Here are twenty things I love--and hate--about being a book blogger, in no particular order. Many of these could apply to other types of blogging as well.
- I love to read and to write.
- I love to discover new books and blogs worth reading.
- I love the sense of community. In reality, it took me a long while to connect and link to other book bloggers, and to join reading challenges, but once I did, it made a tremendous difference. I now consider myself a real blogivert (one who connects to many other bloggers).
- I hate when I write a post, and then wait nervously for my first comment. Waiting for that first comment can be grueling. (Am I taking this too seriously? Perhaps.) When I am lucky enough to interview an author then I worry that the interview will not get many comments. That's the worst, because I worry about the feelings of the author. I guess I've been lucky in this regard so far.
- I love the surprises blogging brings, the free books and other perks, and the wonderful friends that I've made online. And they are friends. There's definitely a connection.
- I hate when people assume that every blog is narcissistic.
- I love when others link to my blog or specific posts, or tweet about my posts.
- I hate when I publish a post and then notice a typo, or two, or three. (Luckily it's possible and easy to edit after posting, and I take advantage of this.)
- I love when someone compliments or follows my blog, or does both.
- I love receiving awards.
- I hate Spam or mean comments, and delete them.
- I hate the fact that sometimes I blog so much that I don't spend enough time reading. I'm a book blogger, right? (Get thee to a bookery!)
- I hate when people don't take the time to carefully read my reviews or posts. I know some of them are long. I know there aren't enough hours in the day. But my ideal reader has some time, a cup of coffee or tea in hand, and wants to read. I try to make my writing worthwhile.
- I love that my blog's international. I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.
- I hate when the internet goes out and I can't check my email or blog.
- I hate when I spend too much time trying to fix the layout of a post, when I have problems arranging images and texts in posts. This takes up precious time. I wish the Blogger rectangle that I type into were a bit larger so I wouldn't have to preview my work as often.
- I love when others read the same books as me or want to. Or see the same movies, which are often based on books.
- I love the give and take of blogs, the spontaneity and interactivity.
- I hate when I simply waste too much time on my blog.
- I love questions and comments, consider them carefully, and am thankful for them.
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