Monday, September 12, 2011

BBAW - Day 1: Community


Today is the first day of BBAW and I thought I would join in for the first topic on community. In December I will have been blogging for 6 years and in that time I have seen a lot of changes in the book blogging community. I have seen blogs come and go. I have watched book blogging change from a very small world to a huge community that can be over-whelming at times. I often wonder what blogging would be like if Dewey was still around. I wasn't as good a friend of hers as other bloggers can claim, but we knew each other and commented back and forth on our blogs. When I was doing up a post the other day with links, I actually found some old comments that Dewey had left on my blog. Dewey was all about community, so it would have been interesting to see what other advances she made in this huge blogging world.

I am a bit fickle. Sometimes I love community-building projects, but other times I run the other way. What I do know is that in the spring and in the fall, Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings will host his challenges and if I have been very slack for the rest of the year, I know I will belong in the community then. Carl has always had one of my favourite blogs anyway. I am pretty sure I have been reading it since the early days of my blogging. Carl has the sort of personality that draws people together and it is thanks to him that I have met so many people over the years. I remember when I found his blog I was so excited because he liked the same sort of stuff that I did. In my real life that was virtually non-existent. I have met other people that like the same sort of things as me since, but in the beginning their was Carl. The blogging world is very lucky to have Carl in it.

Through Carl's blog, I met three very special people: Ana, Chris, and Debi. They have become very good friends and I am very lucky to know them! We even attempted to start a book club together, but life got in the way. Their blogs are three of the blogs I visit whenever I get a chance.

Then, there is is Heather from Tales of a Capricious Reader. I have actually been reading her blog for years, but we only became good friends in the last couple years. It is because of her and a few other bloggers that I discovered Fables, and anyone that reads this blog knows how much I love Fables. Heather is a fun blogger, though, and I am very happy to have her blog to read and to be friends outside the blogging world.

The blogger I have known the longest is Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader. She started blogging in November and I followed her in December. We have become very good friends over the years and I hope to one day get the chance to meet! At the moment the closest we have came is Skype.

One other thing about the blogging community is the Canadian blogging community. When I first started blogging I was always really excited to discover a blogger was from Canada. In the beginning there didn't seem to be very many at all, but after a while they started to appear more and more. Canadians are some of the nicest people in world (really, it's true!), and these bloggers are some of the nicest people you will meet. They include Chris, who is from Nova Scotia, too. We were just reading each others blogs for a while there, but then we started doing buddy reads and it made things a bit more informal. One of these days we will illustrate just how small Nova Scotia is and actually meet! Then there is Court from Once Upon a Bookshelf. I have known her for a very long time and love her posts. We also have a friendship outside of blogging and she is the only blogger that I have talked to on the phone a couple times. (Wait, that's a lie, Marg also called me once!) We read a lot of the same type of books and I have discovered lots of great books thanks to her.

Which brings me to Rachel. Rachel is probably the blogger that it is not surprising for me to say... What should I read? Thanks to her I have read, and loved, Arthur Slade (Court helped, too), Derek Landy, Catherine Webb, etc. She has great taste and tends to love authors that don't get as much attention, so it is fun discovering them. The other book blogger from Canada that gives me lots of great recommendations is Karen from Sassymonkey Reads. I have known her for a very long time, too, and she is my go-to person for Canadian and World War books. She always has a suggestion and it is thanks to her lots of books are on my TBR pile. Plus, she is a very nice person who I enjoy emailing back and forth.

Then, there is the blogger that I have to mention, even though her life has been very busy lately... Stephanie from Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic. I knew Stephanie before she started blogging. We have emailed and chatted many times over the years. Her life has been a bit crazy and hectic lately, but hopefully she will return soon!

Other Blogs the Blogging Community is Lucky to Have:

3m from 1morechapter.com - I love her posts! She was quiet for a bit there, but I am very happy to have her back around. Hopefully she remains!

jenclair from A Garden Carried in the Pocket - I feel like I have known about her blog for a long time, but she is another blogger I have been paying more attention to in the last couple years. She posts on a wide topic of things that I love reading about. Plus, she is a very nice person!

Booklogged from A Reader's Journal - Booklogged is a blogger that I have been reading for a very long time. I think pretty much since the beginning. She has been a bit quiet this year, but I still enjoy hearing from her!

Eva from A Striped Armchair - Eva was also an example of me being a slacker. I used to see comments from her everywhere and then with her hosting Library Loot in the beginning, people were always talking about her. And yet, I didn't know her! We just seemed to pass each other randomly, but not actually talk. That has since changed and I consider her one of my favourite bloggers and people. She has added lots of books to my TBR pile and constantly demonstrates to me just how lacking my library can be in terms of quantity...

