Today BBAW's topic is about readers and if book blogging has changed the way we read. Well without a doubt, book blogging has definitely broaden my reading horizons and allows me to explore other genres which I might not pick up in the first place. Way back when I was a young adult, I used to read only romance and thrillers. I may be wrong but at that time I thought young adult books are quite limited and the varieties/topics covered are not as wide as compared today. I don't know, I may have not explored well enough then but that was how I felt about young adult books then and how it has changed over the years.
Literary fiction and classic are another genres which I rarely explore back then, thinking that they are for serious readers or literature students and not to mention they kind of intimidate me a little. However, my mindset has changed as I grow older and especially after I have discovered this wonderful book blogging community. I do read professional reviews at times but what I feel is they lack the personal touch from book bloggers. What's more, book bloggers tend to share more of their reading experiences and most often they will also tell their readers what makes the story works and vice versa (I also love it when book bloggers share bits of the quotes from the books they read).
Needless to say, this wonderful book blogging community has affected my book acquisition habits and what used to be a few books occupying a corner of my shelf has long been filled and new shelves have to be added along with the books. I just wish I have a room so I can turn it into a library!
Aside from getting recommendations from book bloggers and the book acquisitions, another thing I enjoy is doing a joint-reading and joint-reviewing with another book blogger. It definitely makes reading much more fun and not just a solitary activity! That said, I have not done this for a while. Anyone interested?
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Loved your post. It really made sense. Said it all about our reading!
Reading is a part of life. Any kind of reading. Be it research papers or book blogs. They always keep us going, the dear book bloggers!
Here is my post:
BBAW 2011: Readers
Isn't it amazing to walk into a bookstore now and know something about half of what is out there? I've seriously broadened my horizons in the last three years.
I agree that professional reviews are lacking that personal feel you get with blogging. In my limited time, I almost always turn to bloggers over professionals for book reviews for that very reason.
As for joint reading, I LOVE doing that! I do an informal monthly reading project called Reading Buddies where everyone reads the same book, but at a relaxed pace and with no requirements. I just post twice a month for people to come discuss. I've done less formal things too, just coordinated my reading with another person (or several). I love connecting with others by reading together. So yes, definitely stop by or shoot me an email (erinreadsblog {at} gmail {dot} com) and let me know if you want to get something going! My next month or two is jam-packed, but I'm cutting way back on review commitments after that so that I have more time to do exactly this sort of thing.
I actually read a lot less literary fiction before my blog. It's funny how blogging can open you up to a lot of books, genres and authors you may not otherwise read.
I know. I was thinking about how little my TBR pile was before I started blogging... I can't say the same now!
I think YA books have gotten more varied/better/etc. lately, too. There's certainly a LOT more YA available now, too!
YA definitely has grown in terms of topics from when I was younger...unless I was just a very sheltered reader. I mentioned in my post today, too, that bloggers help make reading more of a group activity instead of solely a solitary hobby.