The Random Reads Team

Maintaining a blog is tough. There's just so much you have to do and it's crazy to think that I'm able to fit it in my busy schedule! But I admit that I do get some help... Here's a list of some things that really help me make Random Reads run as smoothly as possible! I would NOT be here if it weren't for these guys so let me take the time to acknowledge them for all the hard work they've done for me over the past year and a half! I love my team!

UPDATE: I am the world's largest idiot. Because hey guys, I've already done a TTT on a similar topic. And I only realized that AFTER I wrote this whole damn post out. But I'm not willing to delete this post after I spent so long slaving on it so shh, don't say anything and hopefully, in a few years, I'll be able to forget this ever happened.

1. Goodreads

Goodreads is a lifesaver! It is seriously every book blogger's paradise. Great for snagging synopses for reviews, covers, quotes, and marking down books you've read and books you haven't read. Plus, there're giveaways, fun quizzes and lists, book clubs, and awesome bookish conversations. It's fantabulously wonderful and I love how every bookish thing I could ever possibly need is all in one amazing, beige-colored place!

2. Disqus

I was never happy with the built-in Blogger commenting system and so finding an alternative was a MUST. Thanks to some easy peasy research, I picked Disqus and now? I can't imagine ever going back to Blogger! I love Disqus! There's automatic reply notifications for commenters and for me, there's automatic comment notification as well as a built-in filter that encompasses every cuss word you could ever think of, ever.

3. Feedly

The thing about me is I follow a lot of blogs and I need somewhere they can all be nicely organized. This is Feedly. It is an absolute darling when it comes to providing me a reliable reader to all of my favourite blogs! There are so many social network sharing options and you can even tag your posts (which is handy for the 'Around the Blogosphere' portion of Reflect & Renew) or save them to read later! The interface is also super neat and tidy, making reading posts very comfortable.

4. PicMonkey

Though graphics take time, I love making them. Haven't really sat down and played with PicMonkey in a while but it still is my go-to site whenever I need a fun graphic for my blog! With a great selection of fonts and overlays and themes, there are endless possibilities to what you can make! 

5. Google Analytics

Google Analytics keeps on top of every statistic for Random Reads. While numbers aren't everything, it's a good idea to have an idea how your blog is doing and there is no better stat-keeper than Google Analytics. Does it's job amazingly!

6. Feedburner

I'm glad for something like Feedburner to help take off the matter of feeds completely off my hands. I don't even know what feeds are and why they're important so obviously, it's good that I have a program to help deal with it. All I know (and it's enough) is that I have it and it works. 

7. Twitter

As you may or may not know, the REAL book party is held on Twitter. Seriously, the book bloggers rule Twitter and it's a great way to get to know people. I love having conversations on Twitter with bloggers I admire plus it's a great way to get your blog out there! It's more likely for people to stumble on your Twitter account than your blog, after all.

8. Pinterest

Whenever I feel sucked of creativity, I make a quick skip over to Pinterest and search up blogging boards. There are so many tips and freebies and INSPIRATION. It's a great fix for whenever you're feeling a bit dull.

And finally...

9. My lovely green blogging notebook

I started out using OneNote to help me organize my blog and it worked great but the only thing was, I wanted to be able to access my schedule and my to do and my drafts without opening my computer every time. So I went out to buy myself a five subject notebook and now it's my blogging BFF. It is with me at all times and really, I can't tell you how much I love it. It's so handy and definitely the most important thing on this list. Without my notebook, I would be NOTHING.

Now it's your turn! Tell me who's on YOUR blogging team! What helps your blogging experience? Leave a comment!

Views on Book Banning

In honor of Banned Books Week, I thought I would write up a post on it. Banned Books Week could not have come at a better time for me. Just a few days ago, I had a great chat over Twitter with Emily about book banning. It really got me thinking to the point I had so much to say that I had to say it. So here I am, at my computer typing away.

Credit to Arial at In Italics for this gorgeous graphic! View more here.

Like most bloggers (and I say bloggers because that is the only demographic I have a decent knowledge about), I am not a proponent of book banning. I do not think someone has the right to judge or determine what people can or cannot read.

