on writing and books are amazingly thought-provoking. Lately, I loved her posts on Why Canon Matters, How Not to Suck at Reviewing, Diary of a Pantser Turned Plotter– and more!! Each one is written with clarity and refreshing honesty. In addition, she also has some intriguing reviews!

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #1

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #2

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #3

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #4

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #5

Of course, there are loads more bloggers who deserve *all the attention*- so who do you think I should be looking out for? And do you know any of these bloggers? Will you be checking them out? Let me know in the comments!

Yes, it’s Okay to Take a Break!

And yes, I’m writing this for myself as much as for everybody else 😉 Because this is something I struggle with all the time! No matter how long I’ve been doing this, no matter how many of my fellow bloggers point it out, I still can’t seem to get it in my head. Which is why- *deep breaths*- I’m going to be reiterating what so many have said before me: IT’S OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK!

*Phew*- that’s hard to write! Far easier to just pack in all the excuses and beg for forgiveness! I know that when I’ve got to take time off, I end up grovelling and apologising and feeling tremendously guilty. And for what? For having other things going on, for having various stresses, for experiencing exhaustion… none of which are crimes punishable by death- I’ve checked 😉 Point is, we all have legitimate reasons for taking breaks- and that’s OKAY!

Recently, I saw Drew talking about just not feeling like reading, and it was such a relief to hear someone else say it! Because *of course* there are days when I don’t feel like reading- everyone has those! Not only when you’re feeling slumpy- sometimes my brain feels fried and I can’t keep my eyes open. And you know what? That’s OKAY!

Even more importantly, Eustea reminded me that this is a hobby and how there’s no need to be so hard on ourselves. We should be giving ourselves a pat on the back- not beating ourselves up for not “staying on top of things” (which, ha, if you’ve been doing this long enough, you know how impossible that is to do, since there’s always more to be done!) If we’re tired out or burnt out or just out-out, then we made need a little time off. And that’s OKAY!

Instead of feeling bad, let’s give ourselves a *round of applause* and *take a bow* (in that order 😉). We’re all great apes and we’re all in this together like a bunch of bananas… which sounded better in my head, but you get the idea 😉 I won’t tell people not to make excuses- goodness knows I wouldn’t be able to promise that myself! And I won’t be sorry for being sorry- I’m British, I’ve apologised to chairs for bumping into them 😉 YET I will say for the umpteenth time that we can give ourselves the night off whenever we need to and for whatever reason. The world won’t end. It’s OKAY.

 Cheers to that and to all of you!

Bloggers who deserve more attention #4

 

Hello all! Wow I can’t believe it’s been two months since I’ve done one of these- time has flown by! Anyway, as always I am delighted to share some more marvellous bloggers- who you may or may not have run into!

What Jane Reads Next– Jane does such phenomenally thorough reviews. She has wonderfully varied tastes, so there’s plenty of different books to sink your teeth into. Plus, she recently did a lovely list on how to read more– which I think I can safely say will interest most bookworms, since we’re always trying squeeze every second of reading time out of our day 😉

Stephanie’s Novel Fiction– Stephanie not only has fabulous recommendations, she’s also a gem of a person and so fun to talk to. She covers all sorts of genres, most notably: mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction and women’s fic. As someone who’s taught English at university, she most certainly lends her expertise to her reviews!

Mary Drover– with awesome reviews, lists and *wonderful* writing, Mary runs such an exciting blog! Best of all, she has some really interesting discussion pieces on writing, which are particularly thought provoking. I especially liked her piece on letting go of old projects and found it very relatable!

Liis @Cover to Cover– where to start with Liis’s amazing blog? Aside from being great fun to talk to, Liis also has an EPIC collection of reviews- ranging from classics to thriller to sci fi/fantasy and MORE! I have personally found so many incredible recommendations from her over the years. This is all the cover to cover goodness you could want!

