Book Blogger Hop No. 130: What My Blog Says About Me

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

This Week's Question

What do you think your blog

says about you?

(Submitted  by Cathy @

What Cathy Read Next)

My Answer

The very first thing I think most first-time visitors to my blog would notice is that I'm a very visual person. I love images! This might not be to everyone's taste, but this is who I am, quite honestly. Some people have very simple, even minimalist blogs. That style just does not reflect my own personal aesthetic taste. I've always been very visually-oriented. Therefore, I wanted my blog design to be colorful, vibrant, and absolutely bold! Again, everyone has their own styles and preferences. So that means that those who prefer simpler designs should go with that preference. I am certainly not advocating that everyone should have the type of blog design that I have!

Ironically, the fact that I do prefer a more visually exciting design means that I have to take more time to create my posts. I like to highlight book synopses with a color that matches one of the colors on the book's cover, for example. Then I have these "dividers", which I created myself, that serve as little headers for the different sections of my post. I have included some samples below.

These small headers are based on an alternative header design for the blog itself. It was created by a web designer I used to know. Here it is!

I will be alternating this header with the one I currently have, which I designed myself as well, using a Google program named "Picasa". Sadly, Google has retired this program, so if I want to create another header in the future, I will need to look for another image-creating program.

Before clicking on "Publish", I also change the color of the post's text to off-white, so it will stand out more.

As for the blog background, well, it's very obvious that blue is my favorite color! Lol. It's not only the color in the blog background, but is also the post background color. Blue has always been my favorite color, as far back as I can remember! 

Another element of my design is that the text is a light color against a dark background. I have read several Google articles stating that the "best" combination is dark text against a white background. Supposedly this is much easier on the eyes. Well, I have found it to be the opposite for me. Reading light against dark is much more comfortable for me. Besides, this is part of my blog's aesthetic, and goes perfectly with the theme of nocturnal dreaming about books!

As for what type of books I blog about, they're from several different genres. I'm very eclectic, although I have reviewed quite a few Young Adult novels. I must admit to being very partial to this genre. This, too, will be noticed by first-time visitors. I used to include nonfiction on this blog, but I now have a second blog where I review such books.  (If you're interested, check my blog header for the link to this blog. It, too, has a very visually bold design.)

As for my writing style, I think it reflects my love for the English language. I really enjoy the flow of words as I write. I also love words themselves. Also, since I'm a perfectionist, I frequently revise my posts over and over again. I want everything to be just right. So that's another thing I think my blog says about me -- I'm a perfectionist. If I find an extra comma somewhere, I will take it out. If a word is misspelled, I will immediately correct it. And I'm constantly looking for the best way to convey my point. What all this means is that I love to write just as much as I love visual design! In my opinion, both of these elements should come together harmoniously on a blog, no matter what type of blog it is. 

I also like to have variety on my blog. So I not only write reviews, but also participate in blog hops and book memes. I also have two book memes of my own which are not blog hops -- "The Book Lover's Den", which I publish on Mondays, and "Shelf Candy Saturday", which I publish on Saturdays, although sometimes I do a late post, which will then appear on Sunday.

Book tours are another aspect of my blog; again, because I like to offer readers a variety of posts. Besides, this is one of the best ways to let readers know about newly-released or recently-released books. Fortunately, the Blogger platform allows bloggers to publish book tour posts. Those bloggers who use Wordpress are not allowed to do this, because Wordpress considers such posts to be spam. This is totally ridiculous! But, "it is what it is". I plan to stay with Blogger as long as I can, even though it does act up every now and then! Lol.

And then there are the giveaways! I like to participate in blog hop giveaways -- the kind that are hosted by one blog, with participating blogs signing up through a Linky widget. The day the giveaway kicks off, the whole list goes up, as well. It's always a lot of fun to "hop" from one blog to the other, entering giveaways! I host my own giveaways, too. I have one when celebrating my Blogoversary every year, but I also have a "Favorite Cover Giveaway" from time to time -- on my meme, "Shelf Candy Saturday". 

Of course, blog tours nearly always include giveaways, so this is another way in which readers can enter to win!

So there you have it! I think that, most of all, my blog says just how much I adore books, and how much I enjoy blogging about them! And I greatly enjoy doing so in a style that also shows my love of art. Furthermore, I think this combination shows my wish to have an inviting "blog atmosphere" that all members of the book blogosphere can enjoy!

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

If you're participating in this hop,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!!