Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted by Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Since April 2022, the meme moved to another host, Aria @ Book Nook Bits. Let’s Talk Bookish is a meme where participants discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and share their love by visiting each other’s posts.
So today is a freebie and that gave me another opportunity to dive into the rich archives of this meme. I’ve chosen a topic that is actually linked to the one for next week, where blogging slumps will be discussed. Today, I will talk about if and how blogging affects my reading. This topic was suggested by Mini @ Book And Corner and was the topic for February 26, 2021.
Prompts: Has blogging affected your reading in a positive or negative way? If so, how? Do you think the pressures to produce content can result in a bad relationship with books? How do you balance blogging and reading? Do you think you would have started blogging if it weren’t for books or vice versa?
Has blogging affected your reading in a positive or negative way? If so, how?
I think blogging has affected my reading in both a positive and negative way. The positive side of it is that I have discovered books I otherwise would have overlooked or never heard off. I did so by checking out other blogs and whether I would like the books that are discussed on there. On the other hand, I feel like I am super critical now when I’m reading a book. I’m fed up more easily and I find it hard to write casual book reviews nowadays. This probably has to do with the fact I’ve reviewed for a book platform in my country for about 1.5 years and these reviews were much and much more formal. I still feel like people expect a certain style, standard and quality on my blog because of this, especially when reviewing n my own language. I feel like I can losen up more in English because not much expectations have to be met.
Do you think the pressures to produce content can result in a bad relationship with books?
Oh yes. Sometimes you get overwhelmed because you want to discuss and review all the popular books and there can be pressure on you then because you want to do this as soon as possible and definitely if the hype is still fresh. However, there are only so many hours in a day, so this is food for a blogging slump. More on this next week. Anyway, I get this feeling too sometimes.
How do you balance blogging and reading?
For me, I really decide which books to review on the blog and which I only mention briefly in a wrap up. I have one recent example of a book I have read this month, but really don’t know how to review. It will be mentioned in my monthly wrap-up, but that’s it. I think it’s important to find yourself a healthy balance in reading for fun and reading for the blog. Of course these two often can be combined, especially for someone like me who does not have commitments for things as blog tours and that’s a conscious choice I’ve made. I won’t be changing this in the near future.
Do you think you would have started blogging if it weren’t for books or vice versa?
Hmm I honestly don’t know. I actually made a blog for my exchange semester at university, but I ended up spending most of my time at home (I went actually really close so traveling back every weekend was what I did and enjoyed more), so I didn’t use it. It was when I discovered book blogs that I decided to use that platform, rebrand and go for it. I always have been a reader, so vice versa is definitely not the case.
How do you think about this topic? Has blogging affected your reading in any way? And if so, how?
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