However, it doesn't seem to me that 'book banners' mean to offend people. They're just trying to protect, most often, the youth of our society. We've seen enough in the media to recognize all the scary things our teenagers face now: cursing, sex, drugs, alcohol. And the fact that this happens on a day-to-day basis can be really unnerving for some people because they have absolutely no control over it whatsoever. And I guess if they can somewhat limit the exposure to drugs and alcohol and sex and cursing, then we as teenagers are less likely to get involved with them? Just some speculation, to be fair I suppose. To offer both sides of the story.

But even though I think that book banners have good intentions, I also think it's wrong to be so judgemental and opposed to a book because it has an abundance of swearing, or that it has some sex scenes. Firstly, isn't this the reality? This IS what life for teenagers really is and it's laughable to think that not allowing someone to read a book like that would even begin to diminish it from our society. Maybe people don't like to think about the 'ugly truth' of what teenagers do but there has to be a point where you come to terms with it. Especially if you're determining who should read what. I also don't think that people realize how educational books can be. Specifically books about serious issues that teenagers face. I've mentioned it thousands of times already but issues like sex, drugs, alcohol, and more! Books tend to offer a very honest, no sprinkles depiction of them and I think that's important. For me, the way to ensure that you don't get into that type of stuff is to gain knowledge about them. Which seems a bit counter-intuitive but it's true! If you don't know what you're dealing with, then you really wouldn't know whether it's good or bad and what to do. And while that type of ignorance may seem great at first, trust me, it really isn't.

Secondly, shunning a book JUST because it might be a little inappropriate is rather narrow-minded and superficial. There's so much more to a book besides the fact that the narrator uses 'shit' a lot and if you're judging it based solely on that, you're missing a lot that could be amazing. Take the recent controversy about the Eleanor & Park banning. I was absolutely shocked! I really enjoyed that book and I thought that it hit on some pretty key issues so the fact that someone banned it because it had a lot of obscenities was incredibly upsetting for me. Here's another person refusing to accept that this is how people are! We swear! And if someone isn't all right with that, I think THEY have the ability to decide for themselves whether or not this obscenity-laced book is worth a read. I mean, who continues to do something if it makes them uncomfortable? So if they have a problem with the book, they can determine to stop reading by themselves. Really, it's unnecessary to have someone telling you to avoid this book and that book.

And that brings me to my last point. Reading is subjective. Which is why:

(a) Just because you find a book _______ doesn't mean that other people do too.
(b) reading is an independent activity (for the most part) so I think that the choosing of a book should be independent as well.
(c) I don't like the idea of someone telling me what to read.

I'll read what I want! And I'll let everyone else read what they want to! Because I truly believe there is something to gain from each book, even if it is a mindless read. Even if it's so bad you want to puke. Books are important to our society and though we might not understand that now, just wait until they're gone. 

How Did I Acquire These Books? Part 1

A while back, I shared some of my bookish confessions with y'all and I shared a picture of my bookshelf (or rather, a part of my bookshelf. Taking a picture of my entire bookshelf was too hard). I kind of stared at it for ten minutes yesterday for no reason at all. And as I was staring, I was thinking about all the various ways I acquired these books and this post was born. So here are some stories behind how I got these books. They're not very interesting stories but I hope you don't mind!

When I was eight, my school held a book fair. There were posters plastered all over the walls and every single time I walked by them, my eyes would automatically stop at the book, Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist. I just thought it was the cutest, most magnificent cover ever and so I went home and basically told my dad that he had to give me money for this book. Fortunately, I have the greatest dad on the planet. He obliged and the very day the book fair opened, I bought the book!

After I had finished the book, I realized that I made the mistake of reading the second book first. Errrr. But I kind of just shrugged it off, saying 'there's no point in reading the first now that I've read the second'. And this is where things get a bit crazy. A couple weeks later, my grandmother who loves sending me books sent me The Tale of Emily Windsnap which was the first book in the Emily Windsnap series. That was like, totally beyond what my third-grade mind could comprehend so I sat and screamed for ten minutes.

I still don't think I've finished the series. It took me a while to make it to the third book and then after that, they didn't interest me any more. I still remember how much I loved this series when I was younger though. Honestly, if you were to ask me my favourite childhood authors, Liz Kessler would probably slip from my mind but really, she deserves a spot on my list for helping me discover my wonderful imagination!

