Booking Through Thursday is a weekly event hosted HERE, where fellow book-dorks get together and discuss books and bookish type things. Each week there is a theme or a different subject and all you have to do is make a post about it in your blog and then link to the post in the comments section. Easy-peasy.
What, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you’re reading? (Given a choice, of course!)
I used to listen to various playlists that I'd create and sync to my mp3 player, while reading. But, eventually I stopped sometime around the end of last year, because it became too distracting. I got to where I was paying more attention in getting caught up with the tunes I was listening to, than the book itself and it was taking away from my reading a bit. So, I stopped doing that and switched to Classical music thinking that might provide a better or more peaceful atmosphere and for a while, it worked. Eventually, I just stopped listening to music all together when reading and started choosing more quiet and comfortable places to read, where I could actually concentrate on what I was reading and really sink into the novel itself. Sometimes, though, there will be the muffled sounds of a television on in the other room or some sort of music set to a very low and less distracting volume, and I'll be okay with that.
But, for the most part, I prefer for my reading enviornment to be more quiet and comfortable, with less sounds and distractions.
Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome little meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish that was created, because they're list-y type people who likes to get list-y with other's. So, go on here for all the deets and check it out for yourself.
This week's the topic is all about - YOU THE BLOGGERS - and book blogging in general.
001. I love reading and I love the idea of keeping a blog/journal of the books that I'm reading, wanting to read, and anything else book related. So, part of my reason for creating this blog, was to be able to do just that and to also share my bookish geeky-ness with other's who are just as obsessed with books and love to read as I am.
002. Book blogging gives me the chance to meet and get to know interesting people - LIKE YOU GUYS - for instance and it also helps to open up doors for me, that otherwise wouldn't have been open.
003. It's given me the chance to read some books that I probably wouldn't have gotten to read, plus it let's me get analytical and really think about the books that I'm reading. It also helps me to put my thoughts together a lot better, when I'm concentrating on what I want to say in a book review. I'm more conscious with the flow of thought and I really think about what I'm trying to convey in the review, instead of just saying something like "I liked it. The book was good, you should buy it if you get the chance. The author rocks! The end."
004. It's been amazing to see how nice and polite all of the author's and publisher's are and how much they care about the bloggers, that what we do and say and how we help them by promoting their books in giveaways/interviews/guest posts can and do make a difference. I enjoy how much they appreciate us and I never want to disappoint them, because book blogging has given me the opportunity to talk with some of my favorite author's and even feature them on my blog in various ways.
005. It has definitely helped me with my writing, in general. I feel like I'm being inspired by so many different people, elements, and settings that when I sit down to write it's a lot easier and I've found myself experimenting with different writing styles and being a bit more creative. I actually find myself writing down ideas and trying to stick to them, instead of just writing whenever the muse strikes. It's helped me to create goals and try to work towards them, as far as my writing goes.
006. I get to be as much of a geek all things bookish concerned, as I want to be. And I get the thrilled bonus of knowing that there are other's geeking out over books as much as I am. So, yay!
007. Book blogging has definitely helped me to crawl out of my comfort zone and start reading books from other genre's and authors, that I might not have read before or felt comfortable reading. Like for example, I've started getting into Steampunk and have really enjoyed what I've read so far. I find myself reading a bit more romance than I ever allowed myself to read and I've also read more contemporary books this year, than I've really thought about reading before. I've been introduced to some great author's such as Sarah Dessen, Scott Westerfield, Daniel Waters, Elizabeth Scott, Suzanne Collins, Lauren Myracle, Lauren Oliver, Julie Kagawa, Deb Caletti, Kim Harrison, Alyson Noel, etc.
008. It helps me to stay more recent with future to-be-released books than I have been and it also helps me to discover books that I may not have noticed before or have noticed and just never really gave a second thought to. You know those doors I've been talking about, yeah...they're wide open and I can see all of the nice books inside just lined up in a need little row on shelves and shelves piled as far as the eye can see. Seriously. It's all windy 'round and 'round and there's ladder's and it's such a magical place to be, my perfect dream library. Now, if I just had the cash to front the bill for it...ooh, the things I could do. They say the sky's the limit. ;)
009. On a more personal lovel, I think book blogging has made me a happier person. It's given me something to concentrate on for a few hours a day, instead of dwelling on this or that and drowning in the drama of all the petty crap that goes on in the world. By keeping busy reading, keeping up with the blog, and geeking out about books with my fellow bloggers - I think it's definitely helped to lift and heighten my spirits and given me something to look forward to. It's something that's fun and it doesn't at all feel like a chore.
010. YOU, MY FRIENDS AND FELLOW BLOGGERS, YOU!
