10 Blogging Tips - An Armchair BEA Post

It is a bit strange, but I was actually thinking about a post of this nature yesterday. I think it is a happy coincidence.

1. Be nice. Bloggers, authors, etc are people, too. If you disagree with something, be polite. If you dislike a book you should be respectful to the author. It is hard to be a blogger and an author and cranky people don't help.

2. Have fun. Some people think they have to do certain things, meet certain deadlines, etc. Blogging is a hobby for most of us, and at least started that way for others, so don't get overwhelmed and forget to enjoy.

3. Don't do only give-aways. This might just me, but even though free books are nice I get bored with blogs that never seem to do anything else. Variety is the spice of life.

4. Comment on blogs. I find this overwhelming some times, but people do enjoy hearing from you and any sort of acknowledgement that you were there is always appreciated.

5. Don't get stressed out by stats. I personally don't pay the slightest bit of attention to stats, but I know I am very much in the minority for this. I know that some sites want to know those sorts of things, but I have never particularly cared.

6. Share book hauls. If you are in the book blogging community it stands to reason your readers are interested in bookish treasures.

7. Be original. I have moments like this too, but people get caught up in new releases and forget about the 'older' books. It does lead to hype, and that is great for the author and book, but if you see the same book over and over again it makes it hard for your visitors to think of an original comment to make or some just get bored.

8. Don't be intimidated. I hear all the time how people are too intimidated to comment on certain blogs. When these conversations occur the person is always shocked to find themselves intimidating. So, break out of your comfort zone and comment. You might just make a new friend!

9. Utilize social media, but don't go overboard. It is fine to use social media, but it can get overwhelming if you feel you have to do everything. Choose what works for you and have fun. It is not supposed to be a chore!

10. Join things. If you want to meet more people, especially if you are a new blogger, work a bit of time into your schedule to join an event (like Armchair BEA), a read-along, or even a reading challenge. It will help bring your blog to other people's attention and then can lead to increased traffic.

Armchair BEA - Day 2 - The Crem Della Crem

I mentioned them in my post yesterday, but I thought I would mention them again on a separate post.

In February, I read John Green's newest book The Fault in Our Stars. First of all, I tend to avoid books about cancer, but I have read all of John Green's books and didn't want to miss out on the new one. I have to admit that I read John Green because of other bloggers. I wasn't even entirely sure if I was a big fan necessarily, but I kept trying. I feel like with this book I finally got it. The timing was right for him to finally click with me. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Then, things got kind of quiet for a while. I have read a lot of books that I enjoyed, but then there were many others that were just okay. I was starting to think it was going to be a 'just okay' reading year, but then I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I think the funniest part of that read was I had read Wein before and basically hated the book. I kept thinking the name was familiar, but I didn't put two and two together. I am glad, though. It might have clouded my reading of this book. Instead, I kind of want to go back and read her again to see if my opinions have changed. You can see my review by clicking here.

After that I was in a World War II frame of mind, so I picked up Shadows Walking by Douglas Skopp. I haven't had a chance to review it yet, but wow, it was an awesome book! It is about two doctors before, during, and then sort of after World War II. One of them is Jewish and the other becomes an SS Doctor. It was an aspect of history that I had never read much about and I thought that Skopp did an amazing job. I think part of the reason why I haven't reviewed it yet is because I am worried about doing the book justice. It is definitely worth checking out!

There you have it. Those are my 3 top reads so far in 2012. The prompt for today also mentions what books you are hoping will be your top reads in relation to BEA. I actually all ready did a post about the books I am looking forward to. You can check it out here. Be sure to chime in on your own picks!

Armchair BEA - Introductions

I don't think I have joined in for Armchair BEA before, but I thought I would do something different this year. I like that this year it is all about community. When I first started blogging there were a lot less bloggers. The term book blogger was not even necessarily used. Nowadays it is huge and a bit overwhelming keeping track of everything. I find that people are more likely to come together as a community when they get up in arms about a scandal than any other time.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
Well, I go by Kailana around the blogging world, but my real name is Kelly. I live with the guy (aka the charming comedian) in Nova Scotia, Canada. We also have a cat named Casey that we adopted late last year. I am recently obsessed with using my camera more and have launched a project attempting to get a postcard from every province in Canada (and territory) and every state in the US. In December I will be blogging for 7 years. The first few posts were horrendous, though, so I would like to mostly forget they exist. And, technically I do because I often forget to even blog on my blogiversary. I got into blogging because I was friends with Marg from Adventures of an Intrepid Reader on other sites and she started blogging in November. She suggested I start one, too, so I did a few weeks later.

2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
I am currently catching up in the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd. My favourite reads of the year so far are A Fault in the Stars by John Green, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and Shadows Walking by Douglas Skopp (which I had planned to review today and then did this post instead. oops!).

3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
I originally went to university to be an astronomer, but got talked out of it. This hobby is another in a long list of things I never make time for any more.

9. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
My favourite part is easily the friendship. There are times where I consider throwing in the towel, but then I start thinking about all the people that don't blog any more and how I never hear from them. This makes me worry that I will lose track of all my blogging friends if I stop blogging.

10. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
Yes, definitely. I used to primarily buy fantasy novels or books by Canadian authors. Nowadays I am horrendous at reading both of those things because there is so much else going on. I never read young adult, but I will now. And, I have gotten back into non-fiction. Some years I do better than others, but if you looked at my shelves you would think I love non-fiction. And, well, I do, but I never seem to actually read them.