The Woes Of Being A Mood Reader

Being a mood reader is hard work. Not only does it make it difficult to choose what book to pick up next, but it also causes reading slumps, crippling guilt, and crazy frustration. If you have to ask why being a mood reader causes any of these things, count your blessings because that more than likely means you're not one... lucky you.

Why I Don't Use Bloglovin'

Back in 2013, the entire blogosphere blew up with the demise of Google Reader, and people quickly began searching for an alternative method of following their favourite blogs. Thus, Bloglovin' quickly rose in popularity. By creating an account, you can follow essentially any blog that exists, regardless of the platform, and regardless of whether the owner of said blog has actually signed up. That's right, you don't have to have signed up for Bloglovin' in order for people to follow your blog. Strike one.

How Do You Review Books You've Read Before?

Reading novels again is a fantastic way to rediscover old favourites, and really remind you of why you loved reading in the first place. A lot of bloggers feel as though they don't have the time to re-read novels just for fun, but what about re-reading novels so you can finally review them? I, personally, absolutely love reading books multiple times, and sometimes it means that I can finally write that elusive review that's been missing from my archive. As it stands, I'm currently working my way through all the novels I've read before (hence all the 4 and 5 star reviews on this blog), and while I'm enjoying every minute of it, writing reviews of these books is hard work.

4 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Blogging

I don't consider myself to be an expert on blogging by any means, but there are definitely a handful of things I wish I'd known before I started my journey. I don't think any of these things would have put me off starting a blog, but a little notice would have been nice. Today, I'm sharing those things I wish I'd known in the hopes that I can help future bloggers decide whether or not a blog is the right path for them.

My Kindle Experience

Back in February 2013, after nearly a year of blogging, I discovered NetGalley. I thought this was an absolutely fantastic feature for a relatively new blogger with little to no connection with publishers/authors and I immediately signed up. Little did I realise that reading from a computer screen would kill my eyes, making me blind and unable to read ever again (okay, that's a bit of an overstatement, considering I'm still here two years later, but you get the gist). It was torture! Here I was, with nearly unlimited access to some of the hottest new releases, and my eyes were slowly dying whilst reading them. I was heartbroken.

Are We Drowning In A Sea Of Memes?

Memes are a good feature to have on your blog for many different reasons, but the main perk of these weekly posts is that you can get across book recommendations to people who maybe don't like reading reviews so much. I, personally, never subscribe to a blog that only posts reviews or blog tours, etc. I like diversity when I'm scrolling through my emails, and I very rarely read reviews unless I'm thinking about buying the book with my next paycheck. For me, memes are essential when it comes to the decision of following a blog - they're where I get my book recommendations at the end of the day. A couple of sentences that pique my interest will get a book onto my wishlist, but it's not until after it's on my list that I start looking at reviews and such.

The other day, I was bored and scouting the Internet for fun little challenge-type things when I came across this reading speed test. I can't remember the site that I originally saw it on, but you can find it on the Staples website.

Are ARCs All They're Cracked Up To Be?

Though most book bloggers don't start off their blog for the sole purpose of receiving free books (and if you did, shame on you!), it's a common goal for most of us. We work very hard to promote books, and while ARCs and review copies are a nice reward, they're also a cause of great stress for a lot of us. At the end of the day, these books come with strings attached - after all, nothing in life is truly free, right?

Negative Reviews: To Post Or Not To Post?

Writing negative reviews has become a bit of a sore subject within the bookish community during the last few years, following a couple of nasty incidents in which blogs were closed down due to authors being unable to handle the negative feedback. There's a very fine line dividing professional negativity from personal insult, and I cannot stress enough how important it is to make sure you're not crossing that line.