Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Book Blogger

1. The amazing community. I have made so many friends through book blogging, and I love how supporting and encouraging everyone is of one another. It makes me really, really happy.

2. Challenges. I'm a big fan of book challenges, they have definitely broadened my horizons - even if I don't always reach my target!

3. Focus on reading. One of the reasons I started this blog was to make reading a priority in my life - and it has worked! I read many more books now than I had in the years before I started blogging.

4. Discovering new books. Thanks to my fellow brilliant bloggers, I am always coming across new books to read. It's dangerous for my TBR pile but it's a good problem to have.

5. Being aware of bookish news and events. I'm not as in touch as I'd like to be, but I'm much more up with the news than I used to be - again thanks primarily to the great bloggers I know!

6. Writing about books. Reviewing is a great way of to keep track of my reactions to books - and fangirl/vent when necessary!

7. Bookish social networks. Goodreads is so fun, even with all the drama (which I try to ignore these days), and talking to bookish people on Twitter is one of my favourite things.

8. Writing in my spare time. I write for a living but it's nice to have something that's all my own to create and control in my own time.

9. A fun hobby/distraction. When I started my blog, I had been in a bad headspace for about six months. The six months after that, when I was fully into my blog, updating constantly and loving it, were the best I've felt, mentally, since. It's a good way to channel my energy and avoid ruminating. I'm not sure if getting back into my blog more regularly will make me feel that good again, but I want to anyway, just for the fun of it.

10. Celebrating books and reading with like-minded people. What's not to love?

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.