Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,
hosted by Billy @
This Week's Question
Do you follow other book blogs,
and if so, who are your
top 3 bloggers?
(Submitted by Amber @
My Answer
Most of us book bloggers do follow other book blogs. Bloggers in general do this, whether their blogs deal with books, crafts, gardening, pets, kids, or some other topic. I am no exception to this blogging 'custom'. It's a nifty way to get to know other bloggers, as well as share ideas and book recommendations!
In my early blogging days, I went CRAZY following blogs left and right, lol. As time went on, though, I came to realize that I could not realistically visit each and every one of these blogs and comment on at least ONE post, every single week. So nowadays, I don't follow that many blogs. Ironically, I have built up a large following myself, because blog tour companies want to see a lot of followers on those blogs where their authors' books are being promoted.
There are different ways of following blogs, of course. Those of us who use Google's Blogger blogging platform usually follow other blogs with the GFC widget (Google Friend Connect). Those who have Wordpress as their blogging platform, on the other hand, need to use other following methods, as GFC does not apply to Wordpress blogs. (A couple of years ago, there were Internet rumors that Google was retiring the GFC widget, but that hasn't happened, thankfully!)
Other following options include Bloglovin', Networked Blogs, and, of course, following by email. There's also the Linky widget. I use this one, too, but, unfortunately, it doesn't show up in a blog's sidebar if that blog uses "https" in front of their URL. With the recent privacy law being enacted in Europe, I now use "https" in front of my URL. I'm not taking any chances on being fined! Lol. But then the Linky widget doesn't appear in my sidebar..... Well, I'm currently in the process of finding a solution to this little glitch. Until I do, my Linky followers are not visible in my sidebar. :(
So, when I follow a blog, I usually do so with the GFC widget. If they don't have that, then I use Bloglovin'. I NEVER use the email option, though, because my inbox tends to get a LOT of spam. I sure don't need to get MORE emails! Lol.
Now, on to my three top bloggers..... And what are the criteria for a blogger saying that they have"three top bloggers"? I would say that it would be interesting content, great blog layout, and willingness to reciprocate with comments back, and/or replies. In my honest opinion, I believe all three of these are important. However, if a given blogger has the first two, but is not willing to either reply to my comments on their blog, or to comment back on mine, then I can't really say that they're one of my "three top bloggers". I understand that everyone is very busy (yours truly included), and sometimes, there just isn't enough time to reply to comments left on your blog, or to comment back on the blogs whose bloggers left a comment on yours. I do the best I can, myself. Sometimes I do fall behind.....
Anyway.... I think book bloggers tend to interact more with other book bloggers whose reading tastes are similar to theirs. This is very understandable, although, in my case, there's at least one book blogger who LOVES the horror genre (I don't), and yet, she's SO nice and friendly, we're able to interact very well.
I really prefer to mention several -- not just three -- book bloggers with whom I interact pretty often, and whose reading tastes are similar to mine. But again, included in that list are book bloggers who, like the one I've referred to above, are just very nice people. They will interact with me, even though we don't quite have the same reading tastes. This is something I GREATLY appreciate!
So here are the bloggers, in NO particular order:
Sarah @ Brainfluff: Totally fascinating posts, mostly about fantasy and SF, but including book cover posts, too. I LOVE interacting with her, as she's also very nice. Additionally, she's an SF writer!! :)
Brian @ Babbling Books: He writes fascinating posts about classics, literary fiction, and nonfiction. Brian makes very interesting observations on the books he reads, and I greatly enjoy his comments, as well as his posts! Besides, he's a very down-to-earth, nice person. :)
Stephanie @ Bookfever: She has a wonderful mix of reading genres, including historical fiction, and historical nonfiction. She also hosts giveaways and participates in blog tours! Last but not least, she's a very nice person! :)
Barb @ Booker T's Farm: She LOVES dogs (she and hubby have two very cute Boxer pups), so she features many dog-themed books, especially funny ones. She's also a horror fan, but we both did enjoy reading Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland. (I called this book "horror lite", though, lol.) We kid around a lot! :)
Greg @ Book Haven: He posts such a GREAT collection of pictures, most of them SF-related! He also includes music videos in "Can't Wait Wednesday" post every week, and reviews movies as well as books. :)
Wendy @ Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Although I haven't visited her blog in a while, I LOVE her posts, which include news (she calls them "mews", in reference to her cats, lol) of her family's activities. I especially enjoy reading about her daughter's progress in school, as well as her outings with Mom and Dad. Her daughter's nickname is "Mouse". :)
Daniela @ Nocturnal Devices (now renamed 'Bookiverse'): I feel bad that I haven't visited her blog in a while.... She's a VERY bubbly person, and her post titles ALWAYS crack me up! She blogs mostly about paranormal romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, and some SF. She is, of course, VERY funny! :)
Sue @ The Great Raven: Sue blogs about several genres, as she has very eclectic tastes. She does tend to publish a lot of SF posts. Since she's a librarian, she has a wide breadth of knowledge about several authors and genres. :)
Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews: Elizabeth is a very sweet, kind person, and we interact mostly through the Book Blogger Hop blog hop/book meme, every week. We've also chatted by phone, though. She reads and reviews historical fiction, mysteries, and women's fiction. Although we don't have similar reading tastes, we still enjoy our chats! :)
So these are my favorite bloggers and blogs! Do visit them, and check out their posts. I'm sure you guys will find some books in common, and make new friends, as well!
