Some Thoughts on Book Blogging

So I've been thinking about book blogging lately and some of the things that make it so important to me. I've been doing this for roughly five years, I guess, now? That in itself is hard to believe! I remember doing my first few posts and having no clue. Amazingly I was swept up into this crazy hobby and met some fantastic people- right out of the gate I had people supporting me and offering tips or just being friendly. So it seems a good time to reflect on the journey thus far, and share a few observations I've made along the way. 

Blogger friends are real friends

Seriously- I talk to online friends more than I talk to real life friends now. Part of that is just a function of blogging daily, but still... it's kind of amazing to me. And frankly many of my fellow bloggers I consider true friends, even if we've never met. When a blogger friend loses someone, or goes through a hard time, or has a triumph, I feel right along with them. Not just a generic "aw, that's too bad" or a "congratulations!" but genuine sharing. 

I talk to people around the world every day

Think about that a sec. I talk to people in other countries every day- we all do. Prior to blogging I didn't know anyone in Finland, New Zealand, or Singapore. Just to give three examples. That alone is such a privilege. We constantly hear about globalization and how the world is smaller now, interconnected, and it's true. When I think about not blogging, or never having started, I would be missing out on so much- and so many international friends. 

Blogging is a closed loop

Well, book blogging anyway. I'm sure some of us reach a non- blogger audience, but realistically I think for a lot of us, our primary audience is... other book bloggers. I've seen people mention this before, and it's true. My comments are almost always from other book bloggers! We are sort of our own closed loop, or mini universe of sorts. A community of like- minded people who come together to share a passion that the outside world doesn't always get? 

Diversity 

I have LGBTQ friends in real life but we don't often talk issues? Since joining this community I have learned so much, and questioned many of my assumptions, and for that I'm grateful. 

Sure there's drama

But there's drama in real life too. And frankly most of the book blog drama seems to be on Twitter? Easily avoided. :) 

ALL the books

Seriously, my reading habits have changed so much, and I've discovered so many books I would have never even known about, if I hadn't started blogging. Most of my favorites I've discovered due to blogging. 

It's not just books

It's probably not an exaggeration to say that blogging has changed my life. I mean from the way I spend my time, to the new friends I've made, to how I think about books. I've discovered new fandoms, new shows, and new perspectives- but most importantly of all, it's the new friendships that I treasure the most.