Eustea Reads– a tea lover and bookworm- a girl after my own heart! I love her extensive reviews and friendly personality! Plus, not only is she an absolute expert on talking tea, she also spilt the tea recently, writing an amazingly in-depth piece on non-fiction reading habits in Singapore recently. It gave such a fascinating point of view on assumptions made based on reading tastes (and was so well researched!)

Beware of the Reader– Sophie brings her bubbly, vivacious and enthusiastic personality to her blog- and that’s why I absolutely love visiting Beware of the Reader (also that is a great blog name, don’t you think!) She has an eclectic collection of lists, reviews and discussions- so worth visiting!

Nicole @Sorry I am booked– Sorry I am Booked boast a great mix of lists and reviews. Nicole doesn’t stop there though- she also gives me plenty to mull over, exploring unusual topics of discussion, like whether reading impacts your dating life? I know that’s something many of us want to know!

Deborah @The Reading Chick– Deborah has such fun book reviews, with really excellent romance recommendations! On top of that, she also hosts the Blogger to Blogger series, which she very kindly invited me and many, many other bloggers to take part in. It’s a wonderful tool to get to know other bloggers and find out more about us!

Ali @I wuv books– I absolutely adore how Ali does the WWW Wednesday meme- I swear no one does it quite like her- she gives such incredible insights into what books she’s reading and I often feeling like I’m following along with her. I also always enjoy her riveting reviews- they’re so discerning and detailed!

Raven @Dreamy Addictions– Dreamy Addictions is a such a great place to get the lowdown on a lot of popular reads- I especially find her blog helpful if I’m trying to figure out whether the hype for YA books is real! She’s fab at finding intriguing paranormal and romance reads too!

Lotte @The Reading Hobbit– well, with a name like that, Lotte’s bound to attract people with excellent taste/fans of the Hobbit like me 😉 And of course, since she does have terrific taste, she also picks fun reads for her excellent reviews and lists 😊

That’s all for now- if you’re looking for more bloggers, feel free to check out the previous posts in this series:

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #1

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #2

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #3

Social Media Tag

Obviously there are loads more bloggers who deserve *all the attention*- so who do you think I should be looking out for? And do you know any of these bloggers? Will you be checking them out? Let me know in the comments!

Bloggers are Underrated

Obviously, I’m biased, but here’s the thing: I’m not wrong 😉 Nowadays, it feels like bloggers are low hanging fruit, and everyone wants a piece. I barely go a week without seeing some disparaging comment about “what even is the point of bloggers” or “who even cares about bloggers” annnd I’m here to correct those assumptions- cos as a point of fact, bloggers are underrated. Here’s why:

Endless enthusiasm for books! Whether it’s in reviews/lists/discussions, bloggers have a way of creating continuous exposure and forming intense fandoms. Blogs are the perfect place to create superfans- which is why I believe some books with strong connections to the blogosphere have the power to do so well.

Cos, frankly, blogs are a brilliant place to cultivate organic interest. It’s not just that blogs have the ability to spread a book far and wide (and oh boy they do- a few book bloggers raving can get a book to spread like wildfire), blogs also manage to make that spread feel less like hype sometimes and more like fans sharing art. Which brings me onto…

The blogosphere is a wonderful place for readers! You can get some genuine advice on what to read and rave directly with someone else has loved a book. Feedback is super easy to get and real conversation is up for grabs. This is largely thanks to how interactive the blogosphere is, but also because…

The community side is so strong. I personally believe it’s one of the more intimate platforms, with a greater connection to other readers and more meaningful engagement. This isn’t to disparage any other platform, cos everywhere has it’s “casual viewers”, but the format of a blog does lend itself really well to communication. And, even better, as we all like to point out regularly, this is one of the friendliest places on the internet. What’s so wonderful about blogging is how friendly everyone is- and this makes a huge difference. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it makes the reading experience so much more pleasurable (and, c’mon, it’s reading, it was already pretty darn awesome!!)