TGIF and a GREAT weekend to everybody!! <3 :)
In my early blogging days, I went CRAZY following blogs left and right, lol. As time went on, though, I came to realize that I could not realistically visit each and every one of these blogs and comment on at least ONE post, every single week. So nowadays, I don't follow that many blogs. Ironically, I have built up a large following myself, because blog tour companies want to see a lot of followers on those blogs where their authors' books are being promoted.
There are different ways of following blogs, of course. Those of us who use Google's Blogger blogging platform usually follow other blogs with the GFC widget (Google Friend Connect). Those who have Wordpress as their blogging platform, on the other hand, need to use other following methods, as GFC does not apply to Wordpress blogs. (A couple of years ago, there were Internet rumors that Google was retiring the GFC widget, but that hasn't happened, thankfully!)
Other following options include Bloglovin', Networked Blogs, and, of course, following by email. There's also the Linky widget. I use this one, too, but, unfortunately, it doesn't show up in a blog's sidebar if that blog uses "https" in front of their URL. With the recent privacy law being enacted in Europe, I now use "https" in front of my URL. I'm not taking any chances on being fined! Lol. But then the Linky widget doesn't appear in my sidebar..... Well, I'm currently in the process of finding a solution to this little glitch. Until I do, my Linky followers are not visible in my sidebar. :(
So, when I follow a blog, I usually do so with the GFC widget. If they don't have that, then I use Bloglovin'. I NEVER use the email option, though, because my inbox tends to get a LOT of spam. I sure don't need to get MORE emails! Lol.
Now, on to my three top bloggers..... And what are the criteria for a blogger saying that they have"three top bloggers"? I would say that it would be interesting content, great blog layout, and willingness to reciprocate with comments back, and/or replies. In my honest opinion, I believe all three of these are important. However, if a given blogger has the first two, but is not willing to either reply to my comments on their blog, or to comment back on mine, then I can't really say that they're one of my "three top bloggers". I understand that everyone is very busy (yours truly included), and sometimes, there just isn't enough time to reply to comments left on your blog, or to comment back on the blogs whose bloggers left a comment on yours. I do the best I can, myself. Sometimes I do fall behind.....
Anyway.... I think book bloggers tend to interact more with other book bloggers whose reading tastes are similar to theirs. This is very understandable, although, in my case, there's at least one book blogger who LOVES the horror genre (I don't), and yet, she's SO nice and friendly, we're able to interact very well.
I really prefer to mention several -- not just three -- book bloggers with whom I interact pretty often, and whose reading tastes are similar to mine. But again, included in that list are book bloggers who, like the one I've referred to above, are just very nice people. They will interact with me, even though we don't quite have the same reading tastes. This is something I GREATLY appreciate!
So here are the bloggers, in NO particular order:
Sarah @ Brainfluff: Totally fascinating posts, mostly about fantasy and SF, but including book cover posts, too. I LOVE interacting with her, as she's also very nice. Additionally, she's an SF writer!! :)
Brian @ Babbling Books: He writes fascinating posts about classics, literary fiction, and nonfiction. Brian makes very interesting observations on the books he reads, and I greatly enjoy his comments, as well as his posts! Besides, he's a very down-to-earth, nice person. :)
Stephanie @ Bookfever: She has a wonderful mix of reading genres, including historical fiction, and historical nonfiction. She also hosts giveaways and participates in blog tours! Last but not least, she's a very nice person! :)
Barb @ Booker T's Farm: She LOVES dogs (she and hubby have two very cute Boxer pups), so she features many dog-themed books, especially funny ones. She's also a horror fan, but we both did enjoy reading Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland. (I called this book "horror lite", though, lol.) We kid around a lot! :)
Greg @ Book Haven: He posts such a GREAT collection of pictures, most of them SF-related! He also includes music videos in "Can't Wait Wednesday" post every week, and reviews movies as well as books. :)
Wendy @ Musings of a Bookish Kitty: Although I haven't visited her blog in a while, I LOVE her posts, which include news (she calls them "mews", in reference to her cats, lol) of her family's activities. I especially enjoy reading about her daughter's progress in school, as well as her outings with Mom and Dad. Her daughter's nickname is "Mouse". :)
Daniela @ Nocturnal Devices (now renamed 'Bookiverse'): I feel bad that I haven't visited her blog in a while.... She's a VERY bubbly person, and her post titles ALWAYS crack me up! She blogs mostly about paranormal romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, and some SF. She is, of course, VERY funny! :)
Sue @ The Great Raven: Sue blogs about several genres, as she has very eclectic tastes. She does tend to publish a lot of SF posts. Since she's a librarian, she has a wide breadth of knowledge about several authors and genres. :)
Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews: Elizabeth is a very sweet, kind person, and we interact mostly through the Book Blogger Hop blog hop/book meme, every week. We've also chatted by phone, though. She reads and reviews historical fiction, mysteries, and women's fiction. Although we don't have similar reading tastes, we still enjoy our chats! :)
So these are my favorite bloggers and blogs! Do visit them, and check out their posts. I'm sure you guys will find some books in common, and make new friends, as well!
TGIF and a GREAT weekend to everybody!! <3 :)
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!!!
