I hear tell it's Book Blogger Appreciation Week, when all we who do the aforesaid are to pat ourselves on the back for our efforts and recognize others we admire who love writing about books as well. It's a bloggie love-fest of sorts, the kind of thing I find out about only via the blogs of others who follow what's going on out there in blogland.
I wouldn't have known a thing about it if I hadn't stopped by Simon T's Stuck in a Book - a great favorite of mine who writes gorgeous posts about all things early to mid 20th century literature, among other topics of interest to me. I just don't hear about bloggie events on my own and I give him full credit for not only enlightening me but also writing a well-thought-out post on blogging and some of the wonderful people he's met during his Stuck in a Book years (and I knew him even before that!). Loads and loads of great blogs referenced there, if you're looking for more.
I'm sort of on the fringes of the "book blog community," as it were. I don't generally participate in memes, group reviews or what-not. Challenges? I have enough of those just getting out of bed and making myself look human every day.
FAIL!
I'm much more a Blog Hermit, sticking to myself, writing occasionally on topics other than straight books, producing a few Tourette's posts from time to time. I'm liable to shout out something exceedingly inappropriate at any moment. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. I admire others who do read-alongs, stick to a particular theme, etc. It's just not in my nature. Look, a shiny object!
And I'm off on a tangent...
Much as I want to comment on others' blogs I hardly ever have the time. I swing by them, to see what's new, but it's always on the fly. Perhaps if I stopped and chatted a bit I wouldn't be so set adrift but my "thing" is reviewing formally for print and online publications. So when I blog I often bounce from one thing to another, the one constant being I write about a lot of brand new books, those sent by publishers and such, because they know I do reviews, interviews, etc., and would like me to chat about books I'm not reviewing for publication, in order to catch the healthy traffic I get here.
[And, believe me, they DO appreciate all you do - authors, publishers, marketers and agents. It's tough getting authors and books out there these days, with one book poised to replace another, today's darling being remaindered - even pulped - before it's had time to reach the readers who would love to read it. Keeping the spotlight on one author long enough to sell a few books is damn hard. All you do helps publishers immensely.]
I do get loads of hits, just not so many comments. I suspect much of that is due to my lack of commenting on the blogs of others, as I mused above. I'm glad to be in the company of other bloggers; I enjoy what you do and stop by more than you know. And not only the blogs on my roll. I tour blogs all over the place, especially if you stop by here and I see your URL. But then, I'll check out your blog roll, see a blog name that sounds interesting and be off and running for longer than I should be, letting one blog lead me to another. IT'S A SICKNESS.
I'm glad to be in the company of other book bloggers; they're a dedicated and passionate group. So, here's to the love of books and fine writing that's behind all the words spilled out by the hundreds - maybe thousands - of people who appreciate it. I'm raising a cup, of coffee in my case, since I'm not a drinker. Besides, I'm sure more book bloggers rely on caffeine than alcohol, considering the time and effort it takes fitting blogging into the rest of life. Readers, you should know it ain't easy producing content on a regular basis.
To all of you. You make my life a bit brighter every, single day.
Thank you. And I promise to make more of an effort stopping by to chat more with you, spreading my bloggie love to you and all you do.
