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!