Blogging also helps us writerly types to develop our craft further. Since we’re all lovers of the written word here, it stands to reason we’d enjoy reading other people’s posts and learning that way- PLUS we also get to improve our own skills every time we post. Really, it’s a win all round!!

 

And lastly, blogging is addictive! You’d probably have to prise our blogs from our cold dead hands 😉 Which doesn’t necessarily sound like a good thing, buuut having a blog quickly becomes a way of life. We put so much love and effort into our internet space- and that real commitment is why the blogosphere such a wonderful place to be!

 

 

 

In short, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it 😉 So do you agree? Are bloggers underrated? Let me know in the comments!

Bloggers who Deserve More Attention #2

Hello all! A while back I did a post about bloggers I love who don’t get nearly as much attention as they deserve and I thought it would be fun to make an (irregular) thing out of it. Originally I thought it’d be great to nudge you to check out other people while I was away- buuut that didn’t end up happening (/I was busy and wasn’t blogging much of anything). Still- that’s no reason not to go ahead and do it now! Cos who doesn’t love discovering fantastic bloggers and reading awesome content? So without further ado, here’s part 2 of bloggers you should check out:

Lydia @22 is still young adult– Lydia’s reviews are just so beautiful that I always end up adding whatever book she’s talking about to my list. Not only is this blog a fantastic place to grow your tbr, I also find that if I have read the book, her reviews remind me why I loved it and make me all warm and fuzzy about it!

Cindy @Readctbooks– Cindy is one of those bloggers that captures the *need to fangirl* feeling! Loads of her reviews just make me so excited to pick up whatever she’s reading. I love her take on memes and fun updates-  her blog is such an entertaining place to be!

Ayunda Bhuwana– Ayunda is recently celebrating her bloggiversary and I must say she’s taking the blogosphere by storm! With her great takes on books and films, and just sharing her life and travels, she covers a lot of bases in an incredibly engaging way. I also love her slick design and am so glad she’s returned to blogging!

Sarah @Art Expedition– Sarah is one of the most talented people on this platform and her blog most certainly showcases this. Her paintings and photography are simply stunning and I really recommend you check it out- you’ll be in for a treat! She also writes very beautifully about why she chooses certain subjects and Art Expedition all round a great place to visit on the blogosphere!

Maddie @Of Reading and Random Things– the bookish discussions on this blog are always fascinating and get me thinking- which is why it’s worth checking her out! It’s always interesting to explore some of the topics she gets into- like which is better: books or video games? Or blogging vs vlogging? And if that’s not enough for you, there’s plenty of awesome book reviews and tags over there to get fulfil all your bookish needs!

The Bibliophile Empress– one of the things I like best about Kristyn is her thoughtful discussion posts- she eloquently puts forth her point of view and it’s really worthwhile to hear her out. I have to admit, as a classicist, her informative and educational mythology posts make me super excited as well!

Dragons & Zombies– not only does Sarah have excellent taste in books (I’m biased 😉 ) she also brings so much personality to her blog. I love that she covers so many different topics as well- like movies, travel and even wrestling! There’s really no other book blogger like her and I don’t know why you’re still reading this instead of going to check her out right now! 😉

Suziey @Of all the books in all the libraries– if you’re looking for varied book tastes then you’ve come to the right place! Suziey covers everything from Nancy Drew to contemporary romance to classics. Her reviews are always so in depth that you get an excellent idea of what to expect and whether to pick it up for yourself. Not to mention, she does great book hauls (which admittedly can be dangerous for us bookaholics to see 😉 ) Her blog often puts me in a great mood- especially after her upbeat tag about music today! Also, who doesn’t love the reference she’s making with her blog title?

Carolina @Fictionologyst– Carolina is one of the sweetest people I’ve met recently and is super friendly! Her personality comes across so well on her blog and I always enjoy reading her enthusiastic reviews and posts!!