When I was six, I saw a movie that would forever change my life: High School Musical. No, seriously, that movie was my LIFE. I think I've watched it about seventeen to nineteen times since then. And every single time was as magical as the first. I think everyone around me evenutally caught on how absolutely obsessed I was because as Christmas came, so did two High School Musical books. They were the only things I read for like, a year until I begged my mum to get me this one too. Which I still haven't finished.

But I hope that doesn't give you the impression that I'm no longer a Wildcat. Because I am, I just no longer feel the need to cry into my books, wondering when I will get my own Troy (but seriously, we all know I'm talking about Zac).


I think two books is pretty good for the beginning right? I planned on having four books in this post but seeing as how much I talk about on each book, it's better to keep the numbers small. So 'How Did I Acquire These Books?' will now be a series that you can probably find pretty regularly here now that it's summer. And don't forget to share stories of how you acquired YOUR books!

My Bookish Confessions Part 2

So here's part two of my Bookish Confessions series. You guys already know what you're here for so I'll stop talking and cut straight to the chase.

1. I like to write my review as soon after I've finished the book as possible.
Sure, I take notes as I read but no matter what I do, the words always come easier to me when I've just finished the book.

2. I never schedule my posts.
Well, unless you count doing Top Ten Tuesdays on Tuesday, then I might have to reconsider. But no, I don't schedule my posts at all. I kind of just go with the flow. I have reviews up after I've finished a book I think is appropriate to review and beyond that, I simply write whatever I think my blog is needing. For example, if I haven't done a Seeing Double in a while, I'll make it a point to throw one in in the future.

3. I'm not afraid to dog-ear funny pages in certain books.
I know some people don't like dog-earing but I'm all for it...in certain books. If it's a ratty book that I read from time to time for enjoyment (like my copy of The Undomestic Goddess), then you can't hold me back from folding down a couple corners to mark some laugh-out-loud moments. But if it's a sleek new copy of The 5th Wave, say, (which I snatched up yesterday!) then you can bet there ain't going to be any folding going on here!

4. Nor am I afraid to write in my books.
This goes mostly for all the classics I own and have read. They're much harder for me to digest so occasionally, I'll mark down my thoughts in the margins. I can flip back later and see all my deep thoughts.

5. I don't organize my books.
Not that I even have enough books to create an entire library system but nevertheless, I am not one to organize my books. Not by author or title - heck, my books aren't even all on the bookshelf! They're all scattered around my home which can be annoying when I'm searching for a particular book and just can't find it. At times, it'll be rather funny when all of the sudden, I'm brushing my teeth and I notice my old copy of the Philosopher's Stone on the counter. But over the weekend, I managed to rally up all my books and place them back onto the bookshelf. Unfortunately, I haven't made the effort to at least put them nicely on the shelf yet so my bookshelf is looking like this:

I think I've run out of confessions as of now but if you have ones you would like to share, don't hesitate to leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you! :)

My Bookish Confessions Part 1

Here's to letting you know that I'm still alive! While I may not be posting every week now, I'm still constantly checking my feed and lately, I've been noticing a trend in confession posts. And because I am a very trendy person, I will be hopping on the bandwagon today with my edition of Bookish Confessions. Let's get started!

1. I prefer paperbacks over hardcovers.
No matter how much I love dust covers, I have to say I'm on Team Paperback. Sure, my covers get crinkled but there's a certain aura of awesomeness to a book that appears read. Paperbacks are also much cheaper which is always a plus when you're a bookaholic.

2. I prefer borrowing books over buying.
That is a lie. I don't acutally prefer borrowing over buying, I just make myself borrow books. Because when I'm let out in a bookstore, I go full out. I'll buy stupid looking books that I'm not even interested in, simply for the sake of buying a book. Which is why, in order to save my money from being spent on books I don't want to read, I borrow most of my books. With the exception of some books I just have to have. Y'all get me, right?

3. Music always has to be playing as I'm updating my blog.
Music is basically a must for anything I'm doing surrounding a computer. There's something calming about having some background noise (even if it's Call Me Maybe) while I'm typing away. It helps get my creative juices flowing. Writing reviews with music in the background is a thousand times easier than writing one without.

