Friday 10 August 2012

Talking Point: Let's Hear It For The Bloggers

Warning: This post is totally sappy, but I don't care. It needs to be said.


I've always loved reading, but when I left uni, moved out of home and started working full time, I struggled to find time for it. I went from studying English Literature and reading multiple books a week - and analysing them in depth - to reading one or two a month at the most. I missed reading, and I missed talking about books with people who were as passionate about them as I was. So I started my blog, hoping to make reading a priority again and connect with some like-minded people. Little did I know...

The community I discovered as a result of book blogging was (and is) amazing. A whole online world opened up to me that I hadn't realised was there. I was welcomed by many and quickly made a bunch of friends - not because I'm awesome, but because the community is. Not only was I thrilled to find lovely people who shared my passion for books, I was excited to read their posts and reviews. Because of them, I became interested in authors I would never have taken any notice of before, and discovered new books to read on a daily basis.

This is kind of embarrassing, but before I started blogging, I had one bookshelf in my apartment - and half of it was filled with dvds. Within a couple of months of blogging, I had acquired so many new books thanks to reviews and recommendations from online friends, I had to find a new spot for the dvds. Within a year, I had to get another whole bookshelf. Both shelves are now bulging and floor space in my apartment is shrinking as books stack up all over the place.

Before blogging, I could probably have named a couple of dozen books off the top of my head that I knew I wanted to read. Now, my TBR pile - books I own but haven't read yet - is 210 books high, while my wishlist currently sits at 171 and grows on a daily basis.

This is all because of bloggers and Goodreads reviewers. They inspire me every day with their passion, their humour, their wit and their warmth. They are some of the smartest, funniest and most supportive people I've ever known - and I've never even met them.

So I wanted to post this incredibly cheesy post and say thank you. To anyone who follows this blog, is friends with me on Goodreads or chats with me on Twitter - thank you. Thank you for making me smile and laugh and think every single day. Thank you for loving books and championing authors and sharing that passion with the world. Thank you for being a friend. You're awesome.

12 comments:

  1. The Book Blogging community is so awesome :D I love how accepting MOST of them are

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  2. Awww Belle....Thank you for sharing this.

    You are absolutely awesome. In fact you deserve a hug. *hugs* XD

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  3. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww *group hug*
    I love our community too.
    It's SO hard to find other bookies.
    I love that on here we all show the love and keep each other posted.

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  4. Readers and book bloggers are the best! :)

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  5. Super awesome post. I agree, I love this community. Time and time again, no matter how many reading slumps I have had, I can always come back here! :)

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  6. Great post, it's been the same for me :)

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  7. I completely agree with EVERYTHING in this post!

    I swear my online bloggery friends know me better than my real-life ones and they've helped me through some difficult times in the past year.

    My TBR has grown too! By about 100! *cringes* There are some bloggers whose opinions I just automatically trust and it tends to mean I have a ridiculous amount of books to get through.

    I'm happy though. I just can't imagine not blogging now.

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  8. Hi Belle! I know it's been a long time since I last commented but please know that I still follow your blog religiously. I have to say that posts like this are why I continue to blog and read blogs like yours. It's all about community and corresponding with people that share your interests. Bonding is what makes it all SO worth it!

    And I have to say, I just moved from blogging in the fashion/style community over to the book blogging world because the dialogue here is satisfying. There is a real dedication and passion that I've failed to see anywhere else. I can actually have an intelligent conversation (not to say you can't in the fashion world, but it's just not the same) with people and have healthy debate. Books feed the soul and knowing that there is a whole community of people who feel that way too makes it all the more worthwhile.

    So while you thank the readers and other reviewers for their insipration, I'd like to take a moment and thank you for being such an insipiration to me. It's bloggers like you that helped me to take that leap of faith in to the book blogging world. Thanks and keep on rocking our world!

    -Nikki
    http://foiltheplot.blogspot.com

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  9. Awww *HUGS* back to you! I love this book blogging community so much :)

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  10. Hello Belle!! I totally get you... I'm so busy now, and have probably more than 50+ books I want to read...the nice thing is that I don't ever have to worry about running out of options! :) There is quite literally enough books for a lifetime!

    And yes, having fellow book bloggers is awesome! :) I just started myself, so I too am excited to be starting and all.

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