Book Beach Bunny– Book Beach Bunny has such amazing reviews of TV, films and books! They’re honest and will give you the lowdown of what to add to your list- and perhaps also what to avoid. She’s really clear on what the book/film/show has going for it- and that’s really helpful to me! Plus, she has a very entertaining way of doing things and makes me laugh!

If you’re looking for more wonderful bloggers you need to look out for, feel free to check out:

Bloggers Who Deserve More Attention #1

Social Media Tag

Obviously there are loads more bloggers who deserve *all the attention*- so who do you think I should be looking out for? And do you know any of these bloggers? Will you be checking them out? Let me know in the comments!

Bloggers who Deserve more Attention

Hello! I wanted to do this post a few days ago, in honour of my 3 year bloggiversary, but it’s been a crazy week so I’ve not been blogging nearly as much as I wanted to (annnd I’m totally not breaking my new rule of not apologising all the time, just explaining a little 😉 )

Anyway, I mentioned the other day that I owe a great deal of thanks to the lovely Zezee for basically discovering me as a blogger! If you’re not following her already- what the hell are you doing!? In honour of what she did for me, I decided to share some people’s blogs. Now obviously *everyone* on the blogosphere deserves more attention, but that would’ve taken a bit too long, and while there’s loads of blogs I talk about a lot, and who you should already be following, I think there’s a few that don’t get nearly as much attention. So without further ado, here’s some bloggers you should definitely check out!

Fran Laniado– so Fran is great at keeping up with memes, but that’s not why I love her blog! The best thing about Fran is that she reads so many different books that not a lot of other bloggers are talking about. This makes her lists very thoughtful and stands out a lot. If you’re really interested in classics and literary fiction, like I am, then I highly recommend checking her out! Plus she’s highly intelligent and has some great writing discussions that I very much enjoy.

Cameron Graham @Here be Wyverns– not only is Cameron *super smart* and his content realllly detailed and interesting (really recommend his discussions on mythology– it’s phenomenal!), but I gotta say, he frequently makes me laugh and is absolutely hilarious. So head on over there and say hi to his dragon Ivan!

Lucinda is reading– Lucinda is just lovely, sweet totally approachable, really funny and very clever. Her review style is always so varied and tailored specifically for the book! Every review is unique and interesting. Plus she reads a great variety of books so you can’t go wrong! Plus, she agrees with me about not liking Gormenghast, so she must be amazing if she’s on the same page as me there 😉

K L Kranes– I had to include her just for how *awesome* her discussion pieces are- seriously, if you’ve not checked out some of those- you are seriously missing out! They’re really thought-provoking! She talks about writing, reading, grammar, tv, travelling and tons of other things.

Eva O’Reilly– Eva has done something on her blog I could never do: a lot of daily content! I am always so impressed when people blog every day or nearly every day, but what makes Eva more impressive is that her content is often profound and strikes a relatable cord for any writers out there! She talks a lot about writing, life, and just check her out okay!?

Joelendil’s Kingdom of Books– I really love the type of books that Joelendil reviews (a lot of classics and SFF!) and he always gives such a clear picture of his impressions and what to expect. Plus, there’s the added bonus of his reviewing  the type of books that aren’t the run of the mill books you see on the blogosphere.

Lost Art of Reading– speaking of reviews, I had to include Lost Art of Reading on this list, simply because she always writes such top quality, thorough reviews- particularly on books you might never have heard of otherwise. Plus, she’s really friendly and great to chat to!

Simply a book drunkard– Milou does such a fantastic variety of content, it’s hard to pin down a single reason why you should go follow her! Her reading is eclectic and if you’re into sci fi/fantasy and graphic novels in particular, then she’s definitely someone to check out 😀

Wordaholics Anonymous– I really can’t mention Milou without giving a shoutout to her other half as well! I highly recommend you check out both regardless, because he does really interesting reviews on fantasy books, has cool music taste and shares some of his awesome poetry.

Angelica @Dreaming of Fiction– Angelica runs a really varied blog and I think this comes from the fact she’s completely unique on the blogosphere- I mean, I defy you to find another geeky opera singer in training! So her content is a mixture and I really enjoy reading about her bookish and music tastes!