4. I never read over my posts.
It's not that I don't care enough about this blog to make it picture perfect, it's simply the fact that I want my voice to be as authentic as possible. And while I'm all for correcting spelling or grammatical errors is dandy, I find myself deleting whole lines of my posts when I do reread. I'm a born perfectionist and it would take me ages if I were to make every post as perfect as I would like them to be. I would never get any content out ever if I did that. Most of all though, my blog is my comfort-zone and that means being me without shame that people will judge me if I am super wacky and crazy sometimes.

5. I always write my reviews in one sitting.
I read a lot of books and it's easy for storylines to get muddled in my brain (My book blog was partially started to prevent this). After I've finished a book is when I have the clearest opinion on the book and I want to get all that out before they slip away. Which is why I write all my reviews in one sitting.


What about you? What are some of your bookish quirks? Let me know in the comments! And stay tuned for Part 2!

Naughty, Naughty Authors

Sometimes, authors have a tough time keeping their anger in check. Sometimes, it ends up on the Internet. And sometimes, it makes book bloggers ponder about how it affects their views on said author.

This discussion is inspired by a similar post held at The Broke And Bookish from a while ago. In truth, this discussion was actually supposed to be scheduled for December but somehow, I missed the deadline. So here it is. I guess that also explains why I'm bringing it up long after most of the drama has passed. This topic is simply too intriguing for me to ignore an opportunity to input my two cents.

To be honest, I've always been a fan of scandals, as long as I'm not connected to the scandal, in which case, I scream and cry. But, alas, I am not an author nor do I frequently converse with authors so there's no need for me to worry about being scandalized. Since starting blogging back in August, I've heard a fair amount of reviewer/author drama going down from secondary sources. Most of it from my own research, like from this wonderful feature at Pocketful of Books, but I would consider myself pretty well-informed nonetheless.

Now, I'm not particularly surprised by all these scandals surrounding certain authors. I mean, authors are people too, right? And people definitely screw up and make mistakes so even though it hasn't happened in the past, that's not to say it won't happen in the future. But while I'm not taken aback by the fact that these outbreaks of defensive authors do occur, the sheer amount of guts some authors have is appalling. Sometimes, after sitting back and reading about these scandals, you wonder: where the heck are their publicists? Because honestly, the things they say are absolutely horrifying, in how rude and offensive they are. 

I can tell you right now that I understand feeling defensive when someone criticizes you or your work. It's understandable that you'd be upset over a negative review of your book. To think about all the hours you've spent writing that book and then to have it torn to pieces by a single reader? It hurts, man. And you get upset  which is natural. You vent to your friends - fine. You cry a bit - fine. But there has to come a time where you realize that sitting back and moping won't do you any good. Maybe this reviewer has a point. Maybe I do need to work on character development. There has to be a reason why someone thought what they thought about your book and so maybe before getting all angry and enraged, think it through. When someone attacks your book, often they aren't attacking you as a person. And that's incredibly important to remember. Also that everyone is entitled to their opinion. So while one person may absolutely detest your book, another might absolutely love it (not counting you, the author, FYI). Think about it, is it really necessary to make a fuss about one review? Especially on the internet, no less. You're not only putting your reputation on the line, you're making the reviewer look like a villain when they aren't really doing anything bad.

As a reader though, I find myself thinking: do scandalized authors make me wary of their books? Or do I continue with it anyway? In all honesty, I don't see how scandals have anything to do with the quality of a book. Yes, I understand being disgusted at an author's actions and not wanting to have anything to do with them but on the other hand, their character isn't related to how well they write. I'd rather rely on reviews to tell me that. And in any case, scandals attract me, not deter me so if an author has some controversy surrounding them, I'd probably be interested in what their book is like. However, it's not as if I'm just going to pick every book written by every single controversial author - I actually have to be interested in them. Man, what do you take me to be?

