Hey, Look, It's a Major Award!

Back in the early days of book blogging, awards were a huge thing.  So big that people got really tired of accepting them, tagging other bloggers, and feeling obligated to pass them on.  That led to "award-free" blogs and the near extinction of blogging awards.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that Stephanie over at She's Probably at the Library had given me an award!  I'm so honored.  Thanks, Stephanie!

I know a lot of bloggers are bugged by these awards, so I'm not going to tag anyone.  The rules of the award are listed below in case you want to pass it on.  I'm not going to do that, but I am going to list 15 blogs that I enjoy reading.  Keep in mind that I read hundreds of book blogs, so this list will obviously not include all my favorite book bloggers.  Do give the ones I list a look-see, though.  They're all excellent blogs by enthusiastic readers who will definitely help you add books to your TBR mountain chain!

Rules:

• Thank the blogger that nominated you.
• Write a post to show your award.
• Give a brief story of how your blog started.
• Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
• Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
• Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

HOW IT ALL STARTED:  Back in 2006, in the heyday of blogging, I decided a blog would be the perfect platform to use for an online reading journal.  I was proud of my innovation and cleverness—surely no one had yet thought of using a blog for this nerdy purpose!  When I discovered that there was, in fact, a whole book blogging community out there, my mind was blown.  Here was my tribe, just waiting for me to discover it!  I started visiting other blogs, receiving review requests from authors and publishers, joining community events and just having a blast.  Thirteen years later, I'm still having a great time with this book blogging gig.  It's a fun hobby through which I have met some wonderful people (online and off), discovered amazing books, and had opportunities and experiences I never could have imagined before.

TWO PIECES OF ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS: 

• Be yourself!  Write the things you want to write, when you want to write them, and how you want to write them.  Don't take blogging too seriously.  Have fun with it.  Infuse your blog with your unique personality—that's what will make it stand out.
• Engage with the book blogging community.  The best thing about book blogging, IMHO, is communing with like-minded people about our favorite thing—books.  Find blogs you love and visit them often.  Make thoughtful comments.  Join in with memes, reading challenges, scavenger hunts, and other events.  It's the best way to promote your blog in a non-obnoxious way, spread the love to other blogs, support authors and bloggers, and find great new books to read.

15 BLOGS I VISIT OFTEN:

I've been reading book blogs every day for years.  Some of my favorites have fallen by the wayside over the years, but here are 12 I have been loving for at least a year and 4 (bonus!) I have discovered only recently.  Give them all a visit, wontcha?

Annette's Book Spot—Annette is a high school librarian who always has great YA recommendations.

Bibliophile by the Sea—Diane has been reviewing books since 2008.  She always has great recs.  She also has cute cats :)

Book Haven—I love Greg's insightful reviews and thoughtful comments.  He reviews a variety of genres, but primarily sci fi/fantasy.

Grab a Book From Our Stack—Gerard and Karen are a husband and wife reviewing team.  I love it when they both review the same book.  It's fun to compare/contrast their opinions.

I Wish I Lived in a Library—Katherine and I have a lot of interests in common, both bookish and non, so it's not surprising that I always find new books to love on her blog.

It's All About Books—I've had the pleasure of meeting Suey in real life and she's a wonderful person as well as a fun blogger.  She reviews books, movies, TV shows, and Korean entertainment.

Kay's Reading Life—Kay's my go-to girl for all things mystery/thriller.  If that's your genre, check her out! 

Lark Writes—Lark reviews a variety of genres and has a lot of fun elements on her blog.  I especially love when she posts bookish art, reading quotes, and her awesome haiku reviews.

Library of Clean Reads—Laura reviews everything from picture books to adult non-fiction.  The books she talks about are free from profanity, sex scenes, disturbing subject matter, etc.

Rebel Mommy Book Blog—Grace reviews mostly contemporary books and women's fiction.  She's a frequent commenter on my blog and someone whose blog I thoroughly enjoy visiting.

The Perpetual Page Turner—Jamie's blog has a lot of great features.  I especially love her lists of book deals and upcoming books she's looking forward to.

We Live and Breathe Books—Sam and her co-bloggers review a lot of YA and contemporary books.  I always find great books I haven't heard about yet from them.

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Carla Loves to Read—I discovered Carla's blog through Top Ten Tuesday.  We have similar reading interests, so I like to keep up with what she's reading.

Helen's Book Blog—Helen and I also have similar reading tastes, so I like to see what she's got on her stack.  She's also a great commenter on my blog!

She's Probably at the Library—I already mentioned Stephanie, who gave me this award.  She reads a lot of interesting books and writes thorough reviews that always make me want to give the book she's reviewing a try, even if it's not my usual genre!

Wishful Endings—This is more of a re-discovery since I'm pretty sure I used to be a more frequent visitor to this blog.  At any rate, Tressa reviews mostly YA, sweet romance, and Christian/LDS fiction.  

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If you'd like to pass on this award to bloggers you love, consider yourself tagged!