Bookwyrm Knits– if you’re into discussions, reviews and weekly memes, then you’ve definitely got to hop on over to Bookwyrm Knits (and I know most of you answered yes to all of those 😉 ) Plus, she also shares her knitting WIP, and I know from my Reverse Q&A that a fair number of you are knitters, so you should definitely have a look! 😉

And that’s all for now! And because I want to spread the love around a bit, I think it would be great if you could share some more bloggers who deserve more attention in the comments! 

Blogger Appreciation – Part 1

As many of you know, I am celebrating my last milestone with a tag week around the theme “Getting To Know You, Getting To Know Me”. Now, as you may have seen, my last couple have posts have dealt with the Getting To Know Me side of things, but what I really want to do this week is talk about *you guys*. So more than anything, I have been looking forward to talking about some of my favourite blogs- so much so that I feel like one post just won’t do it justice! (That’s right folks- this is a two parter!)

But while this is the post I am most excited for, I will admit, there’s a massive downside to doing this, cos as much as I would love to talk about all you guys, unfortunately I just can’t fit you everyone in- even though I really I wish I could! So just know that I love all you guys and *hugs to all*- regardless of whether you’re in here or not!

Thank you so much to the Book Finch– a brilliant blogger in her own right- for tagging me to do this! So without further ado, here are some of my favourite bloggers:

1. Chocolatenwaffles Blog– Without a doubt, Donna’s blog is one of the best places to be here on the blogosphere! I love her wit, fun posts and reviews! And she’s also one of the sweetest bloggers out there and brilliant for chats too. Plus who doesn’t love chocolate and waffles? Basically, I adore everything about her blog 🙂
2. Life and Other Disasters– Kat’s blog is a real gem. Her reviews are top notch and her Trailers You May Have Missed has become like my bible for catching up on all the upcoming TV and movies. Plus her discussion posts are always fascinating! I can’t recommend her highly enough!
3. Drizzle and Hurricanes Books– Marie has something brilliant going on- her discussions, reviews, and travelling posts are all wonderful. And of course her Souvenirs From Around the World idea is one of the most fabulous ideas I’ve ever come across! It was such interactive genius!!
4. Rant And Rave About Books– Jill’s posts are amazingly detailed! And her blog’s design is just gorgeous. Her posts are varied and exciting and always different. Above all, her content is always well thought out and intelligent! On top of that, if you don’t already know she co-created Hype or Like Fridays- how cool is that?
5. Your Daughter’s Bookshelf– this blog boasts some of the best reviews on the internet. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve added to my tbr because of this blog- and I’ve already read and loved a few- needless to say I really recommend this blog for all you book lovers!
6. Hey Ashers– I only came across this blog a short while ago, but I’m so glad I did, because his Throne of Glass readalong was a stroke of brilliance! Even though I am a diehard fan of the series, I couldn’t help laughing along and shouting “that’s so true!” at my computer screen.
7. Thoughts On Fantasy– this is literally one of my favourite ever discoveries on the blogosphere. Because this is the perfect blog for any fantasy lover! Her posts are always fascinating, original and of a professional standard!
8. Zezee with Books– Zezee is one of my oldest followers, so I’m delighted to include her in this list, because I really can’t think of a more well-rounded book blog. Her posts are always top quality reads and very engaging!
9. Embuhleeliest– Embuhlee is one of the funniest, entertaining and most engaging bloggers out there. One of the best things about her is the brilliant tags she comes up with!
10. Matthew Wright– this a mature and fascinating blog filled with great writing advice, thought provoking posts and scientific discussions. A brilliant place to go if you’re looking for tips or something intellectually stimulating!

That’s it for now- *if I mentioned you, consider yourself tagged!!*

And for everyone in the comments- I want you to name the  first blogger that comes to mind that you’d like to recommend to me! Come on now- hit me up!!