Well, there's my two cents on this controversial topic. Whew, I think I'm all scandal-ed out! Feel free to leave comments below! xxx

My Blind Date

Hi guys! Now I know I try to stay away from blogging about my personal life, but I just had to tell you! I went on a blind date! Yes, I know, how exciting right? I just LOVE the surprise factor in a blind date - you have no clue what you're getting yourself into! The adrenaline and the fun! So anyway I checked out some of the options I had and picked the one I thought that I would have the most fun with. It was a fail. Unfortunately, the timing was wrong and I was just so exhausted from everything else, I had no interest in pursuing it further. Which is a shame because if I had, it might have been an amazing experience! I highly recommend going on blind dates - it's a great way to find out some qualities you might be looking for...in a book!

Yes, blind dates with books! I think they're just about the best thing ever! Tons of pictures of these fun blind dates have been circulating around tumblr. I'll give you a quick description of what book blind dates are if you don't know. Book blind dates take place in libraries - usually there's a shelf dedicated to this. The books that are picked for these blind dates are wrapped in paper so you can't see the title or anything. When picking the book you want, you're merely going off of the little blurb the librarian has left you on the wrapping paper.

*Both of these pictures were taken off tumblr.* 

After seeing these things on tumblr, I immediately wished that my library would do this! Because seriously, how fun would that be? And my wish did indeed come true! The next time I went to the library, there was this shelf filled with ten to twelve wrapped books. By the time I had got there, there were only a couple left - none of them sounding like YA novels (to be honest, I think they were all adult novels!). I took the one that sounded the most intriguing. Then, I went home and started unwrapping it...guess what book it was? Before I Fall Asleep by S.J. Watson. I had never heard of S.J. or this book prior to the blind date and after finding it on Goodreads, I was pretty sure I was going to "ride this blind date out" and see how it was. That never happened. 

It's just, for me, I'm a very picky reader. I may find a book interesting but the timing has to be spot on. And unfortunately, Before I Fall Asleep entered the scene at a bad time. There's no doubt in my mind that I would have liked it had I finished it, but the mere size of it was intimidating! It's not particularly big but for a plot so straightforward and simple (or so it seems...), I thought it would be hard for me to really get into it. So we parted!

Don't get me wrong, although I didn't stick with the whole experience, I think, overall, blind dates with books at libraries are so much fun! I think whoever thought of this first should get a medal. Honest. So next time you go to a library and see they have this set up, give it a shot! There's nothing to be afraid of...unlike an actual blind date! Hopefully, you find your new perfect book match! :) Good luck!

3 Ways Blogging Can Benefit You

In the past few years, blogging has been on the rise. With millions of people being able to access the Internet in just a click, sharing your thoughts and your life through social media sites has been very popular. Sites like Twitter and Tumblr allow you to express yourself – something some people may not be able to do in their day to day life. This has become so big that nearly everyone that has Internet access is a participant in at least one social media site – be it Facebook or Pinterest or Twitter. A 2011-2012 report released by the World Economic Forum states that 82% of the world population that has Internet access is a participant in at least one social media or social network site. A large percentage of that are people who have either a blog or a microblog such as a Blogger-hosted website, or Twitter, and even more people read blogs.


One major reason why people drift towards blogging is that they have no limits as to what they can talk about. They can talk about books, or food, or even movies. Along with the freedom to blog about absolutely everything they want, there are also many benefits to blogging. Firstly, you can improve your writing skills. By constantly updating your blog, you can hone your skills which will benefit you when writing reports or essays. Secondly, your creativity will increase. When blogging, you want to make sure your material is fresh to gain readers. Having to come up with new ideas all the time that will set you apart from everyone else, your creativity will increase. Finally, you will get to meet new people. Through comments, or new readers, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll find new people to chat with about your passions.


One of the major benefits of blogging is that it can help with your writing. Even though blogging is a very casual form of writing, you still need to be in possession of basic writing skills to get your point across. You need to learn how to write with proper sentence structure, proper grammar, and sentences that get straight to the point. Learning this and putting it into effect can help you when making presentations or writing reports. If you’re an aspiring author, then blogging will help you get into the practice of writing on a regular schedule. Most bloggers schedule their posts in the same way an author might schedule how many words they write each day. Getting into the habit of writing regularly is a good way to make sure you get your word count for each day. As you write more and more, you’re getting more practice. Just like with everything else you do, the more practice you get, the better you become.


