Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012- Day Three


Book Blog Appreciation Week 2012
Day Three
What Book Blogging Means to Me

September 10 to 15, 2012

If you stop by from a BBAW link, please leave a comment so I can return the visit.  I will follow back anyone who follows me.

If you are a BBAW participant, please feel free to leave a link in your comment.  

This is the fourth year in which I have participated in Book Blogger  Appreciation Week.   The biggest change this year is that there will be no awards.   I think this is a good idea.  Awards can be a great idea but there was too much appearance of cronyism is the process in years past, whether justified or not, so I am glad there will be no awards this year.    

BBAW is a virtual gathering of book blogs from all over the world.  

The Reading Life began three years ago just before BBAW Two.  My  blog focuses on short stories,  classics, modern fiction, Japanese novels and literary quality contemporary fiction.  I also publish short stories so if you have want you would like me to publish yours let me know.   I have special projects on Irish Short stories, short stories of the Indian Subcontinent and Filipino short stories.  I am open to joint project and events and I am willing to review new fiction also, including self-published.

Everyday the managers of BBAW have a topic for us.  Here are the topics for this year:

Monday: Appreciation! There are no awards this year, but it can still be hard to navigate the huge universe of book blogging. Share with your readers some of the blogs you enjoy reading daily and why.
Tuesday: Interview Swap 
Wednesday: What does book blogging mean to you?
Thursday: One of the best parts about book blogging is the exposure to books and authors you might never have heard of before. Endorse a book you think needs more recognition on this day. Get creative! Maybe share snippets from other bloggers who have reviewed it or make some fun art to get your message across.
Friday: Share a highlight of this year’s BBAW. Whether it’s a blog you discovered or a book you’re going to read or a way you felt refreshed, this is the day to celebrate the week!

Book Blogging means a great deal to me.  A while back there was a meme on a book blog hop that asked us if we had other readers in our lives.   Some people said their parents or their spouses were great readers, others had some reading friends but a third of the people said "no one".   This means no one to share one of the central passions of their lives.   This was my answer.  I grew up among very smart people but for a boy to be an avid reader was considered "odd".   I was always made to feel almost an outcast because of my love for reading until I joined the book blog world. This ended decades of isolation.    Ever since then I know there are millions of us out there.   The biggest thing the book blog world has given me is a sense of belonging to a community of readers.    It also helps to keep my mind active.   The mind needs exercise as much as the body.   I  have enjoyed seeing my blog grow from 4 readers a day to over 4000.   I know some book bloggers scoff at those who care about their stats and I would just say more power to you!    My blog, through contact with authors, has also helped me better understand the creative process.    I am now very happy to be publishing selected short stories, some from not yet known writers but some from famous authors.  

Also, I wont deny it, I like the free books.  I am pretty much only accepting e-books and I sometimes get offered 10 a day.   I like getting up in the morning to see if I have any comments and I still am happy when I do.  
I never dreamed when I began my blog three years ago it would develop as it did.  In truth I never thought I would keep it going and in a million years I never thought The Economic Times of India would one day endorse my blog.    One of the things that keeps me going as a blogger and at times period is wanting to see what my blog can become in three more years.

My greatest thanks as a blogger are to those who take the trouble to comment.

Mel u

4 comments:

Marg said...

I still get a thrill when there are comments made on my blog by I am sleeping, and just that little bit disappointed when there aren't any.

I have people in my life who don't understand the reading thing so my answer will reflect that too when my post is up later today.

Unknown said...

This shows how much you enjoy what you are doing, and at the end of every post, that's what matters. I agree with a lot of things you pointed out here. Keep blogging!

stujallen said...

you do a great job Mel ,I should comment more ,all the best stu

Suko said...

Mel, congratulations on all the successes you've achieved with your wonderful blog. Read on!