Talking Point: Let's Hear It For The Bloggers

Warning: This post is totally sappy, but I don't care. It needs to be said.

I've always loved reading, but when I left uni, moved out of home and started working full time, I struggled to find time for it. I went from studying English Literature and reading multiple books a week - and analysing them in depth - to reading one or two a month at the most. I missed reading, and I missed talking about books with people who were as passionate about them as I was. So I started my blog, hoping to make reading a priority again and connect with some like-minded people. Little did I know...

The community I discovered as a result of book blogging was (and is) amazing. A whole online world opened up to me that I hadn't realised was there. I was welcomed by many and quickly made a bunch of friends - not because I'm awesome, but because the community is. Not only was I thrilled to find lovely people who shared my passion for books, I was excited to read their posts and reviews. Because of them, I became interested in authors I would never have taken any notice of before, and discovered new books to read on a daily basis.

This is kind of embarrassing, but before I started blogging, I had one bookshelf in my apartment - and half of it was filled with dvds. Within a couple of months of blogging, I had acquired so many new books thanks to reviews and recommendations from online friends, I had to find a new spot for the dvds. Within a year, I had to get another whole bookshelf. Both shelves are now bulging and floor space in my apartment is shrinking as books stack up all over the place.

Before blogging, I could probably have named a couple of dozen books off the top of my head that I knew I wanted to read. Now, my TBR pile - books I own but haven't read yet - is 210 books high, while my wishlist currently sits at 171 and grows on a daily basis.

This is all because of bloggers and Goodreads reviewers. They inspire me every day with their passion, their humour, their wit and their warmth. They are some of the smartest, funniest and most supportive people I've ever known - and I've never even met them.

So I wanted to post this incredibly cheesy post and say thank you. To anyone who follows this blog, is friends with me on Goodreads or chats with me on Twitter - thank you. Thank you for making me smile and laugh and think every single day. Thank you for loving books and championing authors and sharing that passion with the world. Thank you for being a friend. You're awesome.