Aarti from BookLust - Aarti is a blogger that I knew before she started blogging. We met on a forum for historical fiction and quickly became friends. We both love fantasy and historical fiction, so we always have lots to talk about. I was very happy when she started blogging and enjoy our email conversations over the years. I am sad I wound up really disliking our buddy read earlier this year. Hopefully we do another one soon!

Darren from Bart's Bookshelf - I am not sure how I missed Darren's blog for so long, but I started notice him participating in things that I was and decided his blog needed to go on my reader. He has a great blog, talks about wonderful books, and is a wonderful person.

Cat from Beyond Books - I actually discovered Cat through Sassymonkey. She kept being mentioned for book recommendations, so I decided that I needed to get the recommendations straight from the source. Cat is a really fun person and writes great posts about great books! Plus, another Canadian!

Melissa from Book Nut - Melissa is one blogger that I have become friends with over the years. We have done several buddy reads together and always have fun conversations.

Nancy from Bookfoolery and Babble - I have been reading Nancy's blog for years. She is such a fun person and I love getting glimpses into her life and her reading. We also talk outside of blogging and I always enjoy hearing from her. I have watched her blog grow and change over the years and look forward to more from her!

Iliana from bookgirl's nightstand - Another blogger that I have known for years. I have memories of reading her blog many years ago. Some of her posts have stuck in my mind all these years later. Through her blog and correspondence over the years, I can safely say that she is a very nice person and I love her blog!

Darla from Books & Other Thoughts - I don't think Darla reviews a book that I don't want to turn around and read myself. She shares many interests with me and writes fantastic reviews. I really love her blog!

Carrie from Books and Movies - One day I started talking to Carrie and next thing I know, she is one of my favourite people. I actually remember our first random conversation and am very happy that it has happened. We have also read a few books together here and there.

Pat from Here, There, and Everywhere - I actually think I discovered Pat from Carl's challenges, too. I have watched a lot change in her life over the years, but she always has a smile and kind words for others. Plus, she reads fantasy and I love discovering blogs that read what I read. I hope Pat will be blogging for many more years!

Nat from In Spring it is the Dawn - I have read Nat's blog for a very long time, too. It all started because she was a fellow Canadian, just living in a different country, and quickly lead to conversations and books added to the TBR pile. Hopefully one day she will come to this part of Canada and visit!

There are many more! These are just a taste of the great blogs out there and people I am lucky to know!

Thank you to everyone that visits my blog, comments, and makes the blogging world what it is!

42 comments:

  1. Wow, what a list! I'm flattered to be on it. So many of my favorite bloggers are on it.

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  2. Wonderful list you got here!
    I had a hard time choosing. But I opted for totally unheard of blogs. Isn’t that the intention of community? To spread far and wide!!

    Here is my post:

    BBAW 2011: Community

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  3. Very fantastic list of blogs here - off to check out some new to me ones :)

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  4. **Chris: There are many wonderful bloggers out there. The list could easily be longer. :)

    **gautami tripathy: My list could have been longer, but I sort of ran out of time... I will visit your blog soon.

    **Amy: Hope you find some you enjoy!

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  5. Wow, what a fantastic group of blogs and bloggers.

    While I appreciate the kind words, and truly I do, I am very thankful to be a part of this community, what makes me SUPER HAPPY is having a part in bringing people together. I love hearing about folks that meet because of one of the challenges and then go off and form intimate blogging friendships with each other. I love being able to be a part of that, because that is what fellow bloggers did for me when I first started, they were a conduit for me to discover kindred spirits.

    If my blog does anything at all, that is what I want it to accomplish, bringing people together. What a joy to be a part of that.

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  6. Anonymous2:42 PM

    What a great list. Some I visit regularly, but some are new to me. I'll have to check them out.

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  7. You've listed many of my own favorite bloggers here - which means I'll have to go look at those I haven't heard about. :)

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  8. **Carl: I think it is a very great thing to bring bloggers together. You do it well! You have brought a lot of people together over the years.

    **carolsnotebook: Hope you discover some great bloggers!

    **Meghan: My list could have went on a bit longer, but I had to end it eventually... I hope you discover some other bloggers. I really enjoy visiting yours!

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  9. What I like most about your list is that there are so many blogs that you've been reading for "a very long time." It's great that so many of us have come to stay!

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  10. You're one of my fave people too! I still think it's SO WEIRD that it took us ages to 'meet' when we had so many friends in common. LOL

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  11. Happy dance! So many great blogs I love!

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  12. What a great list of bloggers, am honoured to have mede the list. :)

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  13. Yay some new to me bloggers to go over and visit and see if I've been there before.

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  14. Aw, thanks, Kelly! I remember those days on the Historical Fiction forum- with Marg, too! :-) I know it takes a lot of effort to write blogs of this length and with thoughtful comments about everyone, so thank you so much for including me here.

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  15. Can I just copy and paste this post? LOL. So sweet.

