Book Blogger Confessions- Positives

This meme is hosted by Karen at For What It's Worth and Tiger at All Consuming Media

This is for book bloggers to talk about life as a book bloggers: the ups and the downs. This week, it's an up!

Let's talk about the positive side of blogging! How has blogging influenced your real life in a positive way? (not related to books or reading) Have you learned to be organized or are you more social now for example?

In some ways I am more critical of things. I don't mean I wander about judging everything, but I reach conclusions quicker than I used to, which is nice. It's also good how when watching a film or television, I can see the little things that I think will later be important. I've always been reasonably good at guessing what would happen in a film, but book blogging has cause that to grow since it helps me see other people's opinions on things and I can look at things in a way I wouldn't have previously considered. And if it's not a genre I'm familiar with, it helps me get a little insight into its tropes or typical elements.


The other way it has changed me is that I think I'm more confident. As an online persona, I don't think I come across as shy or exceedingly quiet, but I'm much more so in real life. Even in my own friendship groups I'm liable to sit quietly and absorb what's going on around me and make the occasional comment. But blogging and getting responses to what I say is a nice way to find that my opinions aren't idiotic and won't be brushed-off. The few times I've been (rightly) challenged, I haven't felt like backing down. It has something to do with the fact that with books it is an opinion or an interpretation and as such no one can really say to you that what you say doesn't matter because everyone is allowed to interpret things as they see fit and comment how they want to. This idea has sort of also altered my own personal beliefs about life and relationships, but it's something I only notice now I stop to think about it.


Ironically enough, I think book blogging has made me slightly more unorganised!!! I'm a naturally organised person: my wardrobe is arrange by the type of clothes, then by colour. My drawers are arranged according to what I use most often, and how easily I need to be able to access them. It's hard to explain in some ways, but I am someone who organises everything if my mind wander enough; my worst problem is that I can't leave loose change messy and uncounted. I have to pile it and count it before doing anything else; which isn't arduous, but it has to be done. Yet since book blogging, my desk keeps getting messy. Previously, it was pristine; everything was in line and all but at right angles to everything else. Nowadays, it's lucky to see it like that because I just can't find the time to tidy it. But it is still a good thing! I'm too organised so it's good that I've been able to allow a little chaos.


Anyone else have some strange, yet still beneficial changes???

Friday Hop Sept

Q: It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are Thankful for – blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

I hate these questions. I ain't too great at being thankful and heartfelt. I'm just not generally good at emotion full stop. So when I hear this, I think of everyone who might expect me to mention them. But I don't wnat to do that, I want to try and be honest. So I decided I'd go for the one person I'm most thankful for in the blogosphere.

Karen. At For What It's Worth or @teamsheltie on Twitter.

I have bloggers I like, respect, read and feel I owe some of my tact and blogging ways to (I really do. If I haven't mentioned anyone and they feel left out, know that I you are all the jam on my bread. You make blogging this sweet experience), but that fine lady above encouraged me to go one step further and actually do a blog. You may all laugh and guffaw whilst reading, and tell your loved ones over dinner how monumentally bad this blog is, but I don't mind. Karen encouraged me to do this, and I love the dimension it adds to my life and outlook. Joining the blogging universe in the concrete way of starting a blog is like buying a house in the nieghbourhood you've always wanted to live in. The people are better than expected, it's comfortable and you don't need to worry about how things are going because this such a big change that you know things will work out as they're supposed to.

Part of doing this meant getting over that original fear and idea about blogging. It was scary. It was constant judgement, perhaps ridicule, in an environment that the whole 7 billion people of the world could potentially see. How do I overcome that? Stepping stones. Karen let me guest post and it sort of chased away my lingering demons. It was nice and even though I cannot physically keep guest posting for her, she can quite easily claim any of my post as her own, any book or any statement, since I owe her a whole bunch.

And she sent me Enclave. Winning a book makes me love anyone, but I adored that it led to conversations and surpassed the simple "Thansk for the book I won". I'm eternally grateful.

When You're Not Reading: What occupies your time 

when your nose isn't stuck in a book?

Just to get the obvious out of the way: school. I spend probably a third (if not more) of my week doing school related things. Homework, going to school, extra-ciricular or revision.

But if I get the time, I am- like many teenagers- quite a keen gamer. I haven't done a great deal recently, but I do do it in spurts when I have a particular game I like. I don't like shooters- the ones you hear about all the time- rather I like RPGs (Role Playing Games). I have the belief that a good RPG is like a good book. It completely immerses you in an alternate reality where you can do and experience the impossible. It's not for everyone, but I can personally see the parallels. Also, it's nice to be able to have something I love on multiple levels (Re: fantasy).

I also try and do exercise. Mostly it's just personal cardio, but I'm thinking about running properly. I started a while ago but gave up because of time constraints. It won't come about in the near furture but I hope it does soon. And I'm not fitness-mad. It's just that I like to graze on food while doing things and grazing is kind of a bad habit that I can't break. Instead, I just try to stay ahead of it.

My more interesting hobbies include:

- Taekwondo (I tell you, I'm not fitness-mad!) but not as much as I used to. My club closed down so it's mostly just a bit of practise every now and then.

- I write a little. I'm not a great writer; I'm more a good ideas person. Still, I don't have a creative outlet so I need something. I avoid poetry like the plague, but a bit of fiction never hurt anybody! Also, I can't draw. My 10 year old cousin draws better than I can ever hope to. I'm also in the school newspaper, but it's early days.

-  Probably my most unique thing is that I study Ancient Greek Classics (the language), and I don't even go to public school! It's so hard, and I tweet about it and complain, but's it's something I'm proud of for its innate quirkiness. And I can say things in Greek that are stupid, but sound impressive!

- I also really like casual learning. (Goodness I'm boring). It just means I try to learn a new concept (science, philosophy, psychology, writing, you name it!) each week and then test myself on them at the end of the month. I enjoy the challenge.

Besides other things like shopping, film and (obviously) blogging, there's not much else. Reading is kind of a dominant feature in my life.