The Paper Kind

Creative living.

Am I Pretending To Be A Book Blogger?

A week ago I was in a Waterstones and came across a copy of The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon. This is not particularly surprising because it was close to the release date. But when I saw that book last week, it was on a shelf 5 days before the official release. Normally during occasions like this the book blogger in me would have had a tiny freak out moment in the store. Immediately buy the book then come home and tell everyone on the internet that I got a book before the release date.

book blogger photo of The Song Rising

ON NOT BUYING BOOKS

This time it wasn’t quite like that. This time I noted that it happened to be a book I wanted to read. Was surprised to see that it already had money off. Then had a little think about whether I really needed to buy that book. Yes it is one I want to read, I enjoyed The Bone Season and The Mime Order. But I also already had the book on pre-order (though it wouldn’t be too hard to cancel that). There was also the fact that it was very unlikely I would read this book any time soon. So I did something I’ve never done in a bookstore before. I didn’t buy a book I wanted to read.

AM I A BOOK BLOGGER?

This is happening more and more regularly now. I don’t go into book shops all that often. I’m buying books even less and I hardly read anything at all. As of Wednesday the 8th of March it has been a week since I last picked up a book. And the thing is I’m totally okay with that. I’m tired, I don’t have much time and as a result I’m not reading so much. I still write blog posts about books I just don’t write so many actual book reviews. I’m sure some people would be horrified to see they were 5 books behind on their Goodreads challenge but it doesn’t bother me. To me reading 52 books has always been something I want to try and do every year, it’s not something I have to do.

But the thing is I have become known on the internet as a book blogger. I don’t call myself that but companies like putting people into groups and somehow I’ve become known as a book blogger even though I write about other things too. But I feel like I shouldn’t be called a book blogger anymore because I’m not doing the one thing book bloggers are mostly known for. That being reviewing books.

FINALLY

But that makes me think if writing about books I’ve read in the past is enough to make me a book blogger. I don’t go all into the literary analysis, I’m not the sort of person to write essays on why Dumbledore was the worst character in the whole Harry Potter series. All I do is recommend books, and you can only recommend the same books so many times. So basically, am I a book blogger? Sort of.

MORE LIKE THIS: I Quit Social Media For A Week

19 responses to “Am I Pretending To Be A Book Blogger?”

  1. You’re still a book blogger. I think you’re on a little hiatus, in a kind of slump, maybe, and you might be back to writing reviews sometime soon but also there are other ways to be a book blogger. The passion for books never really dies out and there are lots of ways to express that fire.
    http://runwright.net

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  2. I have not been buying books, but I am guilty of trading! It’s totally fun and addictive.
    Good luck on your ban: I just filed my taxes and hope I can treat myself and a friend to some books!

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  3. I never did like the labeling trend in blogging… it always just feels so limiting, particularly if it’s something you do as a hobby as opposed to as a career. Let the “label” change with your life, I say.

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  4. Feels like an amazing coincidence reading this post today. I just met Samantha Shannon a few hours ago when we were on a panel together at the Tucson Festival of Books. Afterwards, she autographed my copy of The Song Rising.

    As for the blogging, I’m a big believer in blogging about what you want to blog about. If you’re reading a lot of books, feel free to blog about books. If you have other things on your mind, feel free to write about those things. No need to force yourself into a pigeonhole, unless it’s a niche you particularly want to pursue.

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  5. I don’t like labelling a blog to a certain category because blogging is ultimately about sharing your thoughts and views. Though my blog would mostly be about books, it will most certainly contain other topics too. But, if people call you a book blogger, that’s absolutely fine. Book blogs don’t have to necessarily contain a lot of reviews. If you discuss about books in anyway, then it’s a book blog.

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Hello!

I’m Emma. I am a designer, calligrapher, and content creator, sharing my love for paper goods. Expect pens, pencils, and some really fancy paper!

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