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  16. Aw, thank you so much for the mention. I miss you and everyone else SO much. Very soon this will all be over and I'll once again actually reply to e-mails (I've lost count of how many owe you by now - I'm so sorry!) and do buddy reads on time and all that. Thanks for not forgetting about me in the meantime!

    PS: I had no idea you and Eva hadn't known each other all along :P

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  17. I wish I'd participated in BBAW, just so I could have done one of these posts! I'm sure you know that you would have been on my list of can't-miss blogs. But as much as I enjoy reading your blog, Kelly, it's YOU that I really love. I'm just so lucky that I get to call you friend. So lucky to have you in my corner cheering me on. So lucky that you don't give up on me when I can't seem to get my act together enough to email. Yep, just so very, very lucky to know you, Kelly! Love you!!!

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  18. Great list! It's wonderful to get the perspective of someone who has been at it so long. Great job!

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  19. Great list! 6 years of blogging is a huge accomplishment!

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  20. It's so wonderful to see how a person has affected your reading over the years. What a great list to go visit and check out. Some bloggers I'm familiar with while others I will have to visit!!

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  21. You're one of my favorite people, too. :) And I am honored to be included on a list that has so many fantastic bloggers!

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  22. That's a great list! And don't you love this wonderful community? :)

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  23. There are some of my favorites on this list but others that I have yet to discover -- so I'm off to explore! I'm glad to be getting to know you more recently and I hope that it continues! Happy BBAW!

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  24. What an extensive list of bloggers, and I am honoured to be included amongst such a stellar bunch!

    I really hope to meet up one of these days too! When I come to Canada it will be for the spectacular country, but it will also be to see you!

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  25. **Florinda: I know. I noticed that as I was writing things it up. It got me thinking about the ones not around anymore...

    **Eva: I know! It was rather random. Glad we have remedied that!

    **Andi: It was fun!

    **Darren: You deserve it. :)

    **Nise': I hope you find some that you enjoy!

    **Aarti: The list wouldn't be complete without you. :)

    **Chris: lol Your post was sweet, too. :)

    **Ana: I miss you, too! I hope you will be back around again soon!! (I know... The Eva thing was just strange. I am glad we 'know' each other now!)

    **Debi: aw, thanks. :) I am participating in BBAW just to do one of these posts...

    **Joy Weese Moll: Thanks!

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  26. **Anna: It is hard to believe it has been that long!

    **Staci: I hope you enjoy your visits! Great blogs!

    **Carrie: Thanks!

    **Melody: Yep, I do, that's why I have stuck around as long as I have!

    **Kristen: I hope it continues, too!

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  27. **Marg: I hope you really do come to Canada. It's a beautiful country and there is so much to see! It's nice to trace things back and I might not have met any of these people if it wasn't for you, so thanks. :)

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  28. What I love about the community is how it is at once large but at the same time small. Or maybe we old folks just stick together? ;) Lots of names on your list that I love as well.

    I hope you have a wonderful week Kelly. You bring such a wonderful spirit with you to the book blogoshere. Glad to know you!

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  29. **Trish: I know what you mean!

    I hope you have a wonderful week, too, Trish. And, thanks, I am glad to know you, too!

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  30. I've bookmarked this page. I love Carl and any book bloggers mentioned along with him must be investigated. Thanks for sharing all of your book blogging treasures!

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  31. Aww, thanks LH. I'm honored to be included in this fine company, believe me. These are FANTASTIC bloggers.

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  32. **Literate Housewife: I hope you find some blogs you really enjoy! The list could be much longer, of course. :)

    **Carl: They are! And wonderful people, too. :)

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  33. Thanks for the links. I agree that the blogging community has grown exponentially over the years, it's a great thing to be a part of :) I got pretty excited too when I found out that there were a few bloggers living near me too (though I've yet to meet them in person)

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  34. So many great blogs here! :)

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  35. **Jamie: I have enjoyed watching the blogging community grow and change. I haven't met any bloggers yet, either...

    **Amanda: I know! I love them all and many more that I didn't have time to mention. :)

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  36. :) Wow, I'm thrilled to be included on this list!

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  37. Thanks so much for including me on this list, Kelly! You have been a great influence on me as well. :-)

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  38. **jenclair: You deserve it!

    **Michelle: Thanks! I am so happy to see you blogging again!

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  39. I LOVE so many of the blogs you mentioned and even got to meet Nat (Spring it is the Dawn) and Cat (Beyond Books) in real life!

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  40. **Stephanie: I am always jealous when people get to meet other bloggers. As of yet I haven't met anyone!

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  41. *hugs*

    I am so glad I have you, Andi, Chris, Debi and Ana. You keep me sane, I swear you do. We have GOT to meet someday! :D

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  42. **Heather: Yes, I would like to meet all of those bloggers, too! One day I will go on a trip...

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