Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about topics that are unique to us. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.
Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers! If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Midnyte Reader or For What It's Worth. We will be providing a linky at the end of our posts so people can "hop" to see all the participants answers.
Question: Happy 2013! What are your blogging goals for the new year? Are you making any changes or testing out new ideas for reviews or organization? Have you joined any challenges?
I have a few changes/goals in mind for the blog this year but I wouldn’t really call them resolutions. Because then I won’t do them…hehe
- Don’t worry about how many days a week I post. I’ve never been one to look at my follower numbers or stats obsessively but I do feel compelled to post everyday. I’m trying to let that go.
- Learn how to use Evernote. I have links/pictures and post ideas scattered everywhere & I think Evernote can help me keep things organized – hopefully making putting a post together easier. I have downloaded it to my phone/iPad and computer so I can clip things from anywhere I am.
- Master the OMG review. I hate how I ramble when I LOVE a book. I can’t even seem to describe the plot in those reviews which bums me out because I loved the book and I want to share how amazing it is. I get depressed when I read the perfect review somewhere else.
- I would love to interview more authors this year but I really need to come up with better questions.
- Not stress when I don’t read the book that everyone has read. I got over book/cover hype a few years ago but I do still get stressed trying to read *ALL* the books as they come out. I get overwhelmed and freak out, afraid that I missed something. I’m going to go with the flow & read old & new books. Whatever I’m in the mood for.
- Find new blogs. Real life really cut into my blogging time this year and I’ve mostly stuck with the blogs I already know and love. I’d like to find a few newbies and reconnect with bloggers in general.
- Read On the Jellicoe Road, Saving Francesca & The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta. These are the number one recommended books & author that people have told me I need to read.
I haven’t joined any challenges yet. I’m just awful at them. I do plan on joining Midnyte Reader’s Authors After Dark 2013 Reading Challenge. There’s a wide variety of authors & genres and Pam is a really laid back challenge host so I don’t feel pressured 
*Update - I forgot! I did sign up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I picked 60 books to read in 2013. Last year I read over 100.
*Update - I forgot! I did sign up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I picked 60 books to read in 2013. Last year I read over 100.
What are the trends you noticed in blogging from 2012 and what do you hope to see for the blogging community in 2013?
It seems that almost anyone who has been doing this for awhile now is overwhelmed. A lot of bloggers are either quitting (makes me so sad) or finding a better balance between family and blogging – which means cutting back on blogging. That’s how I’m feeling and I hope we go back to the days where this was a fun hobby.
I also notice that there is an element of fear with author interactions and in writing reviews which I REALLY hope goes away.
I think we need to keep things in perspective. For every off the rails author (or blogger for that matter) there are another 100 that appreciate their readers and bloggers. They understand what we’re trying to do.
The other thing is our response to these scandals. I’m all for standing up for yourself or calling out bad behavior but it reached feeding frenzy proportions last year and it felt like overkill. One trend I’m seeing is the non-response or at the very least – the acknowledge it and move on response.
The thing I hope to see the most of this year is bloggers supporting other bloggers. So many new bloggers didn’t feel welcomed into the community last year. Blogging has been one of the best things that has happened to me because of the friends I’ve made. I want everyone to feel that way.
"Master the OMG review. I hate how I ramble when I LOVE a book. I can’t even seem to describe the plot in those reviews which bums me out because I loved the book and I want to share how amazing it is. I get depressed when I read the perfect review somewhere else."<-------------------THIS
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem..if you come up with a great solution to this please pass it along LOL
I feel like I can't talk about what I loved without spoiling the book and for some reason I can't discuss it in a calm way like I would with a book that I merely liked.
DeleteThe only OMG book that I wrote a review for that I liked for was Days of Blood and Starlight. It made sense lol
I so can't do the omg review, but oh well, maybe that is just how I should review then ;)
ReplyDeleteI would also love to find some new bloggers. I recently went through my list and deleted bloggers who have stopped blogging :( But so hard to find new ones. Everyone seems to be YA. Nothing wrong with that. But I do want adult books mixed in too
You're right. I shouldn't worry about it lol You have such a great attitude with blogging.