Blogging also helps to increase your creativity. When you are a blogger, you constantly have to think of new material to feed your readers. The more you practice thinking outside of the box and thinking outside of what you have done already, the more creative you will become. In the blogging community, it is guaranteed that someone else will have the same idea or theme as you. In order to set yourself apart, you have to think of a unique way to distinguish yourself from the rest and often, the best way to do that is with a good blog layout and design. Though some bloggers may choose to get a graphic designer to make a blog design for them, some may choose to do it entirely on their own. Either way, a lot of creativity and experimenting has to be exerted on the blogger’s part. Without any guidance, a graphic designer can’t do the job either. Becoming more creative is very beneficial to your brain’s well-being. Without constantly exercising your mental abilities, your brain wills lowly deteriorate. By exerting your creativity while blogging, you are also exercising your brain and making it more stimulated and fit.


With so many blogs out there nowadays, it’s very likely you’ll meet someone new as you blog. Anyone can comment on anything, and if you give your readers the option to do so, they can even contact you. It’s one of the major reasons why businesses opt for a blog. It is great publicity as anyone with Internet access can easily find your blog. It’s not impossible for people blogging for their own leisure to meet new people either – in fact, it’s the opposite. There is sure to be dozens of other blogs out in the Internet that have the same theme as you do. With some commenting and communicating, you may just find your new best friend!


Blogging certainly is a great way to share your passions, but as you can see, there are many other benefits to blogging. You can improve your writing skills by writing more frequently on your blog, while also boosting your creativity and meeting new people and gaining publicity. Believe it or not, there are dozens of other benefits to blogging and all you need to do to discover them is to start a blog!

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Okay, so let me just explain myself here. Recently I had to write an essay for school since, well, we're studying essays. Since I'm so dedicated to my blogging, I decided to my essay on how blogging benefits you. This is my final copy. Now, I'm not expecting feedback or anything. I posted this because I thought it might spark a fun discussion. How has blogging benefited you? For me, I think the best way in which blogging has helped me is with my writing. I have improved SO MUCH. Seriously, just flip back to my older review and compare it to some of my more recent ones. Oh my gosh, I CRINGE. Thankfully, I'm way better now. Improved writing would certainly help in the many years of writing reports and assignments I still have left.

The End of Google Reader

For  those who use Google Reader to keep track of their blog subscriptions, I am sure you have already recieved this bit of news: Google Reader is officially shutting down. Now, I don't know about you, but I generally prefer to get an email subscription, simply because of the convenience. I can check the personal emails I get while checking my book blog updates. No need for an extra tab!

But even though I don't use my Reader often, I kind of loved it for keeping me updated with blogs that I read that DON'T have an email subscription option available. Or ones with feeds that don't work. Without Google Reader, I'm not sure how I was going to keep on top of all that. It's like they say: you never know what you have until it's gone. I certainly didn't notice how useful Reader was until now, right when it's about to go bye-bye!

I was faced with the hard decision of picking another blog reader to support all my blogs. There are so many out there, but finding a really good one? That's really tough. But, I've been poking around some of my favourite blogs and I found this great article from Radiant Shadows giving a run down on all the different substitutes for Google Reader.

After reading it, I decided to go with Bloglovin. It was the most appealing to me and after poking around a bit more on the Internet, I was convinced to make the switch over. And my verdict? I love it. Absolutely love it! It's the best thing ever, and it's making my life a whole lot easier by giving me access to all my blogs in one place. It's so great, I'm convinced to delete all my email subscriptions! More about it in my Spotlight feature.

The Rating System: Should I Have One?

The rating system is an important part in book blogging. Whether it's based on words, number, or letter grades, the rating system is highly beneficial to both bloggers and readers. So many pros...does this mean I should have one?

To me, the rating system is an enemy. I hate it. It's a terrible, terrible idea for the blogger-side of me. I'm indecisive and don't like offending people. If I were to see a review on which I gave a D minus, I would feel worse about it than I would if I had just wrote a lengthy post about the reasons why I didn't like the book. It feels harsh. And seeing that, I would most likely cop out of giving anything lower than a C completely. Which isn't very honest. Especially if I hated the book. There'd be a conflict of what is more important: being honest or feeling bad about giving such a low review. Of course, I'd go with the first but who wants something on their blog that bugs them? No one.

