What is your purpose in blogging?I began my blog basically as a place where I can publish reviews of the books I've read. I'm a relative newbie to consistent blogging, having dabbled a bit last year, but I resolved this year to try to blog almost everyday. I've just worked out today that I've done more than that. This is my 208th post in 173 days. I know that I sometimes post twice a day - a book review, and some other cogitations.
The thing is I do find blogging cathartic. I often publish a "progress report" about the book I am reading. It helps me clarify my ideas about what is going on, and is often the starting paragraphs for my eventual review. I am also finding, I think, that the extra writing practice is having a beneficial effect on my reviews.
My postings for this week:
- REVIEW: CARELESS IN RED, Elizabeth George
Just what it says, my review of the book. Much awaited by Lynley & Havers fans. Some people have already found the review and commented. - Watching You, Watching Me
A description of the way in which I keep track of the blogs of others. I'd love your comments about what you do. - Never visit Midsomer during a Festival
I love watching the TV series Midsomer Murders but my advice is to keep well away in real life. I found out where to check on whose been in the 60 episodes etc.
- Spending all day online
In reality I spend most of every day online. I work online to a large extent. But last Tuesday was special because we ran a series of workshop sessions online for the first time. To the right, me at work. - Suffering from Big-Book-itis
Just recently I seem to have chosen big big books to read. Often they are well over 400 pages, even over 500 pages. They do affect where I have to sit to read them. Lying in bed holding the book in one hand is really challenging!
- The footy team lost again yesterday! But at least there were some good signs - they went down fighting. But they have no hope of making the finals. Time to blood some youngsters
- I have added a new html block to my blog called Breaking News and hope to add an item on an almost daily basis - when I find something newsworthy.
Here is what is there at the moment:
- On a recommendation of a friend I have just begun reading ASKING FOR THE MOON by Reginald Hill, a collection of 4 novellas, beginning with The Last National Service Man, which divulges how Dalziel and Pascoe met.
- I saw a really good Word Press plugin over on ClareS's Blue Archipelago this week called Comment Luv. You'll see it in action here. When you add a comment to the blog posting, then it displays the title of your last blog posting. Very nifty, but I don't think Blogger has an equivalent unfortunately. The closest widget is probably what I have running in my blog roll. (51 Blogs I am watching)
Like you, I started blogging as a way to keep track of my reviews. I'm also on LibraryThing, where I also keep track of books obtained, read, and reviewed. The problem I ran in to there, though, was that I didn't want to post a full review on the book's page. People go to the book page, I think, mostly to see if they'd want to read the book. So now I post an abreviated review there with a link to the full review. I'm liking that better.
ReplyDeleteI started my site to keep track of my reviews too - it was just for my personal use until I stumbled across such a great bunch of other book bloggers -Now I read more than ever!
ReplyDeleteI do like the commentluv plugin - I think it's nice to highlight the commenter's latest post. There are some great widgets/plugins on Blogger that you can't get on wordpress and vice versa - it does make it difficult to choose a blogging platform.
Happy Sunday
My blog sort of evolved, it started out as a sort of dear diary thing but then found it's feet talking about mainly food, books and a bit of TV. I too find blogging cathartic and consquently I blog rather prolifically, perhaps too prolifically!
ReplyDeleteI started my blog when I had a new job, and didn't have much opportunity to share books with others. It was a place I could go to talk about books, and, hopefully have others respond. I've now been doing it for over 2 years, with almost 50,000 visitors. I still love it!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is one of my favorite stops although I rarely comment. I have gotten a lot of great mystery recommendations from you.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging because my husband thought I should. I've kept a reading journal for a number of years and he talked me into taking it public, so the speak. I might not have stuck with it had it not been for the supportive and wonderful community of fellow book lovers I have encountered. Blogging has pushed me to try and improve my writing and I have met so many wonderful people.
Originally I began blogging to keep track of my running experiences, but now I blog on different subjects from trail running to spiritual readings (St. Ignatius and St. John of the Cross) to reading to just general rambling. Like you, I've also found a great group of book bloggers here in the blogosphere...
ReplyDeleteby the way, love Midsomer Murders. I didn't realize that they started as books either, and I wouldn't visit there during a festival.
I started my blog to record what I've read and my thoughts on the books. It's expanded a bit and I also write about places I've visited or anything else that I'm interested in and want to have a record.
ReplyDeleteI love watching detective series on TV but have only recently started to read the books. I've just finished The Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill. You asked in an earlier post how old Dalziel and Pascoe were in this book - I wondered about it as I read it - Dalziel is described as having "grey stubble" at one point and Pascoe is not long out of university. I got caught up in the story so never actually decided their ages - maybe it'll become clearer when I write about it.
You'll be interested in ASKING FOR THE MOON then Margaret (I'm about to write a review of it). Dalziel says he felt old when he was relatively young! I think he was possibly in his 40s when they first got together, but Hill has cheated a bit and not aged them in "real time"
ReplyDelete