DeleteI would like to find a few blogs that review books that aren't the most popular - or maybe even older. We all seem to be reviewing the same dozen books.
I love these answers! I am going to try to be more laid back too. I want to read what I want to read, etc. I think you do a great job with your OMG books. I've gotten several recommendations from you due to glowing reviews. Also, what you say is true...that for every author who freaks there are 100 who don't.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally resistant to hype and cover love but I'm still feeling left out of the loop when I'm not reading a book that everyone else is. I feel like I have to hurry up and read it - pushing my other books aside.
DeleteGreat answers! You're right, it does seem like several of the bloggers we started out with have either quit blogging or cut back. And I'd love to find some new bloggers out there, but it isn't easy if they don't join any memes.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love the OMG reviews! When a book inspires such love that a blogger can barely talk, that's the book I want to read! :)
Memes are the best way to get discovered but I've found that a lot of bloggers have stopped or cut down on those too.
DeleteI rarely do an OMG review so people usually know I mean it even if it makes 0 sense lol
Love your answers too. Good luck with all of your goals too and totally agree about the OMG review LOL
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read just what blog resolutions people have made. I stop making any new year resolutions of any kind a few years back as I always gave up after a few weeks/months if I was lucky and ended up disappointed.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good luck with yours and here's to a happy and healthy 2013.
I don't really do resolutions. I feel pressured by them. I do find that posting things on my blog helps. I guess I feel like people will call me out if I don't do it lol
DeleteHappy New Year to you to Petty :-)
It's nice to read what everyone else is saying --- and it's inspiring. :)
ReplyDeleteI decided not to do any challenges this year. I'm doing Goodreads just because it helps me keep track of what I read. I'm using a spreadsheet to track how many debut books, standalones, etc. I read and I'll tally up at the end of the year. But I didn't feel that the challenges added anything to my blogging experience and probably caused me more stress.
ReplyDeleteMy only resolution is just to keep it fun. So far, so good. I have the best blog readers and blogger friends. Like you :)
I love your resolutions! Many of them are so similar to mine, I'm just nodding along as I read them, especially the one about trying to be okay with not stressing about not always reading the big "it" book everyone else is. I've been bending over backwards to do it and not always reading books I want to read instead. I still can't help signing up for challenges though. lol I'm a freak for some of those, they encourage me to look for interesting things.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten really good at not choosing books based on hype or covers but I still kind of feel left out when everyone is reading a certain book. I feel like I'm missing out. I do find that when I cave it's not usually something I enjoy and should have just trusted my instincts.
DeleteI'm going to try to do better with that this year.
Yeah, it's the really positive reviews that are the toughest to write. I wonder why that is... all I know is that I am not often satisfied with the reviews I write for my favourite books either. It's like I really want to do the book justice because I loved it so much so I want to write a better than average review. But it always seems like there are no words for my favourite reads!
ReplyDeleteANYWAYS. Good luck on your resolutions! I can see a few that I have in common with you - particularly read a Melina Marchetta book. MUST make that happen this year!
For me....I have a hard time saying what I loved without explaining EVERY detail lol You don't want to spoil the book for anyone but you don't want to leave any of the awesomeness out.
DeleteI also had a weird problem with two books I just read and loved - when I went to review them and looking at them critically I started finding flaws and it almost ruined the experience for me.
Ha! The OMG review is something I haven't mastered either! I always want to present the book in the best light, but my words often fail me and I end up writing something that sounds more like "it was good" than "OMG best book EVER!".
ReplyDeleteFor 2013 I want to keep a better pace with my reviews. I like to write them soon after reading the book, when the memories are still fresh, but I often procrastinate and wait...
I do that too but somehow that works for me. I jot a few notes down and a general outline but then I wait for the review to come to me....I'm a very new age blogger lol
DeleteJust when I'm about to fall asleep BAM the review hits. (I keep a notebook next to the bed now)