For the blogger-me, rating systems are also bad for GOOD books. I told you I'm indecisive. When a book is good, how do I know if it's a B plus or an A minus? How do I differentiate between the two? Or should I just have number ratings? But what if I need to go into decimals? What if whole numbers just don't cut it? How do I differentiate between a 3.4 and a 3.5? See what I mean? How do I decide? Unless someone has already wrote rules for this, I cannot put a rating system on my blog. Too much work.

BUT, readers. The only reason I'm even considering this at all. Rating systems make life SO MUCH easier for readers. If you don't have the time or the energy to read through a review and the author has a rating system, you're like, "OHMIGOD I LOVE YOU KISS THE EARTH KISS THE EARTH DO A LITTLE DANCE WHEEEEEEEEEEEE".

BTW, am I the only one who misses this show????

I know, because this happens to me. All. The. Time.

It's awesome, isn't it? It's the fact that it's so decisive that makes it work. Yes. You decide what it is and everyone else uses that to their benefit. Oh, an F? Not reading this book. But look, this one has an A plus plus! Yes, reading this book. But deciding is so HARD!!! I can't do that. I can't. No matter how much it would benefit my readers. Or...maybe I should? Hmmm, should I?

Update: After being on blogs and talking to some people, I have decided yes, I will use a rating system. But not a number system or a star system, a word system! This is way vaguer and helps me so much more! In this case, vague = clear. Yes? Yesh.

To Meme or Not to Meme

Memes are fun and a great change from the regular book review scene. Focusing mainly on bloggers and their relationship with memes, I draw from my own experience and talk a bit about some problems that can arise from obsessive-memeing.

In case you don't know or you need a refresher (but really just to give me a place to start), memes are little things bloggers create in which other bloggers can participate in. They're quite fun and are a great way to discover new blogs, connect with others, and if you're a newcomer like me, they make settling into the book blogging community so much more comfortable and may gain you one or two readers.

For non-bloggers, they are a great way to get to know your fave blogger better and to find new blogs to peruse. Some are really wacky and you'll get a good laugh out of reading your blogger's response.

So yes, generally, memes are awesome and fun but there are some cons to memes. Like I mentioned, memes are a great way for bloggers to gain a few readers and in any blogging community, that's one thing you want. Readers. Why blog if no one reads it? That's one way of looking at things, a way I do not particularly agree with, but I cannot deny it. Readers are awesome! They motivate you and they encourage you. With them, your blogging experience is all the more sweeter. You want more readers and to be known. In my opinion, the easiest way to do that is with memes.

If you care to take a look at my archives, you can see that almost as soon as I began blogging, I started participating in memes. That just shows how big a role memes play in the blogging community. There really are not many bloggers who don't participate in a meme of some kind. See? Memes are really influential - they're basically like a Wikipedia of book bloggers. You click on a link and then you just go around and around and around. You might click on a link and find a new favourite blog. Just like that. Easy, right?

But because it's so easy, it's very simple to get caught up in them and get more and more readers each time you do one. For example, if you got a reader for every time you did a meme and you did three memes a week, that's three readers. Think of how many you'd get in a year! It's a great number and it's something you want to achieve so badly. Something I want to achieve so badly that I'm almost tempted to do just that, even though there's no way of that happening in real life, it's a fact that you're more likely to get readers from memes than from your own reviews unless you're already very well known. (Actually, the two readers I have now were all acquired from memes. Interesting, eh?)

I'm currently on a meme hiatus, meaning no memes until I think I've gotten the hang of balancing reviews and memes. The reason I felt the need to do this was because I ended up doing so many memes that I had a 3:1 ratio of meme to posts a week. That's not good and it definitely takes away from my being a book blog. Yes, it's nice to get followers but if I keep up that ratio, my readers are going to want out. In the end, what we're all looking for are book reviews. That's what my readers want to see and that's what I planned my blog to be. Even if that means less readers than I have the potential of getting and breaking on the "fun" for a while.

I'll admit though, I do love memes and am really missing out on them lately! Hopefully, I'll be able to return soon and maintain a good balance of reviews and memes.

Annie :)

And as always, feel free to comment below!
Oh and the pictures are of memes I used to participate in!