I have been blogging on and off since 2017, which means I have been around in the blogosphere for over 6 years. I’ve noticed lots of changes in my attitude towards books and I sometimes start to wonder how it would be if I wasn’t a bookblogger. So, I created this reflective and fun discussion/tag post with several prompts. How would life be without bookblogging?

Rules:

1. Link back tot the creator (Laurie @ Laurie Is Reading).
2. Answer all prompts truthfully.
3. Tag as many friends as you’d like.
4. Have fun with it!

If I wasn’t a bookblogger i…

…Would read less.

I think this would be true. Before I discovered bookblogs and bookblogging, I read significantly less than I do now. I definitely wouldn’t have hit the 100 books a year mark like I did in recent years. However, my blogging adventure started at the same time my years-long reading slump ended, so my situation is different. However, being a bookblogger can be overwhelming because you find so many books you want to read and don’t have time for.

…Would be less critical towards the books I read.

Oh absolutely. Lately, I’ve been noticing a trend that I find most books I read mediocre. There are fewer books standing out to me these days and I think bookblogging has been a huge influencial factor in this process of me being more critical towards the stuff I read. Of course, reading experience adds up to it as well, but I think this won’t be the case if I wasn’t a bookblogger. I notice this easy and relaxed rating system still with people on other platforms as Goodreads and Instagram. I sometimes miss the ability of giving more of a relaxed rating, but on the other hand I know how to judge a book more objectively. I mean, I know what I like in my books and I also know what I should pay attention too. Books I’ve easily rated 5 stars in the past would mostly get a lower rating now because of me becoming more critical. One of the biggest cons of becoming more critical is the dreaded reading slump hitting easily. It also could lessen your reading enjoyment.

…Would miss out on many books I happen to enjoy.

Yes, another partial truth. Yes, I indeed wouldn’t have known about certain books I happen to enjoy once I’ve read them. On the contrary, many books I tend to enjoy often don’t find their ways to the blogs, but mostly stay popular on platforms as Goodreads and Instagram. Or, it’s just me not following the blogs that share the beloved and popular books. I have a feeling that many books stay on social media and bloggers are becoming more and more of niche readers. And also blogging is becoming less popular as well, but that’s something different. So, this question partially applies to me.

…Would never have written reviews on other platforms.

I don’t know about this actually. I started using Goodreads way back in 2015, but left it untouched for a while. However, I never wrote reviews on there before. I still barely do though. On the other hand, bookblogging opened doors for me to other stuff I did, mainly on Dutch platforms and which mainly consisted of reviewing books, leading online bookclubs or simply writing about books. However, I quit doing this since I didn’t enjoy it any longer and I couldn’t give my 100% to it due to a lack of time. Anyway, I don’t believe I would have heard about it if I wasn’t active in the blogosphere and in the bookworld in general. Nevertheless, I would probably have considered Bookstagram since that’s a lot less work than bookblogging. However, there’s a character limit there so I can’t put everything I want to say about a certain book on that platform. Again, i don’t know whether I would have found Bookstagram if I wasn’t active in the bookish community in the first place.

…Would never have improved my writing.

Haha, this is so easy. I think this is true! You grow and improve by gaining experience and blogging gives me a lot of experience.

…Would have had so much more time on my hands.

Again, definitely. Keeping a blog up and running requires effort and always is a work in progress. If you deny your blog for a longer while for whatever reason, you will loose visitors. So, it’s really time consuming. And especially if you run 2 blogs like me, an English one and a Dutch one. I admit I put more effort into my English blog (this one) since it gains more traffic and interaction. So, you know your effort will be rewarded because of your statistics. On the other hand, I don’t know what I would do with all the time I gain whenever I decide to quit blogging altogether. I mean, I’ve been doing it for so many years now and before I was still a student so always busy with coursework. I’ve quit 2 or 3 times, but always came back because I kept missing it.

…Would never have been blogging at all.

True true! I simply don’t know what else to blog about LOL. I’ve tried to maintain a blog whilst being on Erasmus exchange when in college, but I just had nothing to say so I never wrote anything on there. And I’m not the type for a lifestyle blog or whatsoever.

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So, this is what my life might look like if I wasn’t a bookblogger. How about you?

I tag:

• Briana & Krysta @ Pages Unbound
• Bree @ 1Girl2ManyBooks
• Mehsi @ Twirling Book Princess
• Sumedha @ The Wordy Habitat